Women's Basketball Season Recap
The 2019-2020 season for the Lions women's basketball team was a successful one. They saw great improvement throughout the year, and finished the season with a win at the ACCA National Tournament.
The Lions found their first win of the season on their home court against Sisseton Wahpeton College, 81-60. Soon to follow, they were able to beat a Regional team, Faith Baptist Bible College, to end the first semester on a high.
The start of the second semester was tough as they saw some great competition throughout the month of January. However, they were able to pull out a victory over Crown College, winning 56-50. This started their momentum that helped them find several more wins before the end of the season. The Lions defended their home court against Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College with two back-to-back wins. As they went on the road to Free Lutheran Bible School, they ended up losing a close first game. However, they turned around to get a win over FLBS in the second game, 57-54, before coming home. This win would send the Lions into the post-season tournaments.
The Lions were seeded #5 for the NIAC Conference Tournament, which would match them up against the #4 seed, Turtle Mountain Community College, for the first round. They fought hard but were unable to come away with the upset over TMCC. In the first round of the NCCAA DII North Region Tournament, the Lions, seeded #6, fell to the #3 seed, Emmaus Bible College.
Before the end of the season, the Lions had the opportunity to participate at the ACCA National Tournament in Joplin, MO. They lost a close game to Ozark Christian College in the first round, 76-68. This matched them up against Free Lutheran Bible School for a chance to place 5th at the tournament. The Lions showed great maturity as they sealed the close game against FLBS, ending the season with a win, 51-48.
The Lions women's team also had great personal accomplishments for their team. Stacia West, a freshman forward, led the team undoubtedly in total points with 548 for the season. She was followed by Chambre Blondo who had a total of 205 points. West also led the team in total rebounds with 270, offensive and defensive combined. Kennedy Nofziger had the most assists with 101, and Jena Sidle was at the top in steals with 49.
This is what Coach Rachael Nowell had to say about the season,
"Each season I coach is always special and the ending is bittersweet. We say goodbye to seniors and wrap up an exciting chapter of memories. This year posed growth for the team individually and as a whole. They had some exciting victories and nail-biting defeats, and they gained improvement from each. Finishing our season at the ACCA National Tournament in Joplin, MO was a ton of fun! The team played with enthusiasm and tenacity, showing vast improvement from where our season began. I look forward to the future of the returners as I know they are gaining valuable experience and coming together nicely as a team."
