Macey Nielson poured in a career-high 19 points in leading the No.4 Dordt University women's basketball team to an 80-64 win over Doane in a GPAC Quarterfinal contest played tonight in the De Witt Gym.
The Defenders advance to the conference semifinals on Saturday, Feb.25 with a 27-2 record where they will host No.4 seed Dakota Wesleyan. The Tigers downed No.5 seed Northwestern 69-62 in a GPAC quarterfinal played in Mitchell. S.D.
Nielson, one of four Defender players to score in double figures, had the shooting touch from long range as she converted a career-best five three-pointers en route to a 19-point effort.
Karly Gustafson contributed 11 points, nine in the second half, and seven rebounds, while both
Janie Schoonhoven and
Macy Sievers netted 10 points each.
Both teams shot well in a high-scoring first quarter that ended with Doane holding a 17-16 lead. The Defenders shot 63% in the opening frame compared to the Tigers' 58%.
Back-to-back three-pointers from
McKenna Klecker and Sievers gave Dordt the lead (22-19) early in the second quarter only to have Doane come back to tie the game at 26 following a three-pointer by Macy Holtz. The Defenders responded a 10-2 surge, fueled by Nielson who knocked down consecutive three-pointers and had eight points during the run, to take the lead (36-28). Doane trimmed the lead down to three, 37-34, by halftime.
A three-pointer by Doane guard Rylie Rice tied the game (37-37) on the opening possession of the third quarter but Dordt came back with a 7-0 run, the final points on a three-pointer by
Hayden Heimensen, to take the lead for good. Dordt quickly built up a double-digit lead on a basket by Schoonhoven at the mid-point of the quarter and led by 12, 60-48, after Nielson drained her fourth three-pointer off an assist by Sievers at the end of the period.
Dordt led by double digits the rest of the way, building up a 19-point lead on two separate occasions over the final 10 minutes.
By the Numbers...
- Dordt shot better than 50% in each of the four quarters, 53% for the game
- the Defenders made 13 three-pointers, tied for their second most in a single game this season
- tonight's game was the ninth that the Defenders made 10+ three-pointers
- Gustafson moved into third place all-time with 1,423 career points, passing Lisa Roos (1,414pts)
- Gustafson trails Erika Feenstra (1,867pts) and Amber Soodsma (1,736pts)
- Gustafson pushed her career-rebound total to 804, becoming the fifth player in program history with 800+ boards
- Dordt's bench outscored Doane's bench 39-2
- Dordt outrebounded the Tigers 28-25
- Sievers dished out a game-high eight assists
- Doane shot 42% for the game, just 31% in the second half
- Mak Hatcliff led the Tigers with 22 points; Rylie Rice added 14 points and six rebounds
