Bulldogs’ dream ends in Newport News

BC ladies lose to unbeaten Captains in D-III NCAAs

March 7, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Gianna Gotti and the CUNYAC champion Brooklyn College's women's basketball team was knocked off in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Photo courtesy of BC Athletics

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It took the top-ranked Division III women’s basketball team in the nation to end Brooklyn College’s historic campaign last Friday night in Newport News, Virginia.

And a team-wide illness didn’t help matters for the Bulldogs.

BC battled valiantly but ultimately fell well short of its goal, enduring an 89-52 defeat in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 1 Christopher Newport University in front of 396 fans at the Freeman Center.

“It just hit us today. A stomach bug ran through the team,” admitted BC head coach Alex Lang after watching his unit suffer its first loss of 2023.

“There was a lot of adversity, but they gave their best effort out there,” he added. “I was the most proud you could possibly be with a 30-point loss.”

Senior standout and CUNYAC Player of the Year Gianna Gotti couldn’t even finish the contest as she had to leave the floor in the fourth quarter to head back to the locker room.

Gotti scored 16 points and Sarah James added 13 for the Bulldogs (19-8), who had won 15 in a row, including 14 straight in conference play, before absorbing their first defeat since Dec. 30 at Cabrini University.

“Obviously we played one of the best teams in the country tonight,” Lang noted. “We had a great season, started off a little sluggishly but we won 15 games in a row coming into tonight.”

The Captains (28-0) were spearheaded by Ashley Steadman’s 13 points against BC before topping Elizabethton College on Saturday night to advance to the Sweet 16.

CNU will visit Wartburg College in Medford, Massachusetts Friday evening in its continued pursuit of a national title.

“I thought we really came out and set the tone. I thought we came out with some really good energy,” said Captains head coach Bill Broderick.

As for the Bulldogs, they’ll have to wait until next season to continue their 46-game league unbeaten streak and take their best shot at a fourth straight CUNYAC crown.

“It’s a great feeling coming here. We worked hard all season and we never turned our backs on each other,” said BC senior Ericka James.

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Tyra Myers helped the St. Francis Brooklyn women’s basketball team advance to the semifinal round of the NEC Tournament Monday night at The ARC. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics

There was a local women’s basketball team that kept its Division I NCAA Tournament hopes alive Monday night.

Tyra Myers scored 17 points and Angena Belloso added 14 off the bench as fourth-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn held off visiting No. 5 Wagner, 58-51, in the opening round of the Northeast Conference Tournament before 347 fans at The ARC.

Myers, a newly minted third-team All-NEC selection, buried a trio of 3-pointers, handed out three assists, grabbed five rebounds and only committed one turnover in 37 minutes.

Sarah Bandomo added 12 points for the Terriers (11-18, 9-7 NEC), who only got two points from All-NEC first-team selection and NEC Most Improved Player Alyssa Fisher on their way to the semifinals.

“I’m so proud of Fisher,” SFC head coach Linda Cimino said Monday night after the league’s annual awards were revealed.

“She worked so hard over the summer and during the season to become one of the best players in the conference. She is our leader and is so deserving of all of the success she has had.”

Belloso and Bandomo sparked a 16-4 third-quarter run that put SFC ahead to stay with eight points apiece during the burst.

The Terriers will visit top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday night in Teaneck, N.J., for the right to reach the NEC Final for the first time since they last reached the NCAAs in 2015.

The NEC Championship game will be Sunday.

The seventh-seeded LIU women’s squad entered the NEC Tournament with four wins in its previous five contests, but suffered a 63-44 loss at No. 2 Sacred Heart Monday night in front of 155 fans at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Ashley Austin and Cristina Bermelo had 10 points apiece for the Sharks (7-22, 5-11), who kept the game close before being outscored 23-11 by SHU.

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R.J. Greene and the LIU men’s basketball team got closed out for the year at top-seeded Merrimack last week in the NEC Tournament. Photo courtesy of LIU Athletics

Both local men’s Division I programs saw their respective seasons come to a close last Wednesday.

Jacob Johnson led five Sharks in double figures in scoring with 16 points, but Long Island University was ousted from the NEC Tournament with a 91-76 quarterfinal setback against top-seeded Merrimack in front of 1,372 fans at the Bert Hammel Court in North Andover, Massachusetts.

R.J. Greene and Amadou Fall each finished with 13 points and Cheikh Ndiaye and Elijah Bailey added 12 apiece for the Sharks (3-26, 1-15), who completed their first campaign under new head coach and former NBA star Rod Strickland.

Over at SFC, Tedrick Wilcox Jr., and Zion Bethea scored 17 points each but the Terriers suffered an 83-75 loss to No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson before 887 fans at Stratis Arena in Hackensack, N.J.

Josiah Harris added 12 points and Rob Higgins finished with 10 for SFC (14-16, 7-9), which is still seeking its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.