The No.3 Dordt University women's basketball team dropped its first game of the season, falling to Doane 71-66 in a conference match-up played tonight in Crete, Neb.
Dordt is now 10-1 in the GPAC, 16-1 overall, holding a one game lead over its next opponent, Briar Cliff, at the mid-point of the conference season. Doane improves to 5-6 in the conference, 11-6 overall.
Karly Gustafson finished a rebound shy of another double-double, scoring 20 points to go with nine boards.
Janie Schoonhoven added 13 points and seven rebounds, giving the Defenders two players in double figures.
A three-pointer by
Macey Nielson gave Dordt a 54-52 lead at the end of the third quarter and initiated the Defenders best run as the game went into the final frame. Dordt proceeded to score the first eight points of the fourth quarter, finished off with a Schoonhoven free throw, to give the visitors their largest lead (62-52) with six minutes left to play. Dordt's defense held the Tigers scoreless for nearly five minutes.
Back came Doane, however, as Rylie Rice converted a pair of free throws to start and knocked down a three-pointer to ned an 11-0 Tigers run to give the hosts back the lead, 63-62, just two minutes later. The teams traded baskets over the next two minutes, until, after a Schoonhoven basket put Dordt up for the final time (66-65), Doane closed the game by scoring the final six points to get the win. Rice converted a three-point play to put the Tigers in front for good and then made a couple of free throws with 49 seconds left to make it a two possession game.
Macy Sievers dished out a game-high six assists and pulled down five rebounds for the Defenders. Both Nielson and
Bailey Beckman scored eight points and
Faith Van Holland netted seven.
The game was extremely tight and neither team could go on an extended run over the first three quarters. The largest lead for either Dordt or Doane was four points through three quarters of play.
By the Numbers...
- Dordt was held to its season-low point total (66)
- the Defenders shot 42% for the game and had just one quarter (1st) where they shot 50% or better
- Doane held the edge in free throws, making 14-of-21; Dordt went 8-for-13 from the charity stripe
- Dordt outrebounded the Tigers 36-33
- the Defenders were forced into 18 turnovers, their second highest total of the season
- Mak Hatcliff scored a game-high 21 points; both Macy Holtz and Rylie Rice netted 16 points each
