REINER’S GAME-HIGH, FOURTH QUARTER SURGE SENDS TIGERS TO NAIA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND

OMAHA, Neb. – For the ninth time in program history and the sixth trip under head coach Jason Christensen, the No. 4 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team outlasted No. 13 Saint Francis University (IN), 69-58, in the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament opening round on Friday from D.J. Sokol Arena on the campus of Creighton University. Junior forward Matti Reiner secured a game-high 22 points, and Dakota Wesleyan outscored Saint Francis (IN), 22-10, in the final stanza to advance to tomorrow's NAIA second round

HOW IT HAPPENED

A defensive block at the rim by Jada Campbell followed by a steal and ensuing layup from senior point guard Kaylee Kirk pushed Dakota Wesleyan out to the initial 6-5 lead in the first quarter. DWU forced 18 Saint Francis (IN) turnovers in the contest, but the Cougars (17-10) responded by packing the ball inside and finished the first quarter with 10 points in the paint.

USF evened the score, 8-8, at the 4:31 mark of the first frame and rattled off a 10-4 spurt to end the initial period. An assist and made basket down the stretch by Meleah Kunkel sparked the Cougar close while Natalie Gottlob converted a pair of free throws at the charity stripe. Six Tigers (27-7) scored in the quarter; however, USF (IN) maintained the 18-12 benefit at the end of the first 10 minutes.

The Blue and Gray scored eight of the first 10 points to begin the second stanza and worked a narrow, 25-23 edge with 5:17 remaining in the period. Isabel Ihnen, who finished 4-of-7 from the floor, buried a pair of 3-pointers while Kirk and Reiner converted a string of layups.

The lead went back-and-forth to close out the first half thanks to an old-fashioned, 3-point basket by Reiner off the feed from Kirk. DWU dished out 13 assists in the affair and controlled the 30-27 lead with under a minute to play. USF punched back though with two made three-point baskets, including a triple at the buzzer, and the Cougars stormed into the lockeroom with a 33-30 advantage.

Campbell rattled home consecutive field goals to open the third frame as the Tigers attempted to cut into the Saint Francis (IN) edge. The 6-foot-4 center from Alexandria, S.D. scored 15 points along with nine boards while USF led 42-40 with under five minutes to play.

Saint Francis (IN) pushed the benefit back to five points, 46-41, but the Dakota Wesleyan offense used another old-fashioned 3-point basket by Reiner to pull within one at the end of the quarter, 48-47. DWU converted 19 makes from the free-throw line, and Christensen and the Tigers won the stanza narrowly, 17-15.

With one quarter to play, the home-crowd advantage kicked in as Dakota Wesleyan went to work on offense, and the Tigers suffocated the Cougar offense on the defensive end of the court. Rynn Osthus knocked down a pair of clutch free throws followed by a humongous 3-pointer off the release of Aspen Hansen as DWU garnered a 55-50 lead. Reiner and the Tigers slammed the door with a 14-8 run to end the contest as the Blue and Gray secured the double-digit, opening round victory.

The victory guides the Tigers to their 27^th victory on the season and matches both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 teams for fourth most wins a season in program history. DWU also improves to 22-6 all-time in the national tournament while Dakota Wesleyan shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Kunkel meanwhile led the Cougars in scoring with 15 points, and Saint Francis (IN) wraps up the season with an overall record of 17-10.

UP NEXT

The Tigers continue their quest in the 2021-22 NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament with a second round matchup versus the winner of No. 5 Saint Xavier University/ No. 12 Bethel University (Tenn.) at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow from D.J. Sokol Arena on the campus of Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.