Richmond, VA – Christendom Women's Basketball (26-5) punched their ticket to the USCAA National Championship yesterday, 3/12, with a, 60-48, come-from-behind win over the Central Maine Mustangs (28-2).
The Crusaders started on rocky ground, as Central Maine's defense hounded them, causing turnover after turnover in the first quarter. The Mustangs capitalized on the turnovers scoring quick fastbreak points to put the Crusaders in a large hole, the first quarter ended 17-6. However, Christendom regrouped quickly and entered the second quarter looking to change the trajectory of the game. The Crusader offense came alive in the second, striking for 18-points in the quarter, leading to a 31-24 deficit at the half.
Christendom was electric to open the second half. They came out firing on all cylinders, as they nailed shot after shot on offense and secured stop after stop on defense. Their outstanding play in the third won them the quarter 27-9 and propelled them to a 51-40 lead on the game. The Mustangs ramped up the defensive pressure going into the fourth and final frame. Unlike the start of the game, this time the Crusaders were ready for the pressure, they broke the Mustang press and controlled the pace of play throughout the quarter. As the final seconds ticked off, Christendom had the 60-48 advantage winning the Semi-final and knocking off both the #2 and #3 seeds in back-to-back days.
Christendom had a strong performances all over the court in the comeback victory. Four players scored double figures; Mary Pennefather (Freshman/ Manassas, VA) finished with 25-points, Regina Bonvissuto (Junior/ Kingston Springs, TN) ended the game with 14-pionts, Catherine Thomas (Junior/ Portland, TX) notched 11-points, and Miranda Keller (Junior/ Harrisburg, PA) had 10-points. Pennefather and Keller both completed double-doubles as Pennefather brought down 12-rebounds and Keller secured 10 boards.
Up Next: The Crusaders play in the National Championships game on Wednesday, 3/13, at 8:15pm vs #1 Johnson and Wales (20-7).