LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tara Bieniewicz [Chesterfield, Mich. / Dakota] was already one of, if not the best, shooter in Trine University women's basketball history, but after today's performance in the NCAA Sectional Semifinal, she owns two more school records as she led Trine to a 58-49 win over Springfield College on Friday evening.
Bieniewicz finished with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. That ties the record for most three-point field goal makes in a game by an individual in program history. She also secured the mark for most made three's in a single season with 81 heading into their Sectional Championship game tomorrow.
Bieniewicz had the first make of the game for either team with a corner three in transition at the 8:15 mark in quarter number one. The Pride attempted to utilize a 2-3 zone to start the game, but the Thunder were able to shoot over it and beat Springfield down the floor. Kayla Wildman [Rockford, Mich. / Rockford] and Bieniewicz again were left open in the corners to give Trine an early 9-4 edge.
Bieniewicz found Katie Sloneker [Monroe, Ohio / Monroe] in the middle of the zone for an open jumper and she knocked down her third three-point shot of the night at go up 14-4 at the under-five media timeout.
The defense settled in for both teams near the end of the period. Kaylee Argyle [Freeland, Mich. / Freeland] was true from the free throw line and Rachel Stewart [Pekin, Ind. / Eastern] drove the lane for a lay-up to make it 17-10 at the break.
Katie Sloneker ended a dry spell of nearly five minutes for the Thunder with a make under seven minutes to go in the first half. An Alyssa Argyle [Freeland, Mich. / Freeland] three-point make and a pair of free throws from Makayla Ardis [Lake City, Mich. / Lake City] wrapped up a 7-0 run.
Springfield worked to cut the lead down to 10, but back-to-back three-point field goals just before the halftime buzzer gave Trine a 35-19 lead. Kaylee Argyle was left open on the first and Bieniewicz nailed her fourth three of the half with two seconds on the game clock.
Overall in the first half, the Thunder were 8-of-15 (53.3%) from deep and held the Pride to just 1-of-10 (10.0%) from long range.
Coming out of recess, Springfield made it a point of emphasis to start shooting the three to get back into it, but Bieniewicz was right there to respond with two trifectas in the first three minutes.
A Sam Underhill [Grand Rapids, Mich. / Northview] lay-up gave Trine their largest lead of the game at 46-29. Springfield worked to get a pair of scores just before the end of the third, but the Thunder led 48-36 going into the final 10 minutes.
Ardis connected on a mid-range jump shot to start the fourth, but the Pride made it a single-digit ballgame with five straight points, leading to a timeout called by head coach Andy Rang. Halfway through the period, Ardis found Bieniewicz for three, her seventh, to go up 53-41.
Just as they did in their Second Round game, Springfield used a late scoring spree to make their opposition sweat. Eight in a row, including two makes from beyond the arc, made it 53-47 with less than one minute left.
Who else would it be besides Bieniewicz making a key shot from long range, her record-tying eighth, with 36 seconds remaining to regain control of the game. Ardis buried a pair of free throws to give her six points on the night and the Thunder held off the Springfield Pride by a final score of 58-49.
As a team, Trine kept Springfield in check from deep at 5-of-27 (18.5%) and 17-of-63 (27.0%) from the field overall. The Pride crashed the offensive glass hard with 17 boards on their own end of the floor.
Bieniewicz's 24 points is also a career-high for the senior. Ardis and Wildman each had a team-best seven rebounds while Kelsy Taylor [Louisville, Ky. / New Albany] brought in six and Bieniewicz five. Ardis distributed six assists to tie her season-high.
Trine and Transylvania University, who disposed of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in the semifinals, will square off in the Sectional Championship game for a chance to appear in the Final 4 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tip-off from Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, March 12 is slated for 6 pm.
