ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's basketball team advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a 62-37 victory over Immaculata University on Friday night. The Thunder (25-3) advance to the Second Round where they will face John Carroll University, who ousted Elizabethtown College 100-56 earlier in the day.
The Immaculata Mighty Macs (18-9) wrap up their first NCAA Tournament appearance by hanging in there with one of the top teams in the nation and played hard-nosed defense throughout the game. Trine was held to 3-of-24 (12.5%) from beyond the arc. One key for the Thunder was holding a 53-32 advantage on the glass.
"We always talk as a team about how defense travels," head coach Andy Rang pointed out in his postgame press conference. "We knew we needed to play good defense and rebound the basketball and I thought we did a very good job of both of those things tonight."
Nothing was falling for either team in the first quarter as Kelsy Taylor [Louisville, Ky. / New Albany] had all three of the team's points in the first six minutes. The Mighty Macs held a slight edge 6-3, but Kaylee Argyle [Freeland, Mich. / Freeland] netted four in a row to reclaim the lead. Rachel Stewart [Pekin, Ind. / Eastern] and Sidney Wagner [Warsaw, Ind. / Tippecanoe Valley] each had two points to end an 11-8 first period in favor of the home team.
A Sam Underhill [Grand Rapids, Mich. / Northview] and-one midway through the second quarter spread the lead to double digits at 20-9 and the defense really settled in to grow the lead. Immaculata was contained to 2-of-14 (14.3%) from the field in the second stanza. Wagner and Underhill each had five points in the second to pace the home team.
At recess, the Thunder held a 27-13 lead, but were without a make from distance (0-for-13). Tara Bieniewicz [Chesterfield, Mich. / Dakota] canned a three-point field goal to start the third period and Makayla Ardis [Lake City, Mich. / Lake City] recorded a steal-and-score to force a Mighty Mac timeout less than one minute in.
Ardis rattled off six consecutive points to propel Trine to a 36-17 edge, but from there the lid on the rims returned. It was three minutes before another point by the Thunder, a free throw by Sophie Sloneker [Monroe, Ohio / Monroe]. Alyssa Argyle [Freeland, Mich. / Freeland] came off the bench and notched five straight points for Trine to end the quarter at 46-25.
Immaculata continued to fight to the bitter end and netted the first two field goals of the quarter. Bieniewicz sparked an 11-0 run, the longest run of the night, highlighted by an Alyssa Argyle three off an assist by her sister, Kaylee.
Sierra Hinds [Carmel, Ind. / University] was able to get in the scoring column late with a basket from Brooke Brauher [Big Rapids, Mich. / Morley Stanwood] to seal the 62-37 win.
The bench unit scored 41 of the team's 67 total points and the five of the Argyle sisters, Stewart, Underhill and Sophie Sloneker all had +15 or above in plus-minus. "We really focused on talking, getting up in passing lanes, and pressuring the ball," junior guard Alyssa Argyle mentioned. "We got some easy steals and leak outs that led to easy shots."
Looking ahead to tomorrow's matchup with John Carroll University, senior guard Sarah Balfour had a career-high 24 points and Olivia Nagy had 12 points and 18 rebounds. "She looks like a very good post player," the junior forward Underhill stated. "She looks like she has a little bit of an inside and outside game. I saw her hit a few elbow jumpers. During the season, I've played some girls that are taller than me, so I try to work on denying the entry pass."
The game with John Carroll will tip-off at 5 pm on Saturday, March 5 with the winner becoming just one of 16 teams remaining in contention for a national championship.