3.7.08 - SPARTANS FALL TO WISCONSIN WHITEWATER 77-60 IN FIRST ROUND OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Manchester's women's basketball team fell to the University of Wisconsin Whitewater 77-60 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Whitewater jumped to a quick 12-0 lead after the first six minutes of action, but a pair of baskets by Kristen Lancaster and Kailey Honn and two free throws by Sarah Bose cut the UWW lead to five, 15-10 with 10:40 left. Jasmyne Ahmad scored two straight baskets to cut the lead to four, but Whitewater went on an 11-5 run to take a 29-19 lead. Manchester closed the first half with a pair of Sarah Bose layups to give UWW a 30-26 halftime lead.
In the second half, Whitewater scored eight straight points and shot 60 percent from the floor to outscore Manchester 47-34 in route to the 77-60 win.
Sarah Bose led Manchester with 15 points while Jasmyne Ahmad added nine points on 4-4 shooting. Kristen Lancaster and Kailey Honn added eight points and five rebounds each.
Manchester ends the year 19-9 overall.
3.1.08-SPARTANS TRAVEL TO ILLINOIS WESLEYAN TO FACE WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER IN OPENING ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT
The field of 63 teams has been announced and the NCAA will send Manchester College's (19-8) women's basketball team to Illinois Wesleyan on Friday, March 7 to face the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (24-3) in the opening round of the NCAA Championships. Illinois Wesleyan (25-2) will face Maryville (Mo.) (24-3) on Friday with the winners advancing to Saturday's second round. Game times will be announced soon.
This is the third straight NCAA appearance for Manchester. The Spartans lost to Washington University-St. Louis in the previous two opening round contests. Manchester earned the HCAC's automatic bid to the post-season tournament following its 52-50 win over Anderson in Saturday's HCAC Tournament championship. For a complete bracket, visit d3hoops.com's link here.
3.1.08 - MANCHESTER CAPTURES THIRD STRAIGHT HCAC TOURNAMENT TITLE, BOSE NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP AFTER NAILING GAME WINNER
Manchester College won their third straight women's basketball conference tournament championship Saturday following a 52-50 win over Anderson. Manchester's Sarah Bose connected on an 18-foot baseline jumper with 0.9 seconds remaining to give Manchester the victory, mirroring the previous two HCAC Tournament championship games where Manchester posted a 67-65 win over Franklin in 2006 and a 70-69 win over Transylvania in last year's tournament.
Manchester held a 36-21 advantage at halftime, and after going up 17 early in the second period, the Spartan offense cooled off. A Bose jumper with 13:51 left in the game would be the last successful field goal until her game-winner with under a second remaining. Manchester remained in the game by hitting 10-12 free throw attempts in their drought, and fought off an Anderson surge that included a 17-5 run over the last seven minutes to tie the game at 50-50 with 17 ticks on the clock.
Bose ended the game with 11 points, four assists and three steals and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. Kelley Meiklejohn and Kailey Honn added eight points each. Honn was 3-4 from the field and added seven rebounds while Meiklejohn added six rebounds. Jessica Henn, Sarah Conwell and Kristen Lancaster added seven points apiece. Both Meiklejohn and Henn were named to the All-Tournament team.
"These games just don't get any easier," says third-year head coach Josh Dzurick, who improves to 61-23 as a head coach. "Anderson did a good job of being aggressive defensively in the second half, but we were able to keep our focus and make free throws when they mattered most. It's a great win for our seniors and our program."
Manchester improves to 19-8 overall, and earns the HCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Team pairings will be announced Monday morning with a live feed of the selection show available through NCAAsports.com starting at 9 a.m.
2.29.08 - SPARTANS EYE THIRD STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP FOLLOWING 69-58 WIN OVER TRANSYLVANIA
Kelley Meiklejohn's 17 points helped the Manchester College women's basketball team advance to their third straight HCAC Conference Tournament championship game as the Spartans downed Transylvania 69-58 Friday night.
Manchester jumped out to a 19-8 lead with 11 minutes to go in the first half and were up by 14 with less than a minute to go before Transy scored five straight to close the half with a 36-27 Manchester lead. The Pioneers pulled to within two points, 50-48 with 10:51 remaining, but MC used an 8-0 run to gain a 10 point advantage and held on for the 69-58 win.
Jessica Henn and Sarah Bose added 14 points apiece for Manchester. Henn was 5-8 from the field with five rebounds and a pair of blocks and a steal, while Bose connected on 6-12 shots and added five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Meiklejohn added nine rebounds to go with her 17 point performance.
Manchester advances to Saturday's championship game where they will face Anderson starting at 2 p.m.
2.23.08 - MANCHESTER STAKES CLAIM IN SECOND STRAIGHT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP FOLLOWING A 60-52 WIN OVER ANDERSON
Manchester's women's basketball team won a share of the HCAC Conference championship on Saturday following the Spartans' 60-52 win over Hanover to close out the regular season. Manchester shares the regular season title with Anderson University.
MC used a 16-0 run to close out the first half and aid in a 31-25 lead at the break. Hanover was able to close the gap to four points on two occasions but the Spartans never let the lead, or a shot at another conference championship out of their sights.
Kelley Meiklejohn became just the ninth Spartan to reach the 1,000 point mark in a career. The junior forward connected on a pair of free throws with :30 seconds remaining to reach her milestone. She ended the game with 15 points, hitting 7-10 free throws and added nine rebounds. MC was led in scoring by Rachel Wilkinson, who scored 16 points, and added six rebounds. Sarah Bose added eight points and six boards while Toni Hayward chipped in nine points.
The Spartans end the regular season 17-8 overall, 12-4 in the HCAC. They will advance to the HCAC Conference Tournament Championships this Friday at Anderson University. Manchester will face the winner of the Rose-Hulman/Transylvania contest with an 8 p.m. scheduled tip-off. For a complete tournament schedule, click here.
2.20.08 - ANDERSON DEFEATS MANCHESTER 71-44, SPARTANS NEED WIN ON SATURDAY TO EARN SHARE OF CONFERENCE TITLE
Manchester's women's basketball team fell to Anderson 71-44 on Wednesday, giving Anderson at least a share of the HCAC conference title, while Manchester can clinch a share with a win on Saturday against Hanover.
Anderson closed the first half with a 23-2 run to take a 35-14 lead into the break. The Ravens outscored Manchester 36-30 in the second half and held them to 29 percent field goal shooting to pick up the 71-44 victory.
Sarah Bose led Manchester with 11 points, hitting three of six three point attempts. Rachel Wilkinson, this week's HCAC Player of the Week, scored 10 points.
Manchester falls to 16-8 overall, 11-4 in the HCAC. They return home for Saturday's final game of the regular season against Hanover with a 3 p.m. start. The men will follow at 5 p.m. also against Hanover as part of Manchester College's M Association Winter Homecoming.
2.16.08 - MANCHESTER POSTS 47-41 WIN OVER ROSE-HULMAN, QUEST FOR A CONFERENCE TITLE RESTS ON GAME AT ANDERSON WEDNESDAY
Manchester's women's team picked up a 47-41 win over Rose-Hulman on Wednesday and remain a half game up over Anderson in the league standings. A win by Manchester on Wednesday would lock the conference title outright for Manchester.
Manchester held a 25-18 lead at the half and were outscored by the Engineers 23-22 in the second period after shooting 5-16 from the field.
Rachel Wilkinson led Manchester with 15 points, hitting 8-10 free throws and adding two steals. Kelley Meiklejohn added nine points and two rebounds while Sarah Bose had seven points, four assists and a steal.
Manchester improves to 16-7 overall, 11-3 in the HCAC. They travel to Anderson on Wednesday before returning home for the final game of the regular season Saturday at home against Hanover. The women tip-off at 3 p.m. followed by the men at 5 p.m., all part of the Manchester College M Association Winter Homecoming weekend.
2.13.08 - SPARTANS PICK UP 74-64 WIN OVER DEFIANCE
Manchester College's women's basketball team maintain a half game lead over Anderson in the conference standings following the Spartans 74-64 win over Defiance on Wednesday night.
Manchester used a 13-2 run midway through the first half to take a 27-15 lead with seven minutes remaining, and held a 35-26 lead at halftime. Defiance cut the lead to three, 43-40 with 14 minutes remaining in the game, but MC outscored Defiance 17-6 over the next eight minutes of action to take an 11-point lead, 60-49 with six minutes remaining.
Rachel Wilkinson scored a game-high 18 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor and 8-10 free throws to go with her six rebounds. Kelley Meiklejohn and Sarah Bose added 16 points each, with Meiklejohn adding nine rebounds and Bose recording six assists and seven steals. Jessica Henn added 15 points and nine rebounds in the Spartans' win.
MC improves to 15-7 overall, 10-3 in the HCAC. They host Rose-Hulman on Saturday.
2.9.08 - HANOVER TOPS MC 62-55
Manchester's women's team fell to host Hanover College 62-55 on Saturday, closing their conference leading lead over Anderson to just a half game.
Manchester held a 30-27 lead at the half, but the Panthers went on an 11-1 run midway through the second half to take a 52-42 lead with 5:40 to go. Manchester cut the deficit to three, 54-51, following a pair of Sarah Conwell three-pointers with 3:40 to go, but Hanover held on to take the seven-point win.
Kelley Meiklejohn led MC with 14 points and four rebounds. Conwell ended the game 5-9 from the floor for 13 points and six rebounds, while Sarah Bose added 10 points and five rebounds. Kailey Honn recorded three blocked shots to bring her total to 34 on the year.
Manchester falls to 14-7 overall, 9-3 in the HCAC. They return to action Wednesday at Defiance starting at 7:30 then host Rose-Hulman on Saturday with a 3 p.m. start.
2.6.08 - MANCHESTER RALLIES TO DEFEAT BLUFFTON 64-61
Manchester's women's basketball team posted a 64-61 win over Bluffton on Wednesday to keep a one-game lead over Anderson atop the conference standings.
Bluffton led by as many as seven in the first half, 34-27 with 1:26 remaining, but Jasmyne Ahmad scored four of her seven points to cut the lead to 34-31 at the break. Manchester went on a 10-0 run to start the second half to take a 41-34 lead with 16 minutes to go, but Bluffton went on a 13-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 47-41 lead with under 10 minutes remaining. Kelley Meiklejohn's lay up with 38 seconds remaining gave MC their final lead of the game, 62-61 in route to the three-point win.
Meiklejohn led all scores with 19 points. She added eight rebounds and two steals. Sarah Bose added 11 points and four steals, while Jessica Henn had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Manchester improves to 14-6 overall, 9-2 in the HCAC. They travel to Hanover on Saturday as part of a doubleheader with the men's team scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.
2.2.08 - SPARTANS DROP SECOND STRAIGHT IN 71-60 LOSS TO FRANKLIN
The Manchester College women's basketball team dropped a 71-60 conference match to Franklin on Saturday, narrowing their league lead to just one game over Anderson.
Franklin jumped out to a 16-8 lead seven minutes into the first half and held a 39-26 lead at the break. In the second half, the Grizzlies took a 48-30 lead four minutes in, but MC went on a 12-2 run to closed the gap to a 50-42 advantage with 10:34 remaining in the game. MC got to within five points with four minutes remaining, but it wasn't enough as FC pulled off the 71-60 win.
Kelley Meiklejohn led MC with 19 points, hitting 8-15 shots from the floor and added seven rebounds. Kristen Lancaster added nine points on 4-6 shooting. Rachel Wilkinson added seven points and five rebounds in the loss.
Manchester falls to 13-6 overall, 8-2 in the HCAC. They return to action Wednesday as they travel to Bluffton for a 7:30 p.m. start.
1.26.08 - TRANSY SNAPS MC'S CONFERENCE WIN STREAK, HANDS SPARTANS FIRST LOSS OF SEASON
71-70
Manchester's 23 conference game winning streak came to a halt on Saturday as Manchester's women's team fell to Transylvania 71-70 for MC's first conference loss of the year.
Manchester and Transy ended the first half locked at 38-38, with the Pioneers jumping to a nine-point lead, 53-44 with 12 minutes remaining in the second half. Down by ten points with six minutes to go, MC put on a 17-6 run to take a 68-67 lead with under two minutes remaining following a pair of three-pointers from Kelley Meiklejohn and third from Sarah Conwell. Transy scored on the following play to take the one-point lead, and eventually the 71-70 win.
Meiklejohn and Jessica Henn led MC with 12 points each. Kelsey DeMott and Kristen Lancaster added 11 points each. Sarah Bose and Kailey Honn added eight points each while Sarah Bose had nine assists on the afternoon.
Manchester falls to 13-5 overall, 8-1 in the HCAC. They have a bye game on Wednesday and return to action Saturday as they host Franklin for a 3 p.m. contest.
1.23.08 - MC PICKS UP 23RD STRAIGHT CONFERENCE WIN, MEIKLEJOHN SCORES 22 IN WIN OVER DEFIANCE
Manchester's women's basketball team posted a 67-61 win over Defiance on Wednesday to extend their conference winning streak to 23 games.
The Spartans took a 40-27 lead into halftime, holding Defiance to 30 percent shooting from the field (10-33 FG). Defiance outscored MC 34-27 in the second half, and pulled within one point 62-61 with 90 seconds remaining, but a three-point play by Sarah Bose and a lay-in from Rachel Wilkinson aided in the Spartan win.
Kelley Meiklejohn led all scorers with 22 points, hitting 8-14 shots from the floor and added nine rebounds for MC. Bose added 14 points with five rebounds and four assists, while Rachel Wilkinson added 13 points on 4-4 shooting from the floor and the free throw line. Sarah Conwell added six steals defensively.
Manchester improves to 13-4 overall, 8-0 in the HCAC, and travel to Transylvania on Saturday.
1.19.08 - SPARTANS DEFEAT MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 56-43, GRAB 22ND STRAIGHT CONFERENCE VICTORY
Manchester's women's basketball team posted a 56-43 road win over Mount St. Joseph on Saturday to improve to a perfect 7-0 in the HCAC.
Manchester jumped to a 23-6 lead midway through the first half, and took a 32-9 lead into halftime. The Spartans forced MSJ to 11 percent field goal shooting in the first half, 3-27, and 23 percent overall for the game.
Nine Spartans scored in the game, led by Jessica Henn's 11 points. She added three rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot. Kelley Meiklejohn added eight points with six rebounds and a steal. Rachel Wilkinson added seven points while Kelsey DeMott added six rebounds and Stacia Gerardot added five boards and a pair of steals.
Manchester improves to 12-4 overall, 7-0 in the HCAC. They host Defiance on Wednesday starting at 7:30 p.m.
1.16.08 - SPARTANS TOP ANDERSON 60-47, REMAIN UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Manchester's women's basketball team picked up their fifth straight win Wednesday in a 60-47 victory over Anderson, marking the school's 21st straight conference win.
Manchester held a 28-24 lead at the half, and led by as many as 13 in the first half after starting the game on an 18-5 run. Anderson came back in the second half to cut the Spartan lead to one, 45-44 with 8:50 left, but MC closed out the game with a 15-3 run to end the game.
Kelley Meiklejohn ended the game with a game-high 22 points on 91-6 shooting. She added five steals defensively for the Spartans. Sarah Bose added 14 points on 6-10 shooting, with five rebounds and four assists. Jessica Henn added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Manchester improves to 11-4 overall, 6-0 in the HCAC. They play at Mount St. Joseph 5 p.m. Saturday following the men's contest.
1.12.08 - HENN SCORES 15 AS MANCHESTER DEFEATS ROSE-HULMAN 57-45
Manchester's women's basketball team posted their 20th straight conference win Saturday following a 57-45 road win.
Manchester held a 21-12 lead at the half, limiting Rose-Hulman to 5-21 shooting from the field, yet connected on 6-20 shots themselves. The Spartans regrouped in the second half to shoot 12-22 from the field in route to the 57-45 win.
Jessica Henn led Manchester with 15 points, shooting 4-5 from the floor and 7-8 at the free throw line. She added six rebounds in the win. Kelley Meiklejohn added 13 points and three rebounds with a pair of steals. Lauren Kalis chipped in seven points and five rebounds for the Spartans.
Manchester moves to 10-4 overall, 5-0 in the HCAC. They host Anderson on Wednesday.
1.9.08 - SPARTANS WIN 19th STRAIGHT CONFERENCE GAME FOLLOWING 61-58 WIN OVER BLUFFTON
Manchester's women's basketball team picked up their 19th straight conference win Wednesday night as the Spartans defeated Bluffton 61-58.
Manchester held a three point lead at the half 29-26, but Bluffton rallied to take an eight point lead, 47-39 with 11 minutes remaining. Manchester went on a 13-2 run over the next six minutes of action to take a three point lead with five minutes to go in the contest.
Sarah Conwell led Manchester with 14 points, hitting 5-8 shots from the floor, 3-5 three point attempts and had six rebounds. Kailey Honn went 4-5 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line for 12 points. She added six blocked shots and three rebounds.
Manchester improves to 9-4 overall, 4-0 in the HCAC. They travel to Rose-Hulman on Saturday.
1.5.08 - MC MOVES TO 3-0 IN CONFERENCE PLAY FOLLOWING 70-59 WIN OVER FRANKLIN
Manchester's women's basketball team posted a 70-59 road win over Franklin Saturday to improve to 3-0 in conference play.
Manchester and Franklin went into the half with a 36-36 tie, and the Spartans held FC to 26 percent field goal shooting in the second half to take the 70-59 win.
Kelley Meiklejohn led MC with 16 points, connecting on 7-13 shots from the floor and had nine rebounds and three blocked shots on the day. Kristen Lancaster added 13 points on 6-6 shooting from the field and added two steals defensively. Rachel Wilkinson and Jessica Henn added nine points each while Sarah Bose had eight rebounds to go with her seven points, five steals and five assist performance.
Manchester improves to 8-4 overall, 3-0 in the HCAC. They host Bluffton on Wednesday night.
12.29.07 - BOSE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM AS MC DEFEATS WITTENBERG 61-52 IN CONSOLATION GAME
Manchester's women's basketball team defeated host Wittenberg 61-52 in the consolation game of the Wittenberg University Charles B. Zimmerman Tournament.
Manchester held a 31-24 lead at the half, and outscored Wittenberg 30-28 in the second stanza to pick up the nine point win.
Sarah Bose led all scorers again with 21 points, hitting 7-10 shots from the floor and 6-8 free throw attempts. She added three asissts, five rebounds and four steals for MC. Kelley Meiklejohn had 17 points, with six rebounds and three assists. Sarah Conwell chipped in five points, five rebounds and four steals for the Spartans.
Manchester improves to 7-4 on the year, and resumes conference play on Saturday, January 5 as they travel to Franklin for a 3 p.m. tip-off.
12.28.07 - SPARTANS FALL TO JOHN CARROLL 72-61
The Manchester College women's basketball team returned to action Friday at the Wittenberg University Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic where they fell to John Carroll 72-61.
John Carroll used a 12-2 run early in the second half to take a 49-38 lead with 15 minutes remaining to aid in the 11-point win.
Sarah Bose led all scorers with 20 points, hitting 7-12 shots from the floor and 5-7 free throws. She added eight steals and four rebounds. Kelley Meiklejohn chipped in 17 points on 7-13 shooting with five rebounds. Sarah Conwell had seven boards with three assists and a steal.
Manchester falls to 6-4 on the year, and returns to action Saturday as they face Wittenberg in the consolation game starting at 12:30 p.m.
12.18.07 - MANCHESTER FALLS TO #8 ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 87-55
Illinois Weselyan snapped a three-game win streak by the women's basketball team as number eight in the nation IWU defeated Manchester 87-55.
Manchester and IWU were tied at 9-9 six and a half minutes into the game, but the Titans went on an 11-0 run to take a 20-9 lead with 11 minutes remaining. Manchester pulled to within five points, 20-15 with seven minutes left, but IWU closed out the first half with a 22-7 run to take a 42-22 lead at the break.
Kelley Meiklejohn led Manchester with 12 points on 4-10 shooting. She added three rebounds, one assist and a steal. Sarah Bose, Rachel Wilkinson and Kelsey DeMott added seven points each. DeMott added five rebounds while Bose added four rebounds and six assists.
Manchester falls to 6-3 on the year, and travel to the Wittenberg Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 28-29. Manchester opens against John Carroll at 12:30 p.m.
12.16.07 - SPARTANS POST 58-55 WIN OVER CARTHAGE
The Spartan women's basketball team posted a 58-55 win at Carthage on Sunday. Carthage went into the contest ranked 28th in the Division III Coaches' Poll.
Carthage took their biggest lead of the game at the 12:19 mark in the first half as they opened with a 17-4 run. Manchester responded with 13 straight points following a pair of three-pointers from Sarah Bose and five straight points from Kelley Meiklejohn to tie the game with under nine minutes remaining. MC closed out the first half on a 13-6 run to take a 35-28 lead into the break.
A 10-2 run in the second half gave the Spartans a 45-30 advantage with 12:35 remaining, but Carthage pulled to within three points, 54-51 with 3:21 left, but Manchester maintained their lead to pick up the 58-55 win.
Lauren Kalis led Manchester with 14 points, connecting on 4-6 three point attempts and added five rebounds. Sarah Bose added 13 points with six assists and three steals, while Kelley Meiklejohn scored 12 points with her eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in the game. Rachel Wilkinson added 10 points on 4-8 shooting with a pair of steals and three rebounds.
Manchester improves to 6-2 on the year, and returns home Tuesday to face #10 Illinois Wesleyan starting at 5 p.m. 12.08.07 - MANCHESTER POSTS 63-55 WIN OVER TRANSYLVANIA
Manchester's women's basketball team posted a 63-55 win over Transylvania on Saturday to extend their conference season winning streak to 17 games. Manchester took a 26-24 into the half, and used 20-23 shooting at the free throw line in the second half to aid in the 63-55 victory.
Kelley Meiklejohn and Rachel Wilkinson led all scorers with 17 points each. Sarah Conwell and Jessica Henn added eight points each as Manchester improves to 5-2 on the year, 2-0 in the HCAC.
The Spartans return to action Sunday, December 16 as they travel to Carthage.
12.01.07-MC PICKS UP 59-55 WIN OVER MOUNT ST. JOSEPH
Manchester's women's basketball team picked up a 59-55 win over Mount St. Joseph to start the HCAC conference season. The Spartans extend it's conference win-streak to 16 games after winning 15-straight last season.
Manchester held a 24-18 lead at the half, holding the Lions to 26 percent shooting on 7-27 shots. The Lions bounced back in the second half, connecting on 60 percent of their field goals. MSJ took a 37-36 lead with 10:50 to go in the game, but MC went on a 12-2 run to take a nine-point lead three minutes later, 48-39.
Kelley Meiklejohn led all scorers with 14 points. Rachel Wilkinson added 10 points for MC, while Jessica Henn added eight points and six rebounds.
Manchester moves to 4-2 on the year, 1-0 in the HCAC. They host Transylvania on Saturday with a 3 p.m. start.
11.25.07-WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FALL TO WILMINGTON IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Cold shooting was the downfall Sunday as the women's basketball team fell to host Wilmington College in the championship game of the Wilmington College Fred Raizk Tournament.
Manchester trailed by just four points, 24-20 in the first half despite 9-33 shooting from the floor and 2-10 three point attempts. MC connected on 4-23 shots from the floor in the second half as Wilmington outscored MC 32-18 in route to the 56-38 win.
Kelley Meiklejohn led all Spartans with 10 points on 4-9 shooting and was named to the All-Tournament team. Sarah Bose added nine points for MC.
Manchester falls to 3-2 overall, and returns to action Saturday at home where they host Mount St. Joseph to start the HCAC season. The men will play at 3 p.m. followed by the women at 5 p.m.
11.24.07-SPARTANS WIN OPENING GAME OF WILMINGTON TOURNAMENT 62-42
The MC women's basketball team posted a 62-42 win over Penn State Brehend in the opening game of the Wilmington College Fred Raizk Basketball Tournament.
Manchester opened up a 10-2 run to start the game, but Penn State Brehend responded with seven straight points. MC put a 9-0 run together to take a 19-10 lead with seven minutes remaining, and held that lead to take a 32-18 advantage into halftime. Brehend pulled to within six points midway in the second half, but MC finished the game on a 22-8 run for the 62-42 win.
Rachel Wilkinson scored a game-high 13 points on 5-9 shooting. Sarah Conwell added nine points and five assists, while Kelley Meiklejohn added six points and five rebounds. Toni Hayward was 4-4 from the floor for eight points to go with her five rebounds. Jessica Henn and Jasmyne Ahmad each added seven rebounds for MC.
The Spartans (3-1) advance to the championship game on Sunday, where they will face host Wilmington College at 3 p.m.
11.20.07-BIG FIRST HALF LIFTS MC OVER TRI-STATE 66-56
Manchester's women's team defeated Tri-State 66-56 in non-conference action on Tuesday. The Spartans held a 36-16 lead at the half. They maintained a 20 point lead, 54-34 after a Kelsey DeMott jumper with less than 10 minutes remaining, but Tri-State went on a 12-1 run to cut the Spartan lead to nine, 55-46 with under five minutes to go in the game.
Sarah Bose led all scorers with 20 points on 7-17 shooting. She added seven rebounds, four steals and three assists in the win. Kelley Meiklejohn hit 8-13 shots for 18 points, and recorded a double-double with an 11 rebound performance. She added two blocks and a steal for MC. Kailey Honn added 12 points and five blocked shots for MC.
Manchester improves to 2-1 on the year. They travel to the Wilmington College Fred Raizk Tournament this weekend, and open up against Penn St. Brehand on Saturday starting at 8 p.m.
11.16.07-MANCHESTER FALLS TO CAPITAL IN SEASON OPENER
Manchester's women's basketball team fell to Capital in the opening game of the 2007 Manchester College Bankers' Classic on Friday 71-57. Capital is currently ranked 20th in the Preseason Poll on d3hoops.com.
The Crusaders held a 41-29 lead at the half after taking a 12-2 advantage to start the game and were up by as many as 13 in the first half as they held a 26-13 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. Manchester went on a 14-5 run to cut the Capital lead to a 31-27 margin with three minutes, but Capital used a 10-2 spurt to close out the half.
Kelley Meiklejohn had 19 points to lead all scorers in the game. She added seven rebounds and a blocked shot for the Spartans. Sarah Bose added 18 points while Rachel Wilkinson added 13 points for MC.
Manchester will face Dominican in the consolation game of the tournament starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday as Dominican fell 83-81 to Kalamazoo in overtime.
8.22.07-CONNER NAMED NEW ASSISTANT COACH
 Joanna Conner will serve as the new women's basketball assistant coach for the 2007-08 season. Conner was a four-year letter winner Millikin University (Ill.) before graduating with a degree in secondary education in the spring of 2006. She served as an assistant athletic director and assistant women's basketball coach for one year before arriving at Manchester.
As a player, Conner was part of the Millikin team that captured the NCAA Division III championship in 2005. She was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and was a two-time All-Conference selection for the CCIW. She served as team captain as a senior and ranks fourth in rebounds and 13th in scoring in a career at Millikin.
Along with her coaching duties, Conner will serve as a strength and conditioning coordinator for Spartan athletes.
3.02.07-SPARTANS FALL BY TWO IN OPENING ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT The Manchester College women's basketball season game to a close on Friday night following a 54-52 loss to #9 in the nation Washington University (St. Louis) in the opening round of the Division III NCAA women's basketball tournament, hosted by Lake Forest College.
Manchester took a 2-0 lead following a Heather Terflinger lay-up as neither team were able to score in the first two and a half minutes. Washington caught fire over the next 11 minutes of play and went on a 27-3 run to hold a 27-5 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the first half. Two three pointers by Manchester's Sarah Conwell helped the Spartans to chip the Wash U. lead to a 29-11 advantage with two minutes remaining before entering the half down 33-17.
In the second half Manchester trailed 45-27 with 14:27 remaining, but sophomore Stacey Wendel scored seven straight points for the Spartans to cut the Washington lead 47-37 with 10:24 remaining. Kelley Meiklejohn's three pointer and a jumper helped spark a 15-2 run by Manchester to take a one point lead with 5:56 remaining as Sarah Bose hit a three pointer. Stacey Wendel's layup with 1:34 remaining gave Manchester a three point lead.. Wash U. scored four straight points on a pair of free throws and a jumper to take one point lead, 53-52 with 32 seconds remaining. Sarah Bose missed a the tying layup with three seconds remaining in the game allowing Washington University the 54-52 win. Stacey Wendel ended the game with 15 points, hitting 6-10 shots from the floor. Kelley Meiklejohn and Sarah Conwell each had 11 points apiece for Manchester with Meiklejohn added sevenrebounds.
Manchester ends the season 21-7, tying a school record for most wins in a year and setting a school record for best winning percentage in a season.
3.01.07-FOUR SPARTANS NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference has announced the 2006-07 All-Conference awards, with four Spartans named First Team and one honorable mention. Manchester closed out the conference with 13 straight wins to capture its first league title in 20 years. They used their 15th consecutive win to win the HCAC Conference Tournament and will make their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament this Friday.
Named to the First Team squad were Heather Terflinger (Sr. North Manchester,, Ind.), Sarah Bose (So. Indianapolis, Ind.), Kelley Meiklejohn (So. Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Stacey Wendel (So. Plymouth, Ind.) Jessica Henn was named to the Honorable Mention team.
Wendel was the 2006 HCAC Freshman of the Year last season, and led the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game this year, hitting 43% from the floor and 38% of her three point attempts. Meiklejohn was second in scoring at 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Both players were named to the HCAC All-Tournament team last week.
Sarah Bose was the Tournament MVP, and averaged 7.7 points per game, hitting 42% of her shots from the floor. She recorded 84 steals on the year while dishing out 78 assists. Terflinger was third in scoring with 8.6 points per game. She averaged 4.4 rebounds and recorded 47 assists and 42 steals. Jessica Henn shot 46% from the floor this year while averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Manchester College coach Josh Dzurick picked up his second straight HCAC Coach of the Year award for Manchester, who is currently 21-6 on the year heading into Friday's NCAA Tournament game vs. Washington University.
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Catch up on the week's action!
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