Bethel outlasts Dakota State, 70-67
By Terry Hersom Journal sports editor | Posted: Saturday, March 15, 2008
Sure, sure. It's still very much a team game.
Jody Martinez, in fact, speaks endlessly about all the roles everyone plays on his fifth-ranked Bethel College women's basketball team.
Natalie Young's role is pretty straightforward: Get it done.
That's what the two-time All-American did, too, as Bethel, Ind., outlasted ninth-ranked Dakota State 70-67 Friday in the second round of the NAIA Division II tournament.
"They went to their All-American for about 14 straight plays and she produced,'' summed up Dakota State Coach Jeff Dittman. "We had a lot of people who made plays down the stretch. We just didn't finish it.''
Young, Bethel's all-time scoring leader, poured in 24 of her game-high 34 points in a back-and-forth second half that was tied up eight times in the final 13 minutes.
She launched a whopping 34 shots, connecting on 12, but she was also 10 of 11 from the free throw line. And, when the Lady Pilots needed yet another counter-punch, she was almost flawless.
"If it wasn't for (Northwestern's) Deb Remmerde having such an outstanding year, I would hope the (All-America) committee would consider Natalie for player of the year,'' said Bethel's Martinez, whose Mid-Central Conference champs are hoping to succeed league rival Indiana Wesleyan as the national champion.
The 6-foot 6-inch coach, the career scoring leader for the Bethel men when he graduated in 1990, was also singing the praises of senior point guard Nora Didrick, who added 11 points and four of just seven total assists for the winners.
Didrick was on the floor for over 38 minutes and was charged with just two turnovers as Bethel coughed it up only eight times.
That was nine turnovers fewer than Dakota State, which coughed it up twice in the closing minutes after Megan Swecker fed Laura Tewes for a lay-in that gave the Lady T's a 64-61 lead with 2:56 to play.
"Again, it was a matter of having a veteran team,'' said Martinez, whose team takes a 31-4 record into a 3 p.m. quarterfinal today against fourth-ranked Hastings. "The key was we had to stay composed.''
Bethel's big challenge was a literal one -- battling Dakota State's big interior tandem of 6-2 Maria Gengler and the 6-1 Tewes. They got some help there when both ran into foul trouble.
Tewes had 13 of her team-leading 17 points after sitting more than 11 minutes in the first half, hitting seven of eight shots. Gengler, who had eight points and a game-high nine rebounds, played less than 22 minutes before becoming the first of three Lady T's to foul out with 1:56 remaining.
Jessica VanLoy contributed 14 points and Nicole Geraets had eight assists to go with two clutch three-pointers that brought Dakota State back from a 53-48 deficit to a 54-54 deadlock with just over six minutes to go.
Bottom line: It was a fitting sort of battle for two teams with all-senior lineups.
Young drove the wing and drew a foul with 25 seconds remaining, making one of two free throws to break a 67-67 tie. Fifteen seconds later, the 5-11 senior tied up Geraets with the possession arrow in Bethel's favor.
Didrick made one of two free throws with 9.9 seconds on the clock and freshman Bekah Basinger also sank one of two after a game-icing steal with 3.3 seconds to play.
"I was dead,'' said Didrick, the Bethel floor general. "Every time out we had, I could barely make it to the huddle.''
"We knew (Dakota State) had beaten Morningside and Hastings,'' said Young, citing a pair of major triumphs that helped keep the Lady T's prominent in the rankings. "We just had a little bit more than them today.''
Dakota State, which won the last three Dakota Athletic Conference titles, bowed out at 21-11, playing a challenge schedule in its final season with an exceptional group of six seniors.
"It's going to be strange on Monday, when those lockers are cleaned out,'' said Dittman. "We'll have to replace about 97 percent of our offense and our defense and our minutes. I'm going to have to go back to coaching again.''
BETHEL (70)
Paula Stout 1-2 2-2 4, Natalie Young 12-34 10-11 34, Nora Didrick 3-9 4-6 1, Andrea Selent 2-3 0-1 4, Hannah Richards 2-4 1-4 5, Kelsy McKee 2-4 1-4 5, Bekah Basinger 1-4 2-6 4, Brittany Cook 2-8 0-0 5. Totals 24-66 19-30 70.
DAKOTA STATE (67)
Nicole Geraets 2-5 0-2 6, Jill Hansen 2-7 0-0 4, Laura Tewes 7-8 3-4 17, Jessica VanLoy 6-15 0-0 14, Maria Gengler 3-4 2-2 8, Megan Swecker 4-6 2-2 10, Becky Rhody 0-4 5-7 5, Alyssa Kirk 0-1 0-0 0, Tricia Boldt 1-1 1-3 3, Kaitlyn Kramer 0-1 0-0 0, Carmyn Streitz 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 13-20 67.
Halftime -- Bethel 30, Dakota State 28. 3-point shots -- Bethel 3-14 (McKee 1-1, Cook 1-3, Didrick 1-4, Basinger 0-2, Young 0-4), Dakota State 4-16 (Geraets 2-4, VanLoy 2-5, Kirk 0-1, Kramer 0-1, Swecker 0-1, Hansen 0-4). Rebounds -- Bethel 39 (Stout 6, Richards 6), Dakota State 40 (Gengler 9). Assists -- Bethel 5 (Didrick 4), Dakota State 16 (Geraets 8). Turnovers -- Bethel 8, Dakota State 17. Total fouls -- Bethel 21, Dakota State 21. Fouled out -- Gengler, Tewes, Swecker.
Jody Martinez, in fact, speaks endlessly about all the roles everyone plays on his fifth-ranked Bethel College women's basketball team.
Natalie Young's role is pretty straightforward: Get it done.
That's what the two-time All-American did, too, as Bethel, Ind., outlasted ninth-ranked Dakota State 70-67 Friday in the second round of the NAIA Division II tournament.
"They went to their All-American for about 14 straight plays and she produced,'' summed up Dakota State Coach Jeff Dittman. "We had a lot of people who made plays down the stretch. We just didn't finish it.''
Young, Bethel's all-time scoring leader, poured in 24 of her game-high 34 points in a back-and-forth second half that was tied up eight times in the final 13 minutes.
She launched a whopping 34 shots, connecting on 12, but she was also 10 of 11 from the free throw line. And, when the Lady Pilots needed yet another counter-punch, she was almost flawless.
"If it wasn't for (Northwestern's) Deb Remmerde having such an outstanding year, I would hope the (All-America) committee would consider Natalie for player of the year,'' said Bethel's Martinez, whose Mid-Central Conference champs are hoping to succeed league rival Indiana Wesleyan as the national champion.
The 6-foot 6-inch coach, the career scoring leader for the Bethel men when he graduated in 1990, was also singing the praises of senior point guard Nora Didrick, who added 11 points and four of just seven total assists for the winners.
Didrick was on the floor for over 38 minutes and was charged with just two turnovers as Bethel coughed it up only eight times.
That was nine turnovers fewer than Dakota State, which coughed it up twice in the closing minutes after Megan Swecker fed Laura Tewes for a lay-in that gave the Lady T's a 64-61 lead with 2:56 to play.
"Again, it was a matter of having a veteran team,'' said Martinez, whose team takes a 31-4 record into a 3 p.m. quarterfinal today against fourth-ranked Hastings. "The key was we had to stay composed.''
Bethel's big challenge was a literal one -- battling Dakota State's big interior tandem of 6-2 Maria Gengler and the 6-1 Tewes. They got some help there when both ran into foul trouble.
Tewes had 13 of her team-leading 17 points after sitting more than 11 minutes in the first half, hitting seven of eight shots. Gengler, who had eight points and a game-high nine rebounds, played less than 22 minutes before becoming the first of three Lady T's to foul out with 1:56 remaining.
Jessica VanLoy contributed 14 points and Nicole Geraets had eight assists to go with two clutch three-pointers that brought Dakota State back from a 53-48 deficit to a 54-54 deadlock with just over six minutes to go.
Bottom line: It was a fitting sort of battle for two teams with all-senior lineups.
Young drove the wing and drew a foul with 25 seconds remaining, making one of two free throws to break a 67-67 tie. Fifteen seconds later, the 5-11 senior tied up Geraets with the possession arrow in Bethel's favor.
Didrick made one of two free throws with 9.9 seconds on the clock and freshman Bekah Basinger also sank one of two after a game-icing steal with 3.3 seconds to play.
"I was dead,'' said Didrick, the Bethel floor general. "Every time out we had, I could barely make it to the huddle.''
"We knew (Dakota State) had beaten Morningside and Hastings,'' said Young, citing a pair of major triumphs that helped keep the Lady T's prominent in the rankings. "We just had a little bit more than them today.''
Dakota State, which won the last three Dakota Athletic Conference titles, bowed out at 21-11, playing a challenge schedule in its final season with an exceptional group of six seniors.
"It's going to be strange on Monday, when those lockers are cleaned out,'' said Dittman. "We'll have to replace about 97 percent of our offense and our defense and our minutes. I'm going to have to go back to coaching again.''
BETHEL (70)
Paula Stout 1-2 2-2 4, Natalie Young 12-34 10-11 34, Nora Didrick 3-9 4-6 1, Andrea Selent 2-3 0-1 4, Hannah Richards 2-4 1-4 5, Kelsy McKee 2-4 1-4 5, Bekah Basinger 1-4 2-6 4, Brittany Cook 2-8 0-0 5. Totals 24-66 19-30 70.
DAKOTA STATE (67)
Nicole Geraets 2-5 0-2 6, Jill Hansen 2-7 0-0 4, Laura Tewes 7-8 3-4 17, Jessica VanLoy 6-15 0-0 14, Maria Gengler 3-4 2-2 8, Megan Swecker 4-6 2-2 10, Becky Rhody 0-4 5-7 5, Alyssa Kirk 0-1 0-0 0, Tricia Boldt 1-1 1-3 3, Kaitlyn Kramer 0-1 0-0 0, Carmyn Streitz 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 13-20 67.
Halftime -- Bethel 30, Dakota State 28. 3-point shots -- Bethel 3-14 (McKee 1-1, Cook 1-3, Didrick 1-4, Basinger 0-2, Young 0-4), Dakota State 4-16 (Geraets 2-4, VanLoy 2-5, Kirk 0-1, Kramer 0-1, Swecker 0-1, Hansen 0-4). Rebounds -- Bethel 39 (Stout 6, Richards 6), Dakota State 40 (Gengler 9). Assists -- Bethel 5 (Didrick 4), Dakota State 16 (Geraets 8). Turnovers -- Bethel 8, Dakota State 17. Total fouls -- Bethel 21, Dakota State 21. Fouled out -- Gengler, Tewes, Swecker.
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