St. Cloud State
12-4,7-3NSIC
Augustana University (SD)
12-5,10-3NSIC
Women's basketball advances to championship with 72-68 win
2/27/2021 3:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team is headed back to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) / Sanford Health Tournament championship game.
Yes. It's true. The reigning champs will have a chance to defend its title, as the Huskies downed Augustana University in Saturday's semifinal 72-68.
Much like Friday, St. Cloud State needed a furious fourth quarter rally to defeat Augustana, but unlike Friday, the team didn't find itself in nearly the same type of deficit after the first half. The Huskies again faced a full court defense, only the Vikings version included zone as its secondary spice. Like Friday, St. Cloud State struggled early against the pressure, as Augustana scored two quick baskets to take an early 4-0 lead in the semifinal. It did not take the Huskies as long, though, to figure out the Vikings defense, as they utilized the open spaces to take a 10-4 lead and force Augustana to adopt a man-to-man defense midway through the first quarter.
The Vikings slowly crawled their way back into the game, but St. Cloud State came out on top after the first quarter, holding a 18-16 lead with 30 minutes remaining in regulation. The Huskies extended their lead to as many as seven points early in the second, as a barrage of baskets from Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) and Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) helped St. Cloud State extend its lead to 27-20. However, Augustana hung around, using key defensive turnovers to crawl back in the game and cut the Huskies advantage to 27-26 midway through the second quarter.
The two teams exchanged both the lead and baskets multiple times in the remaining minutes, but it was St. Cloud State that held a 33-32 halftime advantage. Wortz a key catalyst for the Huskies, as she scored a team-leading 11 points in the first half, including the go ahead three-pointer with 20 seconds on the clock.
The third quarter was the same back and forth nature as the rest of the game, with more physicality by both teams on the defensive end of the ball. The Vikings used the fast-paced physical play to their advantage and held a 50-46 lead over St. Cloud State entering the fourth and final quarter.
Things looked dire for the Huskies in the fourth, as Augustana cruised to a 62-52 lead with seven minutes remaining in the ballgame. Yes, it seemed over for the resilient St. Cloud State squad, but the team has proved time and time again, it can never be counted out when it counts. After the Vikings went on their seemingly game-clinching run, the Huskies flipped the script and went on a 9-0 run of their own, closing the gap to 62-61 with 2:40 remaining in the ball game.
Intensity filled the Sanford Pentagon as Augustana scrambled to regain it's lead, but St. Cloud State was as gritty and tenacious as ever. Though the Vikings were able to score, the Huskies went right back down the court and answered, laying in wait for when they could finally retake the lead. The team did just that with 45 seconds on the clock, as Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) drained two free throws to give St. Cloud State a 65-64 advantage.
Twenty second later, the Huskies extended their lead to 67-64, as Wortz drained two free throws of her own to boost the lead to three points. The Vikings weren't done, though, and the ensuing 24.4 seconds were the longest of the game. Augustana scored a quick lay up to cut St. Cloud State's lead back to one point at 67-66, but again Evans was there to regain the three point advantage at 69-66.
History repeated itself on the Augustana end of the court, as the Vikings made a quick lay up to cut the lead to 69-68. They then fouled Evans on the next play, sending her to the free throw line with 10.7 on the clock. The junior point guard missed her free throw, drained the second, and the Huskies held a 70-68 lead with mere seconds remaining in the game.
Still, Augustana had the ball and a real chance to tie things up. That is exactly what did not happen, as Lauren Sees shot fell short and Kilboten came up with the clutch rebound, forcing a late foul. The senior then drained her two free throws, securing St. Cloud State's 72-68 semifinal victory.
Wortz ended as the team's leading scorer, as she tallied 18 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in the Saturday win. She wasn't the only Husky, though, to score in double-digits. Kilboten closed her outstanding day with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Evans added 14 points and six assists in the win. Peterson closed the game with a career-high 10 rebounds as well.
With the win, St. Cloud State's overall record improves to 12-4 and the team advances to the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Huskies opponent will be a familiar one, as they are set to face the University of Minnesota-Duluth at 1 p.m. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
