Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. – The Northern State University Wolves matched Adams State College basket for basket for all but the first four minutes of the game.  That, however, was all the Grizzlies needed, racing out to a 13-2 lead to open the game and holding on for the 66-49 win in the semifinal round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament.

NSU, seeded fourth in its first regional tournament appearance in five years, finished its season with a 21-9 overall record.  ASC, making its first ever NCAA post-season appearance, claimed its 11the win in the last 12 games and improved to 23-9 on the season.  The eighth-seeded Grizzlies advance to Monday's tournament championship to face fellow Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Metro State with the winner moving on to the Elite Eight tournament in two weeks.

After the Grizzlies' opening run, the Wolves cut it to a 3-point affair with one of several mini-runs throughout the game.  Four different players scored during the early two-minute blitz, but the Grizzlies responded with a trey from senior Vera Jo Bustos that pushed the lead back to a comfortable margin.

The pattern continued throughout the remainder of the half and much of the second period until the Wolves, in need of either points or time, were forced to foul to stop the clock and send the Grizzlies to the line.  ASC converted on six straight free throws in the final two minutes to put the game safely out of reach.

NSU, which shot just 36.4 percent on the night, was held scoreless over the final 5:29 of the game after cutting the Grizzly advantage to just six after a Jodi Reinschmidt bucket made it a 55-49 affair.  The Wolves' final ten possessions ended in eight missed field goals and two costly turnovers.

Senior Krista Rabenberg paced the Wolves with 13 points, seven boards and four blocked shots.  Emily Becken added 12 points and seven assists and had the Wolves' lone trey of the night. Reinschmidt, the Wolves' lynchpin particularly in the second half of the season, was held to just six points and seven rebounds, well off her 16.0 points per game average.

The Wolves got 22 points from Bustos, their all-time leading scorer, who drained big shots at key moments throughout the night for the Grizzlies.  Junior forward Kelsie Kruger added 17, while Kendra Coveal chimed in with ten.  Kruger and Bustos also pulled down eight boards apiece.