LCSC advances to NAIA
women's quarterfinals
with 73-61 win
3-21-08
JACKSON, Tenn. – Senior
forward Vanessa West scored
eight of her 12 points
during a key 10-0 run in the
second half to help the
Lewis-Clark State College
women's basketball team
defeat Lindsey Wilson
College 73-61 in the second
round of the NAIA Division I
Women's Basketball National
Championship Tournament on
Friday night.
The win lifts LCSC into the
quarterfinals for the fourth
time in school history where
the Warriors will meet
top-ranked and undefeated
Union University on Saturday
at 6 p.m., PST. Union,
which has won two of the
last three national titles
and is 34-0 this season,
also has the advantage of
having the tournament being
played on its campus at Oman
Arena. LCSC is 1-2 all-time
in the quarterfinal round,
losing in 1998 and 2000, but
advancing to the Final Four
in 2001 when it finished
third.
LCSC, 29-4 overall, only
trailed once in the game at
27-25 late in the first
half, but couldn't shake the
Blue Raiders, who finish
22-12 on the season. A
3-pointer by Kara Osterfeld
at the 11:36 mark of the
second half tied the game at
45.
West, a 6-foot-1 forward
from Jerome, Idaho, then
took over, hitting a pair of
shots from the field along
with four free throws to
spark the 10-0 run. Senior
point guard Katie Hart added
the other bucket, and also
hit a second shot and two
free throws to continue a
17-3 run and put the
Warriors ahead 60-46 with
5:14 left. Lindsey Wilson,
which is from Columbia,
Kent., couldn't get closer
than 10 the rest of the way
as the Warriors claimed
their 11th consecutive win.
As usual, the Warriors
featured a well-balanced
attack in the game. All five
starters scored to help LCSC
to an early 15-5 lead. LCSC
eventually cooled off before
the end of the half, but
Sadie Short hit three shots,
including the final two of
the first half, to help the
Warriors to a 29-27 halftime
lead.
Short, a 5-11 junior, posted
her fourth double-double of
the season. She finished
with 19 points and 10
rebounds. She made 9-of-16
field goals, but also had
eight turnovers in the game
as LCSC finished with 20,
compared to only 11 for
Lindsey Wilson.
Hart also had a big game as
her 13 points was a season
high. She aggressively took
the ball to the basket and
either converted her shot or
drew a foul. She wound up
7-of-8 at the foul line as
the Warriors went 20-of-24
at the charity stripe. West
was a perfect 6-of-6 at the
line, while senior post
Mandy Troutt was 6-of-9 on
her way to 12 points and
seven rebounds.
Hart also had six assists in
the game and now has 597 in
her career, which leaves her
10 behind Brianne Kottwitz'
all-time LCSC career record
of 607.
Junior guard Kim Preston
finished with nine points as
LCSC nearly had five players
in double figures for the
game.
For the night, LCSC was
25-of-52 from the field for
48.1 percent, but was
13-of-23 in the second half
for 56.5 percent.
Lindsey Wilson was 23-of-68
for 33.8 percent, and
despite controlling the
boards early, it wound up
being outrebounded by the
Warriors 43-34. West added
eight rebounds for LCSC.
Freshman post Viktoria Krell
led Lindsey Wilson with 17
points and seven rebounds,
but she was only 6-of-18
from the field. Krystal
Jackson added 14 points for
the Blue Raiders, while
Osterfeld finished with 10.
Lindsey Wilson is now 1-5
all-time in the NAIA
tournament, while LCSC is
19-16 at the national
tournament and is making its
12th appearance in the last
13 years.
Union is making its 19th
national tournament
appearances and has won the
title three times. Union has
won its two games in this
year's tournament by 29 and
17 points.
LCSC is one of two Frontier
Conference teams in the
Elite Eight. Carroll also is
still alive and will play
Vangaard on Saturday.
Friday's win was a
program-record 108th win for
the team's three four-year
seniors, West, Hart, and
Jade Fulbright, who broke
the program's all-time
steals record in Wednesday's
opening round win. LCSC was
only credited with two
steals in Friday's win.
