Women’s Basketball Erases 15-point Deficit; Advance to CACC Semifinals

Philadelphia, Pa. - The Holy Family University women's basketball team rallied to defeat cross-town rival Philadelphia University, 72-58, in the quarterfinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championships at the Campus Center Monday night.

Holy Family, ranked 17th in the recent USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II National Top-25 Coaches' Poll and first in the NCAA Division II East Region, improves to 22-3 overall with the victory. Philadelphia is now 15-12 overall.

Sophomore Erin Mann (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) recorded her fifth double-double of the season after scoring a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. She also blocked four shots on the defensive end. Senior Catherine Carr (Bernardsville, N.J./Bernards) (Bernardsville, N.J./Bernards) tallied 18 points as she knocked down a game-high four three-pointers. With her performance, Carr is in striking distance of breaking Debbie Schopfer's (1987-1991) 20-year scoring record of 1,928 career points. She currently sits 1,921 career points and is seven away from tying and eight points away from setting a new standard.

Graduate student Samantha Thompson (Southampton, Pa./St. Basils) (Southampton, Pa./St. Basil's) contributed 13 points and five assists, while senior Lindsey Tennett (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) added ten points after shooting 5-of-6 from the field. Junior Lauren Peters (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) filled the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

For Philadelphia, junior Stephanie Agger led a quartet of players that scored in double-figures. Agger tallied a team-high 15 points to go along with five rebounds. Senior Kate Brennan and junior Christine Wooding each scored 11 points apiece, while sophomore Kristen Blye finished with ten points.

Philadelphia came out the gate firing as the Rams opened the game on a 25-10 run to hold its biggest advantage of 15 points after Agger scored a layup at the 9:54 mark. However, Holy Family turned the tide and began chipping away at Philadelphia's lead.

The Tigers responded with a 17-6 run of their own to close out the first half and cut the Rams' lead to four points at halftime by the score of 31-27.

In the second half, Philadelphia looked in control early on as the Rams extended their lead from halftime to nine after Wooding scored a basket to make the score 40-31. Again, Holy Family rallied and eventually tied the game at 40-40 after Carr hit a jumper with 12:45 to play in a middle of a 16-0 run. The Tigers run gave them a 47-40 advantage midway through the second half.

Later in the half, Holy Family extended its lead to as many as 20 points after Mann scored a lay up to make the score 72-52 with 2:05 showing on the clock. Holy Family shot 54.8-percent from the field in the second half, after only shooting 37.5-percent in the first half, to record the come-from-behind victory.

Holy Family, the host of the CACC Men's & Women's Basketball Championships Semifinals and Finals, will face Caldwell College in the semifinal round on Friday, March 4. Game time is slated for 12 p.m. In the other semifinal contest, Goldey-Beacom College will face Bloomfield College immediately following game one at 2 p.m.

- HFU -

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