Pope's double-double propels Sacred Heart to first Dance

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) -- Sacred Heart's Amanda Pape was the Northeast Conference player of the year, so it was no surprise she made the biggest plays in league championship game.

Pape put back her own miss and converted a three-point play on consecutive possessions with just over a minute to play and Sacred Heart held off Quinnipiac 69-56 to win its first NEC championship Saturday.

The Pioneers (26-4) advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since becoming a Division I program seven years ago. Both teams were making their first appearance in the NEC tournament title game.

"This championship means everything to us," Sacred Heart coach Ed Swanson said. "Not only to us but to alumni, to people that played for us in years past that helped build this program. This championship's for a lot of people."

Pape had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and was tournament MVP. She shot 6-of-23, but made 13-of-14 from the foul line. Kerri Burke helped seal the win for the Pioneers, hitting 5-of-6 foul shots in the final 46 seconds.

Jasmine Walker grabbed 17 rebounds for the Pioneers and Nicolle Rubino scored 11 of her 13 in the second half.

"It's amazing," said Rubino, the team's lone senior. "It really is the most amazing feeling. I'm never going to forget this."

Monique Lee, who was in first-half foul trouble, scored 20 of her team-high 23 points in the second half, and Erin Kerner added 19 points for Quinnipiac (22-8). Jackie Harris added 15 points.

Both teams struggled on offense. Quinnipiac made 34 percent of its shots and Sacred Heart hit 31 percent. But the Pioneers finished with a 52-37 rebounding advantage, including 21 offensive boards.

After Pape threw in a reverse layup with 1:29 left to give SHU a 61-57 lead, Lee made two free throws for the Bobcats. Then out of a timeout, Burke quickly fed Pape in the post, and she scored and drew a foul.

"She's a major competitor," Lee said of Pape. "I take my hat off to her. She hustles, she makes the plays that make a difference. It's hard to play defense for 20 or 25 seconds and then she comes up with a big play or a big rebound."

Each team won by more than 20 points on its home floor during the season series, but this one came down to the wire.

"I wanted it to be a game," Quinnipiac coach Tricia Sacca-Fabbri said. "It was always in the back of my mind that I didn't want it to be a foregone conclusion. That definitely wasn't the case today."