Lady Jackets Drop Heartbreaker to NDSU (Feb.
12, 2005)
Box
Score
BILLINGS, MT – It was a classic match up of
solid teams. North Dakota State only led for about four minutes
the entire game Saturday, but it was enough for the Bison to
remain unbeaten as they defeated Montana State-Billings, 79-77.
NDSU won its 22nd-straight game to improve to 22-0
while MSU Billings fell to 15-6.
The Bison were knocked back on their heels
with the Yellowjackets connecting from inside and from behind the
arc early in the game. NDSU trailed by as many as 20 in the first
half and were down 43-30 at halftime. For stretches in the
opening half, the Jackets were scoring at will, and the Bison
couldn’t buy a bucket.
“We had a good week of practice,” said
Yellowjacket coach Kevin Woodin after the game. “We saw some
things on film and we thought we could do some things against
them. We executed well. Our 3-point shooting was key in the
first half and allowed us to get the ball inside. I never thought
we’d be ahead like we were. It was one of those halves you dream
of.”
The Yellowjackets were 4-of-7 from 3-point
range in the half and held a 14-6 points in the paint advantage.
MSUB shot 54 percent from field in the opening half, holding the
Bison to just 27 percent. The Jackets were also 5-of-6 from
beyond the arc. North Dakota State connected on 10-of-11 from the
free throw line in the first half to keep the game close.
NDSU ratcheted up the defensive pressure
coming out of the locker room for the second half and quickly cut
into the Jackets’ lead. North Dakota State battled back from a
double-digit deficit midway through the second half before finally
catching the Jackets when Amanda Krenz hit one of her two
3-pointers with 2:42 to play to tie the game at 70. The Bison’s
Lacy Johnson and the Jackets’ Michelle Lieber traded layups over the next minute and a half
for a 72-72 tie, setting up the dramatic finish.
“We knew they’d make a run,” said Woodin. “I
thought we handled it well. They just made some shots and we had
some possessions that weren’t very good. I think fatigue might
have set in a little.”
Following Lieber’s layup with 1:16 remaining,
the Bison ran the shot clock all the way down on their next
possession. Johnson drove the right baseline, eluding the
Jackets’ shot blockers to lay the ball low off the glass. The
shot was still above the rim when the shot clock rang, but it was
let go just in time to give NDSU a 74-72 lead with 43 ticks on the
clock.
MSUB’s Jenny Langford turned the ball over on the Jackets’ next
possession, giving the ball to the Bison with just 24 seconds
left. It took the Yellowjackets until there were just eight
seconds on the clock to foul, sending Johnson to the line for a
pair of free throws. She made both, seemingly icing the game.
The Bison’s Lisa Bue made the mistake of
holding Angie Lessard during the inbound play, sending her to the line
for a 1-and-1. She knocked down both free throws to pull the
Jackets to within 76-74 with five seconds left. MSUB immediately
fouled Lorenz on the inbound, and she promptly drained both free
throws to extend the lead back to four.
With only four seconds left, the Jackets’ Lisa Jellum threw a baseball pass the length of the court to Tanya Petersen, who turned and fired at the top of the key
with a defender on her. Petersen’s shot was true and the Jackets
were within one at 78-77 with three seconds remaining.
MSU Billings again fouled immediately, this
time sending Krenz to the line with 0.7 on the clock. She hit the
front end of the two free throws and missed the second. Out of
timeouts, the Yellowjackets were unable to advance the ball up the
court fast enough for a game winning attempt.
“I’m very proud of our effort,” added
Woodin. “It was a great environment for a college basketball
game. There was just a lot of spirit in the gym, and it was a fun
game.”
The Jackets’ Petersen led all players with 25
points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. She was also 7-of-8
from the line. Langford added 12 points on three 3-pointers, and
Lieber finished with 10. Robyn Milne, who missed much of the first meeting against the
Bison with the flu, scored nine points and grabbed 12 boards. She
also blocked three shots and had three steals.
The Bison were led by Lorenz’s 17 points and
six rebounds. She was 4-of-6 from the line, but had her streak of
27 consecutive made free throws snapped in the first half.
Johnson finished with 13 points, making all four of her free throw
attempts. Krenz added 11 points and Bue had 10. Leah Klabo, who
had a huge game against the Jackets in Fargo, finished with eight
points and four rebounds.
The Yellowjackets have six important games
remaining, starting with a pair at home against Grand Canyon next
Friday and Saturday. They finish with four straight on the road,
three of which are critical West Region games. MSU Billings is
currently ranked eighth in the region and fighting for one of
eight NCAA Tournament spots.
The Bison have five games left in their quest
for their first perfect season since 1995-96 when they won the
NCAA II national title. Four of those games will be at home.
Click HERE for photos
of the Lady Jackets vs. North Dakota State |
