Women’s Basketball Season Concludes in First Round of NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship

MADISON, S.D. – Friday night, the No. 13 seeded University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (19-11, 15-7 SAC) had their season conclude with an 86-69 loss in the first round of the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship at No. 4 Dakota State University (26-6, 11-1 NSAA).

The appearance in the NAIA National Championship tournament was the seventh in program history for the Drovers, and the fifth appearance under Head Coach Darrick Matthews' guidance.

 The Drovers managed to claim a 4-3 lead in the opening minutes of the contest, but once the Trojans reclaimed the lead, they never let it go. At the end of the first quarter, Dakota State held a 25-11 advantage, and they went on to take a 49-32 lead into halftime.

Following the break, USAO did their best to slow down the DSU offense, but the Trojans outscored the Drovers 20-15 in the third quarter and took a 69-47 lead into the fourth. The Drovers continued to chip away at the deficit and outscored the Trojans 22-17 in the final 10 minutes of action, but it was too little, too late to extend the season any further.  

USAO's offense closed the game shooting 27-62 (.435) from the field, 5-18 (.278) from beyond the arc, and 10-14 (.714) from the free-throw line. In comparison, DSU shot 33-58 (.569) from the field, 10-28 (.357) from deep, and 10-13 (.769) from the charity stripe. 

The Trojans won the rebounding battle 34-29, and they outscored the Drovers in the paint 44-36.

USAO committed 15 turnovers, which led to 21 points for DSU. Meanwhile, the Trojans fumbled the ball 16 times, resulting in 13 points for USAO. The Drovers were whistled for 15 fouls, while the Trojans were called for 14 violations.

The Drovers were led by a trio of double-digit scoring performances, highlighted by Trinitee Alexander's 19 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Alexander shot 8-12 from the field and hauled in six rebounds. Crystal Ortiz contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, while Lainey Morrow added 13 points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals. 

Jordan Bloomfield concluded with nine points on 3-6 shooting from three-point range. Brayanna Polk added six points and four rebounds, followed by Tonijah Fortune's five points and four assists.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will now begin preparations for the 2024-25 season. Congrats to the team on a great season!

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