Latest news with #NSICQuarterfinals
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vikings season concludes in NSIC Quarterfinals
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Augustana) — The Augustana men's basketball team, the only team in the NSIC to win an opening round road game, saw its season come to a close on Sunday night, falling 85-51 to the No. 3-seed MSU Moorhead Dragons in the NSIC Quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon. The Vikings finish the year 12-18 overall while the Dragons move to 21-8 and advance to the NSIC semifinals. Akoi Akoi, the lone senior on the Augustana roster, led the Vikings with 13 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists. After knocking down a pair of free throws early in the first half, Akoi became the 38th player in program history to record 1,000 career points. Also in double figures was Bennett Fried, who scored 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting while grabbing five boards. Sam Rensch knocked down the lone AU 3-pointer and scored seven points while Tanner Te Slaa and Tameron Ferguson scored six apiece. Te Slaa scored the first four Viking points before a jumper from Akoi put the Vikings ahead 6-5 at the 16:31 mark of the first half. Five straight Dragon points put them ahead 10-6 and they would lead the rest of the night. Ferguson and Rensch sandwiched an MSUM bucket to get within 12-10. Rensch followed a Dragon jumper with a 3-pointer to get within 14-13 but a 4-0 MSUM run added cushion. Akoi's free throws and a Fried putback canceled out the run and put the Vikings back within a point. At 18-17 with 10:03 left in the first half. The difference floated around three and seven for the next five minutes until the 3:38 mark when a Fried jumper brought the Vikings within 28-23. From there, a 27-3 avalanche from the Dragons put the game away, giving them a 55-26 lead with 15:29 remaining. In the final 15:02 of the second half, Akoi scored seven points and Fried scored six while the Vikings shot 11 of 22 from the field but were outscored 30-25 to bring the game to its final score. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Augustana men knock off Minnesota Duluth
DULUTH, Minn. (AUGUSTANA) — The Augustana men's basketball team kept its season alive on Wednesday night, gutting out a 74-63 wire-to-wire victory at Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday night inside Romano Gymnasium. The 11th-seeded Vikings reach the NSIC Quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon for the fifth time in the last six seasons where they will take on No. 3 seed MSU Moorhead on Sunday at 7 p.m. AU moves to 12-17 overall while the fifth-seeded Bulldogs, who ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA Central Region ranking, fall to 20-9 on the season. All five starters reached double figures, combining for all 74 points. Sam Rensch had 19 points to lead all scorers while adding four rebounds, three steals and two assists. In their first career postseason games, Tameron Ferguson and Bennett Fried lived up to the moment. Ferguson scored 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting while nabbing a team-high three steals and Fried recorded his second career double-double with 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting and 12 rebounds. In his final NSIC Tournament run, Akoi Akoi made sure it would live to see another game after scoring 12 points and grabbing eight boards. The senior added two steals while shooting 50 percent from the field and is now just four points away from 1,000 in his career. Tanner Te Slaa rounded out the starting lineup with 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting. AU shot a scorching 55.6 percent from the field (30 of 54) while holding UMD to 41.1 percent (23 of 56). The Vikings held advantages on the fastbreak (12-5), points off turnovers (17-12) and points in the paint (46-38). The most impressive stat may have come on the offensive glass. Although UMD had a 10-4 advantage in offensive rebounds, AU outscored them 11-8 on second chance points. Akoi and Rensch got the Vikings started with a layup and a 3-pointer to give AU a 5-0 lead. After four UMD points, Ferguson went on his own 5-0 run to put the Vikings in front 10-4 with 16:20 to play. After a Bulldog layup brought them back within four, Fried converted an and-one and Ferguson knocked down a jumper to put the Vikings in front 15-6 witn 14:34 left in the half. The Viking lead was cut to eight with just over 11 minutes to play in the second half. Fried converted another and-one and Te Slaa got to the rack for a layup to tack on insurance. A 9-2 march from the UMD got them back within six but in the final 5:15 of the first half, AU ran off a 13-3 run, highlighted by seven Rensch points, to give them a 42-26 advantage at the half. Rensch scored 15 points on an extremely efficient 5 of 7 shooting from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line in the first half. Ferguson added nine points on 4 of 6 shooting while Fried had eight points and eight rebounds. The Vikings shot 58.6 percent from the field while the Bulldogs shot 42.3 percent from the floor and just 1 of 6 from the free throw line as AU raced to the 16 point first half lead. Over a minute of scoreless basketball welcomed the second half before Rensch got out in front off a UMD missed basket for a layup to give AU its largest lead of the night at 44-26. A 9-2 Bulldog jolt got them back within 11 but Ferguson got up and finished a left-handed lay-in to get the lead back to 13 at 48-35 with 14:41 to go. It wasn't the end of the Bulldogs yet as they rattled off a 19-9 run to close its deficit to 57-54 with 5:40 to play. Akoi ended the run with a layup to go back ahead by five and after UMD went 1 of 3 from the free throw line, Te Slaa and Fried combined for a 5-0 run to inflate the lead to 64-55 with 3:19 remaining. After another UMD trip to the free throw line resulted in just one point, Rensch got to the hoop at the end of the shot clock for a layup and Ferguson added a steal and score to deliver the dagger. Seven of the final 13 points to close the game came at the free throw line as the Vikings closed out the 11-point victory. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USF women dominate Minnesota Crookston
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (USF) – The University of Sioux Falls women's basketball team delivered a commanding postseason performance, defeating Minnesota Crookston 81-69 in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament at the Stewart Center. With the victory, the Cougars (17-13) advance to the NSIC Quarterfinals, where they will face in-state rival Northern State. Both teams came out firing, trading baskets in a high-scoring opening frame. Minnesota Crookston shot an impressive 62.5% from the field, including 3-of-4 from three, to grab a narrow 23-22 lead after 10 minutes. The Cougars kept pace behind balanced scoring, with Anna Vaaler and Ayla Brown leading the early attack. Sioux Falls responded with a smothering defensive effort, holding UMC to just 11 points on 33.3% shooting in the second quarter. The Cougars seized control with a 21-11 scoring advantage, fueled by efficient shooting and dominant rebounding. USF entered halftime with a 43-34 lead. The Cougars broke the game open in the third, outscoring Minnesota Crookston 26-11 behind a blistering 57.1% shooting performance. Megan Fannin caught fire, drilling five threes, while Ayla Brown and Kami Wadsworth controlled the tempo. USF stretched its lead to as many as 26 points before heading into the final quarter up 69-45. Minnesota Crookston mounted a late rally, outscoring Sioux Falls 24-12 in the final frame, but the deficit proved too substantial to overcome. The Cougars maintained their composure down the stretch, securing the 81-69 victory and punching their ticket to the NSIC Quarterfinals. Sharp Shooting: USF connected on 45.9% from the field (28-of-61) and 38.5% from three (10-of-26). Free Throw Precision: The Cougars converted 15-of-18 (83.3%) from the charity stripe. Balanced Attack: Six different Cougars scored 7+ points, showcasing their impressive depth. Unselfish Play: USF consistently made the extra pass, resulting in 18 assists and numerous high-percentage shots. Megan Fannin: Led USF with 21 points, knocking down 6-of-9 from three to ignite the offense while also collecting 6 rebounds. Kami Wadsworth: Delivered 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, creating problems for defenders at all levels. Ayla Brown: Stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds, orchestrating the team's offensive flow. Alexis Rose: Contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds, anchoring the defensive effort. Brecli Honner: Provided a crucial spark off the bench with 7 points on efficient 3-of-4 shooting. With the win, the Cougars advance to face in-state rival Northern State in the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals. These two teams will square off on Sunday, March 2nd at 11:00am at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. For all NSIC WBB Tournament information, head over the 2025 NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Hasn't been another player at Northern like her': Fillipi cements legacy with Wolves
ABERDEEN, S.D. (KELO) — Basketball players are often looked at by how many points they score and while that's important, there are several other categories on the stat sheet. Northern State's Rianna Fillipi learned that lesson early, sparking one of the best careers in Wolves history. 'It's actually one of the greatest feelings ever, especially to have it at Northern State here,' Fillipi said. 'Everybody is just behind you.' Rianna Fillipi was a standout at Lennox High School, where she averaged double figures in scoring and earned All-State honors in 2019. 'I'm a gut recruiter and when I see it, I know,' Northern State head coach Paula Krueger said. 'I can't really tell you what 'it' is, but I can feel 'it' and she had 'it'.' Fillipi committed to play for Paula Krueger and Northern State. From the moment she walked on campus, a lot of trust was placed in the 5'8″ point guard. 'She's who I chose to build my program on,' Krueger said. 'I think every head coach when you come in and you're going through that process, you find that one person that you know you can trust with everything.' Fillipi has scored in double figures her entire career, but her elite passing ability was showcased early. Rianna has tallied 566 career assists, shattering the old program record of 400. She's also the NSIC leader in assists each of the last two seasons. 'My eyes just kind of light up, it's what I gravitate towards,' Fillipi said. 'If I can drive down the middle of the paint and find a three point shooter and I have Michaela or Alayna in the corner. I just know it's an automatic assist.' Fillipi has left an everlasting mark on the Wolves program, becoming the first player to ever tally 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. 'Every single game is just special, to just take it game by game and enjoy it,' Fillipi said. 'There hasn't been another player at Northern like her, and I can say that with tremendous confidence,' Krueger said. 'I can say that because I played here, I was an assistant here, and I've coached here now as a head coach. What she means to the program I don't know that we'll truly feel, until she's not here anymore. I hope that that's still three or four weeks down the road.' Northern State will face either USF or Minnesota Crookston in the NSIC Quarterfinals on Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
