Women's Basketball Rally Falls Short Against No. 1 Dordt

Women's Basketball took on No. 1 Dordt on Saturday afternoon in Crete. The Tigers fell behind in the third quarter but would not go away as they battled back against the Defenders. Dordt was able to hang on for a 77-74 win over Doane.

Doane trailed by five 3:17 into the game but responded with a 14-3 run to take an 18-12 lead with 3:44 to go in the first quarter. Dordt regained the lead with a 10-0 run but Macy Holtz scored on a fastbreak layup before the quarter ended as the Defenders led 22-20.

Dordt used another 10-0 run midway through the second quarter to build a 12 point lead. The Tigers closed the quarter on a 10-5 run and trailed by seven points, 42-35, at the half. 

In the third quarter, Dordt slowly extended their lead to 17 points, 66-49, as the teams entered the final 10 minutes. Doane scored 14 of the first 16 points in the fourth quarter to pull within five points, 68-63, with 2:55 to play in the game. Unfortunately, the Tigers were held scoreless for the next 2:29 while Dordt was limited to three points. Trailing by eight points, Mak Hatcliff converted a three-point play.

Following a foul, Dordt made one free throw and Doane came down court and Maddie Portwine knocked down a deep 3-point basket to pull within three points, 72-69. The Defenders made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 20 seconds as Doane received a layup from Hatcliff and a 3-point basket from Portwine for the final margin.

Hatcliff led all scorers with 24 points to go with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Portwine and Holtz posted 14 points apiece. Megan Chambers matched Hatcliff for team-high honors with five rebounds.

The Tigers shot 45-percent (24-of-53) for the game, 29-percent (5-of-17) from 3-point range, and 96-percent (21-of-22) at the free throw line. Dordt shot 49-percent (27-of-55), 32-percent (7-of-22) from behind the arc, and 70-percent (16-of-23) from behind the arc.

Macy Sievers led Dordt with 21 points and six assists. Janie Van Donge finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Doane will travel to Seward on Wednesday, January 19, to take on Concordia at 6 PM.