Women's Basketball Advances to NAIA Final Site With Win Over Jaguars
(Wichita, KS) – One game away from their second straight appearance to the NAIA Championship Final Site, Hastings scored 50 points in each half, winning 100-73 over Texas A&M-San Antonio on Saturday afternoon.
(Wichita, KS) – One game away from their second straight appearance to the NAIA Championship Final Site, Hastings scored 50 points in each half, winning 100-73 over Texas A&M-San Antonio on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Josilyn Miller scored six of the first nine points of the game for Hastings as they took a 9-5 lead. Leading 11-8, the Broncos scored seven straight, capped with a three by sophomore McKenna Yates. Threes by sophomore Jentri Marx and senior Macy Bryant put the Broncos up by 14. The Jaguars would battle back and manage to get within nine at the end of the quarter at 26-17.
In the second quarter, sophomore Ann Bose drilled a three and HC went back up 10 at the 7:03 mark on free throws by senior Mariyah Avila. Hastings went back up 14 on a bucket and two free throws from Bryant, but Texas A&M-San Antonio's Aniyah Lewis hit two free throws and drained a three to make it 37-30 with 3:46 left. Hastings was able to build the lead back to ten and then took all the momentum into halftime when Avila hit a jumper and then Yates splashed in a three right before the buzzer to put them up 50-35 at the half.
Avila and Yates scored early in the second half and Yates' three at the 6:45 mark put the Broncos up by 18. HC increased the lead to 20 on two free throws from Bose. Hastings then took complete control of the game when Bose scored five straight after another Bryant three. Then sophomore Adyson Mlnarik made a layup followed by a Bose jumper put HC up 75-49 with 2:29 to go in the third quarter. The lead then balooned to 30 points following two free throws from Bailey Kissinger and a layup from Bose. Stella Heapy gave HC its biggest lead at the time at 85-50 when she buried a three at the end of the third.
In the fourth quarter, Marx and Heapy scored to put HC up 89-56. Mlnarik then drained a three, putting the Broncos up 36 with 6:11 remaining. Heapy and Marx each scored later in the quarter as well, making it 97-62. Hastings hit the century mark on a three-pointer by freshman Dalia Durant to round out the scoring in the 100-73 victory.
Hastings shot 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from three. Texas A&M-San Antonio shot 36 percent from the field and turned it over 21 times. The Broncos also held a 52-41 advantage on the glass.
Bose had 16 points and three assists off the bench and Miller had 14 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Avila finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Yates added 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Marx had 11 points and three assists, while Bryant contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
Up next, Hastings will head to the final site of the NAIA Championships in Sioux City, IA to take on #2-seed St. Francis on Wednesday, Mar. 19 at 8pm.
