CSAC Women's Basketball Championship Preview
ROSEMONT, Pa. – The top-seeded Rosemont College Ravens (23-3, 16-0 CSAC) and the second-seeded Keystone College Giants (15-10, 11-5 CSAC) will square off on Saturday at Rosemont for the 2019 Colonial States Athletic Conference women’s basketball title. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
Both squads are making their first-ever appearance in the CSAC women’s basketball championship game and will meet for the third time this season. Rosemont became the second straight school to go undefeated (Cabrini, 2017-18) in CSAC play this season by going 16-0. The Ravens swept the Giants in the regular season series, winning 85-41 on the road on January 12, and 86-69 at home on January 26.
Rosemont and Keystone are near the top two in several statistical categories. The Ravens lead the conference in scoring at 76.6 points per game, while Keystone is second at 63.5. Rosemont is tops in the CSAC in scoring margin at 22.2, while Keystone is third at 5.5. The Ravens hold teams to a conference best 31.9 percent shooting from the floor. Keystone leads the conference in field goals made per game at 7.1, and leads the CSAC in turnover margin at 5.12. The two schools are 1-2 in assist-to-turnover ratio as Rosemont stands at 1.02, while Keystone is 0.91.
The Ravens are led by senior center
Ashley Murray. The 2018-19 CSAC Player of the Year, Murray is third in the conference in scoring at 16 points per game, while second in the CSAC in rebounding at 10.8 per contest. She also makes 55.4 percent of her shots, a conference high. Senior forward
Ayanna Thompson, a first-team All-CSAC selection, leads the conference in assists at 155 and recently got her 500
th career assist.
The Giants are led by freshman
Mac Oribello, who leads the conference in scoring at 18.5 points per game. Oribello, the 2018-19 CSAC Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-CSAC selection, is second in the conference at 2.7 three-point field goals per game and makes 30.1 percent of her shots from behind the arc. Sophomore guard
Khaliah Gordon is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per contest and makes just under 40 percent of her shots per contest.
Rosemont comes into the contest with a 18-game winning streak that dates back to December 22, 2018. The Ravens have not lost at home this season, sporting a perfect 11-0 record.
The winner of Saturday’s championship will earn the CSAC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.