University of St. Thomas Athletics
23-4
Loras
19-9
Women hang on, get Sat. match with Warhawks
3/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By DOUG HENNES
Katie Stone was not having a good shooting night. The sophomore guard from Eau Claire, Wis., came into Friday's NCAA Division III playoff opener averaging 10.4 points, but she missed her first six shots against a pesky Loras zone defense, and had just one point.
Then she got open in a corner and hit a 3-pointer to give St. Thomas a four-point lead with 6:23 minutes to go. Two minutes later, she nailed a second trey from the top of the key to boost the lead to 49-43, and her team held on for a 52-49 win.
The No. 15 Tommies (23-4) advanced to Saturday night's second-round game against UW-Whitewater, which defeated Concordia-Moorhead 79-72. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. in Schoenecker Arena, with the winner moving on to the Sweet Sixteen next weekend.
Stone said she never had any doubt that she eventually would make a shot against Loras (19-9). It just took longer - a lot longer - than she expected.
"My teammates kept telling me to shoot, and I got confidence from that," said Stone, who came into the game having made 61 of 158 three-pointers (.386), or three times as many as the next Tommie. "On the first one, Jenna (Dockter) was driving and I drifted into the corner, got the ball and just put it up. On the second one, Taylor (Young) drove, kicked it back to me and I hit."
Coach Ruth Sinn also knew Stone would hit her shots. "Katie is a great shooter," Sinn said, "and she understands what she has to do. It just took awhile!"
A game of streaks
Loras led 8-7 when St. Thomas went on a 7-0 run to jump ahead 14-8, but the Duhawks scored 11 points in a row for a 21-16 lead. The Tommies stiffened on defense, holding Loras scoreless the last 9:22 of the half and going on a 13-0 run to lead 29-21 at the break.
A Maggie Weiers layup three minutes into the second half gave St. Thomas a 33-22 lead and, it seemed, control of the game. But a 14-1 run over the next seven minutes gave Loras a 36-34 lead midway through the half.
"That's basketball - it's a game of runs," Sinn said. "You want to be the team that limits the runs. Unfortunately for us, we had more lows than we normally do, and Loras took advantage of that. Give them credit. They played their hearts out."
The Tommies went ahead for good 39-38 at the 9:15 mark on a Dockter layup but led by only one when Stone made her first three-pointer. Young followed up with a jumper and a 46-40 lead. After three Loras free throws, Stone made her second trey and another six-point lead.
The Duhawks climbed to within two points twice in the final 30 seconds. But Young and Weiers hit three of four free throws, and a Loras 3-point shot at the buzzer for the tie was off the mark.
Weiers, Young and guard Kelly Brandenburg each had 11 points for the Tommies, who shot 40 percent for the game, were outrebounded 37-31 and had 17 turnovers to Loras' 20. Katie Wheeler was the only Duhawk in double figures, with 10 points, and nine rebounds and her team shot 36 percent from the field.
The St. Thomas win was the only one of the evening for five MIAC basketball teams in playoff action. Concordia and St. Mary's women and St. Thomas and St. Olaf men all lost on the road.
Whitewater rallies over Concordia
In the first game, regular-season WIAC champion Whitewater (23-4) rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half to defeat Concordia, 79-72.
The Cobbers (21-6) were up 43-40 at halftime and extended the lead to 52-43 with 16 minutes to go. An 11-2 run by the Warhawks tied the game at 54-54 and they went ahead for good, 69-67, with 2:26 remaining before making their last 10 points at the free throw line.
Whitewater shot 41 percent and had four players in double figures - Mary Merg (16), Katie Burton (14), Amy Mandrell (12) and Kaitlyn Thill (11). Erin Januschka led the Cobbers with 21 and Alley Fisher had 17; they hit 55 percent of their shots in the first half but only 38 percent in the second.
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Click here for UST-Loras box score:
http://www.miacathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20140307_nlrh.xml
Click here for Whitewater-Concordia box score:
http://www.miacathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20140307_obid.xml
Maggie Weiers (40) had 11 points and seven rebounds. (Ryan Coleman photo)
Taylor Young scored 11 points and had four steals. (Ryan Coleman photo)
