NCAA Conference Tournaments are in full swing this week.
On Wednesday (NZ time) Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa, Katelin Noyer, and Stella Beck were in action.
Beck and St Mary’s Gaels were involved in the game of the day from a New Zealand perspective, the Gaels up against Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Championship final.
Third seeded Saint Mary’s mounted a furious third-quarter rally but it was not enough, falling short in the championship game. SMC cut a 25-point deficit down to seven points in the third quarter, but No 1 ranked Gonzaga held off the Gaels to win 86-75.
Beck contributed a team high 5 assists to compliment 6 points, 3 rebounds and a brace of blocks.
The Gaels made their first WCC championship game appearance since 2011 and with another 20-win season, it is expected that they will make its eighth consecutive WNIT appearance. The WNIT field will be announced on March 13, with first round games will take place March 15-17.
Le’Afa contributed 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal as Sacramento State Hornets got its Big Sky Conference Championships campaign off on the right foot beating Idaho state 91-76. Next up for the Hornets is a quarter-final appointment with Eastern Washington on Friday.
Former Westlake Girls centre Katelin Noyer was 3 from 3 from the field, her 6 points helping propel Fresno State Bulldogs past Nevada, 62-57 in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference Championships on Tuesday.
On Wednesday the seventh ranked Bulldogs came up against Wyoming in the quarter-finals and upset the No 2 seeds winning 58-48. Noyer snared a rebound but the freshman, only required for 6 minutes, missed with her only shot.
LACEY LOWDOWN 