LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Trine University women's basketball team knocked off previously unbeaten Transylvania University 54-47 on Saturday night to go to the Final Four in the NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history.
The Thunder (28-3) overcame a 19-8 first quarter deficit with outstanding defense. They held the Pioneers (27-1) to just 47 points on 29.3% (17-of-58) shooting in the win.
Head coach Andy Rang had this to say postgame, "I'm really proud of the team and how we fought through adversity. I kept looking them in the eyes when they were on the bench and kept saying, 'Confidence and belief!' We believed in one another and we were able to pull this one out."
Transylvania scored the first points of the game inside with an and-one and Kelsy Taylor [Louisville, Ky. / New Albany] immediately responded on the other end of the floor with a drop step lay-up. The Pioneers extended their lead to 9-2 at the halfway point in the period.
Alyssa Argyle [Freeland, Mich. / Freeland] found Kaylee Argyle [Freeland, Mich. / Freeland] on the perimeter for a three and Rachel Stewart [Pekin, Ind. / Eastern] drove the lane and scored to cut the lead down to five with three minutes to go in the quarter, however the final six points of the period would go to the home team to make it 19-8 at the break.
The Thunder had struggles against the zone that really attacked the perimeter in the first quarter, but figured it out offensively in the second stanza. Kayla Wildman [Rockford, Mich. / Rockford] and Katie Sloneker [Monroe, Ohio / Monroe] scored the first four points of quarter number two, and Sam Underhill [Grand Rapids, Mich. / Northview] sparked a 7-0 Trine run with a pair of baskets.
Tara Bieniewicz [Chesterfield, Mich. / Dakota] was held scoreless through the first 16 minutes, but finally found some space and knocked down a pair of three-point field goals to make it a one-point game, 23-22. Underhill and Katie Sloneker made the defense pay by making plays out of the high post to give Trine a 29-23 lead at halftime.
"We had to take a deep breath and attack the zone," Bieniewicz pointed out after the game. "We were standing outside and settling for shots. Once the nerves went away and we attacked the zone, things started working for us."
The Thunder shot 69.2% (9-of-13) in the second and held Transylvania to four points on 18.2% (2-of-11) shooting and the Pioneers missed all four attempted three's.
An Underhill and-one halted a scoreless drought of nearly four minutes out of halftime and that led to a 10-0 run for Trine with additional scores by Bieniewicz, Kaylee Argyle and Stewart. The Thunder defense kept the Pioneers off the board for over five minutes and just eight points in the second and third quarters combined. Trine entered the fourth quarter with a 41-27 edge.
When it looked like the Thunder had punched their ticket to Pittsburgh for the National Championship Semifinal, a lid found itself placed on the rim for the Trine offense. The Thunder went 0-for-7 to start the fourth as Transylvania went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 41-35. Following a timeout by head coach Andy Rang, Katie Sloneker and Makayla Ardis [Lake City, Mich. / Lake City] found the bottom of the net to give Trine a cushion.
A made jump shot by Stewart and free throw off the fingertips of Ardis gave Trine a 50-42 lead with under one minute to go, but stoppages and attempts at the charity stripe by the Pioneers made it 50-45 with 36 seconds remaining. Stewart, Bieniewicz and Kaylee Argyle put the game away at the line to send the Thunder to the final weekend of the basketball season for the first time ever.
"It's super exciting," senior Kaylee Argyle mentioned in the press conference, "We were all talking about how two years ago yesterday we were all sent home and never given an opportunity. The seniors looked at one another and said 'Let's get it done today.' It doesn't happen overnight, we've been working since August. It feels good that our hard work over the last months is paying off."
Underhill was the leading scorer off the bench with 11 points and Bieniewicz was also in double figures with 10. Taylor and Ardis tied for the team lead in rebounds with five, a category Trine was outdone in as a team, 44-31.
"Being confident in our playing ability and being focused on what we needed to do to get the job done is what really helped us," the senior Wildman said.
In the Championship Semifinal game, the Thunder will take on a familiar opponent in Hope College. It will be the fourth meeting between the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) opponents this season after they split the regular season series and the Flying Dutch took the Conference Tournament Title. The semifinals and finals will take place at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starting on Thursday, March 17. More information will be released when it becomes available.