Fourth-rated Tabor loses to 18th-rated DSU 77-58
The 2005-2006 women's basketball season came to a premature ending Friday morning when the fourth-rated Tabor College women dropped a 77-58 decision to Dakota State University in the second round of the 15th annual NAIA national tournament in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Lady Trojans used brute force inside and deadly field goal accuracy to down Tabor who countered with a less than average day shooting the basketball.
The game was close throughout the opening 10 minutes as Tabor led 17-16 with 10:34 remaining in the half, but SDU took the ball down low on Tabor and built a 39-31 lead by halftime.
Tabor closed the gap to just four points at 41-37 with 16:59 remaining on an Erica Dechant field goal but that bucket proved to be the closet the Bluejays would get the rest of the afternoon.
Desperate to get back into the game, Tabor employed a gambling full court press that often times led to easy baskets by the Trojans as SDU cruised home with a 77-58 win.
Tabor was led by Dechant with 15 points including three 3-point hoops, Erica Hemmert with 12 and Jill Hein added 10 as Tabor connected on just 23 of 70 from the field (33 percent).
SDU had three players in double figures led by Sara Nelson with 14 as the Trojans connected on 32 of 58 from the field (55 percent) including a blazing 17 of 27 (63 percent) in the final 20 minutes.
SDU led the rebounding battle 45-32 as Hemmert led the Bluejay effort with seven.
Playing in their final games in a Bluejay uniform were Hemmert, Dechant, Hein, Shannon Kroeker, Katie Tedder and Stephanie Stuber.
With the season ending loss, Tabor concludes a sterling season with an overall record of 28-5 including an undefeated KCAC record of 18-0.
SDU moves on to the round of eight with a record of 22-10.
