GAME NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS

No. 1 Marian (Ind.) (33-1) def. No. 12 Jamestown (N.D.) (19-13), 72-63 

• Marian (Ind.) established its lead with a 13-2 scoring run that spanned the first and second quarters and was started with Kinnidy Gerrard at the free-throw line. Six of the 13 points in that scoring run came from free throws.
• Jamestown (N.D.) made one final push in the fourth quarter and closed the scoring gap to seven points with a three-point shot from Samantha Pausen. Even though the Jimmies outscored Marian in the final quarter (18-13), it wasn’t enough to overtake the lead.
• Marian knocked down 48.1% from the field, which was 12.4% higher than that of the Jimmies.
• Kate Cordes of Jamestown led all scorers with 24 points.
• Kinnidy Garrard of Marian (Ind.) followed with 17 points of her own. Abbey McNally was right behind her teammate with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds.

No. 2 Providence (Mont.) (25-8) def. No. 3 Concordia (Neb.) (27-7), 73-66 

• Providence (Mont.) gained the lead early, but Concordia (Neb.) never allowed the Argos to exceed a six-point lead in the first half.
• The Bulldogs came out of the locker room with the lead and extended it by seven points after a 12-point scoring run that started in the third quarter and extended into the fourth quarter.
• Eliannah Ramirez of UP broke the CUNE scoring run in the fourth quarter with a jump shot from behind the arc and sparked a 13-2 scoring run that gave the Argos a four-point lead that was extended to 73-66 for the win.
• Kendal Brigham of Concordia led all scorers with 18 points.
• The Argos offensive effort was balanced as five players scored in double figures: Ashlee Maldonado, Kolby Pimperton, Maddy Dixon, Taliah Lee and Keanna Salave’a. Salave’a of Providence was the only player to record a double-double (10 points, 15 rebounds) in the contest. The freshman pulled down 12 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds in her first appearance in Sioux City.

No. 4 Dakota State (S.D.) (28-6) def. No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan (29-5), 76-65 

• Lilli Frasure of Indiana Wesleyan put the Wildcats on the board for the initial lead of the game. IWU would hold the lead until 49 seconds left in the second quarter when Dakota State (S.D.) took its first lead of the game off the free throw from Cierra Watkins. The Trojans drained two more free throws before halftime and held a three-point lead.
• The teams traded baskets after the half until DSU held the Wildcats scoreless for five minutes as the Trojans put up a nine-point scoring run, sparked once again by Watkins. Indiana Wesleyan worked its way back and tied the score with Jordan Reid’s first shot of the fourth quarter. The teams traded points once again until Lilli Mackley of DSU dropped a three-point shot for a 51-49 lead. The Trojans then extended their lead from that point to advance to the quarterfinals.
• Jordan Reid of Indiana Wesleyan led all scorers with 25 points in the game.
• Lilli Mackley of DSU followed with 16 points of her own.
• The biggest team stat differentiator was the three-point percentage, where Dakota State posted 42.3% while IWU recorded 29.2%

No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) (27-5) def. No. 6 Loyola (La.) (26-5), 58-55 OT 

• Regulation was not enough to decide this contest after Carroll (Mont.) came back from a 13-point deficit and forced the first overtime of the Round of 16.
• The Saints and Loyola (La.) traded buckets to open overtime play but at 55 all, Jamie Pickens of Carroll sank a jump shot that was not answered and added a free throw with only two seconds remaining on the clock.
• Caitlin Travis of Loyola and Kyndall Keller of Carroll both led all scorers with 16 points apiece. Taylor Thomas of Loyola followed the scoring leaders with 14 points of her own.
• Keller was one of two players in the contest to record a double-double by adding 11 rebounds to her 16 points. Her teammate Maddie Geritz notched 10 points and 14 rebounds.
• This is the second time that Carroll has advanced to the quarterfinals. The first time they advanced to the quarterfinals was in 2008.

Saturday, No. 1 Marian (Ind.) and No. 2 Providence (Mont.) will battle to be the remaining team in the Naismith Quadrant, while No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) will take on No. 4 Dakota State (S.D.) to be the winner of the Cramer Quadrant.Marian, in its fifth quarterfinal appearance, and Providence, in its fourth, have never faced each other in tournament play. While Marian has claimed two titles, Providence has never advanced past the quarterfinal round. Dakota State, in its fifth quarterfinal appearance, and Carroll, in its second, the two teams faced each other in the Round of 16 in the 2023 Championship Round of 16 where DSU was the winner.