SCORE
Dordt def. Mayville State 84-76
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Dordt Defender women's basketball team advanced to the NAIA National Championship Quarterfinal round with an 84-76 win over Mayville State on Friday night in Sioux City, Iowa. The Defenders needed a 24-13 advantage in the fourth quarter to secure the win and fought through foul trouble to advance to the last eight teams of the tournament.
The first quarter was a free-wheeling affair with Dordt taking a 6-0 lead on a Faith Van Holland and Bailey Beckman pair of three-point shots and Dordt forced Mayville State to use a timeout after a 5-0 run that included an Eliana Kuperus basket and another Beckman three-point shot and pushed the lead to 16-8.
The Comets came out of the timeout and outscored Dordt 12-2 to take a 20-18 lead and a basket with just under a minute left in the quarter gave Mayville State its biggest lead of the game at 25-21. Liv Harazin came back with a basket and Van Holland's three to close the period put Dordt back in front 26-25.
The second period was much more defensive with Macey Nielson's three-point basket with 7:12 left in the half putting Dordt up 35-30. Neither team scored until a pair of Mayville State free throws at the 3:43 mark ending the dry spell and Dordt took a 44-41 lead at the break after the Comet banked in a three-point shot as time expired.
Mayville State was able to take momentum and led 51-48 at the 6:02 mark and the lead briefly grew to 53-49. Â Mayville State continued to hold the lead and was up 58-55 before Macy Sievers made a basket and free throw to tie it. It was tied again at 60-60 and Mayville State was up 63-60 when the third quarter ended. Â Mayville State's three-point basket with 8:55 left put the Comets up 66-62 with 8:55 remaining.
Karly Gustafson got back to back baskets to tie the game at 66-66 and Bailey Beckman's basket in the lane put Dordt up 68-66. Gustafson added a pair of free throws and Dordt was up by four. Mayville State got a basket to trim the lead back to 70-68 but Macy Sievers made three-straight baskets and Dordt was never up by less than six before winning 84-76.
THE NUMBERS
- Dordt was 29-60 from the field and 6-15 from the arc while converting 20-29 free throws.
- Mayville State was 24-57 from the field and 10-29 from the three-point line and the Comets were 18-23 from the free throw line.
- Dordt had a 43-26 rebounding advantage and both teams had 15 turnovers.
- Dordt Leaders
- Mayville State Leaders
- Mackenzie Hughes: 24 pts | 6 rebs
- Jordan Zrust: 12 pts | 7 rebs
- Erin Walcker:11 pts
- CJ Decker: 9 pts | 5 rebs | 6 assists
- Jess Mertens: 9 pts | 4 rebs
NEXT
Dordt will face Briar Cliff in the quarterfinal round at 8pm on Saturday night in Sioux City.