March 12, 2004
Box Score
QUINCY, Ill. - The 15th-ranked Lake Superior State women's basketball team picked up its first NCAA Tournament win since the 1995-96 season by beating Southern Indiana 100-86 Friday in the first round of the Great Lakes Regional held at the University of Quincy.
With the win, the second-seeded Lakers (27-3) earned their long-awaited rematch with Ashland (23-7), which stung LSSU with a 91-87 overtime win in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 24. The Lakers and Eagles will play in the second round of the NCAA regional at 5 p.m. Saturday. No. 6 seed Ashland advanced by avenging last week's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament loss with an 82-69 victory over Ferris State during the first session on Friday.
"There is a definite revenge factor," said LSSU coach Kris Dunbar, whose team had hoped to get another shot at Ashland. "Our players definitely weren't looking ahead, but they are looking forward to the chance to get revenge on Ashland. We have three losses, and they are one of them. That's a big thing for us, I think."
No. 7 seed Southern Indiana (20-10) jumped to an 8-0 lead early in the game, but LSSU came back to tie it, 13-13, with 13:35 remaining while in the midst of an 11-0 Laker run. Hillary Bultema made two free throws and a jumper, and Becky Marquardt-King scored in the post to build a 19-13 LSSU lead.
During the rest of the first half, the Screaming Eagles couldn't solve the Marquardt-King and Allyson Conaway combination in the post. Marquardt-King was unstoppable until she was popped in the mouth by USI's Megan Nelson and whistled for her third foul with approximately four minutes remaining in the first half.
"That made me mad," said the soft-spoken Marquardt-King, who had 17 first-half points. She went on to total a career-high 26 points and six rebounds, while Nelson fouled out with 15 minutes of playing time.
LSSU led 49-41 at halftime.
Conaway finished with 19 points, including 11 in the second half. The Lakers led by 15 points midway through the second half, but USI cut it to nine, 89-80, with 4:47 remaining. LSSU answered the Screaming Eagles the rest of the way.
"It's an amazing feeling," said Conaway, who hasn't forgotten first-round NCAA losses in 2002 and 2003. "There is a different chemistry this year. We're such a balanced team and do everything possible to win. The seniors have worked hard our entire lives, and it's winding down. We have worked so hard, and everything is attainable."
"We knew we were going to be in a running game," Dunbar said. "We wanted to make sure we had enough energy down the stretch to make the shots at the end...Our game plan all season was to go into the post."
LSSU scored 50 points in the paint. Becca Johnson and Randi Johnson combined for 12 assists as the Lakers forced 23 USI turnovers.
Monica Rehmann added 17 points, while Randi Johnson had 13 and Bultema 10. Mandi Johnson was the Lakers' top rebounder with six. Conaway had five.
Jamie Truitt led USI with 20 points, while Shannon Wells had 18 and Shajuan Lindsey 16. The Screaming Eagles out-rebounded LSSU, 40-33, but shot only 46.9 percent from the field. They made 21-of-27 free throws.
"Congratulations to Lake Superior State University," Southern Indiana coach Rick Stein said. "They played a fantastic ball game. They controlled the tempo for most of the game. Credit them for the game they played. I never thought we were really in sync. Not to take anything away from LSSU. We didn't seem to get on a run or stay on one."
LSSU shot 51.6 percent from the field and made 25-of-36 free throws.
