Women's Basketball News

Women's Basketball 2006-2007 Season Recap

The 2006-07 season opened with seven straight road games, including a tip-off tournament in Seattle. In the fifth game of the season Oglethorpe defeated host Emory 77-68. Sophomore Hannah Brooks posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tina Grace added 15 points. Sophomore Jamie Osmanson provided a great spark off the bench rattling off 5 straight points to turn the tide in the second half. After falling to Sewanee in the conference opener the young team showed their resilience and rattling off 12 straight wins and only losing two more regular season games.

Freshman Courtney Reed earned her first start and tallied 11 points and 4 rebounds in the 88-79 win at LaGrange. December 8, Oglethorpe unveiled their 2006 NCAA Tournament banner and defeated Piedmont in the home opener. Anna Findley scored a team high 19 points while Grace and Kulavic each added 13.

Over the holiday break the Petrels beat two teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in an 8 day span. OU defeated #10 Illinois Wesleyan 81-75. Tough defense held the sharp shooting Titans to just 7-23 shooting from three-point range. Sophomore Biz Richmann led the charge with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Katie Kulavic added 14 points and 5 assists while Anna Findley scored 14. Eight short days later the Petrels took on 5th ranked DePauw Tigers. A solid defensive effort forced 21 Tiger turnovers while sophomore Hannah Brooks held the All-American, Liz Bondi to just 8 points. Biz Richmann hit the game winner on a put-back with .2 seconds left on the clock and Dorough Fieldhouse erupted.

The following weekend at Rhodes, junior Brittany Corbett led the team to a 90-72 victory. Along with playing tremendous defense, she scored 17 points on 5-6 shooting from 3-point range. Findley recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Kulavic added 17 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists.

Back home Brooks and Corbett led the defensive charge as the Petrels forced 24 turnovers en-route to an 87-69 victory over Hendrix. The win proved to be very costly as Biz Richmann and Hannah Brooks were lost to injury. The team once again showed their grit winning 3 of their last 4 games without two starters. Tina Grace and Jamie Osmanson stepped up while Anna Findley, Katie Kulavic and Brittany Corbett continued to lead the team.

The 11-3 SCAC mark earned the Petrels a #2 seed in the SCAC Tournament. In the opening game Oglethorpe defeated Southwestern 80-67. Anna Findley led the way with 37 points on 12-20 shooting (including 7-14 from 3-point range). The following night the Petrels defeated host Rhodes College 73-68. Findley tallied 30 points on 8-16 shooting (6-8 from 3-point range). Caitlin Brightwell provided a crucial11 points and 5 rebounds coming off the bench. The championship game pitted Oglethorpe against DePauw. OU stayed close (without two starters) but in the last eight minutes the Tigers were able to pull away and clinch an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Sophomores Anna Findley and Katie Kulavic were named to the All-Tournament team for their performance over the weekend.

For the second straight year the Petrels earned an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament. The first round match-up was with Wilmington College in Ohio. Despite the early return of Hannah Brooks, the Quakers proved to be too much and the 2006-07 season ended with a 21-8 mark.

A number of Petrels garnered honors for their efforts on the court and in the classroom. Sophomore Katie Kulavic was named 1st team All Conference and Biz Richmann and Anna Findley earned 2nd team All Conference honors. Four players were named to the SCAC Academic Honor Roll with a GPA of 3.25 or above: Brittany Corbett, Anna Findley, Biz Richmann and graduating senior Kim Wiley. Caitlin Brightwell, Hannah Brooks, Katie Kulavic and Courtney Reed all posted GPA’s above a 3.0.