In one of two semifinal games taking place at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, the Knights of Marian (Ind.) made their way to their first NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship title game with a victory over Mount Marty (S.D.), 84-55.
This is the second meeting between the two teams as they met in the first round of the national championship, March 10, 2011 where Marian took home a win, 75-72.
Everything seemed to be falling for the Knights as they were 4-for-9 from behind the arc in the first quarter, ending the game with 43 percent. Standout Lakan Hasser-Smith who is 16 points away from becoming the first Knight to surpass the 2,000-point plateau added 21 points, with five assists and three rebounds. Other standouts for Marian were Kellie Kirkhoff (15), Anastacia Kirby (14) and Joana Soeiro (10). Jenna Sullivan also pulled in a game-high 11 rebounds.
“It took a lot to prepare and we left the floor with no regrets, but we still have work to do.” Coach Katie Gearlds said after the game.
On the defensive side, Marian shutdown the Lancers with a suffocating offense that lead to 15 steals and 19 turnovers from the Lancers.
Tough night for the Lancers as nothing seemed to be falling, only connecting on 12-of-28 shots from the field in the first half and 22-55 overall. Senior Alex Kneeland was the only player to see double-digits on the night going 6-for-19 and bringing in 14 points.
Mount Marty ends its season 25-11.
