Postseason Implications Abound as Dragons Host Panthers

Game Leaders

#17 Ky. Wesleyan
Pts: Lamb,Keelie - 30
Reb: Clifford,Kaylee - 10
Ast: Richardson,Leah - 3
Tiffin
Pts: Savanah Richards - 21
Reb: Aarion Nichols - 15
Ast: Aarion Nichols - 5

Team Stats

#17 Ky. Wesleyan
Tiffin

Field Goals

(18-66)
(20-55)

Field Goal %

27.3%
36.4%

Rebounds

48
48

Assists

9
14

Turnovers

21
27

Pts off Turnovers

25
24

2nd Chance Pts

6
6

Pts in the Paint

26
28

Fastbreak Pts

7
2

Bench Pts

11
21
full stats
Postseason Implications Abound as Dragons Host Panthers
Posted: Feb 26, 2020

Tiffin women's basketball is set to host Kentucky Wesleyan in the final game of the regular season on Saturday with on a day with playoff aspirations hanging in the balance.

Game Information:

Tiffin Dragons (12-15, 7-10 GMAC) vs
#17 Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers (26-1, 16-1 GMAC)
Saturday, Feb. 29 | 1:00 p.m.
Tiffin, Ohio | Gillmor Center
Video | Live Stats

Dragon Details:

Tiffin is peaking at just the right time, as the Dragons have now won five of their last seven games after defeating Ohio Valley last weekend. TU currently holds the eighth and final seed in the GMAC tournament, but the conference's new point rating system makes it slightly tougher to determine playoff scenarios depending on this weekend's results. Below are the three scenarios that could happen on Saturday and what should occur as a result.

If Tiffin defeats Kentucky Wesleyan, the Dragons are in as the 8-seed.
If Tiffin loses to KWC and Trevecca loses to Ohio Dominican, the Dragons are in as the 8-seed.
If Tiffin loses to KWC and Trevecca defeats ODU, Trevecca will pass Tiffin for the 8-seed due to the strength of that win over ODU on the road, leaving the Dragons out of the postseason.
 
As a result, the Dragons control their own destiny with a victory, but would also need help from Ohio Dominican with a loss. If scenarios play out in Tiffin's favor, it would be the first time since the 2011-12 season that the program has reached the conference playoffs.
 
As a team, the Dragons are second in the GMAC with 40.7 rebounds per game and first with 13.3 offensive boards per game. TU also ranks second in three-point field goal percentage defense at 29.3% and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.85.

Aarion Nichols powers Tiffin from the guard position, ranking 11th in the GMAC with 14.6 points per game and sixth with 7.3 rebounds per game. The sophomore is also seventh with 3.2 assists per game.

Brooke Wesner is next in scoring with 8.8 points per game. Freshman Savanah Richards has also been very impressive as of late, bringing her scoring average up to 8.7 points per game after seven-straight double-digit outings, averaging 20.1 points per game and shooting 43.8% from deep over that stretch.

Fellow first-year player Jada Tate averages 7.7 points per game and is 13th in the GMAC with 6.3 rebounds per game. Jasmine Watts also leads the conference in blocks with 1.4 per game.

Scouting the Panthers:

Kentucky Wesleyan is one of the hottest teams in all of Division II, as the 17th-ranked Panthers have lost just one game all season back on Jan. 2 at now-No. 11 Walsh, 75-65. Since then, KWC has won 13 in a row to improve its overall record to 26-1 and 16-1 in GMAC play.

The Panthers and Dragons played earlier this season all the way back on Dec. 7, with KWC using a 14-point first-half advantage to roll to a 75-53 win. Keelie Lamb was the leading scorer for KWC with 12 points as eight Panthers scored at least six points, while Jada Tate led Tiffin with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Kentucky Wesleyan enters the week second in the conference in scoring at 82.2 points per game and leading the GMAC by a wide margin with just 54.5 points allowed per contest, good enough for a very impressive +27.7 scoring margin that is third in all of Division II. The Panthers are also second in the GMAC with a +7.00 turnover margin, first with 19.59 assists per game (second in DII), and first with 10.74 steals per game.

KWC is extremely balanced offensively without a scorer in the conference top-10 but with eight players averaging between 6.7 and 13.6 points per game. Lamb is the leader at 13.6 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Kaylee Clifford is second in the GMAC among qualifiers in three-point percentage at 37.8%, while Lily Grimes is second with 4.6 assists per game.