Some may label the Tabor College women?s success on the national stage a Cinderella story, but coach Shawn Reed and his team know they belong at the 2015 NAIA Division II Women?s Basketball National Championship.
The Bluejays proved that yet again by knocking off Southern Oregon in the second round Friday, 72-65.
In their second upset of the tournament, Tabor held the Raiders to nearly 20 points below their average of 84.1 points per game, once again a testament to the Bluejays? stifling defense. Just how explosive is the Raider offense? In their first-round game, the Raiders put up 96 points to defeat Robert Morris.
A factor in their success, the Raiders? roster boasts four players 6-foot, 2-inches or taller. Tabor, meanwhile, lists no one over 5-11, but the Bluejays rose to the challenge to advance to the quarterfinal round of eight.
Tabor moved past a sluggish start in which the Raiders burst to an 8-0 lead, but from there, the Bluejays got rolling, tying the game at 12 with back-to-back baskets by Tena Loewen and Kaleigh Troxell sandwiching a Raider miss. But when Tabor turned the ball over a couple times, the Raiders built a 19-15 lead. Taylor Hurd later closed the gap with a three-pointer, and Loewen gave Tabor its first lead, 23-22, with a three-point play with 3:15 left in the half. Despite shooting around 27 percent from the field in the first half (9-33), the Bluejays led, 27-25, at intermission, having limited the Raiders to just 31 percent (8-26) and forcing 11 turnovers.
The Bluejays offense heated up in the second half. After the teams traded scores, Mallory Zuercher drained a three-pointer that was the start of a 9-0 Bluejay run. Tabor?s defense fueled the charge as the flustered Raiders could not settle into any sort of rhythm. By the time Tonisha Dean scored, then scored again off a turnover, Tabor held a double-digit, 40-30, lead.
Hurd and Loewen later contributed to an 8-2 Bluejay run that gave Tabor its largest lead of the night, 48-36, with 11:23 to play.
But the Raiders would not go quietly. Having gained some ground and closing the gap to 54-47, the Raiders began pressing and switched to a zone. That contributed to a 13-1 Raider rally that left Tabor trailing, 56-55, with 6:00 left in the game.
Not to be outdone, Tabor kicked it into high gear. Hurd drained her second three of the game, then Dean scored to put Tabor in front by four. Still, the Raiders hung around.
Zuercher made her second three of the game with 3:34 to play, putting Tabor in front, 63-58, but the Raiders used a three to close the gap to 65-63 with 2:36 to play. Hurd extended the lead to five with a three-point play, but the Raiders scored to bring it back within 68-65 with just 49 seconds left.
After a Bluejay miss on Tabor?s next possession, Loewen willed her way in to grab the rebound. Her put-back gave Tabor some breathing room, 70-65, with just 20 seconds to go.
Two Southern Oregon shots missed their mark after that, and Raiders? coach Lynn Kennedy was called for a technical foul. Hurd solidified Tabor?s seven-point victory by sinking both charity shots.
Tabor finished the game shooting nearly 40 percent from the field (27-68), having made 18 of 35 attempts (51 percent) in the second half. Hurd led all scorers with 21 points. Loewen had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Dean added 14 points.
For the game, Southern Oregon shot just under 37 percent (24-65). Three Raiders scored in double figures, led by Carly Meister with 16, Kristen Schoenherr 15 and Alexi Smith 12.
Coming?As one of eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals, Tabor will next be in action Saturday at 1 p.m. The Bluejays will face Briar Cliff (Iowa) who advances after upsetting undefeated Davenport, 55-53, Friday.
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