WAUKESHA, Wis. – In a thrilling display of skill and determination, the Puget Sound women's basketball team secured a remarkable 74-65 victory over #13 Carroll University in the first round of the NCAA Division-III tournament, held on Friday at the Van Male Fieldhouse.
Paige Gerhart notched a double-double in the victory, tallying 11 points and 10 assists.
Katie Minnehan led the scoring registering a season-high 15 points going 6-of-7 from the field, grabbing eight rebounds and five assists.
Addison Reardon dominated the second half, scoring 11 points at a 50 percent shooting rate, while
Sarah Skaggs cleaned up with five rebounds.
Sophie Nilsson displayed sharp-shooting accuracy, hitting 66.7% from the floor, and adding two blocks and three steals. The Loggers collectively shot for 52.8 percent, while Carroll finished with a 40.5 percent shooting rate.
The the Carroll Pioneers, Natalie Gricius led the scoring with a game-high 20 points, trailed by Olivia Rangel with 12 points. The game saw five lead changes and three ties, all of which occurred in the first half.
The Pioneers won the tip-off, gaining an early advantage in the first period, outscoring the Loggers 18-11. The scoring started with two points from the Pio's Lauren Soyke promptly countered by a jumper from Gerhart. However, Carroll surged ahead with an 8-0 run, capped by Gricius, to close the period.
In the second quarter, Brown stepped out with consecutive layups to reduce the deficit to just three points, while the Loggers held the Pio's to a three minute scoring drought. The Loggers then tied it up 20-20 with a 3-pointer from freshman
Paige Oh and continued on to an 11-0 run. The Loggers outshot the Pio's 22-9, scoring 16 points in the paint and shooting for 69.2 percent.
Brown shot off again with back-to-back layups followed by a 3-pointer from Nilsson to start the second half. The Loggers forcing turnovers and overall defensive game led them to their 40-27 lead, but the Loggers continued to climb to a 14-point lead with 4:54 left in the third period when Oh dropped another 3-pointer. The Pio's battled back reducing the deficit to single digits in the end of the third period, the Loggers scored 20 points at a 58.3 percent rate, while the Pio's scored 18 points going 5-for-15.
The Loggers continued to play strong throughout even with four fouls on Brown and three fouls each on
Jordyn Reverman and Gerhart. The Loggers could see the end of the tunnel as they pushed to match each basket the Pio's scored. Reardon came off the bench scoring consecutive 3-pointers to grab a 68-59 with 2:19 left in regulation, but a 3-pointer from Rangel would be much needed for the Pio's, turning it into a six point game. Gricius would score one more 3-pointer before time ran out.
The Loggers will face the University of Wisconsin - Stout at Carroll University in Wisconsin on March 2, at 6 p.m. PST (8 p.m. CST) The Loggers will have a chance to rematch UW-Stout after a 72-59 loss earlier in the season.
