SIOUX CITY, Iowa—A balanced scoring effort with a dominant effort in the paint, and solid team defense helped the Fire secure an 87-58 win over Valley City State.
The win marked the first NAIA Division II National Tournament victory in program history, and the first for The Sun Conference.
The play of
Sarah Green and
Christin Strawbridge inside helped the Fire in the early stages of the contest. The tandem scored 11 of Southeastern's 17 first quarter points to help the Fire lead 17-11 after 10 minutes.
Green finished the game with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks. Strawbridge had eight points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.
In the second quarter, the Fire led by nine, but the lead was trimmed all the way down to three at the buzzer on a 3-pointer by Valley City's Lexi Lennon.
To start the third quarter, the Fire found another gear.
Southeastern outscored the Vikings 22-5 in the first 6:51 of the second half to take a 58-38 lead, and cruise to victory. Valley City State went 2-for-11 from the field with two turnovers during that span.
"I think we came out flat energy-wise," said head coach
Tim Hays. "Ultimately, our girls settled down- we have a mature group that understands how to get back in rhythm, we talked about our defensive points of emphasis and they nailed it."
The Fire scored eight of the last 10 points of the third to take a 68-46 lead into the final quarter.
"We just had to trust the process and stick to what we do and keep believing in each other like we've done all year," said Green of the second half.
Alyssa Ramos added in 14 points to the winning effort. Conference Player of the Year
Bailey Hooker scored all 12 of her points in the second half, and added in six rebounds, five assists, a block, and two steals.
"We feel like we have the weapons to play the chess match- either going into the post, or shooting teams out of it," said Hays.
Anna Richter finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, and
Jenny Dee added 12 points, two boards, and three assists off the bench.
The Fire will next take the floor Friday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time against either Southern Oregon or Northwestern (Iowa).
