Bittinger, Broman Pace Tigers in Victory
The women's basketball team closed the gap in the GPAC standings as they make a push over the final month of the conference season with a 75-61 win over Midland on Wednesday evening in Crete. The win moved the Tigers to 11-10 overall and 4-9 in the GPAC while Midland fell to 7-13 overall and 5-8 in the GPAC.
The Tigers had a more than forgettable 1st quarter as they fell behind by 11 points, 20-9, in the first nine minutes of play. Megan Kucks proved to be a problem for the Tigers in the opening half, scoring seven points in the 1st quarter and 10 more in the 2nd quarter.
McKenna Dodd (SO/Lincoln, Neb.)'s lay-up to close the scoring in the 1st quarter (20-11) started a Tiger rally that would ultimately see a 31-point swing in the game as Doane would eventually lead by 20 points in the 4th quarter. Dodd hit a 3-point basket to start the scoring in the 2nd quarter followed by a 3-pointer from Jenna Nieveen (JR/Sterling, Neb.).
Midland maintained their lead through much of the 2nd quarter until Shelbi Bittinger (SR/Milford, Neb.) scored her first points of the game, knocking down a 3-point basket to tie the game at 32-all. After a defensive stop, the Tigers had the last shot of the quarter and Bittinger made a lay-up to give the Tigers their first lead of the game as time expired on the half with Doane leading 34-32.
The Doane lead moved into double-digits in the 3rd quarter as Heather Broman (SR/Geneva, Neb.) converted three consecutive Tiger baskets. The largest lead of the quarter came on the final points as Claire Phillips (SR/Wisner, Neb.) hit a baseline jumper for a 13 point lead, 58-45.
Doane's largest lead of 20 points was reached as the Tigers capped an 11-0 run on a Bittinger 3-pointer. While the offense found their groove in the final three quarters, the defense also stepped up against the Warriors, and especially against Kucks who was limited to six points in the second half after scoring 17 in the opening half.
The Tigers controlled the paint, out-scoring the Warriors 42-22. Midland had the advantage in points off turnovers, 23-13, as both teams had 14 turnovers. Doane out-rebounded Midland, 38-26.
Broman led the Tigers with 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Bittinger, celebrating her 22nd birthday, naturally had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. She was just shy of a triple-double as she handed out eight assists. Morgan Hill (JR/Crete, Neb.) finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists with Dodd posting 11 points and eight rebounds.
Kucks posted a game-high 23 points to lead the Warriors. Joelle Overkamp added 16 points and Miranda Paul knocked down four 3-point baskets for 12 points.