LEWISTON, Idaho – Freshman post Kirsi Voshell scored seven points during a critical 9-0 run on her way to a season-high 14 points and Sadie Short played a solid around game to help the Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team defeat Montana Tech 75-62 in the opening round of the Frontier Conference playoffs at the LCSC Activity Center on Wednesday night.
After Montana Tech used a 9-0 run to cut LCSC’s lead to 41-40 with just less than 15 minutes remaining in the game, Voshell answered with two buckets and a three-point play to help the Warriors get the lead back to double digits. Montana Tech could get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
The win lifts LCSC, 21-7, into the semifinal round and because No. 7 seed Montana Western knocked off No. 2 seed Montana State-Northern 52-50 on Wednesday, the No. 3 seed Warriors will get another home playoff game. LCSC will play host to No. 4 seed Rocky Mountain on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Activity Center. Tickets for the game are $7 adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.
The Frontier Conference playoffs don’t follow a true bracket and the top two seeds left from Wednesday’s first-round action earn home games for the semifinals. Top seed Westminster defeated Great Falls 83-66, while No. 4 Rocky bounced No. 5 Carroll 88-63. Because Montana Western is the lowest seed left in the tournament, it will travel to play the highest seed, Westminster, at 6 p.m., PST, Friday. Friday’s two winners then meet in the title game on Monday at the highest seed remaining.
In Wednesday’s game, LCSC only trailed once at 3-2 and was able to take control early in the game. The Warriors used a combination of quickness and dribble penetration to jump out to a 23-8 advantage about 10 minutes into the game.
Tech, which finishes the season at 7-18 with its third loss this year to LCSC, cut the margin to 30-24 behind its 3-point shooting, but the Warriors eventually took a 37-27 margin into halftime.
Led by Janessa Todd and Dani Peterson, Tech used a short span to run off nine points to cut the margin to one. Todd had four points during the run while Peterson’s 3-pointer the sixth one at that point for Tech, made it a 42-41 game.
Voshell, a 6-foot-2 post from Pullman, Wash., gave the Warriors an immediate spark off the bench by posting up inside and scored seven points in a row to help LCSC take control. Voshell finished 6-of-9 from the floor and added six rebounds.
A 3-pointer from Jessie DePell cut LCSC’s lead to seven at 58-51, but LCSC used an 8-3 run to keep the lead in double-digits the rest of the way.
Short, one of two seniors on the Warrior squad, showed why she was a third-team NAIA All-America selection last year. She tied teammate Nikki DePeel with a team-high 18 points and went 7-of-11 from the field. She also led LCSC with seven rebounds and three blocked shots, and also had three assists and two steals.
DePeel also had a big night for LCSC by hitting 5-of-9 shots, including two 3-pointers. Kenna Reiter also finished in double figures with 12 points and added six rebounds and five assists.
Lindsie Wilson led Montana Tech with 17 points, while Peterson had 15 and DePell and Todd finished with 13.
For the game, LCSC was 27-of-63 from the field for 43.5 percent, while Tech was 24-of-67 for 35.8 percent. Tech also was 8-of-29 at the 3-point line.
Friday’s contest will be the fourth between Rocky and LCSC this season. The Warriors won at home and in a non-conference game in December on a neutral court in Helena, Mont., but lost at Billings. All three games were decided by eight or less points.
