The 12-team field at the NJCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship tournament has been cut in half through Friday action, and Saturday the national champion will be determined, along with the third- and fifth-place teams.
A recap of the Friday contests is as follows:
#2 Anoka-Ramsey 57, #6 Northland 55
In the tightest game of the third day of tournament play, the No. 2 seed Anoka-Ramsey Community College Golden Rams held off the No. 6 seed Northland Community & Tech Pioneers, 57-55, to punch their ticket to Saturday’s 2 p.m. national championship game.
Anoka-Ramsey (24-5) – from Coon Rapids, Minnesota – raced out to an 18-8 lead after one quarter, but Northland (25-6) – from Thief River Falls, Minnesota – crept to within 28-26 at halftime, and heading to the fourth period the game was knotted at 40. The victorious Golden Rams opened the final stanza on a 7-1 run, and kept the Pioneers at arm’s length the rest of the way.
Mariam Alowonle scored a team-high 16 points to pace Anoka-Ramsey while Anisa Longs tacked on 14 points, and Destiny Casey contributed 11 points.
For Northland, Kenzie Dahl poured in 15 points, along with 14 from Jade Reese and 13 from Josie Peterson.
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#1 Minnesota West 68, #5 Fulton-Montgomery 57
The top seed in the tournament, the No. 1 Minnesota West Community & Tech Lady Jays, were the first squad to secure a spot in Saturday’s 2 p.m. national championship game with a 68-57 triumph over the No. 5 seed Fulton-Montgomery Community College Lady Raiders.
In a game of momentum swings, the victorious Lady Jays (25-5) – from Worthington, Minnesota – opened a 17-9 lead after one quarter, only for the Lady Raiders – from Johnstown, New York – to draw even at 26 at halftime. Through three periods, however, Minnesota East had reclaimed a 44-37 advantage.
Katrina Schutz finished with a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds to spark the Minnesota West effort, Sadie Krahling tacked on 18 points, and Maddie Kamm also contributed of a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, along with seven assists.
Fulton-Montgomery’s Kieonna Christmas scored a game-high 28 points and also tallied a double-double with 11 rebounds, while Cloey Dopp added 12 points and Hailey Monroe finished with 10 points.
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#7 Owens 76, #3 Rhode Island 73
Trailing by 13 points, 70-57, with 4:30 left in the contest, the No. 3 Community College of Rhode Island Knights trimmed the deficit to a single point with 29 seconds left remaining, but could not complete the comeback as the No. 7 seed Owens Community College Express held on for a 76-73 victory in consolation bracket action Friday afternoon.
Owens (23-9) – from Perrysburg, Ohio – grabbed a 16-11 lead after one quarter over Rhode Island (22-5) – from Warick, Rhode Island – and the advantage stood at 34-24 at halftime. Rhode Island rallied to draw even at 36 to start the second half, but Owens re-established a 58-46 cushion prior to the fourth period, ahead of another Knights’ rally.
The victorious Express were fueled by 26 points from Emily Baer, 23 from De’Cariya Lanier, and 11 points from Sakiya Turner.
Leading scorers for the Knights included Natalyah Williams with 22 points and 10 rebounds, Genesis McNeill with 16 points, Meleeya Robbins with 13 and Qiana Sumner with 12 points.
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#8 Onondaga 59, #4 Monroe-Bronx 53
The No. 8 seed Onondaga Community College Lazers dished out a 59-53 defeat to the No. 4 seed Monroe University-Bronx Express Friday in consolation bracket action.
Onondaga (25-5) jumped out to a 14-5 lead after one quarter over Monroe (26-8), and carried a 24-13 advantage into halftime, which increased to 45-29 through three frames. The Express owned a 24-14 scoring edge in the fourth quarter, but the rally came up short.
Scoring for Onondaga – based out of Syracuse, New York – were Jada Crocker with 24 points and 14 rebounds, trailed by Morgan Vasquez with 17 points.
Monroe – located in Bronx, New York – was led by Aneyah McLamb with 19 points, Salimah Williams with 15 points, and Beverly Williams with 14 points.
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#10 Jefferson 69, #11 Dallas-Richland 62
The No. 11 seed Dallas College-Richland Thunderducks erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit, tying the game on a three-pointer by Kiana Thorton to cap an 18-1 run. But the No. 10 Jefferson Community College Cannoneers closed the game with nine of the last 11 points over the final 1:17 for a 69-62 victory.
Up 16-12 after one quarter, Jefferson extended the lead to 36-26 at halftime and 57-42 through three frames.
Jefferson (22-7) – from Watertown, New York – received 27 points from Abigail Bombard and 10 from Brooke Wiley.
The Metroplex-based Thunderducks (10-12) were sparked by Sanna Darensberg’s 14 points, 12 from Kiana Thornton, and 10 points and 10 rebounds from Kristen Thomas.
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Saturday’s Tournament Schedule
#7 Owens (23-9) vs. #8 Onondaga (25-5), 10 a.m. – 5th Place Game
#5 Fulton-Montgomery (24-4) vs. #6 Northland (25-6), Noon – 3rd place Game
#1 Minnesota West (25-5) vs. #2 Anoka-Ramsey (24-5), 2 p.m. – National Championship