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SIMMONS LEADS WILMINGTON TO ECAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 15, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, PA-Tournament MOP Amelia Simmons finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and two steals as #1-seed Wilmington University defeated third seed Caldwell College 83-62 to capture the 2008 ECAC Division II Women's Basketball Championship presented by FieldTurf Tarkett this afternoon, held at The Gallagher Center on the campus of Philadelphia University.

The Wildcats (22-9) led by nine midway through the opening period after a Simmons tip-in made the score 23-14. The advantage extended to 13 with 4:25 to go before the half when a Kim Parker layup made the score 35-22 in favor of Wilmington. The Cougars battled back to cut the lead to five when a successful Janay Perkins jumper made the score 37-32 with 1:35 to go in the first, but the Wildcats scored the final four points to take a 41-32 lead to the locker room.

Wilmington turned it up significantly to start the second frame, opening up a 26-point lead, their largest of the day, when Jamie Gallagher converted an old-fashioned three-point play with a fast-break layup and a free throw that made the score 69-43 Wildcats with just under nine minutes to play. From there, the eventual champions coasted home to the easy 21-point win.

In addition to Simmons, senior center Nordia Henry finished with 16 points and a game-high nine boards for the victors, who also received solid performances from Parker (14 points, a game-high six assists and four rebounds) and Jillian Bennett (eight rebounds, four points and four assists). In defeat for the Cougars, Dana Leary led the way with 12 points. Phylicia Holmes added eight points and six boards, Mackenzie Lynch notched seven points and eight boardsand Perkins finished with eight points and six rebounds.

The ECAC selected the following players for the All-Tournament team: Ashley Webster (Philadelphia University); Gianna Smith (Adelphi); Leary and Holmes (Caldwell); and Henry and Simmons (Wilmington). Once again, Simmons received the Most Outstanding Player award.

For the Wildcats, it is their first ECAC postseason championship, and it marks the second-straight year that a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference team has taken the crown, following the 2007 champions from Dominican College.