The University of Mary Washington women’s basketball team continued to evolve into one of the premier programs in the nation in 2006-07. The Eagles, who finished with a nation’s-best 31 wins, advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history, marking the third straight year that UMW had advanced farther in the NCAA Tournament. Led by consensus All-America senior forward Debbie Bruen and D3hoops.com All-America center Liz Hickey, UMW used one of the top defenses in the nation to record a 31-3 record.
UMW finished first in the nation in field goal percentage defense (30.1% allowed) and was second in scoring defense (47.8 PPG) and scoring margin (+24.1). WBCA/Russell Athletic NCAA Division III Coach of the Year Deena Applebury moved her career record to 95-25 (.792), including a 60-5 mark (.923) in the past two years.
Coming off a 29-2 season in 2005-06 that advanced to the Sweet 16, and with only one player lost to graduation, this winter’s version of the Eagles struggled somewhat early, falling at Messiah College in the season opening tip-off tournament and then dropping a six-point loss at York College in the sixth game of the year, as the Eagles played without two key contributors due to illness. After the York defeat, the Eagles’ record stood at 4-2. But UMW would go on a season-long win streak from that point, one that would extend to 26 straight wins, include victories over the number one and three ranked teams in the nation, and land the team in the NCAA Division III Final Four in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Despite some early offensive inconsistency, the Eagles relied on their defense every game out, as evidenced by their 45-32 victory over Ripon College and their 61-45 win over Adrian College in Miami over holiday break. A 74-54 win at Frostburg State followed, and then the Eagles easily disposed of Christopher Newport University, 63-48, and Mary Baldwin College, 90-39.
The Eagles then ran roughshod over the Capital Athletic Conference, topping Salisbury on the road, 81-44, and then beating Gallaudet and Goucher by more than 50 points. The Eagles continued to steamroll through the league with decisive wins over St. Mary’s College (75-49), Catholic University (85-43), and Marymount University (74-56). A non-league victory over Hood College and an overtime thriller over Bridgewater College ensued, and rejuvenated the squad for the stretch run.
The Eagles closed the regular season with four of six games at home, and won those contests, over York, Salisbury, Gallaudet, Goucher, St. Mary’s, and Catholic, by an average of 29 points per game, despite playing several games without Bruen, Katy Larson, and Sarah Flanagan, who would miss the final 10 games with a torn ACL.
UMW disposed of Gallaudet, 100-41, in the CAC Tournament quarterfinals, and then topped Salisbury, 79-58, in the semifinals. In the rematch for the CAC title with Marymount, UMW claimed the league crown with a 53-42 win in a defensive battle, led by Liz Hickey’s 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocked shots. Hickey would subsequently be named CAC Player of the Year and D3Hoops.com’s Atlantic Region Player of the Year.
The College of Notre Dame would be the Eagles’ first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, and the Gators weren’t ready for the defensive pressure, as UMW limited their guests to just eight field goals, believed to be an NCAA Tournament game record, in a 66-30 win. In a rematch against Christopher Newport in the second round, Bruen scored a game-high 20 points, and Lisa Tracy continued to emerge as a key contributor in the starting lineup in Flanagan’s absence, netting 14 points, as UMW won by 16, 77-61.
Playing in the most difficult sectional in the NCAA bracket, the Eagles then played two of the most exciting games of the season, as they topped third-ranked Scranton, 48-45, ending the Lady Royals’ 63-game home court winning streak, and setting up a rematch with number one ranked Bowdoin College, who had eliminated the Eagles in 2006 in the Sweet 16. This time, the Eagles stormed back from an 11-point second half deficit to gain a 64-59 win over the Polar Bears, holding them scoreless for the final six minutes of the game. Tracy continued to impress, as she was perhaps the Eagles’ top offensive threat of the weekend, with Leigh Kampman stopping two first team All-Americans to allow the Eagles to advance. The win over Bowdoin was the first ever for the program over a top ranked opponent, and sent the Eagles to the Final Four in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Despite a torrential snowfall, over 1,000 fans showed up to watch the Eagles take on DePauw University in the national semifinal on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. After grabbing an 11-point first half lead, UMW led by five at halftime, but the Tigers came from behind to defeat UMW, 67-61, which was their largest lead of the game. The next day, DePauw would win the national championship, and the Eagles would win the third place game, as they topped New York University, 74-63, led by Bruen’s 21 points in the final game of her historic career.
Bruen finished her four years with 1,507 points, the second most in school history. More importantly, the All-CAC, All-Atlantic Region, and All-America selection saw the rise of the program into national prominence, as the team improved greatly every season of her career, going from 12-13 in 2003-04 to 31-3 and third place in the nation in her senior year. She was also named to the All-Final Four team after scoring 35 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the pair of games in Springfield.
Hickey was named Honorable Mention All-America by both D3Hoops.com and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association after scoring 11.1 PPG, grabbing 6.9 rebounds per game, and continuing to close in on the national record with 132 blocked shots for the year. Hickey has blocked 376 shots in her three year career, just 109 shy of the record held by another Capital Athletic Conference alumnus, Marymount University’s Cori Carson.
The beauty of the Eagles’ success was as much due to their balance as their dominance. Eleven players averaged at least 10 minutes played per game, and none played more than 25 minutes per game. Nine players scored at least 150 points for the season.