Women's Basketball Survives Flames' 3-Point Barrage

OMAHA, Neb. — Doane women's basketball weathered a season-high 11 made three-pointers from College of Saint Mary and came away with a 74-68 road win on Wednesday night in GPAC play.

Doane (10-10, 8-8 GPAC) trailed by one point, 36-35, at halftime before taking control with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Flames 22-17 to carry a 57-53 lead into the final 10 minutes. The Tigers pushed the margin to their largest lead of the night at 10 points midway through the fourth and were able to close it out late.

Balanced scoring leads the way
The Tigers placed four players in double figures and got key production across the lineup. Megan Chambers powered Doane inside with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and added eight rebounds. Rylie Rice posted 17 points, nine boards and five assists, while Keeleigh Knobbe hit three three-pointers and finished with 13 points.

Mattea Kassebaum chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, and Grace Thompson added eight points, three rebounds, two assists and a block. Ella Johnson finished with eight points, five rebounds and two steals.

As a team, Doane forced 19 turnovers and turned those into 21 points, helping offset Saint Mary's hot shooting from beyond the arc.

Saint Mary's three-point barrage
College of Saint Mary (3-19, 2-14 GPAC) kept pressure on throughout by knocking down 11-of-26 from deep (42.3%), a season-high total in made threes. Ella Klusman led the way with 18 points on six made three-pointers, while Madelyn Gaughen totaled 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Haley Debuse impacted the game defensively with five blocks.

Doane finished 27-of-66 from the field and went 13-of-21 at the free-throw line, while winning the rebounding battle 41-34.

Doane returns to action next with GPAC play continuing this weekend.

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