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By VAN ROSE vrose@leader.net
Sunday, March 09, 2003 Page: 1C
WILKES-BARRE – Normally, King’s coach Bryan Whitten is the one who delivers
the tongue-lashings.
But Saturday, senior forward Carissa Ryan assumed that role after the Lady
Monarchs let an 18-point lead shrink to 11 points in the final two minutes of
the first half.
“Carissa really did a great job of lecturing the team at halftime,”
Whitten said. “She really went off for the first time this year.”
Apparently, the Lady Monarchs took Ryan’s tirade to heart.
King’s (24-3) quickly opened up a 17-point lead early in the second half
and went on to rout Pitt-Greensburg, 82-67, in second-round play of the NCAA
Division III Tournament at Scandlon Gymnasium.
The Lady Monarchs advanced to the “Sweet Sixteen” against Eastern
Connecticut State on Friday at a site yet to be determined. Eastern
Connecticut (24-4) advanced by upsetting DeSales, 62-59.
Normally, Ryan is one of the most soft-spoken players on the team. However,
she said the possibility of her career coming to an end Saturday pushed her
over the edge at halftime.
“This is my senior year, and I didn’t like the way we played at the end of
the half,” said Ryan, who scored 19 points, including 6-of-9 from the field.
“We blew a big lead, and I just wanted to make sure that we stayed focused.”
Ryan didn’t mince words, according to reserve guard Jennie Orelli, who was
an unsung hero Saturday night. “She got our attention,” Orelli said.
Orelli, a 5-11 junior who leads the Lady Monarchs in three-point shooting,
made her presence felt right away. She tossed in two straight 20-footers that
broke a tie and gave King’s a 21-15 lead, which it never relinquished.
“They were overplaying Nikki (Kingston) and forgot about me,” Orelli
said. “They were in a zone and I got some nice shots.”
King’s got a magnificent effort from senior center Jen Wozniak, who scored
a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Wozniak was a major force in
the paint, driving to the basket and changing hands to covert left-handed
layups.
“Wozniak is big, strong and physical,” Pitt-Greensburg coach Carol Gelet
said. “She’s left-handed and can execute. She stood out.”
King’s shot 48 percent, but it was the Lady Monarchs’ suffocating
man-to-man defense that sealed Pitt-Greensburg’s fate. The Lady Bobcats have
relied all season on three-point shots, but made only 3-of-18 treys Saturday.
Pitt-Greensburg shot 38 percent from the field (26-of-77), much to
Whitten’s delight.
“Our defense was exceptionally tough,” Whitten said. “We did a great job
of keeping pressure on the ball, and we made them put the ball on the floor.”
King’s broke open the game midway through the second half. The Lady
Monarchs opened up a 59-39 lead on Orelli’s runner with 10:32 remaining in the
game, and the Lady Bobcats never recovered.
Defensively, Pitt-Greensburg was no match for King’s inside tandem of
Wozniak, Ryan and Kristin Yeasted, even though the Lady Bobcats outrebounded
King’s 47-43.
Gelet said winning the battle of the boards was not a factor, because the
Lady Monarchs didn’t miss many shots.
“They shot what, 50 percent? They just have too many weapons. King’s is
clearly the best team we’ve played. They have the potential to go a long way
in the tournament.”
Pitt-Greensburg was led by junior guard Annie Sral, who turned in a gutsy
performance. Sral scored 17 points and had seven rebounds, despite twisting
her ankle in practice Saturday.
Sral said she was in pain all night, but it wasn’t a factor in the outcome
of the game.
“King’s hurt us with their defensive pressure. They wear you down, and
that makes them better. Orelli came in and hit some big shots that gave them a
big lift.”
Tiffini Varrasse scored 12 points, while Orelli and Kingston each added
nine points. Varrasse dished out a game-high 10 assists.
The site of Friday’s game will be decided tonight. Whitten is optimistic
that King’s will be awarded another home game.
“It’s been four years since an MAC team has hosted the third round,” he
said. “I think it’s about time.”