GUILFORD ADVANCES IN ODAC WOMEN’S HOOPS TOURNAMENT
Salem, VA (02/24/00) – Junior guard Kerrie Campbell (Greensboro, NC/Grimsley) scored 14 points, including the go-ahead basket with 3:01 left, to lead third-seeded Guilford past number-six Virginia Wesleyan Thursday night, 77-71, in the final quarterfinal game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Quakers’ (19-6) 14th win in their last 16 games sends them to a Friday (2/25) afternoon semifinal matchup with second-seeded Roanoke, a 72-58 winner over Washington and Lee.
The tightly played contest featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes. The Marlins (13-12) held their last lead with 3:41 to play after Janine Swanson (S. Amboy, NJ/St. Mary Regional) made two free throws. After a Guilford timeout, the Quakers ran a set play that resulted in a wide-open layup for Campbell. Guilford outscored Virginia Wesleyan, 9-2, over the game’s final three minutes. Campbell made a key steal with 1:03 left and Erin Beacham (Atlanta, GA/Lovett School) made four free throws in the final 12 seconds to preserve the win.
Guilford made five of its first nine shots from the floor during a 15-4 run to start the second half and opened an 57-44 lead with 16:47 left. However, the Marlins’ press took Guilford out of its rhythm and the Quakers’ shots stopped falling. A Kristen Leake (Richmond, VA/J.R. Tucker) layup with 5:15 remaining capped a 21-6 Virginia Wesleyan spurt and gave the Marlins their first lead of the second half (65-63).
Junior Marlo Biernacki (Alden, NY/Akron Central) led five Guilford players in double-figure scoring with 15 points on seven of 11 shooting. Megan Barlow (Chevy Chase, MD/Whitman) matched a career-high with three three-pointers and finished with 14 points. ODAC Player of the Year Arden Miller (Landenberg, PA/Sanford School (DE)) made just two field goals, but finished with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for her team-leading 16th double-double of the season.
Junior guard Erin Duckett (Virginia Beach, VA/Kempsville) paced the Marlins with a game-high 17 points. Leake finished with 14 markers and a team-high seven boards.
Guilford outscored the Marlins 11-4 over the last 3:0 1 of the first half and held a 45-40 halftime lead. The tightly contested stanza featured six ties and four lead changes. The Quakers held an early 10-4 edge, thanks to two three-pointers by Barlow, but the Marlins came back and took their first lead on a Duckett drive with 9:53 left in the half. The teams traded baskets before Virginia Wesleyan opened a 30-26 edge on two Cavanaugh free throws. Barlow scored 10 of her points in the first half, while Duckett led the Marlins with nine at intermission.
The Quakers’ second win over Virginia Wesleyan gives them an 11-9 edge in the overall season series. Guilford’s 19 wins mark the second-highest win total in school history.
