March 15, 2008
SIOUX CITY, Iowa. - The fourth day of the 17th annual NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa, saw much of the same lop sided action as the opening days but also saw the most exciting game of the entire tournament.
The day opened No. 1 seed College of the Ozarks (Mo.) cruised to a 78-53 victory over Concordia University (Neb.). Ozarks (34-1) jumped out to a quick 24-14 lead less than ten minutes into the first half and the lead would never be less than 13 going into halftime with the Bobcats leading 38-25. Lindsy Murray hit a jumper in the paint to start the second half scoring for Ozarks en route to an 8-0 run to start the second half. From that point the Ozarks lead would be greater than 20 points for the remainder of the quarterfinal matchup. Ozarks advances to take on Hastings (Neb.) in the semi finals.
No. 2 seed Hastings College (Neb.) gained some much needed momentum defeating Bethel College (Ind.), 75-64. Hastings (30-5) used a 14-4 run during a three minute span in the first half to gain a 31-21 lead they would not relinquish. During which the Broncos got three pointers from Sarah Cambridge, Kay Broekemeier, and Heather McKeon. Hastings shored up their offense from the second round giving Bethel only five turnovers en route to a 36-30 halftime lead. The Broncos used stingy defense in the second half, not allowing the Lady Pilots to ever close the gap between the two teams.
The third and most exciting game of the tournament came when No. 1 seed Morningside (Iowa) survived a scare from the 2008 version of Cinderella, with an 87-86. Minot then picked up their first lead in the game with a runner in the lane by senior Kendra Meyer 84-82. Morningside Junior Dani Gass answered with a circus shot that found the bottom of the net while being fouled. Gass added the free throw to give the Mustangs the advantage with :50. The Beavers answered when Meyer again hit a runner in the lane while being fouled by J.J. Hall. Meyer though missed a free throw that would have put the Beavers up two, instead Minot's lead sat at 86-85.
Morningside set up their half court offense with :37, clearing the lane to allow Gass to drive to the hoop. Her layup would fall short but Meyer would be called for a foul to send Gass to the line. Gass a 79.6 percent free throw shooter on the season would sink both shots to give Morningside back the lead with:15. The Beavers quickly moved the ball up court and managed two close range shots that could not find their mark but caught a break with 1.6 seconds remaining and two Mustangs fought each other for a rebound and were called for traveling.
After consecutive timeouts Minot set up their inbounds play from underneath their basket. The Beavers junior Lashay Bagsby's attempt rimmed out and Brittini Walker grabbed a rebound and appeared to have hit a game winning shot. The officials reviewed the tape and came to the conclusion that the buzzer had sounded and the game had ended before Walker's shot left her hand giving Morningside the 87-86 victory. Morningside advances to take on Northwestern (Iowa).
No. 1 seed Northwestern (Iowa) shrugged off an early threat from Black Hills State to cruise to a 91-69. Black Hills State (28-6) did not have an answer for All-American Debbie Remmerde who keyed the Red Raider run with a game high and tournament high 40 points on 13-of-21 shooting. Amy Larson added 15 points while Randa Hulstein added 14 points off the bench for Northwestern.
Monday Semifinals Games:
6:00 p.m. - No. 1 Ozarks (Mo.) vs. No. 2 Hastings (Neb.)
8:00 p.m. - No. 1 Morningside (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Northwestern (Iowa)
Saturdays Quaterfinals Scores:
1:00 p.m. - No. 1 Ozarks (Mo.) def. No. 3 Concordia (Neb.), 78-53
3:00 p.m. - No. 2 Hastings (Neb.) def. No. 1 Bethel (Ind.), 75-64
6:00 p.m. - No. 1 Morningside (Iowa) def. No. 7 Minot State (N.D.), 87-86
8:00 p.m. - No. 1 Northwestern (Iowa) def. No. 3 Black Hills (S.D.), 91-69
The 32-team, single elimination tournament continues Thursday, March 13, with the remaining eight games of the first round. Friday features eight games in the second round. Saturday is the quarterfinal round and Monday, March 17 is the semifinal round. The tournament concludes Tuesday, March 18 with the championship game at 6:30 p.m.
For statistical leaders from the first day of action along with more information on the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship log on to www.naia.org.
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