Warriors defeat Beavers and Wolves, lose semifinal game in overtime to Vikings

Victoria Larson / Winonan

After posting the best overall record (29-3) in program history, the No. 8 Winona State University women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health tournament after victories over Bemidji State University and Concordia-St. Paul University. The Warriors fell to Augustana University in the semifinals 85-84 in overtime.

The No. 1 overall seeded Warriors welcomed the No. 8 seeded Bemidji State Beavers to McCown Gymnasium for the first round of the tournament Wednesday, Feb. 24.

The Warriors started the game 0-8 from the field before junior guard Tara Roelofs and junior guard Jenny Tuttle were able to connect on a pair of 3-pointers.

The Beavers went on a 7-0 run in the second quarter to increase their lead 17-9. At the 7:07 mark, senior guard Alexis Foley entered the game for the first time, battling a pre-existing quad injury, and sparked the Warriors to a 17-6 run to end the half and take a 33-26 lead into halftime.

A 16-5 run in the third put the Warriors up 14 points with less than one minute to play. The Warriors went on to win by 10, 74-64.

Foley scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half while also dishing out five assists. Senior point guard Connor Nagle earned her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Junior center Kayla Timmerman finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Warriors took on Concordia-St. Paul Sunday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

After three quarters of play, Winona State found themselves down 51-42 heading into the fourth.

Around the six-minute mark, Weiland hit consecutive buckets to get the Warriors within three.

With 3:49 to go, Timmerman hit a lay-up and was fouled, as she completed to 3-point play to pull the Warriors even with the Bears, 53-53. Nagle and Weiland each converted 3-point plays as the Warriors won 68-64.

Foley led the way once again with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Weiland came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points. Roelofs added 12 points and five rebounds while Nagle had 10 points and seven rebounds. Timmerman finished with 11 rebounds.

Foley said the team focused in the fourth quarter and were able to step it up on the defensive end.

“That fourth quarter we just decided we weren’t going to lose,” Foley said. “I think you could tell in the energy and our defense picked up, and our rebounding. We got to all the loose balls and

played with passion more so than in those first three quarters.”

Weiland said the team is far from being done.

“We all just thought we’re not going home yet,” Weiland explained. “We’re not done yet. So we got that mindset and were ready to go”

Winona State head coach Scott Ballard said the game was a reminder of the team’s hard work throughout the season.

“I thought it was an example of a veteran team and a seasoned team that has confidence and determination,” Ballard said.

The Warriors take on Augustana University on Monday, as the winner will compete for the NSIC tournament championship.

On Thursday Ballard was named the NSIC Coach of the Year, his first NSIC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Warriors to the best regular season in program history.

Foley and Nagle earned All-NSIC First Team honors while Timmerman earned All-NSIC Second Team and All-Defensive Team honors.

The Warriors squared off against Augustana University on Monday night, a team with a 23-7 record overall.

The first quarter saw a back-and-forth scoring affair as the Warriors led 21-15 at the end of one.

In the second quarter, Winona State built a nine-point lead on a 3-pointer by Roelofs but consecutive triples by the Vikings cut the deficit to three, 26-23, with 7:03 left in the first half.

Foley and Nagle would connect on 3-pointers to give Winona State a 32-26 lead and the Warriors took a 44-35 advantage heading into the locker room.

The Vikings would begin the second half with a 5-0 run to cut it to 44-40 but a 3-pointer by Roelofs made it 47-40 in favor of Winona State with 8:20 remaining in the quarter.

Another triple from Augustana tied things up at 49 with over six minutes to go and retook the lead, 51-49, on the next possession.

Foley and Nagle would once again strike from long range, reclaiming the advantage for Winona State 55-51 with 3:25 left. The Vikings would respond with another run and the score read 59-55 after three quarters.

In the fourth, the Warriors battled with the Vikings and tied the game 71-71 with two minutes left.

After Augustana hit a 3-pointer, Roelofs tied the game with a triple of her own. The Vikings took the lead again with 33 seconds left before Timmerman hit a jumper with 19 seconds remaining, forcing overtime.

In the overtime period, the Warriors took an 84-83 lead with 10 seconds left before Augustana responded on the ensuing possession with a basket to take the 85-84 advantage.

The Warriors would get one last look to win the game, but Foley’s jumper bounced off the rim and the Vikings held on for the 85-84 victory.

Winona State wraps up the season with a 29-3 overall record and 20-2 in the NSIC conference.