DeSales turns up pressure, rolls in D-III tourney opener
Shenandoah University brought a spirited student group to Billera Hall.
DeSales sucked the fun from the Hornets supporters' night with its relentless defense.
The Bulldogs scored the game's first four points to take the lead for good. They had a 31-point cushion when Samantha Shinkus converted a free throw midway through the second quarter.
The final two quarters carried no drama as DeSales cruised to a 77-49 win in an NCAA Division III women's basketball firstround game Friday.
By stretching its winning streak to 21 games, DeSales (26-2 overall) earned a second-round matchup against Middlebury College (Vt.). The teams will meet Saturday at Billera Hall (7 p.m.) for a spot in the Division III Sweet 16.
DeSales breezed to its first NCAA tournament win since 2010 by suffocating another foe. The Bulldogs harassed Shenandoah (16-14) into 28 turnovers over the first three quarters and 29 total while leading for all but the game's first 12 seconds.
“We watched four of their last six games and realized their style and their pace is why they were so successful,” DeSales coach Fred Richter said. “Well, we just don't allow that style and pace. We get after people.
“I really hoped that we would get after them right from the beginning so they wouldn't gain any confidence and possibly get to walk it up. They didn't get to walk it up. It really paid off.”
What we learned
Teams that struggle with ball pressure won't fare well against DeSales.
The Bulldogs used a 25-2 run that bridged the first two quarters to blow the game open. DeSales generated several runouts during the stretch as Shenandoah, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion, struggled with the Bulldogs' aggression.
Shinkus played a strong allaround game after posting backto-back four-point games in the MAC Freedom Conference tournament. She recorded a game-high six steals Friday while adding 12 points and four assists.
Morgan Birmelin scored a game-high 21 points, handed out five assists and had four steals. The Bulldogs finished with 21 steals and 28 points off turnovers.
“It's hard to simulate 40 minutes of just in-your-face defense,” Shenandoah coach Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft said. “But we were doing a lot of things where we're just adding defenders to the practices and the drills. We did 7-on-5 a lot this week. It might not have showed during that game, but trust you me, we did 7-on-5.
“We added foam rollers at practice just to add to the height of shot selection and what not. But it's really hard no matter what you do to simulate what DeSales was able to do tonight.”
For starters
Middlebury College started the doubleheader by collecting a 62-54 win over John Carroll University. Kira Waldman had 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots to lead the Panthers.
Middlebury (20-7) outscored John Carroll by 11 points in the second half to advance.