SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Exactly one month after the two teams last met in Sioux City, it was a barnburner from Allee Gymnasium on the campus of Morningside University for the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) women’s basketball semifinal game. The (RV) Northwestern College women’s basketball team (23-7, 15-7 GPAC) would fall just short in the upset bid against No. 6 Morningside (27-4, 20-2 GPAC) in the final seconds of the contest, 73-72. Molly Schany had game highs in points (26) and rebounds (14) to pace the Raider effort.
Jada Cunningham (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) struck first for the Raiders with a corner three as the shot clock wound down on the first possession of the contest. An and-one opportunity for Schany (So., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) gave the Raiders and early 6-3 lead. Schany was aggressive on the boards in the opening quarter, snagging five of the team’s thirteen, including two offensive rebounds. The Raiders would hold a slim 14-13 lead after one, thanks to five opening quarter points for Cunningham and Schany.
Cunningham would nail her second three of the game early in the second quarter to give the Raiders a four-point advantage at 19-15. Back-to-back-to-back offensive rebounds would result in a Schany layup to make it a six-point contest. Continued ball movement against the Mustang zone would result in Devyn Kemble’s (Sr., Panora, Iowa/Panorama) first points of the afternoon, a three from the left-corner, increasing the Northwestern lead to seven. The Raiders would lead by as many as nine points in the second quarter, but a 6-0 Morningside run would cut the lead down to one, 31-10 with three minutes to play in the half.
The Mustangs would rely on the 3-point shot in the first half, shooting 4-for-15 (26.7%) – hitting three of them in the second quarter to trim Northwestern’s lead to two at 33-31 heading into the half. Schany and Cunningham continued to lead the pack in scoring, the only two in double digits at the break with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Schany collected her sixth double-double of the season in the first half, also tallying 10 rebounds.
The Mustangs began the second half on a 4-0 run but the Raiders responded with an and-one by Taylor VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington). Morningside would take a time out as the Raiders led 40-37 with six minutes remaining in the third. The Mustangs would use the three ball to take a seven-point lead and force a Northwestern time out with the Mustangs leading 47-40. Kemble could cut into that lead with a 3-pointer of her own, trimming the Mustang lead to five. By the end of the quarter, Northwestern would trail 60-51 as Morningside erupted for 29 points in the third quarter.
Down six with seven minutes to play, it was Maddie Jones (Jr., Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) who pulled Northwestern to within three from the right wing at 62-59. The Mustangs would push their lead back up to nine points with just over five to play. Despite Morningside’s efforts, the Raiders would not go away; cutting the Mustang lead to five (72-67) with under two minutes to play.
Schany continued her strong play down the stretch with another and-one to cut the Morningside lead to two, 72-70. A defensive stop and a foul call would send Jones to the free throw line with 40 seconds remaining, knocking down both to tie it up at 72-72. Jones would get it done on the defensive end, blocking Taylor Rodenburgh’s jumper from the free throw line to set up one last opportunity for the Raiders to win it in regulation with 16 ticks on the clock.
Morningside would get the final opportunity with 0.8 seconds on the clock and a foul under the basket after the inbound sent Chloe Lofstrom to the free throw line with 0.4 seconds on the clock. She would miss the first, but hit the second – giving the Morningside the 73-72 victory.
Schany led all scorers and rebounds on the day, dropping 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Jones would tally 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Cunningham would be the third Raider in double digits with 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists. VanderVelde was one point and one rebound away from a double-double of her own, notching nine points and nine rebounds.
Up Next: The Raiders will await their fate in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) selection show scheduled for Thursday, March 3 at 6:00 p.m. on the NAIA Facebook page. Stay tuned to nwcraiders.com for the most up-to-date information on national tournament information.
