Women's Basketball | 2/25/2016 3:07:00 PM
MEADVILLE, Pa. – Five years ago today, the Allegheny College women's basketball team advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Game with a 90-84 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University.
Tomorrow, the Gators will look to continue their pursuit for their first league tournament title in 27 years with a win over No. 23 Denison University in the NCAC semifinals.
Fourth-year guard
Jessica Mrdjenovich led Allegheny in its 58-50 victory over fifth-seeded Oberlin College on Tuesday with a game-high 18 points. She and the rest of the senior class need no reminder of how big the stakes are.
"Knowing that every game from here on out could be our last has definitely pushed us into a playoff mindset," said Mrdjenovich. "We're trying to leave it all out on the floor every game to prolong our season as much as possible. I think ultimately we're all trying to play for each other and have fun in our last few games – we want to make this season our best yet."
The Gators have gone 4-2 over their last six contests, clinching the fourth seed and the aforementioned home playoff game in the process. Both of those blemishes came by just three points each.
"Our goal has been to improve with each practice and game," said head coach
Kate Costanzo. "The team is fresh and excited to head into the semifinals. Where we peak is yet to be determined but the team is confident, and we are all enjoying the ride."
Over the last three contests, Mrdjenovich has led the way offensively with double-digit scoring efforts in each matchup (15 at Wooster, 11 vs. Denison, 18 vs. Oberlin). Prior to this stretch, Dec. 30, 2015 marked the last time the Steel City guard tallied 10 or more points. Mrdjenovich says that this recent run of form has increased her confidence.
"My scoring in the last few games has definitely given me a lot of confidence," said Mrdjenovich. "It really hit me that the season and my career are coming down to the wire, so I've just kicked it into another gear of doing whatever I can to help my team keep playing as long as possible."
One of the games during this latest stretch was Allegheny's Senior Day contest against the Big Red. Despite dropping a hard-fought 55-52 decision to the league's regular-season champions, Costanzo believes that her team benefits from the recency of that contest.
"They (Dension) are fresh in our minds," said Costanzo. "Our game plan is solid and we look forward to getting another crack at them."
The Gators and Big Red are set to tip at approximately 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. Third-seeded Kenyon College and second-seeded DePauw University will play at 6:00 p.m. with the winner of each game meeting for the NCAC's automatic NCAA Tournament bid at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
