Second upset in NAIA Tournament for Women’s Basketball team

LoewenSIOUX CITY, Iowa — For the second time in the NAIA Div. II National Championship Tournament, the Tabor College women’s basketball team upset a higher seeded team. In the second round, the seventh seeded Bluejays handed No. 3 Southern Oregon a 72-65 loss. Sophomore forward Tena Loewen sealed the victory with an offensive rebound and putback with 21 seconds left in regulation.

The Raiders jumped out to a fast 8-0 start and it took a lot of effort for Tabor to get going offensively. The Bluejays battled back and tied the game at 12-12 with 9:54 left in the first half, when sophomore guard Kaleigh Troxell hit her first basket of the game. Junior guard Taylor Hurd came off the bench and gave the Bluejays tremendous minutes and cut the lead to one with a 3-pointer at the 5:05 mark. Minutes later, Loewen drove inside, drew contact and made the basket. With her free throw, the Bluejays had their first lead of the game 23-22. At the 1:48 mark, Loewen dished inside to a cutting Kayla Wilgers and the junior guard scored her first bucket of the day, to tie the game at 25-all.

With 16 seconds remaining in the half, Loewen took it hard to the hoop and scored a layup, giving Tabor a 27-25 lead heading into the locker room. The Bluejays shot only 27 percent in the first half, the Raiders shot 31 percent, but the come-from-behind effort is what Tabor Head Coach Shawn Reed liked about his team in the first half.

“We have played close games all year and trailed a lot early,” Reed said. “In a way we are used to it, which is not good, but this team doesn’t panic. We trust each other.”

Seconds into the second half, Loewen stole the ball and senior forward Tonisha Dean capitalized on the other end, extending Tabor’s lead 29-25. Minutes later, sophomore forward Sam Short worked her way underneath the basket and scored the reverse layup, extending the lead 31-28.

On the very next offensive possession for Tabor, junior guard Mallory Zuercher pulled up from behind the arc and knocked down a key 3-pointer, giving Tabor the 34-30 advantage. Loewen kept the offense rolling with a bucket at the 16:15 mark. The gas peddle stayed down minutes later when Dean stole the ball and took it the length of the floor and gave Tabor its largest lead of the game at that point, 40-30. Southern Oregon Head Coach Lynn Kennedy was forced to call a timeout and try to end the 9-0 run.

Tabor’s defense did not let up and kept the Raiders from rallying. With 10:52 to go in the second, Loewen gave Tabor its largest lead of game with a bucket inside, 50-38.

Southern Oregon continued to push and a 3-point shot by junior guard Ashley Claussen, with 7:40 to go, made it a  2-point game, 54-52. Claussen scored again 39 seconds later and pushed the score even tighter, 55-54 in favor of Tabor.

The Raiders finally took their last lead of the game, 56-55, when Claussen missed a shot and 6-foot senior forward Alexi Smith grabbed the offensive rebound and scored the putback.

Hurd ended any possibility of a comeback. The next trip down the floor, she spotted up and drained a 3-pointer giving Tabor the lead for good, 58-56.

In foul trouble most of the second half, Dean was finally put back into the game. With 4:26 to play, she scored off a steal by Zuercher and put Tabor up by four, 60-56. Smith answered with an offensive rebound and putback, to keep it close, 60-58. Zuercher kept momentum in favor of Tabor with a clutch 3-pointer with 3:34 to play.

With less than two minutes remaining, Hurd came up huge again, as she drove straight to the basket, scored the layup and drew contact from Claussen. With a made free throw, Hurd edged Tabor’s lead, 68-63.

Loewen would seal the victory with 21 seconds to play. Short was trying to draw a foul underneath, but missed her shot. Loewen would be in the right place at the right time and score the putback, giving the Bluejays a 70-65 advantage. The five-point lead by Tabor led to frustration from coach Kennedy and he was whistled for a technical foul. Hurd would head to the charity stripe and knock both of them down, sealing the Bluejays first ever trip to the Elite Eight, with the 72-65 victory.

Hurd led all scorers with 21 points. Loewen recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Dean contributed 14 points.

After the game, Loewen said she wasn’t thinking about the clock or the score with her final shot went in.

“At that point I was just playing the ball and not doing anything different than what I’d done in practice,” Loewen said. “I was hoping Sam was going to draw the foul and when she didn’t, I was there to grab it and score.”

“Tena is an unbelievable player and competitor,” Reed said. “She works so hard at both ends of the court and that fuels her ability to make big plays at huge moments. Tena is the most skilled post player I have ever coached and we are blessed to have her here at Tabor.”

Loewen gave credit to Dean for playing with poise, despite having four fouls.

“It was definitely a team effort,” she said. “Tonisha stepped up big for us today. She was such a leader for us, even though she was in foul trouble. She really played well and gave us a spark when we needed it.”

Tabor will now face No. 5 Briar Cliff at 1 p.m. in Saturday’s NAIA Quarterfinals.

“I don’t think it’s set in yet,” Loewen added. “We’re ready to get another W.”

Reed said, “I think that we learned that we can compete with top NAIA teams and how hard we have to work at both ends to win games. Hopefully our confidence grows in step with the experience we are gaining.”