SALEM, Virginia — No team in NCAA Division III women’s basketball has made the tournament more than the University of Scranton with 38.
Ten times, including this season, the Lady Royals have reached the Final Four — 11 if you count the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), which was preceded the NCAA. Ten is tied for the most NCAA Final Four appearances with Washington University of Missouri. Amherst College is next with nine, St. Thomas, Minn. has seven and New York University has six.
Scranton (31-0) battled NYU (29-0) on Thursday night in one semifinal at this year’s Final Four at Roanoke College’s Cregger Center. The other semifinal pitted Denison University (28-2), making its first Final Four, against Wisconsin-Oshkosh (28-3), which made its second straight Final Four and fourth overall. The two winners play Saturday at 4 p.m. in the championship game.
Here is a look back at the Lady Royals’ trips to the Final Four:
1980: At Spokane, Washington, Scranton lost to eventual Worcester State University from Massachusetts in the semifinals, 81-60. The Lady Royals trailed by one early in the second half before Worcester scored 13 straight points to pull away. Denise Capoocia had 21 points and Karen McIntyre 12 for Scranton.
In the third-place game, the Lady Royals scored the final nine points for a 78-68 win over Mount Mercy University from Iowa. McIntyre and Capoocia each scored 22 points. Debbie Krzywiec added 14 points and Mary Jane Wertz chipped in 12.
1985: At DePere, Wisconsin, the Lady Royals won it all. They defeated Millikin University in the semifinals, 83-75, as Shelley Parks scored 24 points, Deanna Kyle netted 21 and Shelley Ritz had 18.
Then in the final, they beat College of New Rochelle, 68-59. Tied at 26 at halftime, Scranton pulled away in the second half. Parks totaled 20 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks. Kyle and Lee Ann Grow contributed 14 points each. The Lady Royals finished with a 31-1 record.
1987: The John Long Center hosted the Final Four, but eventual champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point disappointed the home crowd by knocking off the Lady Royals in the semifinals, 74-59. Tied at 41 in the second half, the Pointers went on a 23-9 run, then scored their final 10 points from the foul line to seal the win. Una Espenkotter led Scranton with 23 points. Shelley Parks added 16 and Grace Hickey scored 14.
Shelley-Ritz Buntz hit a shot at the buzzer to give the Lady Royals a 92-90 overtime win over Kean College in the consolation game. Parks scored 28 points, Espenkotter 23, Patty Fulton 14 and Ritz-Buntz 12.
1993: At Pella, Iowa, a cold start to the second half doomed the Lady Royals in a 65-61 semifinal loss to Capital University. Leading at halftime, 32-28, Scranton was held to 10 points in the first 13 minutes of the second half. A late rally came up short. Anne Gooley scored 15 points for the Lady Royals. Katie Geiger had 14 and Lynne Kempski 12.
It was a different story in the consolation game against St. Benedict, Minn. The Lady Royals shot 58.3 percent in the second half (21 for 36) to win, 89-69. Geiger led five players in double figures with 20 points. Gooley followed with 19, Jackie Dougherty added 16, Ann Turlip chipped in 14 and Kempski had 11.
1997: At New York City, the Lady Royals lost to eventual champion NYU, 84-72. They led early in the second half, 48-39, when NYU’s Jen Krolokowski got hot. She scored 21 of her 33 points in the second half, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range, to rally the Violets. She also grabbed 11 rebounds. Kelly Halpin led Scranton with 21 points.
Capital then used a dominant second half to beat Scranton in the consolation game, 70-48. Halpin had 15 points and Kate Dougherty 13 for the Lady Royals.
1999: At Western Connecticut State in Danbury, Connecticut, the Lady Royals lost in the semifinals to defending national champion Washington University, Mo., 74-65. They fell behind, 34-18, late in the first half, then had repeated comeback bids fall short. Shannon Milder led Scranton with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Alia Fischer topped WashU with 31 points.
Facing Salem State in the consolation game, the Lady Royals trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half before losing, 75-65. Kelly Halpin scored 17 points for Scranton.
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Lady Royals coach Mike Strong gives instructions to his team during a sectional win over New York University in 1999. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
Byline: Butch Comegys
Date created: 03/15/99
2000: Back at Danbury, Connecticut, Scranton in the semifinals again faced Washington University, this time a two-time defending champ on its way to four straight titles. The Lady Royals shot 20.8 percent (11 for 53), committed 27 turnovers and lost, 64-30.
Their offensive struggles continued in the consolation game against St. Thomas, Minn. They fell behind by double digits early and never recovered in a 66-56 loss. Kelly Halpin led Scranton with 20 points.
2005: At Virginia Beach, Randolph-Macon College used its inside game to earn a 70-65 win over the Lady Royals in the semifinals. The Yellowjackets led, 64-63, when Megan Merkel hit a 3-pointer with 1:01 left to seal the win. Allison Matt had 17 points for Scranton.
Southern Maine built a 40-24 lead early in the second half of the consolation game. The Lady Royals battled back to within one, but missed a potential go-ahead shot in the final seconds and lost, 55-53. Tara Gemmel’s 12 points paced Scranton.
2006: At Springfield, Massachusetts, the Lady Royals twice rallied from double-digit deficits, but missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds and lost to eventual champion Hope College, 59-56. Taryn Mellody led Scranton with 18 points. It was the ninth straight loss for the Lady Royals at the Final Four.4
That streak, though, came to an end in the consolation game with a 57-47 victory over Hardin-Simmons. Mellody scored 21 points and Allison Matt followed with 12.
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University of Scranton’s Taryn Mellody (12) celebrates with teammates Michelle Fabio (24) and Maura Kane (33) after their win over Bowdoin College on March 13, 2005. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
2019: At Salem, Virginia, the Lady Royals hung with top-ranked and undefeated Thomas More for three quarters. They trailed by one early in the opening minute of the fourth before the eventual champion Saints reeled off nine straight points on their way to a 69-56 win. Makenzie Mason led Scranton with 18 points and Bridgette Mann added 10 points.
There was no third-place game. The NCAA did away with it beginning in 2016.