Kayla Isham (11) started her school-record 112th career game
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Nicole Gall became the eighth player to record 1,000 points in College of Idaho women’s basketball history, but it wasn’t enough, as Cardinal Stritch University defeated the Lady Yotes, 79-64, in a first-round game at the 2010 NAIA Division II National Tournament inside the Tyson Events Center.
The Lady Yotes (21-8) dropped their opening round game at the National Tournament for the second-straight season, while CSU, who has won 18-in-a-row overall, ended a four-game tourney losing streak and won against a Cascade Conference team for the first time in seven tries.
An early Katie Strunk basket gave The C of I their only lead of the night at 3-2, as a hot-shooting Wolves (29-2) squad methodically pulled away. The Lady Yotes were within 18-15 on a Katelin Shannon trey with 14 minutes left in the period, but CSU used a 13-2 run, keyed by eight Michelle Stelloh points, to push the lead to double-digits.
A pair of Liz Neitzel free throws late in the half gave CSU their largest lead of the period at 43-25, before back-to-back Gall treys cut the margin to 12 at the break.
The Lady Yotes would get within 51-41 on a Gall triple five minutes into the second half, but the Wolves would answer with a Neitzel three and CSU was never threatened again, as the Wolves used a commanding 38-14 edge in points in the paint to move into a second-round match-up tomorrow against Davenport (Mich.).
Gall would finish with a game-high 24 points, finishing her junior season with 1,019 points for her career, climbing up into the No. 7 spot on the list. She also established a C of I single-season record for steals in the loss.
Four C of I seniors saw their careers end tonight, as Strunk had ten points and four rebounds, with Whitney Owen scoring all eight of her points in the second half. Kayla Isham started her school record 112th game, with twin-sister Katee Brewer, playing in her 116th and final game.
Four Wolves scored in double figures, led by 20 points from Neitzel. Stelloh, the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, had 17 points and ten rebounds, while Renet Skorusa had a career-high 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The Lady Yotes will return to the Treasure Valley late on Saturday evening.