SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Southern Oregon ran into a buzzsaw – a few of them, actually – in an 83-64, season-ending loss to Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Friday night at De Witt Gymnasium.
In the first round of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament, the top-heavy nature of RMC's roster was a problem only for the No. 9-seeded Raiders due to the overwhelming production of its stars. Paige Wasson, a 5-foot-11 guard, was just above her average with 25 points and put SOU away with 17 in the second half. Brenna Linse, a 6-1 post, went off for 24 points, 19 rebounds and five assists. And Isabelle Heggem, a 6-5 Frontier Defensive Player of the Year, chimed in with 20 points, 13 boards and three blocked shots.
Together, the trio combined for 69 on just 47 field-goal attempts and pushed the No. 8-seeded Battlin' Bears (21-9 overall) into Saturday's Round of 32 against defending national champion and top-seeded Dordt (Iowa). Rocky's point total was the highest for any SOU opponent in six years.
The Raiders saw their first-round winning streak end at four games, wrapping up with a record of 19-11. They fought admirably, slicing a 14-point deficit to one with a 13-0 surge in the first few minutes of the second half.
Guards
Keeley Wright and
Bridgette McIntyre helped them do it, scoring 11 apiece in the third quarter, but Wasson took over from there to thwart any remaining comeback hopes. The Frontier all-star got Rocky's lead back to 11 by the start of the fourth and settled on her game-high point tally only after exiting the game due to injury with seven minutes left.
McIntyre, a senior and two-time All-Cascade Conference selection, went out with 24 points, eclipsing 20 for the ninth time this season. The Long Beach, Calif., native knocked down six more 3-pointers and finished the season with 99, just two short of SOU's single-season record. She'll leave as the only player in team history to make at least 90 3-pointers in back-to-back seasons.
Wright had her best night of her junior season, logging 17 points, five steals, five rebounds, four assists and her first 3-pointer of the year. She shot 6-of-11 from the field and hit all four of her free-throw attempts.
Eliza DiGiulio, another All-CCC senior, had 11 points, five boards and three assists in her 111th and final appearance for SOU. In four seasons with her in uniform, the Raiders won 105 games.