Women's Basketball

Oglethorpe Defeats William Smith to Advance to Elite Eight

UNION, N.J. (3/14/08) - Junior guard Katie Kulavic (Norcross, Ga.) scored a game-high 23 points to lead Oglethorpe University past William Smith College, 69-63, in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Sectionals on Friday evening in Harwood Arena at host Kean University.

Kulavic connected on 10-of-14 shots from the floor to lead the Stormy Petrels (26-5) to the Elite Eight, where they will face host Kean on Saturday, March 15, at 6 p.m., with a berth in the Final Four on the line. 

Senior guard Paula Foote (Sidney, N.Y.) scored 14 points to lead William Smith (25-4).

Oglethorpe built an early 14-4 lead, capped by a three-pointer by junior guard Anna Findley (Hiram, Ga.) just 3:31 into the game.  The Herons answered back with an 11-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to one point (16-15) with 11:12 remaining.

The Stormy Petrels pushed the lead back out to 10 points (31-21) with just over three minutes remaining, before William Smith closed the half on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit in half heading into the locker room.  

In the second half, William Smith tied the game twice in the second half, the final time at 48-48 with 8:53 remaining, however the Herons were never able to take the lead.  Oglethorpe led by six points with just over five minutes left and the Herons pulled no closer than three points the rest of the way. 

A pair of Oglethorpe free throws pushed the lead back out to nine points in the final minute, and the Stormy Petrels hit all six from the foul line in the final minute to seal the six point victory.

In the win, junior forward Tina Grace (Pensacola, Fla.) added 17 points and six rebounds, while Findley had 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds.  Senior guard Brittany Corbett (Chamblee, Ga.) finished with 10 points and three steals to round out the Stormy Petrels in double-figures.

For William Smith, Foote added five steals and three assists, while junior guard Latasha Coney (Lyons, N.Y.) had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.  Sophomore forward Erin Cunningham (Rockaway, N.J.) and senior guard Marisa Vespa (Watertown, N.Y.) finished with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.