SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Following the Senior Day festivities on Saturday afternoon, IU South Bend secured the No. 3 spot in next week’s CCAC Tournament, with a 71-65 victory over St. Ambrose in the regular season finale.
Katie Gard led the way for the Titans (24-6, 17-5), scoring 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and a 5-for-6 performance from the free throw line. Rachel Robards tallied 15 points off the bench, while Maddie Gard scored 11 on 4-of-7 shooting.
A closely contested first quarter saw six lead changes, but a three-pointer from Katie Gard at the 1:23 mark pushed IUSB ahead, and Amaya Rufus’ free throw made it a 19-16 score through ten minutes of play.
The Bees (24-5, 17-5 CCAC) tied the game with a three to open the second quarter, but IU South Bend would go on an 11-0 run behind three three-pointers by Robards to claim a 30-19 advantage. The Titans would hold the lead the rest of the way to secure the win.
A pair of three-pointers for St. Ambrose to start the fourth quarter closed the gap to just two points, 55-53 with 8:10 left to play. Two quick scores in response by Maddie and Katie Gard, along with a Courtney Haynes free throw put the Titans back up by seven, 60-53 midway through the fourth.
The visitors made one last push, going on an 8-2 run over a 90- second stretch, capped with a layup to make it a 66-65 lead for the Titans with 53 seconds left in regulation. Maddie Schumacher would put the game away however, knocking down a three on the Titans’ next possession to make it a two-possession game and secure the win.
As the No. 3 seed, the Titans will now host their quarterfinal round matchup in the CCAC Tournament with No. 6 IU Northwest. IUSB can earn a spot in the 2022 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship with a CCAC Tournament title, or they earn the league’s third automatic bid if either of the top two seeds go on to claim the conference tournament championship.
Tipoff with the Redhawks is set for 7:00 p.m. from the Student Activities Center, on Tuesday, February 22.