USD goes up against unranked Northern Kentucky team
By Steven Allspach Journal sports writer | Posted: Saturday, March 29, 2008
You can tell Tchaikovsky the news.
The University of South Dakota women's basketball team and Coach Chad Lavin hope to turn swan songs into a lilting, virtuoso Swan Lake-type basketball ballet today in the NCAA Division II national championship game in Kearney, Neb.
South Dakota, sporting a 33-1 record, the No. 3 national ranking and a 31-game winning streak, goes for the gold today against an unranked Northern Kentucky team that is 27-8.
USD knocked off unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Delta State (68-58) and Northern Kentucky, which opened its classroom doors for the first time in 1968, slipped past Alaska-Anchorage (57-54) in Thursday semifinals in the Nebraska-Kearney Heath & Sports Center.
The title game, slated for a 5 p.m. tipoff, will be televised on ESPN2.
This will be USD's final women's basketball game in NCAA Division II. The Coyotes become a transitional Division I program next season.
And, it promises to be Lavin's last game in 26 seasons as a collegiate coach, 14 of them at USD. He announced before the season this would be his last campaign.
The native of Clear Lake, S.D., and a USD alum never figured his final game would have this much finalty -- the spoils a national championship.
"I don't much believe in destiny, fate, whatever you want to call it,'' said Lavin after a Friday practice. "What I believe in is this team, these girls.
"They've worked so hard over the past two years to get to this point. They certainly belong in the championship game and they deserve to win it, too. I'm just along for this wonderful last ride.
"I sit on that bench just amazed sometimes at how they work so hard and make the game so much fun.''
Lavin, the winningest coach in USD women's history, is 273-138 in two stints at the helm. Between his first term and the current second one he coached at Division I Wyoming for a dozen years.
Northern Kentucky coach Nancy Winstel is also a proven veteran in her 25th season.
She guided the Norse to a Division II title in 2000 with a win over USD's former North Central Conference rival North Dakota State and her 2003 club fell to another former NCC powerhouse, South Dakota State, in the title game in 2003.
The Northern Kentucky campus is in Highland Heights, a suburban community located just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Four seniors and some talented underclassmen have fueled USD's title run.
All-American Jeana Hoffman, who averages 17.5 points, leads a perimeter-based offense that tops the national chart with almost 10 three-pointers a game. Hoffman scored 27 points in Wednesday's 85-80 double-overtime win over Washburn and 19 more in Thursday's 68-58 victory over Delta State, which was 33-0 at the time.
The Coyotes have made a combined 15 three-pointers in two Elite Eight wins.
Hoffman's senior twin, Jenna, also starts along with senior guards Shannon Daly and Ashley Robinette and 5-11 junior post Bridget Yoerger. Yoerger, from Hinton, averages 11.5 points, Daly 8.4, Jenna Hoffman 9.9 and Robinette 8.1. The Hoffmans, who transferred from Division I Texas State, are from Mitchell, S.D. Daly, from Groton, S.D., is a transfer from Southwest Minnesota State.
"I played on four state championship teams in high school (South Sioux City) and not to take anything away from those days,'' said Robinette, who has overcome several knee operations during her career. "But, this is the ultimate. We've come this far so there's no reason not to put it all out there one last time.''
USD has also gotten key contributions from Amber Hegge, a freshman from Crofton, Neb., who is averaging 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds. Hegge's basket with 3:21 left gave USD the lead for good against Delta State, and she scored twice more to keep the Lady Statesmen at bay.
Hegge had 15 points and blocked three shots, tying her with Mandy Koupal (2003-04) for the school record for blocks in a season (53).
Northern Kentucky, as it did in 2003 when it ended up losing to North Dakota State in the finals, has had to work extremely hard to make it to the Elite Eight, let alone the title game.
The Norse received an at-large bid to the tourney after losing to Drury in the Great Lakes Valley Conference final and they had to rally from a 15-point deficit to beat Indianapolis 55-54 in a regional final. Regional finals are considered first-round national tourney contests.
At the Elite Eight, the Norse have beaten Wingate, N.C. (78-55) and Anchorage.
Angela Healy, a 6-foot-1 center, averages 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds. Two other starters, forward Cassie Brannen and guard Jessie Slack, score more than 13 points a game.
"The Delta game was a true shootout,'' reflected Lavin. "We couldn't stop them and they couldn't stop us. It took the first 20 minutes to figure things out and we were OK after that. Jeana Hoffman's three-pointer at the buzzer to end the half was huge.''
Hoffman's trey put the Coyotes in front 39-38 at the break.
DIVISION II DELIGHTS
Northern Kentucky leads the nation in blocked shots, with 6.5 a game ....
Northern held Anchorage to 29 percent shooting. The Alaskans had two chances in the closing seconds, but Maria Nilsson's three-point attempt was off the mark and Jennifer Salazar missed the put-back ....
Alaska-Anchorage and Northern Kentucky are the two largest schools in the Elite Eight. Anchorage has an enrollment of over 19,000 and Northern's enrollment is right at 14,700 ....
Danyelle Echoles led Northern's win over Anchorage with 13 points. "It's surreal. It still hasn't sunk in that we're going to play for the national championship,'' said Echoles, whose unranked team received exactly one vote, for 25th, in the final NCAA Division II national coaches' poll ....
USD won the final North Central Conference women's hoops crown with a perfect 12-0 record.
The University of South Dakota women's basketball team and Coach Chad Lavin hope to turn swan songs into a lilting, virtuoso Swan Lake-type basketball ballet today in the NCAA Division II national championship game in Kearney, Neb.
South Dakota, sporting a 33-1 record, the No. 3 national ranking and a 31-game winning streak, goes for the gold today against an unranked Northern Kentucky team that is 27-8.
USD knocked off unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Delta State (68-58) and Northern Kentucky, which opened its classroom doors for the first time in 1968, slipped past Alaska-Anchorage (57-54) in Thursday semifinals in the Nebraska-Kearney Heath & Sports Center.
The title game, slated for a 5 p.m. tipoff, will be televised on ESPN2.
This will be USD's final women's basketball game in NCAA Division II. The Coyotes become a transitional Division I program next season.
And, it promises to be Lavin's last game in 26 seasons as a collegiate coach, 14 of them at USD. He announced before the season this would be his last campaign.
The native of Clear Lake, S.D., and a USD alum never figured his final game would have this much finalty -- the spoils a national championship.
"I don't much believe in destiny, fate, whatever you want to call it,'' said Lavin after a Friday practice. "What I believe in is this team, these girls.
"They've worked so hard over the past two years to get to this point. They certainly belong in the championship game and they deserve to win it, too. I'm just along for this wonderful last ride.
"I sit on that bench just amazed sometimes at how they work so hard and make the game so much fun.''
Lavin, the winningest coach in USD women's history, is 273-138 in two stints at the helm. Between his first term and the current second one he coached at Division I Wyoming for a dozen years.
Northern Kentucky coach Nancy Winstel is also a proven veteran in her 25th season.
She guided the Norse to a Division II title in 2000 with a win over USD's former North Central Conference rival North Dakota State and her 2003 club fell to another former NCC powerhouse, South Dakota State, in the title game in 2003.
The Northern Kentucky campus is in Highland Heights, a suburban community located just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Four seniors and some talented underclassmen have fueled USD's title run.
All-American Jeana Hoffman, who averages 17.5 points, leads a perimeter-based offense that tops the national chart with almost 10 three-pointers a game. Hoffman scored 27 points in Wednesday's 85-80 double-overtime win over Washburn and 19 more in Thursday's 68-58 victory over Delta State, which was 33-0 at the time.
The Coyotes have made a combined 15 three-pointers in two Elite Eight wins.
Hoffman's senior twin, Jenna, also starts along with senior guards Shannon Daly and Ashley Robinette and 5-11 junior post Bridget Yoerger. Yoerger, from Hinton, averages 11.5 points, Daly 8.4, Jenna Hoffman 9.9 and Robinette 8.1. The Hoffmans, who transferred from Division I Texas State, are from Mitchell, S.D. Daly, from Groton, S.D., is a transfer from Southwest Minnesota State.
"I played on four state championship teams in high school (South Sioux City) and not to take anything away from those days,'' said Robinette, who has overcome several knee operations during her career. "But, this is the ultimate. We've come this far so there's no reason not to put it all out there one last time.''
USD has also gotten key contributions from Amber Hegge, a freshman from Crofton, Neb., who is averaging 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds. Hegge's basket with 3:21 left gave USD the lead for good against Delta State, and she scored twice more to keep the Lady Statesmen at bay.
Hegge had 15 points and blocked three shots, tying her with Mandy Koupal (2003-04) for the school record for blocks in a season (53).
Northern Kentucky, as it did in 2003 when it ended up losing to North Dakota State in the finals, has had to work extremely hard to make it to the Elite Eight, let alone the title game.
The Norse received an at-large bid to the tourney after losing to Drury in the Great Lakes Valley Conference final and they had to rally from a 15-point deficit to beat Indianapolis 55-54 in a regional final. Regional finals are considered first-round national tourney contests.
At the Elite Eight, the Norse have beaten Wingate, N.C. (78-55) and Anchorage.
Angela Healy, a 6-foot-1 center, averages 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds. Two other starters, forward Cassie Brannen and guard Jessie Slack, score more than 13 points a game.
"The Delta game was a true shootout,'' reflected Lavin. "We couldn't stop them and they couldn't stop us. It took the first 20 minutes to figure things out and we were OK after that. Jeana Hoffman's three-pointer at the buzzer to end the half was huge.''
Hoffman's trey put the Coyotes in front 39-38 at the break.
DIVISION II DELIGHTS
Northern Kentucky leads the nation in blocked shots, with 6.5 a game ....
Northern held Anchorage to 29 percent shooting. The Alaskans had two chances in the closing seconds, but Maria Nilsson's three-point attempt was off the mark and Jennifer Salazar missed the put-back ....
Alaska-Anchorage and Northern Kentucky are the two largest schools in the Elite Eight. Anchorage has an enrollment of over 19,000 and Northern's enrollment is right at 14,700 ....
Danyelle Echoles led Northern's win over Anchorage with 13 points. "It's surreal. It still hasn't sunk in that we're going to play for the national championship,'' said Echoles, whose unranked team received exactly one vote, for 25th, in the final NCAA Division II national coaches' poll ....
USD won the final North Central Conference women's hoops crown with a perfect 12-0 record.
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