Women's Basketball | 2/19/2015 6:46:00 AM

The Onondaga Community College women's basketball team will look to defend its Mid-State Athletic Conference title from a season ago as the top-seeded Lazers will host No. 4 Corning Community College at 5 p.m. on Friday in the first semifinal match of the 2015 MSAC Championship. Following Onondaga's game, the second semifinal will tip-off, pitting No. 2 Jefferson Community College against No. 3 SUNY Broome. The winner of each semifinal game will earn the right to play in Saturday's championship game that will start at 1 p.m. in Allyn Hall.

Familiar Foes: For the second consecutive season, the Lazers and the Red Barons will face-off in the semifinals of the MSAC Championship after the Lazers used an 88-31 victory over Corning to propel themselves into the title game. As conference rivals, the two teams are not strangers as Friday's contest will mark their third meeting in the 2014-15 season.  The Lazers swept the regular season series, first taking a 62-49 home victory on January 10 when Kumba Marong's double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds paced Onondaga. Three weeks later, Onondaga traveled to Corning and grabbed a 66-45 win led by Brittany Anderson's 21 points and Samantha Roberts' 10 assists. Corning enters the match-up with an 11-14 record overall and a 6-6 conference record.

Masters of the MSAC: After a 73-42 victory over Cayuga Community College on Wednesday, the Lazers they were able to secure a perfect 12-0 record in Mid-State Athletic Conference play for the 2015 season. In the last few seasons, Onondaga has dominated Mid-State Athletic Conference play and is currently riding an 82-game winning streak against MSAC opponents.

You Shall Not Pass!: The Lazers have been dominant defensively all season and are holding opponents to only 48 points per game. The source for their defensive success comes from their ability to force their opponents into turnovers. On the season, Onondaga averages nearly 15 steals per game and are forcing opponents into 22 turnovers per game. In their two games against the Red Barons this season, the Lazers accounted for 38 combined steals while forcing 56 total turnovers.

Home-Court Advantage: As hosts of the MSAC Championship, Onondaga is very comfortable with the setting. The Lazers posted 13-1 home record in 2014-15 including a 6-0 home mark against MSAC teams. As the host of last seasons' MSAC Championship, Onondaga was able to win both games it played to capture the title.

The Road Ahead: If the Lazers defeat Corning and advance to the title game, it'll set up a third meeting this season with either Broome or Jefferson. After and 82-55 January 13 road victory, Onondaga completed the series sweep of the Hornets on February 3 when it won 78-55 in the SRC Arena and Events Center behind Alisia Griffin's 23 points. If the Lazers were to draw Jefferson, it would create a re-match of last season's title game in which the Lazers defeated Jefferson, 75-57. This season, Onondaga swept the Cannoneers, outscoring them by a combined 38 points between the two meetings.

Players to Watch From Onondaga: Sharp-shooter Brittany Anderson has led the Lazers in scoring all season and comes into today's game averaging over 16 points per game while converting on 88 3-pointers. Alisia Griffin and Samantha Roberts have been steady contributors for Onondaga throughout the season. Griffin is second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) while Roberts leads the team and region in assists (7.2) and is fourth in scoring (9.1 ppg). During conference play, Kumba Marong emerged as a force inside after posting 9 double-doubles against MSAC opponents including a triple-double against Broome on February 3. She is averaging a double-double on the season at 10.5 rebounds and 10.1 points per game.

Players to Watch From Corning: The Red Barons have a strong presence down-low with Reylyn Schwartzhoff and Brooke Collins. As Corning's leading scorer, Schwartzhoff averages 13.2 points per game on 54.3% shooting while her 6.9 rebounds per game are second-most on the team. Collins averages seven points per game on the season while her nine rebounds per game are most on the team. Kaitlyn Weaver is also a key contributor for the Red Barons as she averages 9.1 points per game.

Players to Watch From Jefferson: As one of the best all-around players in the conference, Alyssa Crosby averages a shade under 19 points per game, 12.2 rebounds per game, and 3.2 blocks per game. The Cannoneers have also received strong play from Kristin McGraw and Kathleen Coloney all season. McGraw averages 15.2 points per game while shooting 40.5% from 3-point range while Coloney has 11 points per game while pulling in nearly eight rebounds per game.

Players to Watch From Broome: At 24.3 points per game, sophomore Caity Kuhnen comes in as the conference's most dangerous scorer. Kuhnen is also averaging seven rebounds and three assists per game. Lucille Dellos (11.3 ppg), and Chandler Prouty (10 ppg) also average double-digit scoring for the Hornets while Maddie Blackmon leads the team in rebounding at 9.4 rebounds per game to go along with her 6.4 points per game.