By: Warriors will play Northern State in the Semifinals

Tournament Website

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Behind a combined 44-point performance from Jenny Tuttle and Tara Roelofs, the Winona State (22-8) women's basketball team defeated Augustana 82-76 in the NSIC quarterfinals Saturday night. Winona State will now move on to the semifinals and play Northern State game, on Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
 
Augustana came out firing as they knocked down three-pointers on four consecutive possessions to jump out to an early 12-4 lead. The Warriors struggled to find a rhythm, as they would end the first quarter looking at a 21-15 deficit. The Warriors were a perfect eight of eight from the free throw line, six coming from Jenny Tuttle and two from Gabie Doud.  
 
The second quarter started out with a flurry of foul calls on both teams. The Warriors kept the Vikings close, only allowing them to reach a nine-point lead. Halfway through the quarter, a couple baskets from Liz Evenocheck would cut the Vikings' lead to five. Kayla Schafer would make a layup to finish the scoring of the first half and the Warriors only trailed by three going into halftime, 40-37.
 
Roelofs came out of halftime and sank back-to-back three-pointers to give the Warriors their first lead of the game at 43-40. Two consecutive Vikings' turnovers led to five points and a 52-47 Warrior lead. Emily Wirth would complete a three-point play to push the lead out to eight. The Warriors shot 50 percent from the field and from three-point range in the quarter, while holding the Vikings to just nine points. Heading into the final quarter the Warriors would have a nine-point, 58-49, advantage.
 
Gabie Doud would start the fourth quarter with a steal and coast-to-coast layup. Another layup, this time from Arika Wooldridge, would get the Warriors a 62-52 lead, a minute into the quarter. Tuttle had nine points in the final quarter. The Warriors connected on nine of 12 free throws in the last minutes of the game as the Vikings attempted to slow them down. The Warriors had successfully overcome, what was a 14-point deficit to win 82-76 and move on to the semifinals of the NSIC tournament.
 
Winona Sate shot 47 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc. Winona State made 24 of 29 free throws. Augustana shot 39 percent from the field and 27 from behind the arc. Augustana made all nine of their free throw opportunities.
 
Jenny Tuttle led all scorers with 25 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists. Tara Roelofs scored 19 points. Kayla Timmerman produced a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as well.
 
Before the game Tara Roelofs was named the 2016-17 NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for women's basketball. As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The NSIC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC's 18 Championships. See the Elite 18 Award link for the full press release.