Preview 

CAPE COD, Mass. - Wilmington University has been selected as the top seed in the 2008 ECAC Division II Women's Basketball Championship Presented by FieldTurf Tarkett.  The Wildcats completed the regular season with a 20-9 overall record, 13-5 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games.  The championship will be a four-team event, with the semifinal and finals played in Philadelphia.

In one semifinal contest, No. 1 Wilmington will square off against No. 4 Adelphi University of the East Coast Conference.  Adelphi ended the 2008 campaign with a 14-14 mark, 12-8 in conference play.  In the other semifinal match-up, No. 2 Philadelphia University will face No. 3 Caldwell College.  Philadelphia holds a 19-9 record (12-6 in CACC action) while Caldwell boasts a 17-11 overall record, going 10-7 in the CACC.  Philadelphia and Caldwell met in the second-to-last game of the regular season, with the Rams coming away with a 75-59 win.

2008 ECAC Division II Women's Basketball Championship
Presented by FieldTurf Tarkett

Semifinals - Friday, March 14 at Philadelphia
Caldwell College 86, Philadelphia University 80 Recap
Wilmington University 79, Adelphi University 67 Recap 

Championship - Saturday, March 15 at Philadelphia
Wilmington University 83, Caldwell College 62 Box Score

Bracket 

Championship Game Recap

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Tournament MOP Amelia Simmons finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals as #1-seed Wilmington University defeated third seed Caldwell College 83-62 to capture the 2008 ECAC Division II Women's Basketball Championship presented by FieldTurf Tarkett this afternoon, held at The Gallagher Center on the campus of Philadelphia University.

The Wildcats (22-9) led by nine midway through the opening period after a Simmons tip-in made the score 23-14.  The advantage extended to 13 with 4:25 to go before the half when a Kim Parker layup made the score 35-22 in favor of Wilmington.  The Cougars battled back to cut the lead to five when a successful Janay Perkins jumper made the score 37-32 with 1:35 to go in the first, but the Wildcats scored the final four points to take a 41-32 lead to the locker room for the break.

Wilmington turned it up significantly to start the second frame, opening up a 26-point lead, their largest of the day, when Jamie Gallagher converted an old-fashioned three-point play with a fast-break layup and a free throw that made the score 69-43 Wildcats with just under nine minutes to play.  From there, the eventual champions coasted home to the easy 21-point win.

In addition to Simmons, Nordia Henry finished with 16 points and a game-high nine boards for the victors, who also received solid performances from Parker (14 points, a game-high six assists and four rebounds) and Jillian Bennett (eight rebounds, four points and four assists).  In defeat for the Cougars, Dana Leary led the way with 12 points; Phylicia Holmes added eight points and six boards; Mackenzie Lynch notched seven points and eight boards; and Perkins finished with eight points and six rebounds.

The ECAC selected the following players for the All-Tournament team: Ashley Webster (Philadelphia University); Gianna Smith (Adelphi); Leary and Holmes (Caldwell); and Henry and Simmons (Wilmington).  Once again, Simmons received the Most Outstanding Player award.

For the Wildcats, it is their first ECAC postseason championship, and it marks the second-straight year that a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference team has taken the crown, following the 2007 champions from Dominican College.

(Courtesy of Philadelphia University Sports Information)