ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Assumption University women's basketball team's historic season came to a close Monday afternoon as the Greyhounds fell to the University of Minnesota Duluth 61-41 in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight at the St. Joseph Civic Center.
THE BASICS
Score: Minnesota Duluth 61, Assumption University 41
Records: Greyhounds (27-6, 16-4 NE10), Bulldogs (31-3, 21-1 NSIC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After
Ja'Lyn Armstrong started the scoring for both sides, she knocked down a pair of free throws; the 2022-23 Division II WBCA National Player of the Year, Brooke Olson, recorded five quick points to give UMD a 5-2 advantage. The Greyhounds tied the game at 5-5 after a
Marina Callahan free throw and a
Monica Spain layup. Duluth went on an 11-0 run to go up 16-5 with 2:20 showing on the first quarter clock. Callahan halted the run with a layup at the 2:06 marker to make it 16-7 Minnesota after 10 minutes of action.
The Bulldogs continued the momentum they established in the first into the second, as their lead would grow to as large as 16 (23-9) with 3:22 left in the first half. Assumption would close the gap to 13 at the break, as they got two layups from Callahan and a free throw from
Teagan Curran.
The two teams began the second half by trading baskets, with Assumption cutting the deficit to 12 points (32-20) by the media timeout at the 4:59 marker. The Greyhounds continued control action on the defensive end, holding Duluth to 29.4 percent from the field. The Blue and White cut the deficit to ten (36-26) following Armstrong's fast-break layup, but the Bulldogs would close the quarter on a 4-0 run.
In the fourth quarter, Minnesota Duluth started fast, as they pushed their advantage to 24 points (54-30), but the Greyhounds were unable to make a comeback. They would close the gap to 18 points (57-39), but the Bulldogs' lead was too great to overcome.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Monica Spain led the Greyhounds in scoring with 13 points while pulling down four rebounds and adding two assists.
- Marina Callahan had a near double-double with seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Callahan added three assists, four blocks, and two steals.
- The Greyhounds defense held Minnesota Duluth to 35.3 percent shooting from the field, which is the second lowest this season for the Bulldogs.
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