2008 Woodie Awards
Parting shots
Team drops seventh straight playoff game in loss to Cal
By Randy Klins
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/3/06 Section: Sports
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But the difference between this season and the past three was a trip to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs.
The Rock fell victim to California in the PSAC quarterfinals on Tuesday, 52-39 at Hamer Hall. The loss was mainly due to an 11 minute scoring drought when a six point lead turned into a nine-point deficit.
California will host Millersville, the No. 2 seed from the PSAC East on Friday in the conference semifinal.
The Rock had not been to the postseason since the 2001-02 season, but the loss to Cal was its seventh straight in the playoffs.
Despite the loss, coach Laurel Heilman said it was a big boost for the basketball program to finally get back to the playoffs.
"To make the playoffs is a big step for the program," Heilman said. "But at the same point we really thought we could win (against Cal)."
Senior point guard Amber McFeely said getting back to the playoffs is the first step to getting Rock basketball back to where it has been.
"It was a goal since I was a freshman for us to get back into the playoffs," McFeely said. "I am happy that we turned the corner and made a change, and hopefully it will continue next year and the years after."
Sophomore forward KellyAnn Staudinger led the Rock attack with nine points, but the team could have used some scoring during the scoring draught at the end of the first half and into the second half.
With 3:48 left on the clock in the first half, the Rock held a 20-14 lead and looked like it could be in position to possibly pull out the win.
However, Cal scored the next seven points before halftime to take a one point lead going into the break.
And it didn't end there. The Rock was 0-7 shooting the ball to start the second half while the Vulcans scored the first eight points to open up a 29-20 lead.
Dana Stewart scored with 13:02 left in the second half to finally end the cold spell. Angela Greaser cut the lead to four with a three-pointer during the next possession.
But that was the closest the Rock would get in the game.
McFeely said she didn't think Cal brought its best defensive effort of the season, but it threw them (SRU) off a bit late in the first half and most of the second half.
"We were so worried about what kind of defense they were going to be in, that we weren't just running our offense," McFeely said. "It was us not getting our stops on defense and not being able to score on offense."
Heilman said the Vulcans used size and long wingspans to congest the court and keep the Rock away from the hoop during the run.
"They (Cal) take up a lot of space and switch up on all the screens," Heilman said. "But when we get the opportunities we have got to finish. We just struggled on the offensive end all season."
After Greaser's three, Cal senior Megan Storck scored the next four points and sophomore Kim Nowakowski made it six in a row with a jumper to give the Vulcans a 10 point lead.
After that, the Rock cut the lead to seven but really couldn't mount a run after that.
Heilman said the Vulcans were not going to be denied.
"They (Cal) made the plays," Heilman said. "They've got two seniors (Lisa Gottuso and Storck) who were refusing to lose."
Storck finished the game with 12 points and ten assists. Nowakowski led the Vulcans with 14 points.
McFeely only finished with two points and three assists but her illustrious career ended on Tuesday as the Rock's all-time assists leader. Kristen Bonner, Jess Caso and Cathy Lee Peffer's careers also came to an end. Bonner had six points.
"There was just something different about this team," McFeely said. "There was no one on the team that was a high scorer every game. Everyone was a threat and that was really nice."
Heilman is happy with the outcome of the season.
"We didn't always execute, but we did play a lot of really good teams," Heilman said. "We had a really difficult schedule. I'm proud of the kids. We've had a good season off the floor and in practice."
