OMAHA, Neb. – The University of Providence women's basketball team jumped out to a large first quarter lead and never looked back, defeating Cumberlands (Kent.) 83-72 in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament.
The Argos came out well prepared, jumping out to a 20-7 lead against the Patriots. The coaching staff adjusted to a zone defense, flying all over the court and trapping everywhere. The defense flustered the Argos, and the lead was cut to nine at the half.
"They just started trapping everywhere, running around creating chaos," head coach
Bill Himmelberg said. "It was a really good adjustment by their coaching staff. They got a lot of points off of offensive rebounds and turnovers. We just weren't going to meet the ball. They were a high-charging team."
63-55 at the break, the Patriots looked poised to make a 4
th quarter push. Maldonado sprained her ankle and left the game with eight minutes to go, and both
Parker Esary and
Maddy Dixon fouled out with four minutes left. The Argos responded however, taking care of the ball and making critical baskets down the stretch to win 83-72.
"We just gritted it out," Himmelberg said. "I thought Kerstyn and Reed took care of the ball. We broke the press and attacked them.
Brooklyn Harn made some big shots.
Elly Teske came in and defended and rebounded with Parker and Maddie fouled out. Elly came in and made some big plays. We just played well down the stretch. We were able to hold on."
Even though Maldonado left the game early in the 4
th quarter, she led all scorers with 22, and contributed five rebounds and four assists. Esary also had a solid outing, scoring 21 points.
Reed Hazard also reached double digits, scoring 10 points and dishing out four assists.
The Patriots had four players score in double-figures, led by 17 from Carla Covane. Silvia Veloso dropped 16 points, Channing Lewis scored 11 and Vilma Covane scored 10. Defensively, the team forced the Argos to commit a season-high 29 turnovers.
With the win the Argos move into the next round of the NAIA Tournament and will be one of the 32 teams left that will attempt to advance to the Final 16 in Sioux City, Iowa next weekend. They will take on Dakota State at 4 p.m. MTN on Saturday, Mar. 13.
"They really shoot the three well," Himmelberg said. "They got a lot of good guards and two good posts. They're solid top to bottom. They're a solid program who executes their stuff really well."
