SIOUX FALLS – Junior reserve forward Alison Klostergaard had career highs with 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead the University of Sioux Falls women's basketball team to an 87-79 double overtime win against Concordia St. Paul in the Stewart Center before a revved up crowd on Saturday afternoon.
The overtime win was USF's second this year (MSU, Moorhead, 76-71) at the Stewart Center and the first double overtime affair in USF's D2 era (since 2012).
Klostergaard hit 8-of-10 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws while totaling 14 boards, six on the offensive glass, in playing a season-career best 38 minutes. She was one of five players in double digits for USF, which won its second straight and moved to 17-9 overall and 13-9 in the NSIC. Senior Jaicee Ulmer, who was honored on Senior Night in pregame festivities, came up big in her final home game at USF as she had 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Taylor Varsho added 15 points, five assists and four rebounds while junior forward Teagan Molden had 12 points and sophomore center Sam Knecht had her sixth double double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Varsho had her 42nd double digit scoring game of her career.
“This is such as huge win for our team,” said USF head women's basketball coach Travis Traphagen. “It was such a battle all gave long with both teams making adjustments and putting together runs. It was just a fantastic college basketball game. I think this win gives us a little momentum going into the conference tournament,” he said.
While the Cougars were 2-0 this weekend, they still go on the road Wednesday in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Tourney. As the #5 seed in the NSIC South, they will travel to play the #4 seed in the NSIC North, St. Cloud State. The winner advances to the quarterfinals of the league tournament at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Regardless of the playoff implications, the Cougars' double overtime win has to rank among the best games played and won by the Cougars at the Stewart Center. Not only did they rally to win in an important game in conference seeding, the Cougars ended the regular season with two straight home wins over NSIC powers Minnesota State and Concordia, defeating the Golden Bears for the first time in seven tries.
USF led by six at halftime, built a 12-point lead with nine minutes to play and then rallied from a four point deficit late in regulation. In the first overtime, both teams scored 10 points with USF holding the edge in the second overtime, 12-4.
Overall, USF hit 29-of-73 shots from the field for 39.7 percent, including 7-of-28 from three-point range. USF, which won the rebound battle, 49-47, hit 22-of-29 free throws and dished out 14 assists while recording a season high 12 steals.
CSP hit 26-of-73 shots for 35.6 percent, including 5-of-20 from three-point range. They were 22-of-28 from the foul line for 78.6 percent. The Golden Bears were led by Anika Whiting, who had 33 points, nine rebounds and two assists. She hit 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Ameshia Kearney added 19 points while Mishayla Jones had 14.
In the opening half, the Cougars came out quickly as Molden scored seven points, including two three-pointers, as USF led, 12-4, at the 17 minute mark. The Golden Bears answered with a 9-0 run to take a 13-12 lead. But then Klostergaard entered the game and put the momentum back in the Cougars' favor. She had two straight baskets to give the Cougars a 16-13 lead at the 11:30 mark. Then, with the game knotted at 18, she hit a three-point shot to propel the Cougars into a 11-6 run and a 32-24 advantage at the 2:10 mark.
At halftime, USF had a 34-28 lead, utilizing a 5-to-1 lead in three-pointers. The Cougars hit 43.8 percent from the floor while CSP was 13-of-28 for 46.4 percent. Both teams shot two free throws and made one. In the first half, Klostergaard had nine points to lead USF, which had seven from both Ulmer and Molden.
After leading by six at the break, USF and Concordia St. Paul, traded baskets in the opening eight minutes of the second stanza. Then, Klostergaard scored inside and Varsho drove the lane to get a layup and a 49-41 lead for USF with 11:21 to play. When Knecht scored on a layup, USF had its biggest lead of the game at 12 points (57-45) at the 8:46 mark. If anyone thought this issue was settled, well, it wasn't. The Golden Bears rallied behind Whiting with a 17-3 run to take a 64-60 lead with 2:35 to play.
Still the Cougars didn't waver in the home season finale, they found Knecht inside (1:47) to draw within two and Ulmer had two free throws with 1:05 to play to tie the game at 64. With 21 seconds left, Varsho hit 1-of-2 free throws and Whiting did the same for CSP with three seconds left.
In the first overtime, CSP took an early three-point lead on a three-pointer from Kearney (3:50) but the Cougars regained the lead at 73-72 on a layup by Varsho. But Kearney hit from three-point range with 1:35 left for a 75-73 lead. With 50 seconds to go, Klostergaard had back-to-back offensive rebounds and was fouled whereupon she put in two free throws to tie the game at 75. Both teams had chances in the final seconds but did not convert.
Early in the second overtime, the Cougars were add to assert control. Molden's jumper provided USF with a 77-75 lead and a basket off an offensive rebound by Ulmer pushed the lead to 80-77 with 3:16 left. When Molden hit two free throws and Klostergaard broke free for a lay-up with 2:03 left, the Cougars had a seven-point lead and a little breathing room.
The Golden Bears were unable to draw any closer than six points the rest of the way as USF picked up a key season-ending league win.
