Mar 24, 2006
By DICK BAKER
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The American International College women's basketball team is headed to the national championship game.
Led by Krystal Pressley and Sharmion Selman's 26-point performances, the Yellow Jackets pulled away late in what had been a nip-and-tuck game to defeat St. Cloud State 70-58 in an Elite Eight semifinal. The title game is tomorrow at 6 p.m.
A big 3-pointer by Tiffany Wooten with 2:04 left extended the lead to seven, and outstanding foul shooting by Pressley down the stretch clinched it.
The Jackets had to withstand foul trouble to point guard Alissa Rubino, who had eight assists and handled the job of covering St. Cloud star point guard Sascha Hansen.
Selman hit 10 of 22 shots from the floor and six of seven from the line. Pressley was 6 of 13 from the floor, hitting four 3-pointers, and she nailed all 10 of her free throws. Hansen had 21 points for St. Cloud, but she was the only player to hit double figures.
It was a sloppy start with Selman missing a couple of shots, and St. Cloud's Erika Quigley failing to convert on her own rebound and then another miss. Hansen also turned it over a couple of times for St. Cloud.
But Pressley kept the Jackets on track with the first basket on a lay-up, and later added two 3-pointers to account for the first eight AIC points.
Ironically, with all the concern about Quigley, it was her temporary fill-in, Jackie Carlson, who scored the first two St. Cloud buckets. Quigley was only 3 of 20 from the field in the game, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
AIC did a good job early containing Quigley and Hansen, but the Yellow Jackets were out of rhythm on offense and couldn't capitalize.
AIC took a 17-12 lead on a long pass from Pressley to Debbie Sampson, but the Huskies then went on a 7-0 run to take the lead.
Pressley tied it with a pair of free throws, and Selman added a conventional 3-point play to put AIC back on top at 22-19.
With AIC up 27-22 after a long Sampson one-hander banked in off the glass, Hansen finally hit her first 3-pointer of the game with just over two minutes left in the half. The half ended even at 29-29.
Hansen still managed to compile 10 points by the break, but five of those points came from the foul line as the Jackets tried to keep up with her powerful left-handed drives. For the night, she made 6 of 10 shots from the field, including two of five 3-pointers, and made six of seven from the line.
AIC had an uncharacteristic nine turnovers in the first half after committing only 10 for the entire game against Emporia State. The rebounding totals were close with the Jackets at 21, and the Huskies at 20.
Selman was only 3 for 10 in the first half for AIC, which shot 39.3 percent from the field while St. Cloud converted just 30 percent, much of that a credit to the AIC defense.
Quigley, who had 27 points in her first tournament game, was 2 for 10 from the field in the first half with only five points.
Pressley finished the first 20 minutes with 10 points.
St. Cloud doubled up on AIC at the foul line, 10-5.
The second half started well as Pressley stole the ball from Hansen and drove in for a lay-up. Selman hit a bank shot from the left side, and Rubino added two free throws to make it 37-31.
After Pressley hit a three to make it 40-33, Hansen hit from the right side and Pressley forced up a couple of long and missed 3-pointers.
In a key development, Rubino was called for her third personal foul and had to leave the game with 16:14 left and the Jackets up 40-36. St. Cloud cashed in on that opportunity with six straight points, and AIC coach Pete Cinella had to put her back in quickly.
Hansen came out briefly after appearing to hurt her right ankle on a collision, but she was fine, knocking down a shot from the lane to put St. Cloud up 47-45.
Another Selman conventional 3-point play on Quigley's fourth foul with 8:09 to go made it 50-49. Pressley added a 3-pointer to get the lead to four.
But then Rubino made a poor decision after an offensive rebound by April Carlson and fouled her going up for a second shot from a bad position on the right wing. Again Rubino went out briefly, but when she came back the fun began.
AIC outscored St. Cloud 41-29 in the second half, shooting 46 percent from the field. St. Cloud shot just 28.1 after the break. The Yellow Jackets also enjoyed a 44-35 edge in rebounds in the game.
