SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – After winning the first conference tournament game since 2009, the fourth-seeded Union College women's basketball team heads to Ithaca College to take on the host and top-seeded Bombers in the semifinals of the 2022 Liberty League Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Ben Light Gymnasium at 2 p.m.
SPECTATOR POLICY: Ithaca will be allowing spectators for this weekend's games and admission will not be charged. Per
Ithaca College policies, face coverings will be required at all times, regardless of vaccination status, and must be worn correctly covering both the mouth and nose.
LIVE COVERAGE: For those who can't make it to Ithaca for the game,
live stats and
live video will be available. Fans can also follow Union Athletics on
Twitter and
Instagram for coverage before, during and after the game.
AGAINST THE BOMBERS: Ithaca swept the season series against Union, squeaking out a
54-47 victory in Ithaca on January 22 and completing the sweep with a
66-56 win in Schenectady on February 4. Union has never beaten Ithaca in eight all-time meetings since the Bombers joined the Liberty League for the 2017-18 season.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: Union is making its second conference tournament appearance in the last three seasons, following up on a fifth-place finish in 2019-20 that saw the Dutchwomen fall to fourth-seeded William Smith College in the first round. The team snapped a seven-game Liberty League Tournament losing streak with Tuesday's win over Rochester Institute of Technology, the team's first conference tournament win since a semifinal win over Skidmore College in 2008-09. Union is 2-10 since capturing the program's only title in the final year of the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (now Liberty League) in 2004 and is 5-14 all-time in Liberty League Tournament games.
STILL STREAKING: The Dutchwomen enter the semifinals on a seven-game winning streak, with the team's last loss coming on February 4 against Ithaca. The stretch is tied for the program's longest since a 13-game winning streak during the team's run to the UCAA regular-season and tournament titles in 2003-04, and tied for the third-longest winning streak ever by a Union women's basketball squad. Union is averaging 64.7 points per game and limiting opponents to 45.6 points per game during the streak, while holding the opposition to 30.0 percent shooting (119 of 397) over that span.
MARCELLA MAKING HER MARK: First-year head coach
Katie Marcella has guided the Dutchwomen to a 13-12 record so far this season, the most wins ever by a first-year head coach in program history. The previous record was nine, set first by Lynne Barta in 1977-78 and matched by Bonnie Gehling (1985-86) and
Joanne Little (1990-91).
DEFENSE FIRST: Union ranks second in the Liberty League by allowing 53.1 points per game. The Dutchwomen are 12-2 when holding the opposition to 33 percent shooting or worse from the field and are 11-1 when limiting opponents to 50 points or fewer.
BLOCK PARTY: Junior
Olivia Pachla leads the Liberty League with 52 blocks (2.1 blocks per game) in 25 contests this season. She is the only player in the conference with three games of five blocks or more, including a season-high six rejections against RPI on February 1. Only the fourth player in program history to record 50 or more blocks in a season, she currently ranks sixth on the school's single-season list and has the most rejections ever by a player in their first year at Union.
LEE MAKING THE LEAP: Junior
Megan Lee has scored in double figures in each of the last seven games, coinciding with Union's seven-game winning streak. She leads the team by shooting 47.7 percent from the field and grabbing a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game, while her 10.6 ppg scoring average is second-best on the squad.
ABOUT THE BOMBERS: Ithaca entered the D3hoops.com and WBCA national rankings for the first time in 2021-22 this week and are riding a 17-game winning streak into the postseason. The Bombers clinched a third straight Liberty League regular-season title with an 80-72 win over Vassar College last weekend and are in search of their third straight conference tournament title as well. The Bombers lead the Liberty League and rank 23rd nationally by allowing only 51.0 points per game, while the team's 69.1 points per game ranks second in the conference in scoring offense. Grace Cannon is sixth among conference players by averaging 15.5 ppg and shoots nearly 50 percent from the field, and also is tied for sixth in the conference in steals. The Bombers boast a well-rounded offensive attack, as no other player ranks in the top-20 of the Liberty League in scoring average. Despite having no Bomber in the top-10 of the Liberty League in rebounding, Ithaca is out-rebounding its opponents by nearly 10 boards per game.
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the Liberty League championship game on Sunday, with an automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III Tournament on the line.
The complete postseason schedule is below:
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 – First Round
#4 Union 54, #5 RIT 40
#3 St. Lawrence 64, #6 Skidmore 60 (OT)
Saturday, February 26, 2022 – Semifinals at Ithaca College
#4 Union RIT at #1 Ithaca – 2:00 p.m.
#3 St. Lawrence vs. #2 Vassar – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 27, 2022 – Finals at Ithaca College
Semifinal Winners – 2:00 p.m.
