St. Cloud State
12-6,7-3NSIC
University of Central Missouri
20-4,19-3Mid-America Intercollegiate
Huskies season comes to an end in NCAA Regional
3/12/2021 7:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
WARRENSBURG, MO. - The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team waited 364 days for Friday evening's NCAA tournament quarterfinal. Exactly three-hundred and sixty-four days passed between the Huskies learning the devastating news that the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a year of waiting and eight straight practices, St. Cloud State finally made its return to the NCAA playoffs, taking on No. 4 seeded Central Missouri in the quarterfinal round of the Region. Despite a valiant effort, the Huskies fell in their opening round game, as the Jennies took down upset-minded St. Cloud State by a final score of 66-52.
The Huskies could not keep pace with the Jennies in the first half, as they ran out to a 16-13 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 32-25 at the half. Still, St. Cloud State battled for all its worth, as scoring bursts by Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) kept the Huskies within striking distance throughout the half. In fact, the senior scored 12 of St. Cloud State's 25 first half points, accounting for nearly half of the team's offense, and also led the way with four first-half rebounds. Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) added six points for the Huskies, while Katrina Theis (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) led the team's defensive efforts with two steals and two blocks in the opening half.
St. Cloud State attempted to make up the seven point deficit in the second half, as Kilboten and Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) scored early baskets to cut the Central Missouri lead to five. However, the Jennies used a powerful inside presence to take a 41-29 lead over the Huskies with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Still, St. Cloud State battled, though miscues prevented the team from capitalizing on key turnovers by the Jennies. The Huskies also were called for five fouls in the third quarter, while Central Missouri was only called for one in the first five minutes of the quarter, putting Wortz, Kilboten and Caitlyn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) on the bench for significant time. It allowed for new student-athletes to play hero, as Tori Peschel's (Sauk Centre, Minn. / Sauk Centre) three cut the Jennies led to nine with four minutes remaining in the third period.
The three-pointer just Peschel sparked something in the Huskies, as they closed on a nine point run to cut the Central Missouri lead to 54-47 entering the fourth and final quarter. Still, St. Cloud State would need to mount a comeback without Wortz and Kilboten, the top two players in the first three quarters.
In the end, the Huskies couldn't overcome the deficit, despite their stingy defense and grit, as they fell by a final score of 66-52. Wortz closed the game as the team's leading scorer, compiling 16 points on 7-17 shooting, while Kilboten and Evans both scored in double-digits for St. Cloud State. Kilboten tallied 12 points and six rebounds, while Evans scored 13 points in the second half.
With the loss, the Huskies close the season with a 12-6 record with a 7-3 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play. St. Cloud State additionally qualified for the NCAA Regional for the second consecutive season, having earned the conference's automatic bid in 2019-20.
