Women's Basketball Comes Up Short in Round of 16 Loss to Saint Francis
(Sioux City, IA) – In the round of 16 matchup against #2-seed Saint Francis, the Broncos held a 10-point lead three minutes into the third quarter, but were outscored 39-22 the rest of the way, falling 67-60.
(Sioux City, IA) – In the round of 16 matchup against #2-seed Saint Francis, the Broncos held a 10-point lead three minutes into the third quarter, but were outscored 39-22 the rest of the way, falling 67-60.
Hastings scored the first seven points of the game, as sophomore Josilyn Miller got things started with a three. Senior Macy Bryant drove to the rim and scored and two more from Miller capped the run. Saint Francis got on the board at the 5:30 mark and went on an 8-0 run to take an 8-7 lead. Senior Mariyah Avila halted the run with a basket down low, but the Cougars drilled a three to take an 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, sophomore McKenna Yates drilled a three and stole the ball at the other end. She then found sophomore Stella Heapy in transition for a layup. Tied at 16, Avila got to the rim for two and after forcing a shot clock violation, Bryant splashed in a three to take a 21-16 lead with 4:41 to go. A 9-3 Cougar run put them up one, but back-to-back threes by Yates gave Hastings a 30-25 halftime lead.
Both teams were held below 40 percent in the first half and had double-digit turnovers. Hastings had an 18-14 edge on the glass. Yates led the way with 12 points, going 4-5 from three.
Bryant and Yates made free throws to start the third quarter and with a 33-28 lead, Avila hit from deep. Hastings went up 10 on a basket inside by Avila with 6:53 left in the third, but a 10-2 run by the Cougars cut the lead to two at 40-38 two minutes later. A three by sophomore Ann Bose put Hastings up five with 2:24 left. Leading by three with under a minute left, Bose made two from the line, but a buzzer-beating three by Saint Francis made it a two-point game after three.
The Cougars tied the game at 47 on the first possession of the fourth and Saint Francis later took a 50-49 lead with 7:22 left. Bryant got Hastings' first field goal of the period at the 6:57 mark, then consecutive threes by Saint Francis put them ahead 56-51. With the Cougars leading by eight with three minutes left, Bose scored on a reverse layup. Down seven, Bryant stole the ball and Yates hit a short jumper to trim the lead to five with 1:43 left.
Two Cougar free throws put them back up seven. Hastings missed a pair of threes that would have cut the lead to four. Saint Francis scored at the other end and got a stop, getting the ball up nine with 51 seconds left. Hastings was able to score four points down the stretch, but it was a little too late, as the Cougars took the 67-60 victory.
Saint Francis shot 48 percent from the field in the second half compared to 26 percent for Hastings. The Broncos turned the Cougars 19 times in the game, but were only able to score 19 points off of them.
Yates had 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Bryant added 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Avila contributed 11 points and three steals, while Bose off the bench for 10 points and five rebounds. Kissinger led the team with eight rebounds and four assists, along with four points and three steals.
Hastings ends their season with a 24-9 record and 17-5 in conference play.
