LEWISTON, Idaho – Maddie Holm was voted the Twin Rivers Physical Therapy Classic MVP after another strong showing in the LC State Women’s Basketball team’s third victory of the season. Holm, all-tournament team member Sara Muehlhausen, and the Warriors battled Rocky Mountain College until the buzzer to complete the 57-54 win.
“I really thought our team defense was a big reason why we came away with the win,” Head Coach Brian Orr said. “Rocky made some big 3s to keep it close, but I thought we showed some real grit to close it out. Heidi (Sellmann) made some big shots, Callie (Stevens) did a good job of pushing the ball and making good decisions. Sara’s defense and rebounding down the stretch was key, and there are a lot of reasons why Maddie Holm was the tournament MVP. It was another team effort.”
LC State outrebounded RMC 37-36, tallied nine steals and forced 15 turnovers.
“The big thing for us this weekend was our effort on the defensive end,” Muehlhausen said. “As a team, I felt like we worked really hard and never gave up. If we had a defensive breakdown during one possession, we made sure to fix it on the next.”
Back-to-back baskets by Holm and Muehlhausen gave LC an early 4-3 lead in the opening frame, and a 3 from Hannah Broyles kept the Warriors in front 7-5 four minutes in. A 3 by Rachel Schroeder closed out the quarter with LC State ahead 14-9.
Ellie Sander drained a pair of free throws to start the second period. Rocky pulled within two (16-14) by 6:50 before a jumper by Sander widened the gap back to four at 18-14. The basket started a run of nine that saw a 3 by Callie Steven and two buckets by Mataya Green to make it a 25-14 lead by 5:03. A run by the Battlin’ Bears in the final four minutes cut the lead to just three (28-25) at the break.
Stevens and Sellmann went back-to-back before Stevens did the same with Hannah Broyles to give the Warriors a 37-30 lead in the third quarter. Broyles fought through traffic with an assist from Stevens at 5:16 to give LC State a 39-32 advantage, and Stevens made it a 10-point difference a minute later. Sellmann continued the run, growing the scoring streak to seven at 3:33.
Rocky put together a run of seven to cut the lead to 44-39 with 1:20 to play in the third, and free throws by Sellmann sent LC into the final quarter leading 46-41.
A layup by Sellmann opened the scoring in the final frame, but RMC rallied again to pull within two, 48-46, by 6:39. The Bears took the lead on a 3-pointer at 5:57, and another 3 grew the deficit to 52-48 midway through the quarter.
Back-to-back baskets by Sellmann and Broyles knotted the game 52-52 with three minutes to go. A steal by Holm led to a Broyles basket, and a forced turnover on a shot clock violation kept the ball with LC thank to solid defense. Stevens put the Warriors in the lead with a pair of foul shots, and another rebound by Holm fed into a 3 by Broyles to make it a five-point game once again at 1:26.
A block and rebound by Muehlhausen kept the defensive momentum going for LC State as the Warriors closed out the game leading 57-54.
Sellmann led the Warriors with 13 points in the contest, and Broyles added 12. Stevens scored 11 points and Muehlhausen led LC State with 11 rebounds. Holm finished her night with eight points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block.
The Warriors open Cascade Conference play on Nov. 23 at Walla Walla University. LC State will then head to Rocklin, Calif. to play in a tournament hosted by William Jessup University.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
Twin Rivers Physical Therapy Classic All-Tournament Team
MVP: Maddie Holm – LC State
Sara Muehlhausen – LC State
N’Dea Flye – Rocky Mountain
Tavia Rooney – Montana Tech
Adyson Harris – Eastern Oregon
Sailor Liefke – Eastern Oregon