CMS Women's Basketball Season In Review (2015-16)
3-PEAT X 4!
ATHENAS WIN 3RD STRAIGHT SCIAC TITLE!
CMS WINS FIRST ROUND NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME!
Written by Mike Haas CMC '79
CMS achieved a three-peat four different ways. It won its third consecutive SCIAC championship for the first time in its history. It also won its third straight SCIAC post-season tournament title – to make conference history. The Athenas also won more than 20-games for the third straight season – this was the third time in CMS history that this had been accomplished (1994-97 and 2003-06 were the other two times). One additional three-peat was the Athenas' qualifying for the NCAA national championship tournament. It was at the NCAA championships where CMS won its first first-round game since 1996 and a conference school accomplishing this feat for the first time since 2000.
CMS also extended its record for the most wins among conference schools. Since the Athenas joined the SCIAC in 1977, they have amassed won more wins in conference games than any other SCIAC opponent. Going even further, CMS has finished either first or second place in the SCIAC standings for 23 of the 39 years it has been a member of the conference; another statistic that no other conference school can match.
The 2015-16 season saw the most significant set of rule changes to women's basketball in decades. Instead of 2 20-minutes halves, the teams now play 4 10-minute quarters. There also were changes made to the foul count and when and how many free throws are shot. In addition, people had to adjust strategies with time-out management as the number of time-outs and when they could be called changed.
The impact of these rule changes was evident as the Athenas opened the season at home in its first-ever non-conference game against Transylvania (KY). In a tie game, CMS was able to call time-out and in-bound the ball at half-court with 5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. This new maneuvering allowed the Athenas to run their play to perfection and hit a lay-up at the buzzer to capture the win 55-53.
It was a 15-person roster in 2015-16 that was charged with maintaining the success of the team. It was the one senior, six juniors, five sophomores, and three first year players who had to overcome the skeptics who said CMS could not repeat again. Having twelve returning veterans including three starters gave the Athenas the depth needed to achieve their goals.
Mara Falahee (Sr., SCR, Bradenton, FL) was a four-year starter at the power forward position. She once again was team captain and clearly was the team's leader. Her game winning basket against Transylvania set the tone not only for the season, but for her teammates in setting the bar high as to what was needed for CMS to excel.
Kris Brackmann (Jr., CMC, Mercer Island, WA) returned to the starting line-up as a wing after her 1st team All-SCIAC selection in 2015. Jai Dungca (Jr., CMC, Long Beach) rose to become the starting point guard after patiently waiting her turn as the back-up the prior two years. She showed she learned the lessons needed also to be a team leader as she was one of the team's captains.
Claire Donnelly (Jr., CMC, Santa Rosa) was the other returning starter having played the post as the starting center for most of her first two years at CMS. Once again, she was the team's most proficient shot blocker. Alyson Young (Jr., CMC, Long Beach) was number two at the center position and came in to contribute both timely baskets and needed defense and rebounds at the other end of the court.
Quinn Glosniak (Jr., CMC, Kirkland, WA) usually was first off the bench providing relief wherever it was needed. She could play either forward spot or even inside at the post position. Shaina Van Stryk (Jr., SCR, Northridge) who missed much of her first two seasons due to injuries, was a top gun reserve with her ability from the three-point range.
Kailee Severt (So., CMC, Moorpark) led the sophomore contingent coming off her remarkable rookie season where she was named SCIAC Newcomer of the Year. Her offensive abilities were widely recognized throughout the conference. Kayalin Akens-Irby (So., CMC, Ventura) was another versatile reserve who was looked to for her ability to play the guard or the forward spot.
Corinne Bogle (So., CMC, San Juan Capistrano) and Kylie Au (So., SCR, Palos Verde) came off the bench at the point guard and wing positions while Michelle Lanterman (So., HMC, Manhattan Beach) saw her reserve action inside at the post. They all contributed to the 2015-16 success story.
Ellery Koelker-Wolfe (Fr., CMC, Liburn, GA) played inside and had a quick move to the basket for the CMS offense. Teeana Cotangco (Fr., CMC, La Canada) and Kiki Yang (Fr., CMC, Pasadena) were back-up point guards to run the Athenas offense while also defending the opponents' top ball handlers. But both also could score from inside and outside when called upon.
Following the exciting home opener, CMS traveled to New York for its first back-East trip since 1990. The Athenas played in the Hunter College tournament and came away with wins over St. Josephs College (68-50) and host Hunter College (73-35) before spending a day sight-seeing and meeting a contingent of CMS alumni.
Then, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend was the annual Wells Classic. This is the first-rate Division III tournament envisioned by former Stags head coach and CMS director of athletics David Wells (CMC '72) in which top-rate academically and athletically minded schools come to Claremont for a weekend of the best basketball Division III has to offer. Opening night saw the Athenas hold off Northwest Conference challenger Willamette 69-53.
The SCIAC opener against Chapman came early this year so that CMS could avoid a compressed schedule during the last week of conference play in February. In a tight game, the Athenas found themselves trailing the Panthers by five after three quarters of play. But the CMS offense took over in the final stanza and the Athenas came from behind to start their title defense with a 58-52 win.
One final non-conference win over Smith College (NY) (64-43) readied CMS for the always exciting and challenging SCIAC schedule. Home wins over La Verne (71-59) and Occidental (62-37) got the New Year started in the right direction. And then there were two roads wins over Whittier (66-46) and Caltech (60-32). In these four conference wins, the Athenas gave up less than 10 points in a quarter 5 times pointing to how once again the team was relying on its defense as it had in its prior two SCIAC championship seasons.
Back at home, CMS was one again challenged by Chapman. This time the Panthers forced the Athenas to overtime – as CMS had to make a free throw with 1 second left to tie the game. In the extra period, the Athenas defense allowed only 2 points to lead the way for the 50-44 victory.
Another home win, this time over Redlands (66-47) readied CMS for its next challenge against Cal Lutheran with whom it was tied for first place. In a close game, it was the experienced Athenas squad that converted on offense in the final two minutes to pull away and defeat the Regals 61-53. The Athenas then stayed on the road as they had to go Pomona-Pitzer in the first of the rivalry games. In a game that was went back-and-forth, the Sagehens kept the game within reach until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. CMS defense persevered and the Athenas prevailed 68-58.
Returning to home, the rematch against Caltech (67-47) and Whittier (72-67) allowed CMS to extend its conference lead. However, it took a strong offensive performance to hold off the challenging Poets. The Athenas defense returned as CMS went out on the road to play Occidental and La Verne. The Tigers scored only 48 points in the 56-48 CMS win and the Leopards were held to 38 points as the Athenas were victorious 52-38. In fact, CMS held its opponents to under 50 points 15 times during the 2015-16 season.
As the conference season was winding down, it had to face another challenge from Cal Lutheran which was fighting for second place. The Athenas trailed with less than 5 minutes to play when they turned up the pressure at both sides of the court. CMS outscored the Regals 16-9 in the final ten minutes to seal the 48-44 come-from-behind win and clinch the 2016 SCIAC title – the third in a row for the Athenas.
There was one more tune-up win for CMS as they defeated rival Pomona-Pitzer 67-48 to round out its SCIAC season. With their conference championship secured, the Athenas were awarded the top seed in the upcoming post-season SCIAC tournament. This was the sixth time CMS had qualified for the tournament in its brief nine-year history.
For the third straight year, CMS hosted Redlands in one of the two SCIAC post-season tournament semi-final games. This also marked the Athenas fifth time these two teams played each other in the opening round game. CMS was ready to make a statement in the tournament to quiet all doubters. A 24-6 outburst in the second quarter gave the Athenas a 42-16 halftime lead – a lead that ended in a 70-47 win.
For the third straight year, the Athenas were playing for the SCIAC tournament title and the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA championships. And for the second straight year, CMS was hosting the championship game against Cal Lutheran. The Regals were looking to change their fate after two closes losses to the Athenas during the regular conference play. However, CMS was playing its best basketball of the season and shut down Cal Lutheran for the final 5 minutes of the second quarter by going on a 16-0 run to lead 42-25 at the intermission. The margin grew only larger as the Athenas won 75-48 to capture its second straight SCIAC tournament championship.
This championship game was played at the Linde Activity Center at Harvey Mudd College – which had served as the home court of the Athenas these past two seasons. We want to thank Harvey Mudd College for its commitment to CMS in allowing the Athenas to use that special facility. We also want to thank our friends at Pomona-Pitzer for allowing the Athenas to host its double-header home games at the Rains Center.
The NCAA tournament bracket was announced and CMS found itself in the Texas regional facing Trinity University in the first round. The Tigers were a good team and came back from an early deficit to lead by two points after the third quarter. The final five minutes of the game saw the Athenas come to life offensively. Five 3-pointers led the barrage as CMS overcame Trinity to win its first NCAA game since 1996 63-57. Unfortunately, the season ended the next night against host UT Tyler in a hard-fought game. But there is no need for disappointment when one recounts the accomplishments of this 2015-16 team – a third straight conference championship, a third straight post-season tournament championship, a third straight 20-win season, and a first round win in the NCAA championships.
After the conference season ended, the SCIAC coaches met to vote on the best players in the conference. Kris Brackmann was honored once again with 1st team All-SCIAC recognition and Jai Dungca also was rewarded with a 1st team selection. Kailee Severt who was the Newcomer of the Year last year received the highest of accolades by being honored as the 2016 SCIAC Player of the Year.
The annual year-end banquet brought more awards to be handed out. Senior Mara Falahee and juniors Jai Dungca and Claire Donnelly were applauded as team's captains. The team's most valuable player award went to Kailee Severt as she led the team in scoring and 3-point shooting.
The Athena Award, the team's hustle award was given to Jai Dungca and Alyson Young for their consistent dedication to the program. Finally, Falahee received a new award as she was honored as the team's Most Valuable Teammate. The name of the award says it all in describing how she has given her heart and soul to the team and to her teammates in her four years as an Athena.
And now 2016-17 is soon upon us. While the team will miss the departure of Mara Falahee, there are fourteen returning, including four starters, and another strong recruiting class. The sun continues to shine bright on Athenas' basketball – the winningest team in the SCIAC, having the most wins of any conference team since the Athenas' entrance in 1977.
The new season will mark the inaugural season inside the Robert Pavilion, the new home of CMS athletics and Athenas basketball. Please visit the CMS website for a virtual tour and be certain to come visit to get an in-person tour as well.
CMS will be traveling to Washington University in St. Louis for the Lopata Classic tournament at the beginning of the season. The following weekend will be the Wells Classic. This is the special tournament named in Coach Wells' memory that strives each year to bring the best academic institutions from throughout the country to Claremont for a weekend of exciting basketball over the Thanksgiving holiday. Whenever possible, it respectfully is asked that you please direct your donations to the Wells Classic as the endowment is built up to fund this wonderful endeavor envisioned by Coach Wells.
And soon thereafter will be the start of the always challenging SCIAC season – where CMS will be defending its 2016 title.
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, October 1st, 2016 is Homecoming at CMS and that means the Alumnae basketball game.
We close by thanking you, our alumnae, for your continued support throughout the years. It always is appreciated to hear from you. You can follow the Athenas on the web by going to www.cmsatheltics.org. All of the box scores from the season are posted as soon as available during the season. And now most games the play-by-play can be followed with live "streaming" broadcasts on the web along with live stats. Also, please go to the CMS Athletics website to watch the 2015-16 Athenas Basketball highlight video.
Looking forward to a successful 2016-17 season, we remain,
Sincerely yours,
Mike Haas
CMC '79
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