Defense ruled the day in the Hope-Marymount game, but Hope's was just a little bit better.

One of the biggest rivalries in Division III got a new wrinkle in women's basketball tonight, but in the end the result was the same as it was the first two times this season. Unbeaten Amherst trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half before going on a 29-10 run to take the lead and held on down the stretch to beat Williams 71-66 and advance to the Elite Eight. Shannon Finucane had 20 points and Sarah Leyman added 19 to lead the Lord Jeffs.

Friday night's women's scores.

And for the third consecutive year, a team gunning to play the Final Four at home got knocked off in the sectionals. Ashley Averkamp scored two of her game-high 20 points on a putback with 2.2 seconds left as UW-Stevens Point knocked off Illinois Wesleyan 77-76. 

Chelsie Schweers had a big 3-pointer to win a game but her shot to tie was blocked tonight and Christopher Newport saw its undefeated run come to an end in a 74-69 loss to Rochester at Kean. Rochester awaits the host Cougars, who got 18 from Naimah Clemons and 17 from Brittany Powell in defeating Bowdoin 62-51.

But despite all that, the 2010 Division III women's basketball NCAA Tournament still has its defending national champ. Elise Kuenzi and Hannah Munger each had double-doubles as No. 5 George Fox defeated Carthage 55-48.

Babson continued its run, winning its 20th consecutive game and defeating Gettysburg 71-68 in overtime in the first game at Amherst and will face the hosts at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Bill Finney's coaching career ended with 553 career victories as Carrie Snikkers helped carry Hope to the Elite Eight with 21 points and 14 rebounds in a 53-46 win against Marymount. The Flying Dutch await UW-Stevens Point. And the two dynasties of the D3sports.com era meet on the hardwood as Mount Union (football) battles Washington U. (women's basketball) in St. Louis. Since it was a basketball game, the Bears won 76-57 behind 23 from Zoe Unruh and a double-double from Jaimie McFarlin.