LEWISTON, Idaho -- A steal by sophomore Jasmine Stohr that junior guard Kenna Reiter was able to convert into a three-point play with 31 seconds remaining gave the Lewis-Clark State College women's basketball team a hard-fought 51-48 win over Azusa Pacific in a battle of NAIA Top 25 teams at the Staples Classic on Saturday night.
It's the second time in a nine-day period the two teams have met with the 16-ranked Warriors getting the best of the 10th-ranked Cougars both times. LCSC also defeat APU 67-56 at Covina, Calif., last week.
LCSC trailed 48-44 with 45 seconds left when Stohr hit a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game. As APU was bringing the ball up the court, Stohr came up with a steal and passed ahead to Reiter, who scored on a layup while being fouled by Briana Hall. Reiter converted the free throw to give LCSC a 49-48 lead.
Hall missed a jumper with 15 seconds remaining, but teammate Amber Williams was able to get the rebound. She went back up for a shot, but it was blocked by LCSC’s Alyssa Fierro and Stohr came up with the loose ball. After being fouled, Stohr converted a pair of free throws with three seconds left for the final margin
The game resembled a contest of two teams familiar with each other because it was dominated by defense. Both offenses had a hard time getting much going as they combined to shoot only 33 percent from the field with 38 turnovers.
LCSC, 4-1 overall, trailed for most the second half, but was able to rally to capture the win over the Cougars, 3-2 overall.
Nikki DePeel, who was named the Classic's MVP, led the Warriors with 19 points, three assists and a steal. DePeel, a senior guard, was 4-of-7 from the field but her penetration drew fouls and she went 8-of-8 at the foul line.
DePeel was joined on the all-tournament team by sophomore Kirsi Voshell, who finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Voshell had a double-double in rebounds and points during the Warriors' win over Corban in Friday's first round.
Alyssa Fierro led the Warriors on the boards with 11 rebounds and also had eight points. Kenna Reiter added eight points, while Stohr, the team's leading scorer this season, was held to six, but four came in the final minute at the free throw line.
What was unusual for LCSC is the starting five combined for all but two of the team's points. LCSC's bench finished just 1-of-8 from the field, while APU's bench accounted for 14 points, 112 of which came from Amber Williams, who finished with a double-double as she grabbed 10 rebounds.
For the game, the Warriors finished 15-of-45 from the field for 33.3 percent, while APU was 19-of-58 for 32.8 percent. LCSC had 23 turnovers in the game, compared to 15 for APU.
C.J. Hill and Kristel Eddington, who were also named to the all-tournament team, finished with 16 and 12 points respectively, for Azusa Pacific.
