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Mullholland, Sparks to Receive Senior Scholar Athlete Award
GLENSIDE, PA: 4/15/09 - Senior Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest/Wildwood, NJ) and fifth year graduate student Caitlin Sparks (Souderton Area/Harleysville, PA) will be honored this Sunday evening, April 19 at Arcadia University's Student Leadership Recognition Night at Stitler Auditorium on the campus of Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. Ceremonies begin at 7:30 PM. Mullholland and Sparks have been chosen by the Department of Athletics as the 2009 Senior Scholar Athlete award winners and will receive their awards along with other award winners from Student Affairs.
Mulholland, a four year member of the men's basketball team, is a criminal justice major, whose performance in the classroom has equaled his performance and leadership on the basketball court. In 97 appearances for the Knights, Mulholland made 54 starts and finished just 65 points shy of the 1,000 career point milestone, with 935. The engineer of the Knights offense for much of his career and a team captain for the 2008-09 season, Mulholland was a fan favorite, and a well-rounded performer for head coach Pat Dorney, as he finished his career with 297 rebounds, 209 assists, 128 steals and 11 blocked shots. He garnered Commonwealth Player of the Week honors in 2009.
Women's Basketball standout Cailtin Sparks finished her career in 2009 as a first year graduate student, meeting the NCAA Medical Hardship Waiver requirements after a knee injury sidelined her just 9 games into her sophomore campaign. Sparks dominated the paint in 
her seasons as a Knight, going on to join the 1,000 point club in during the 2007-08 season before taking over as the all-time scoring leader for Arcadia Women's Basketball in 2008-09 with 1360 points as well as the school's all time leader in blocked shots with 64. Sparks also ends her collegiate athletic career with 730 rebounds (3rd all-time), 116 assists, and 95 steals through 105 games played (84 starts). Her post-season accolades include 2009 Second Team All Commonwealth, 2008 First Team All Freedom and D3 Hoops All Mid-Atlantic Second Team, 2005 All Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Second Team, Freedom Conference Weekly Honor Roll, as well numerous academic accolades. Sparks received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education in May, 2008 and is currently pursing a masters degree in Special Education.
Sparks Named to Second Team All Commonwealth
ANNVILLE, PA: 3/3/09 - The Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation conference office has announced the women’s basketball All-Conference teams. Graduate student and all-time Arcadia scoring leader Caitlin Sparks (Harleysville, PA/Souderton Area) was selected to the All-Commonwealth second team. Sparks concludes her collegiate career having amassed the following totals: 1360 points (Arcadia's all-time scoring leader), 730 rebounds (3rd all-time), 116 assists, 64 blocks (Arcadia's all-time leader for blocks), and 95 steals through 105 games played (84 starts).
LeighAnn Burke repeats as the Freedom Conference Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring at 20.3 ppg. Brehane Dillon takes home Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year honors dishing out a conference best 5.31 apg and averaging 15.3 ppg, second best in the conference. Candice Brown was tabbed Freedom Conference Coach of the Year after leading Manhattanville to a second place conference finish with a 17-10 record. Alisa DiBonaventura was named Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year after her fourth seeded Widener upset the #1 and #2 seeds to take home the conference championship.
Rebekah Roland of Eastern was named Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year after averaging a team best 17.3 ppg. Casey Pritz took home Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 11.1 ppg and collecting 8.1 rpg. Full Release
Sparks Leads Knights with 22 in Loss to Elizabethtown
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA: 2/21/09 - Fifth year player Caitlin Sparks scored a game high 22 points to lead Arcadia Women's Basketball in a season ending 90-67 loss to Elizabethtown College Saturday afternoon. The Knights saw four players land in double-figure scoring to help Arcadia to their third best offensive outing of the season. Senior Shannon Bustin scored 10 points in her collegiate finale while junior Kim Milligan scored 11 and sophomore Corrine Geiger's 10 points and team high 8 boards and 3 blocked shots led the Knights.
A back and forth game early on, buckets by Milligan and sophomore Kelly Donhue put the Knights up 13-10 five minutes before the Blue Jays gained the momentum and eventually went on a 15-7 run to take a 37-27 lead at intermission.
Etown's Megan Quinn hit a foul shot just 11 seconds in the second half, giving her 1,00th points for her career but still the Knights only trailed by 6 with 16:20 remaining. Etown went on a 17-5 run to take a 61-43 lead with 11:41 to go before Arcadia would cut their deficit to 11, 68-57 with 5:53 remaining but the Blue Jays went on to score 22 of the game's final 32 points to win 90-67.
Sparks also added 7 rebounds and Milligan dished out a team high 6 helpers, while Donahue added 9 points for Arcadia.
Women's Hoops Drop Home Finale to Albright
GLENSIDE, PA: 2/17/09 - Arcadia Women's Basketball closed out their home season with a 80-32 loss to the Lions of Albright College Tuesday evening. Arcadia hosted the Lions in their first annual WBCA Pink Zone game while saying goodbye to their seniors, Caitlin Sparks, Shannon Bustin and Becca Knight, playing their final home game.
Albright improves to 7-4 in the Commonwealth with tonight's win while the Knights (0-10) are left with one final chance for a league win when they travel to Elizabethtown (3-8) on Saturday.
The senior trio connected on their very first play as Becca Knight brought down a defensive board and sent the outlet to Shannon Bustin who found Caitlin Sparks for the short jumper, putting Arcadia in front 2-0. The Knights would go back in front by one on a Kelly Donahue three pointer at 17:08 and then the Lions awoke, going on to outscore Arcadia 42-14 to close the first half out with a 46-19 advantage.
Unfortunately for the Knights, Albright's size and quickness proved too much on this evening. Albright's post players sealed off Sparks in the paint and when Sparks did get the ball, the Lions collasped on her, forcing her to shoot just 3-15 from the floor. She scored 6 points and took care of 3 rebounds in the loss. The Lions never looked back in the second half, eventually going on to win by their largest margin of the game, 47. Junior Kim Milligan led the Knights with 11 points and 6 boards while Bustin contributed 10 points and dished out 5 assists in her final home game. Becca Knight led Arcadia in rebounds with 8.
Jessica McGinness socred 16 for the visitors while Jennifer Knoeble and Bre Dillon added 14 and 11 respectively.
Women’s Basketball to Participate in WBCA Pink Zone on Tuesday, February 17
GLENSIDE, PA: 2/5/09 - Arcadia’s women’s basketball team on Tuesday, February 17 will take part in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) initiative to enter the “Pink Zone” during its Commonwealth Conference game against Albright College.
Tip-off at Alumni Gymnasium is 6:00 pm, preceding the men’s contest against Albright at 8:00 pm. Fans are asked to wear pink to show their support. Arcadia will also honor their senior student-athletes prior to both games.
Free tee-shirts will be given to the first 50 fans and a raffle will take place for prizes to be awarded during timeouts and at halftime of the women’s game. In addition, the Women’s Basketball team along with Arcadia’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will co-sponsor a giveaway to the first 100 fans in attendance wearing pink.
Joining the Knights on the sidelines for this first annual event will be the Glenside Youth Athletic Club (GYAC) Columbia Diva’s basketball team (pictured left). The Columbia Diva’s team, celebrating their 50th year anniversary, is comprised of 4th and 5th grade girls’ from the surrounding Glenside community. The team, coached by Tom Bassetti and Meg Early, enjoys playing at halftime during the Knights home games and will be Arcadia’s special guests on Feb. 17th.
Arcadia will donate all proceeds raised from the raffle as well as additional contributions to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, named for the late women’s basketball coach at North Carolina State University.
“Pink Zone” is a global, unified effort for the WBCA nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. More than 1,200 teams and organizations took part last season, up from 120 just two years ago, and raised over $930,000.
The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund is a charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against cancer through raising money for scientific research, assisting the undeserved and unifying people for a common cause. It was founded in 2007 in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for all women and the leading overall cause of cancer death in women between ages 20 and 59. In the United States, breast cancer is expected to be diagnosed every three minutes and a woman will die from breast cancer every 13 minutes. If detected early, breast-cancer patients have a greater than 90 percent survival rate. For more information on this initiative, please visit the WBCA Pink Zone website. WBCA Pink Zone
-- Note: “Pink Zone” and associated prizes and giveaways scheduled for the women’s contest only.
Women's Hoops Fall in the Valley
ANNVILLE, PA: 2/11/09 - Arcadia Women's Basketball was welcomed to a championship-like atmosphere inside of a deafening LVC Gymnasium Wednesday night as the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley hosted the Knights in their second annual Pink Zone game and enjoyed a 14-point effort from Commonwealth player of the week Lori Lidlow as LVC handed the Knights a 66-31 loss. Caitlin Sparks led the Knights 14 points.
Head coach Crystal Gibson received a warm welcome from the public address announcer and Valley crowd in her first trip back to her alma matter as a head coach. But what turned out to be a good start by the Knights lasted until the 14 minute mark when the Valley gained their first lead of the contest and held the Knights to just 9 first half points. Turnovers plagued both teams through regulation but the Valley was able to dominate the glass, capturing 45 rebounds, 35 which were on the defensive end. Arcadia shot just 33% from the line, in just 9 trips.
Sophomore Corrine Geiger trouble the Valley for a team leading 9 rebounds and her game high 3 blocks. Geiger also scored 5 for the Knights.
Arcadia is without a contest this weekend and returns to action this coming Tues. Feb 17th for their final home game of the season, against Commonwealth foe Albright College at 6 PM. This is the Knights' first annual Pink Zone game in support of the WBCA's Kay Yow Fund for breast cancer research. The first 50 fans to the game receive a free Pink Zone tee-shirt while the first 100 in attendance will receive a free giveway. Donation in support of the Kay Yow fund will be accepted and are greatly appreciated. Arcadia will also honor their seniors prior to tip-off. More information
Basketball Returns to Commonwealth Play Wednesday
Arcadia Men's & Women's Basketball return to Commonwealth action Wednesday in Annville, PA, taking on the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley College. The women will be the Dutchmen's hosts for their annual Pink Zone game at 6 PM. The women's game will feature a live radio broadcast and live stats while the men's team will tip off at 8 PM in a must win for Arcadia with live stats available.
Sparks, Milligan Fuel Knights to Win over Trinity
Washington, DC: 2/10/09 - Combining for 39 of their team's 58 points, fifth year player Caitlin Sparks and junior Kim Milligan proved too much for the defense of Trinity College (DC) Monday evening as the Arcadia University Knights pulled out a 58-51 win in non-conference women's basketball action. The win is the fourth for Arcadia this season as they improve to 4-18 overall. Trinity drops to 2-13 overall.
Trinity saw four players finish in double figures in a tightly played game that featured a total of 9 lead changes and 9 ties. A made jump shot from Sparks tied the game at 24-all with three minutes to play in the opening half before sophomore Corrine Geiger added a bucket with 4 seconds to go to give the Knights a 26-24 edge at halftime.
Trinity managed to pull in front by two at 14:54 and would hold the lead, which grew to as much as 8, for the next eight minutes as the Knights struggled with turnovers during that span. Finally, with 7:47 to play, momentum swung Arcadia's way as Sparks hit a pair of free throw shots to tie the game for the 9th and final time while a Milligan bucket put Arcadia in front for good with 6:48 to play. Milligan drained a corner baseline three pointer at 2:52 to give the Knights their largest margin of the game 51-44 and Arcadia went 7-8 from the line with under two minutes to play to seal a much needed win.
Sparks led all scorers with 21, 6 rebounds on 5-6 shooting from the line while Milligan shot 50% from the floor and 57% from downtown en-route to a 18 point night. Milligan also pulled down 6 rebounds. Senior Shannon Bustin added 7 points, 6 boards and was a perfect 4-4 at the line. Geiger finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds for the Knights. For the game, Arcadia shot 33%, under Trinity's 39% but the Knight's free throw shooting in the closing minute proved the difference.
Arcadia will travel to Commonwealth opponent Lebanon Valley College tomorrow for a 6 PM matchup. The Dutchmen will host the Knights in a Pink Zone game that will feature a live radio broadcast as well as live stats.
Career Mark for Sparks, Loss for the Knights at Lycoming
WILLIAMSPORT, PA: 2/7/09 - Fifth year player Caitlin Sparks (Harleysville, PA/Souderton) became the new all-time scoring leader for Arcadia Women's Basketball during this afternoon's 57-38 loss to Commonwealth Conference opponent Lycoming College at Lamade Gymnasium in Williamsport. Sparks entered the game needing 13 points and set the new program record (1297 points) on the free throw line with 2:11 remaining in the game, as she sunk the front end of a one-and-one chance to displace 2006 Arcadia graduate Katie Lynch, who held the previous mark of 1296. The loss is the third straight for the Knights who are still without a win against their Commonwealth counterparts and fall to 3-18 overal. The Warriors of Lycoming improve to 3-5 in the league and 13-6 overall.
Lycoming ran out to a 12 point lead with just five minutes played in the opening half. Arcadia senior Shannon Bustin (Glenolden, PA/Interboro) cashed in on a pair of free throws at 11:13 to pull her team to within 6, 14-8, but the Warriors closed out the half on a 21-6 run taking the 35-14 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Knights first half shooting woes carried over into the second stanza. While the Warriors only outscored Arcadia 24-22 over the second half, Lycoming enjoyed a 20+ margin on the scoreboard until Bustin drained a three pointer on the game's final field goal.
Junior Kim Milligan (Crofton, MD/South River) led the Knights with her game high 16 points, including 4 from long range and grabbed a team high 8 rebounds. Sparks finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals while Bustin chipped in with 7 points and 5 boards. Allison Mock led the victors with 14 while Andrea Cooper added 8 points and 8 caroms for Lycoming.
The Warriors outshot the Knights from everywhere but didn't shoot more than 33% overall while Arcadia hit for only 24% of their shots. Lycoming got 27 of their 57 points in the paint, 15 off of turnovers, and a dozen second chance points, and the 54-42 advantage on the boards.
Arcadia travels to Trinity College (DC) for their final non-conference game of the 2009 season on Monday, Feb.9, before a trip to Annville, PA on Wednesday to take on the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley at 6 PM.
Live Stats and Radio Broadcast Available for Basketball Doubleheader
Arcadia Men's and Women's Basketball travels to Williamsport, PA this Saturday to take on Commonwealth opponent Lycoming College. Live stats and a radio broadcast will be available for both games, starting at 1 PM for the women's contest, followed by the men's 3 PM tip-off.
The women's squad, playing for their first Commonwealth win of the season, will look to fifth year player Caitlin Sparks to provide the scoring punch, as she led the Knights with 12 points and 14 rebounds back on January 17, a tough 52-41 loss for the Knights at home. Sparks is just 13 points shy of becoming the new all-time scoring leader for the program. The current mark of 1296 was set by 2006 graduate Katie Lynch. Live Stats Radio
Sparks Leads Knights in Loss to Widener
GLENSIDE, PA: 2/3/09 - Fifth year player Caitlin Sparks returned to the lineup after a two-game absence and poured in 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds but Arcadia Women's Basketball fell 67-33 victims to the Pride of Widener University in tonight's Commonwealth matchup. Arcadia got six points each from junior Kim Milligan and sophomore Corrine Geiger in the loss. Arcadia remains winless in Commonwealth play (0-8) and drops to 3-17 overall while Widener improves to 13-7 overall and 4-3 in league play.
Arcadia shot just 13% from the floor in the opening half and was bothered by Widener's Casey Pritz who worked the Knights defense for 8 first half points while handling 7 rebounds. Sparks gave it right back to the Pride with 7 of her own first half points and 9 rebounds but the Knights went into the half trailing 33-13.
A 50% shooting second half for Widener allowed the Pride to maintain their stronghold on the Knights for the rest of the contest. The Pride spread the ball around and saw ten players help with scoring, with Pritz and Beth Dessart Mager each finishing with 12 and Laura Carson adding 10 for the victors. In the end, Arcadia's turnovers and struggles at the free throw line, where they shot just 44%, sealed their fate as the Pride converted 18 points off of the Knights 24 turnovers.
Sparks' earned her 6th double-double of the season in the loss. Geiger added 11 rebounds with her 6 points and blocked 3 shots. Sophomore Kelly Donahue added five and 2 steals for Arcadia to round out the scoring.
Up next for Arcadia is a three game road stand that begins Sat. Feb. 7 at Commonwealth opponent Lycoming at 1 PM. Then the Knights will travel for their final non-conference game at Trinity (DC) on Feb. 9 before a trip to Annville, PA on Feb. 11 to face Lebanon Valley. Arcadia returns home on Tues. Feb. 17 to host Albright College on senior night in their first annual WBCA Pink Zone game.
Messiah Falcons Fly Past Women's Basketball, 98-33
Glenside, PA: 1/31/09- Arcadia Women's Basketball entered Saturday's Commonwealth Conference second half opener with quite the task at hand. The Knights had to find a way to run with the #11 team in the country and defending Commonwealth champions, Messiah College. And they had to do so without the services of their leader, Caitlin Sparks, expected to play but still feeling the effects of an injury sustained earlier in the week at Albright.
This was Messiah's first visit to Glenside, but the second meeting between the two teams since January 14, when the Falcons knocked off the Knights 70-27 in Grantham, PA. With a starting lineup featuring players 5'7 to 6'2, the Falcons size was a clear advantage from the start, and then the ball tipped off. It took a mere 15 seconds for Messiah to warm up to Alumni Gym, draining their first six shots, while never allowing the Knights to get settled enrout to a lopsided 98-33 victory. Messiah remains perfect in Commonwealth play (7-0) while improving to 18-2 overall while Arcadia remains in search of their first league win as they drop to 0-7 against league foes and 3-16 overall.
The Falcons, nearly flawless in the first half, benefited from a double-double from 6'2 center Silalei Shani. Shani hit for 14 points and 10 boards on 7-9 shooting- and that was only after the first half. Shani troubled Arcadia all afternoon, ending the afternoon with a game high 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal to lead four other Falcons in double fiugres. Junior Kim Milligan was the most experienced veteran on the floor for the Knights and willed her way to a 17 point effort, her third straight double figure outing. Averaging 16.3 points per game since January 26th, Milligan also added a team high 5 rebounds and never left the floor from tip to finish.
The lengthy Falcon defense rattled Arcadia's guards with 25 turnovers that Messiah converted into 37 points while holding the Knights to just 28% accuracy from the floor. Having committed no first half fouls, Messiah stormed out from their 51-13 halftime cushion gunning on all cylinders and graciously flew out of Alumni Gym with 65-point win. Depsite their limited appearances on the charity stripe, the Knights shot a season best 83% thanks to Milligan's 3-3 night and 2-3 outing from sophomore Kelly Donahue, who finished with 6 points, 3 boards and 2 assists for Arcadia.
Women's Basketball Lose Sparks and Game at Albright
READING, PA: 1/28/09 - It was any team's game during the opening ten minutes as the Arcadia Knights held the Albright Lions in check until Arcadia leading scorer Caitlin Sparks was forced to leave the game due to injury and the Lions went on 12-0 tear, never relinquishing their double figure lead as the Lions defeated the Knights 76-45 in the final Commonwealth matchup of the first half of league play. The Knights were led by junior Kim Milligan's 14 points but Arcadia falls to 3-15 overall and 0-6 in league play.
Arcadia opened the scoring off the tip-off on a Sparks-Milligan connection for 2-0 lead only to have the Lions respond on shooting foul, to take a 3-2 lead. Sparks would draw a foul, converting the front end of the 1 and 1 to tie the game, and the Knights would keep it close, taking a small lead and tying it up two more times before they would lose Sparks and watch the Lions outscored them 12-0 over a six minute span. With the Lions up 23-11 with 5:30 to play in the first half, their lead would grow to 18 before sophomore Kelly Donahue made a steal for the Knights and fed senior Shannon Bustin, who kissed the ball off the glass and in, beating the halftime buzzer with the Lions in front 33-19.
However, Arcadia would not be able to cut into the Lions double-digit lead, which grew to 33 in the second half as the Knights settled for a 31-point defeat and still in search of their first Commonwealth win. Bustin finished with 13 points while sophomore Corrine Geiger, in her first game back from injury, contributed 10 points, 7 rebounds and blocked 2 shots, her 6th straight game with at least one block.
Arcadia will host Messiah College this Saturday at home. Tip off is set for 1 PM.
Career Highs Highlight Knights Win over Gators
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/26/09 - Four players helped themselves to career highs but it was a total team effort as the Knights of Arcadia University Women's Basketball erased their four game winless streak in a 73-59 victory over the Gators of The College of Notre Dame (Md.) in non-conference action Monday evening.
While fifth year player Caitlin Sparks led the winners with 21 points and 9 rebounds, it was junior Kim Milligan who had a monstrous night, with a career high 17 rebounds combined with 18 points, 4 steals and a pair of assists and blocks to pace four Knights in double-figures. Milligan finished the first half with 13 points and 8 boards and played the entire 40 minutes. Senior Shannon Bustin added a career high of 17 points while dishing out 4 assists and earning 4 steals. Sophomore Kelly Donahue netted a career high 11 points, with ten in the first half, while first year Brittany Drosdak finished with a career high of 5 points. With Sparks' 21 points, she moves within 18-points of becoming Arcadia's All Time leader for points, currently with 1267, second to top-ranked Becky Soda '06 with 1296.
The Knights shot an impressive 55% from the hardwood and 78% from downtown in the first half and enjoyed a 43-28 advantage at the half before the Gators battled back, making it a one point contest with 11:47 remaining. Arcadia's lead would remain under ten until Sparks added 7 points in less than a minute, giving the Knights a comfortable 66-53 lead with 4 minutes to play.
With tonight's win, the Knights improve to 3-14 while the Gators fall to an even 7-7. Arcadia travels to Commonwealth Conference Albright College this Wednesday for a 6 PM tip.
Elizabethtown Knocks off Knights 76-41
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/24/09 - Elizabethtown College got 14 points form Courtney Kofeldt and a double-double performance of 12 points and 14 boards to run past the Knights of Arcadia 76-41 in Commonwealth Conference women's basketball action. The Blue Jays improve to 9-7 and 3-3 in the league while Knights fall to 2-14 and 0-5.
Arcadia missed the defensive presence sophomore forward Corrine Geiger, who missed the game due to injury but got a game high 25 points from fifth year player Cailtin Sparks, who earned the double-double with 12 boards.
Arcadia trailed by just nine with 11:59 to play in the first half but went down by 16 at the half, 36-20. While the Knights were strong defensively, causing 10 Blue Jay turnovers, their offensive struggles continued, shooting just 18% from the floor in the second stanza and season low 22% overall. Elizabethtown shot 48% from the floor.
Arcadia returns to non-conference play this Monday, January 26 at home against The College of Notre Dame (MD) at 6 PM.
Women's Hoops Suffers Fourth Straight Loss
CHESTER, PA: 1/20/09 - Arcadia University Women's Basketball encountered a slow start in the first half and a battle tested Widener University squad in Tuesday's Commonwealth matchup in Chester, falling to the Pride by a 87-42 final. The loss is Arcadia's fourth straight as the Knights fall to 2-13 overall and 0-4 against Commonwealth opponents while Widener improves to 11-6 and 2-2 in the league.
A program in transition under Crystal Gibson, the first year head coach has been forced to use nine different starting lineups since November but welcomed to the lineup first year Ashley Gripper (Philadelphia, PA), from nearby Central High School, and junior transfer Christine Rode (NYU Polytech) along with the return of senior Becca Knight (Malden, MA). The trio provides breathing room for a starting five that has steamrolled through 37+ minutes each over the last four outings.
But on this night, the Knights struggled from the floor in the first half while the Pride shot an impressive 65% and rang home 5 of 8 from downtown to take a commanding 50-16 lead at the break. Arcadia got 6 points and 4 rebounds from sophomore Corrine Geiger (Perkasie, PA) on 3-5 from the floor who split duties with fifth year player Caitlin Sparks (Harleysville, PA), containing Widener 6'3 forward Casey Pritz to just 4 points in the opening stanza. But Barbara Flemming stepped up for the Pride, notching 13 first half points en-route to her game high of 19. Pritz would finish with a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards for a Widener squad that saw 11 different players scoring points.
Arcadia came out with the hot hand to open the second half with Sparks nailing three straight buckets that narrowed the gap to 30, 50-20, but the Pride didn't blick and would go on to take their biggest lead to that point, 64-26 with 13:12 to play. Sparks picked up foul number 4 with less than 11 minutes to play, sending Pritz to the line as she made the back end of a 1-1, and Widener would hold the Knights scoreless through the final two minutes to earn their second Commonwealth win of the season.
Sparks led the Knights with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Geiger finished with 9 points, 7 boards, a steal and a pair of assists and blocks, her fifth straight game registering a block, and ninth game of the season. Junior Kim Milligan (Crofton, MD) added nine points, 5 rebounds and 3 helpers, making 3-4 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Kelly Donahue (Warrington, PA) tallied 4 assists and a steal while senior Shannon Bustin (Glenolden, PA) chipped in with 7 points and 3 assists for Arcadia.
Arcadia continues their challenging Commonwealth schedule hosting the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown College (8-6/2-2 CC) Saturday afternoon at 1 PM.
Live Stats Available for Tonight's Commonwealth Doubleheader
Widener University will provide live stats and play by play for tonight's Commonwealth doubleheader for men's and women's basketball. Stats for the women's game will be available at the 6 PM tip, followed by the men's game at 8 PM. Widener's women are 10-6 and 1-2 in the Commonwealth while their men's squad is 11-4 and tied for first place with the Knights at 2-1, along with Albright. Fans attending the doubleheader are asked to bring a canned good or make a donation to City Team Ministries. Live Stats
Men's & Women's Basketball Game Photos Featured on D3 Hoops
Arcadia welcomed D3 Hoops photographer Lou Rabito to Alumni Gym on Saturday for the Commonwealth doubleheader with Lycoming College. Photos are available for purchase. Women Men
Lycoming Women Escape Knights in Commonwealth Battle
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/17/09 - The Lady Warriors of Lycoming College improved to 2-2 in conference play as they used a deep bench to help hold off Arcadia University 52-41 in Commonwealth women's basketball action Saturday afternoon. Arcadia got top performances from fifth year player Caitlin Sparks with 12 points and 14 rebounds and sophomore Corrine Geiger who notched 8 points, 3 blocks and a career high 15 boards. Junior Kim Milligan iced 12 points and brought down 5 boards to help the Knights' (2-12/0-3) efforts.
Arcadia remained very much in the game until the 10 minute mark as the Lady Warrios went up by their largest lead of the game, 17. Both Geiger and Sparks came up strong in the first half, combining for 12 of the Knights' 19 points at the half. With a 28-19 lead to open the second stanza, Lycoming went to their bench, hoping the availablity of fresh legs would stifle the six-woman roster of Arcadia. The Knights managed to play through a spell of turnovers to fight their way back, narrowing the gap to nine late in the game as both Sparks and Geiger continue to pound the glass, but the Lady Warriors, who got 12 points from Andrea Cooper and had ten players of 13 scoring points, held on for the 11 point win, 52-41.
Sparks had a perfect outing at the charity stripe and finished with her fifth double-double outing of the season. Geiger, just two points shy of a double-double, played 38 minutes for the Knights while Milligan hit two triples, dished out 2 assists and blocked one shot to go along with her 12 points and 5 boards. Senior Shannon Bustin finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
Arcadia travels to Commonwealth foe Widener this Tuesday for the first game of a double-header with the mens' squad. The women will tip at 6 PM and live stats will be available here.
Undermanned Knights Dealt 70-27 Loss
GRANTHAM, PA: 1/14/09 - Arcadia University was held to their second lowest scoring performance of the year, as the Knights were dealt a 70-27 defeat by Messiah College in Commonwealth Conference women's basketball action this evening in Grantham.
The Falcons, who entered the contest as defending conference champions and runner ups to the Division III national title last season, improve to 11-2 overall (1-0 CC) while an undermanned Arcadia team falls to 2-12 overall (0-2 CC).
Junior Kim Milligan and sophomore Corrine Geiger never left the court for Knights, who trailed 37-9 at the half. The Knights came out of the half after a much need breather and doubled their second half offensive performance, netting 18 second half points and causing Messiah 14 uncharacteristic turnovers for the game. Milligan finished with a team high 9 points. Fifth year player Caitlin Sparks added 8 including a sweet left handed lay in during the team's best offensive run of the game late in the second half. Sparks also pulled down a game high 9 rebounds, all off the defensive window. Senior Shannon Bustin pitched in with 6 points, 3 rebounds and a pair of steals while Geiger added 4 points and 5 boards for the Knights.
Katie Kalb and Ashley Brooks led the Falcons with 16 apeice. Silalei Shani added 15. The trio combined for 18 rebounds for the victors.
Arcadia will host Commonwealth opponent Lycoming College this Saturday for a 1 PM tip. Arcadia's men will host Lycoming in the second game of the doubleheader beginning at 3 PM. Live stats and play by play will be available at game time.
Follow the Knights as they battle Messiah College in Commonwealth Conference Action
Arcadia Men's and Women's Basketball travel to Grantham, PA to take on the Falcons of Messiah College in Commonwealth Conference play this evening. The women will tip-off against the 2008 Commonwealth champion and Division III runner-up Falcons at 6 PM, followed by the men's game at 8 PM. Live stats and play-by-play radiocast will be available at gametime. Live Stats-Women Live Stats-Men Radio
Knights Escape Lady Lions Comeback in Final Seconds
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/8/09 - Arcadia University fifth year player Caitlin Sparks (Harleysville, PA/Souderton) sank the back of a one and one with four ticks remaining to help the Knights stave off the Lady Lions of Penn State Harrisburg 46-45 in non conference women's basketball Thursday night in Glenside. Arcadia's leading scorer, held to just six points last night against Lebanon Valley College, Sparks poured in a game high 22 points and 10 rebounds, for her fourth double-double of the year, and added 4 steals, leading the Knights (2-10) to just their second win of the season and first since the team knocked off Penn State Berks on November 22.
With the score tied at six at 13:54 in the first , the Knights stormed ahead by 16, their largest lead of the game with under four minutes to play in the first half. Sparks' persistence on the inside led to her 15 first half points as the Knights took a 25-12 lead into the locker room. Arcadia held the Lady Lions leading scorer Sandra Adames to zero first half points while Penn State shot a lowly 15% from the floor in the opening stanza.
Arcadia retained command of the game and a 14 point lead with 9:23 remaining when the Lady Lions roared back. Defensive pressure by the Lady Lions flustered the Knights, who turned the ball over ten times in the final ten minutes of play. Arcadia would be held to just three points in that time frame. A three pointer from Penn State's Amaris Gardner at 5:16 brought the Lady Lions to within 8, 45-37 and they would get four points from Adames, whose free throw with 31 seconds tied the game at 45-all. But Penn State's Monica Dean picked up her second foul of the game with four seconds remaining sending Sparks to the line, making the back end of the one-and-one chance to put the Knights back in front by one, 46-45. The Lady Lions got the ball to their side of the court and utilized a timeout but the last chance effort from Dean missed, allowing Arcadia to tally their second victory of the season.
The Knights shot 40% from the floor in the opening twenty but watched that drop to 30% in the second half, and 35% for the game. Junior Kim Milligan (Crofton, MD/South River) notched her second double figure outing in as many nights, sinking 13 points and bringing down four rebounds. Sophomore Corrine Geiger (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge) grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots for the Knights while senior Chanel Murphy (Merion Station, PA/Lower Merion) grabbed 11 boards and scored 4 points.
Arcadia will utilize some days off in preparation for Commonwealth powerhouse Messiah College, Commonwealth champions and Division III national runners up last season. The two are set for a 6 PM tip-off on January 14th in Grantham.
Flying Dutchmen Defeat Knights in Commonwealth Opener
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/7/09 - In the opening conference game of the season for both squads, Lebanon Valley used an 18-0 run over the opening 9:00 minutes and strong defensive pressure throughout the contest to secure a 67-42 victory over Arcadia Women's Basketball. The Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley improve their record to 8-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play, the Knights fall or 1-10 on the season and 0-1 in the conference.
The Dutchmen came out of the locker room on fire from three point range with Erin Shultz hitting three of her five three pointers in the opening run of the game. The Knights would look to fight back in the opening stanza after getting on the board with a spark from senior Chanel Murphy converting on three jumpers for six points over next five minutes followed by two treys from Kim Milligan. The lead would be cut to its smallest margin of the day of 12 with 4 minutes to go in the first half, but the Dutchmen would respond, converting on a few costly Arcadia turnovers and missed shots down the stretch in the first half to again push the lead back out to 17 entering the second half of play.
Playing in their third game from break with a limited bench the Knights would continue to fight, but the long range accuracy, fast pace play of the Dutchmen and the constant pressure would eventually wear down Arcadia. Shultz would lead the way for the Dutchmen with 20 points and 4 rebounds, along with fellow sophomore Lori Lidlow who totaled 12 points and a game high 8 assist in the contest.
Arcadia was led by Milligan who had her best outing of the season totaling a game high 21 points while shooting 54% from the flooring including 5-7 from 3 point range and 2 for 2 from the strike.
Arcadia will return to action tomorrow night at 6 pm to face Penn-State Harrisburg in a non-conference affair.
Knights Conference Opener Moves to Wednesday
GLENSIDE, PA: 1/6/09 - Arcadia University Women's Basketball Commonwealth Conference opening game against Lebanon Valley College, originally scheduled for Tuesday, January 6, has been moved to Wednesday, January 7 due to the forecasted icy weather conditions for this evening. The women will tip off tomorrow at 5 PM, followed by the men's matchup against the Dutchmen at 7 PM. Live stats will be available for both contests.
Sparks Shines in Knights loss to Christopher Newport
ARLINGTON, VA: 1/4/09 - Shooting under 30% from the floor for the second straight outing, Arcadia Women's Basketball welcomed 20 points from graduate student Caitlin Sparks and a dozen from senior Chanel Murphy as the Knights ended up with their ninth loss of the season, falling to Christopher Newport this afternoon, 77-43 in the consolation match of Marymount's Holiday Classic. Sparks was named to the All Tournament team.
Sparks, who made all three attempts from beyond the three point line, hit 5-6 from the stripe and pitched in a pair each of assists, blocks and steals, and 6 rebounds. The third straight double figure outing for Sparks, Murphy and sophomore Corrine Geiger combined for 13 rebounds, a total of 35 on the weekend between the pair. Senior Shannon Bustin dealt out a game high six assists.
With the Knights trailing 46-17 at the half, CNU continued to shoot the ball better than Arcadia down the stretch, although the Knights owned the better showing at the free throw line, where Arcadia shot 70%. CNU eventually outshot the Knights 50% to 26% and earned the 77-43 win to improve to 5-2 overall. The Knights head into their Commonwealth Conference schedule this week with a 1-9 mark. Lebanon Valley visits Glenside for Tuesday's conference opener.
Muhlenberg Defeats Women's Basketball at Marymount Holiday Classic
ARLINGTON, VA: 1/3/09 - Muhlenberg College held Arcadia Women's Basketball to a dozen points at the half and 23% shooting from the floor through regulation and earned the 59-29 win over the Knights in the opening game of Marymount University's Holiday Classic in Arlington, VA. With this afternoon's loss, the Knights will face Christopher Newport Sunday at 12 PM in the consolation game. Christopher Newport lost to tournament host Marymount 82-63 in the late game and leaves Marymount and Mulhenberg to battle for the title Sunday at 5 PM.
Mulhenberg capitalized on Arcadia's offensive struggles from the floor and costly turnovers and eventually held a 30-12 lead at the half. Arcadia's shooting percentage improved slightly during the second half but the Knights hit just 23% percent from the floor overall, failed to make it to the foul line in the final stanza and committed 31 turnovers and will now settle for a 1-8 record.
Sophomore Corrine Geiger and senior Chanel Murphy pulled down 11 rebounds apeice leading the Knights with 14 combined defensive boards helping to hold Muhlenberg to 31% from the floor on offense. Graduate student Caitlin Sparks led Arcadia with 13 points and 7 boards while never leaving the floor. Junior Kim Milligan added a dozen and made 4 of 9 from behind the arc. Geiger and senior Shannon Bustin added two points apeice to round out Arcadia's scoring.
Live stats and play by play will be available begining at 12 Noon Sunday for the Knights battle for third place with Christopher Newport (4-2). Live Stats
Women's Basketball Opens 2009 in Virginia
Arcadia Women's hoops will open the new year on the road in Arlington, Virginia at Marymount University's Holiday Classic, January 3rd and 4th. The Knights (1-7) will play Muhlenberg College (6-1) Saturday at noon before tournament host #17 Marymount (7-2) tips off against Christopher Newport (4-1) at 5 PM. Live stats and play by play will be available for all games, including Sunday's 12 PM consolation game and 5 PM championship game. Live Stats
Knights Second Half Rally Halted by Hendrix
Glenside, PA: 12/18/08 - Battling from 28 points down in the first half, Arcadia Women's Basketball put themselves back in the Thursday night's game with Hendrix College of Conway, Arkansas, narrowing the gap to nine, before the Warriors hit a key three point bucket with seven minutes remaining to earn the 71-55 win over the Knights in women's non-conference play.
Arcadia (1-7) opened the game with a short jumper from senior Chanel Murphy (Merion Station, PA/Lower Merion) but the Warriors put together a 21-0 run over the next six minutes, taking a commanding 28 point advantage by the six minute mark. The Warriors socred 21 of their first half points off of Arcadia turnovers and utilized their deep bench well, earning 23 points from their reserves.
Arcadia came out of the first half down 42-17 and were poised to take advantage of the foul-riden Warriors and that they did, as the Knights found themselves in the bonus situation with over twelve minutes to play. Nailing 9 of their 13 attempts from the charity stripe in the next five minutes, the Knights erased the Warriors 25 point halftime spread to nine when junior Liz Plum (Deptford, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) converted on a three point play at 7:51 to make it 57-48 Hendrix. But it would get no closer, as the Knights shooting went cold, hitting just 3-12 from the floor in the final 7 minutes of play while Hendrix Chelsey Byler swished a three point bucket at 7:51 to spark a 17-10 Warriors run to put the game out of reach.
The Knights were led by sophomore Kim Lomas (Sterling/Somerdale, NJ) who earned a game high 17 points, grabbed six boards and caused 3 turnovers. Lomas enjoyed a near perfect night on the floor, hitting 4-6 from the field and 9-10 from the line. Sophomore Brittany Bontemps (Yardley, PA/Villa Joseph Maria) scored 13 points on 4-9 from the floor and 5-8 from the free throw line and dished out a pair of helpers. Fifth year player Caitlin Sparks (Harleysville, PA/Souderton Area) also added 13 for the Knights, grabbed 5 boards and caused a team high 4 turnovers. Sparks led all players with 5 blocked shots. Murphy finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds for Arcadia. Byler led the Warriors (5-2) with 17 points.
The Knights return to play in the new year at the Marymount Tournament, squaring off against Muhlenberg College on January 3rd at Noon.
Cantanzariti Helps Rowan to Stave Off Knights 62-43
Glenside, PA: 12/13/08 - Sophomore forward Gina Cantanzariti poured in a game high of 18 points to help the Profs of Rowan University stave off the Knights of Arcadia University 62-43 in non-conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Glenside. Cantanzariti also added 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals for Rowan who improves to 6-3. The Knights were led by senior Shannon Bustin's 12 points as they fall to 1-6 overall.
Rowan opened the first half with an 8 point lead at 14:21 and were the benefactors of nine made layups off of the short bounce pass around the Arcadia screen. Rowan eventually took their largest lead of the half at 13, on a layup by junior Amanda Jennings from junior Jessica Nimbley, giving Rowan 28-15 lead with 2:17 left in the half. Back to back sequences with made buckets by Arcadia sophomore Kim Lomas from Bustin cut into the Profs lead and then Bustin grabbed a defensive board and powered down the court for a buzzer beater, giving the Profs just a seven point advantage at the half, 28-21.
The Knights made 16 turnovers in the first half which led to 16 Rowan points with Cantanzariti netting ten of her game high 18 in the first half while Bustin's team high of twelve came all in the first half.
While the Profs would never relinquish their lead in the second half, Arcadia fought to get back in the game and narrowed the gap to three when sophomore Brittany Bontemps sank a pair of free throws at 15:07 to make it 32-29 Rowan. Rowan senior Ashley Cieplicki converted on a three point play to give Rowan the 40-30 lead at 8:38 and Arcadia would answer three different times to cut the Profs lead to eight, the last time on the back end of two made free throws from Lomas at the five minute mark but costly turnovers for Arcadia and Rowan's presence in the paint on the offensive end allowed the Profs to pull away from Arcadia in the final five minutes, going on to earn the 62-43 win on the road.
Lomas added a solid spark for Arcadia, netting 11 points and 9 defensive rebounds, 2 steals and hitting 5-6 free throw attempts. Bontemps chipped in with 7 points and 7 rebounds and dished out a team high 4 assists. Cieplicki scored 16 and Nimbley 15 for Rowan.
Arcadia returns to action at home against Hendrix College (Arkansas) on December 18 for a 6 PM tip in their final contest before the winter break.
Offense Sputters for Knights in 71-20 Loss at The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ. - 12/10/08: The College of New Jersey women’s basketball team hosted Arcadia University on Wednesday night in Packer Hall. The contest was the first home match-up for the Lions on the season and they cruised to a 71-20 victory to improve 4-3 overall, while Arcadia drops to 1-5.
Shannon Bustin (Glenolden, PA/Interboro) led her team with four points off the bench, while junior forward Liz Plum (Deptford, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) added four rebounds in the first stanza.
Kim Milligan (Crofton, MD/South River) led her squad with six points, while Bustin also added six points. Plum led her team with five rebounds with three steals.
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Cedar Crest Tops Knights 71-62 in Women's Non-Conference Play
Cedar Crest, PA: 12/06/08 - The Falcons of Cedar Crest College saw four players land in double-figures, led by a 12-12 double-double effort from Liz Sunderhaus in just 17 minutes on the floor as the Falcons handed the Knights of Arcadia University a 71-62 loss in women's non-conference basketball action. The Knights, who drop to 1-4 overall were led by fifth year player Caitlin Sparks' 14 points, 7 rebounds, a pair of assists and steals while hitting a perfect 8-8 from the line.
The Falcons jumped out to a 5-0 lead, with the Knights finally getting on the board at 16:04 thanks to a pair of good charity tosses from Sparks. After Lakeema Jones sunk a three pointer at the thirteen minute mark, the Falcons held an 8-point advantage, 16-8. The Falcons would retain their lead until 4:14 when senior Shannon Bustin nailed a three point bucket to give her Knights their first lead of the contest 29-27. The lead would change hands two more times before the Falcons went up by three at the half 38-35, holding the 10-0 edge in second half points through the first twenty minutes.
Despite three turnovers in the opening three minutes, the Knights made a pair of shots to keep it a one possession game, 41-39 at the 17:03 mark, but would get no closer as the Falcons went on a 19-13 run, taking a 63-52 lead at the six minute mark. In the final five minutes, Cedar Crest caused four more Knight turnovers while going 3-5 from the floor to put the 71-62 win in the books.
Jones led all scorers with 16 points, while adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Keri Lasky added 15 points and 4 assists while Sarah Campbell tossed in 12 points, grabbed 7 caroms and made 3 steals for the Falcons. Alongside of Sparks, junior Kim Milligan notched 13 points and dished out a team high 4 assists, while junior Liz Plum added 8 points, 11 rebounds and made 2 steals.
Arcadia travels to The College of New Jersey on Tuesday evening for at 6 PM tip before hosting two games to close 2008, with Rowan visiting Glenside on December 13 and Hendrix College of Arkansas on December 18.
Gophers take 56-46 victory over the Knights
Towson, Md. – 12/2/08: Caitlin Sparks provided yet another double-double performance, her second straight, but the Knights of Arcadia couldn't overcome their 29 turnovers as the Gophers of Goucher College pulled out a 56-46 win in women's non-conference basketball play Tuesday night in Towson. Arcadia falls to 1-3 overall and looks to Saturday's road contest where they face Cedar Crest College at 1 PM.
Goucher's Amber Smith missed a triple-double by just three steals this evening as she supplied Goucher with a career-high 22 points and 14 rebounds in tonight's matchup while Sparks put up a team high 17 for the Knights with 12 rebounds, 3 assists and one blocked shot. Tonight's double-double for Sparks was her third of the year and 11th overall. In addition to Smith's game-high point and rebound totals for Goucher, she was credited with seven steals, two assists and one blocked shot.
Shannon Bustin with 7:55 remaining before halftime. By scoring the final six points of the period, Goucher was able to pull ahead, 23-19, at the break.
Sparks, Murphy Lead Knights to 73-60 Road Victory at Penn State Berks
Reading, PA: 11/22/08 - Arcadia University Women's Basketball turned a three point halftime lead into a thirteen point road victory as fifth year forward Caitlin Sparks and senior Chanel Murphy combined for 46 points to lead the Knights to their first win of the year, 73-60 over host Penn State Berks in women's non-conference action. Today's win is the first for first year head coach Crystal Gibson as the Knights improve to 1-2 overall. The Lions drop to 1-1 on the year.
Caitlin Sparks clearly likes to play at Penn State Berks' Beaver Community Center. After all, it was there last season, on February 21, where she dropped 25 on the Nittany Lions, including her 1,000th career point and pulled down ten rebounds in a 64-44 Arcadia win. This afternoon, her 29 points came in handy for a Knights team that committed 28 turnovers leading to 17 Nittany Lion points. When Sparks wasn't scoring, she was hitting the boards, pulling down a dozen caroms for her second double-double outing of the season, and tenth of her career.
Chanel Murphy rebounded from a scoreless outing earlier in the week at Immaculata, tying her career high of 17 points. Murphy, who blocked 2 shots, also earns the double-double as she took care of a team high 13 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end. Junior Kim Milligan added 10 points, 6 boards and went 2-3 from three point land while sophomore Brittany Bontemps added 10 points and dished out a team high 5 assists for the Knights. Junior Liz Plum pulled down 7 defensive boards and went 4-4 from the charity stripe in her 6-point effort.
Coming out of halftime down only three, the Nittany Lions kept things interesting, taking a one point lead just one minute in. That lead grew to three until 17:43 when Milligan swished a three point bomb to tie it at 38-all. The lead would change hands three more times, the final of which sparked a 12-6 Arcadia run started and ended by Sparks to give the Knights a 52-47 lead. A pair of free throws from Murphy at 3:27 made it a 67-56 lead for the Knights who would go onto to win by a baker's dozen, 73-60.
From the floor, Arcadia shot 43%, their best offensive outing this season, hitting 3-5 from behind the arc (60%) and 22-28 from the charity stripe (78%). The Nittany Lions shot a lowly 30% from the floor, made 3-6 from behind the arc and converted on just 15-27 from the line (56%). Arcadia dominated the glass 51-37. Three Nittany Lions rang in with double-figures, including 18 from Stephanie Binder, 15 from Courtney Bailey and 12 from Jasmine Harris-Kane.
Arcadia returns to action following the Thanksgiving break, traveling to Landmark Conference member Goucher College on Tuesday, December 2 for a 5:30 PM tip.
Arcadia Falls Short of First Win in 62-47 Loss at Immaculata
Immaculata, PA: 11/18/08 - Poor shooting and failed second chance opportunities on the offensive glass for Arcadia Women's Basketball plagued the Knights in the second half as the Mighty Macs of Immaculata University turned around a five point deficit at the half enroute to a 62-47 victory over Arcadia in non-conference action. The Knights remain winless on the season (0-2) and hope to provide first year head coach Crystal Gibson with her first win this Saturday for a 1 PM tip at Penn-State Berks.
Junior Liz Plum sparked an early run for the Knights draining a pair of triples and a jump shot to make it 12-2 Arcadia four minutes in. While the Mighty Macs would narrow the gap to a one point game with ten minutes remaining in the half, Arcadia would punch it back to a nine point spread before settling for a 30-25 lead at the break.
And then it was all Immaculata. First year Kelly Brown drained a trey at the top of key to cap a 7-0 Mighty Mac run at the 17:59 mark not only to give her team their first lead of the contest but also putting Immaculata up 32-30. From there, the Knights found themselves in foul trouble, allowing the Mighty Macs into the bonus situtation with still ten minutes remaining. While the Mighty Macs would only convert on 60% of their free throw chances in the second half, the Knights, 6-28 from the floor in the final half, failed to capitalize on second chance opportunities. Immaculata, who out rebounded Arcadia 50-34 overall and 40-25 on the defensive glass, enjoyed a 44% - 26% advantage in shooting on the evening.
The Knights were led by Plum's season high 17 point ,10 rebounds effort, also collecting 3 steals and a perfect night at the charity stripe (4-4). Fifth year player Caitlin Sparks added 10 points and 6 boards while sophomore Brittany Bontemps netted 8 points paired with 5 borads and 3 steals. Junior Kim Milligan, with 6 points, dished out a team high 4 assists. Brown led all scorer's with 21 points and 11 boards for the Mighty Macs, who had three others scoring double figures.
Wilkes Holds on to 80-72 Win over Arcadia
Glenside, PA: 11/15/08 - Arcadia University Women's Basketball made the Colonels of Wilkes University work for Saturday's non-conference season opening 80-72 victory. Flanked by four players scoring in double figures and hard work under the glass, the Knights erased a 19 point Wilkes lead, trailing by only five with under a minute remaining. But clutch free throw shooting down the stretch coupled with a game high 33 points from Wilkes sophomore Sam Lynam was just enough for the Colonels to escape Alumni Gymnasium with the win.
The Colonels owned a 16 point halftime lead, going up by their largest margin of 19, complements of a second half opening triple from Lyna. But a three point bucket at 12:30 from Arcadia junior Kim Milligan sparked some life in the scarlet and grey as the Knights would battle with some pretty plays in and around the paint until scrappy defense by senior Chanel Murphy led to a steal and a layup at 6:31 to put the Knights within 5, 59-54. The Colonels would again go up by double figures and again Murphy would cut it to a 5 point margin as she converted underneath off a pass from Shannon Bustin with 42 ticks remaining and a 77-72 Wilkes lead. The Knights would try to force Wilkes to earn the win from the charity stripe and that they did in the final 40 seconds of play as Allison Horn went 4-6 to seal a Wilkes 80-72 victory.
Murphy led the Knights with 17 points, 6 caroms and 3 steals while fifth year veteran Caitlin Sparks rang in with her typical double-double performance with 14 points, 10 rebounds. Sparks also blocked two shots. Milligan added a dozen points, 5 boards and 4 assists while Kim Lomas chipped in with 10 points and 5 caroms. Junior Liz Plum added 9 points and 6 rebounds for the Knights. Bustin tossed in 5 points and dished out a team high 5 assist while sophomore Brittany Bontemps also added 5 points, blocked a pair of shots and captured one steal.
The Knights (0-1) travel to Immaculata University on 11-18 for a 6 PM tip.
Messiah Tabbed to Repeat in Commonwealth; Knights Selected Seventh in Preseason Poll
Annville, PA: 11/11/08 - Messiah College has been chosen as the favorite to win the Commonwealth Conference crown in the annual coaches preseason poll. The Falcons, reached the NCAA Division III championship game a season ago. Arcadia, first year members of the tough Commonwealth Conference, were selected to finish seventh.
Fourth year returner Caitlin Sparks will lead the Knights in Commonwealth play in her final season of eligibility as a graduate student, leading the squad a year ago with 13.2 ppg and 8.0 assists oer contest. A first team all Freedom selection in 2008, Sparks was tabbed to the D3Hoops All Mid Atlantic Second Team and reached the 1,000 point milestone at the season's end. Senior Shannon Bustin, junior Kim Milligan, sophomores Kim Lomas and Corrine Geiger also return for first year head coach Crystal Gibson. Full Release
Commonwealth Conference Preseason Poll
1. Messiah
2. Lebanon Valley
3. Albright
4. Elizabethtown
5t. Lycoming
5t. Widener
7. Arcadia
2008-2009 Arcadia University Women's Basketball Season Preview
First year head coach Crystal Gibson arrived on campus just weeks before the first practice, but she is more than ready to lead the Knights into their first of many seasons of Commonwealth Conference competition. A former player and assistant at Commonwealth school Lebanon Valley College, she most recently served as the assistant coach at Frostburg State University (MD) during the past two seasons. She is excited and focused for her first season at Arcadia and will look to the five returning players to provide leadership, and to some key newcomers to bring an added spark to the team.
Coach Gibson and the 2008-09 Knights look to improve on last year’s season where they finished 8-17 overall, 4-8 in the Freedom Conference. Returning players from last season include graduate student Caitlin Sparks (Harleysville, PA/Souderton) back for her fourth season of eligibility, senior Shannon Bustin (Glenolden, PA/Interboro), junior Kim Milligan (Crofton, MD/South River), and sophomores Kim Lomas (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) and Corrine Geiger (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge). While the team loses their physical and emotional leader from last year, point guard Stephanie Bates ‘08, Coach Gibson is expecting Sparks to bring key leadership inside the paint. At the end of last season, Sparks netted her 1,000th career point, led the squad with 13.2 ppg and 8 rpg, and was named to the Freedom Conference first team and to the D3Hoops All-Mid-Atlantic second team.
In the back court, Gibson expects Milligan and Bustin to use their experience to fill the void at point guard this year. Milligan returns to her role as a starter and brings consistent scoring; in 2007-08 she averaged 9.2 ppg, nailed 40 triples, dished out 32 assists and grabbed 20 steals. While Bustin saw limited minutes last season, coach Gibson is relying on her quickness and scrappy defensive play to generate turnovers that the Knights hope to convert into points. The team will also look to Lomas and Geiger along with Sparks for strong post play and rebounding. Lomas started 23 of 25 contests as a first year averaging 7.7 ppg while leading the squad in blocks with 17. With one season under her belt, Geiger will be called upon for consistent rebounding on both ends and providing points in the paint.
Three transfer students will be joining the Arcadia Women’s Basketball team this year, including sophomores Brittany Bontemps (Yardley, PA/Villa Joseph Marie), Liz Plum (Deptford, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), Chanel Murphy (Merion Station,PA/Lower Merion). Bontemps, who helped the University of Scranton to an NCAA berth last season, and Plum should see immediate action at the point, off guard, and small forward positions. First years Brittany Selleck (Selinsgrove, PA/Shikellamy), Samantha Olgesby(Torrance, CA/North High), and sophomore Stephanie Buohl (Parkesburg, PA/Octorara) will provide much needed energy, hustle, and explosiveness. Murphy as the lone incoming forward will provide great leaping ability, rebounding, and hustle down in the post position.
Although the team has more newcomers than returners, experience will be the Knights strength, with all but three players having at least one year of collegiate basketball experience and a coaching staff well seasoned among the ranks of the Commonwealth Conference. Joining Coach Gibson on the sidelines this year will be Erin Nemshick. Nemshick is a 2005 graduate of Widener University, where she helped the Pride to a Commonwealth Conference championship in 2004. She also sports experience on the sidelines, having served in a pair of two-year assistant coaching stints at Cheney University and Manhattanville College. Coach Gibson boasts of the team’s court awareness and basketball IQ as well as their shooting potential and describes this season’s expectations as “limitless.”
The Knights will open their season at home against Wilkes University on Saturday, November 15 at 2:00 PM. And it seems only fitting that Coach Gibson and her team open their 2008-2009 Commonwealth slate hosting her Alma Matter, Lebanon Valley College on January 6.
Crystal Gibson Named to Head Arcadia University Women’s Basketball Program
Glenside, PA: Arcadia University Director of Athletics Shirley Liddle has formally announced the hiring of Crystal Gibson, of Frostburg, MD, as the Head Coach for the University’s Women’s Basketball program. Gibson, a two-year assistant coach at Frostburg State University (MD) and former assistant and player at Lebanon Valley College will begin her duties as Head Coach and Assistant Sports Information Director on October 1.
With the key component seen as recruiting quality student-athletes, Gibson will spend a concentrated recruiting effort within the Delaware Valley and surrounding Tri-State area. “I am anxious to get started on the recruiting scene as I find the city of Philadelphia and surrounding counties an excellent market for women's basketball talent,” Gibson reveals. “It is time to start keeping our female athletes in their own backyard and educate them about the expansive opportunities Arcadia University has to offer.”
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