HAYS, KANSAS  –   The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Regional semifinal for the first time since 2005-06. 

It certainly wasn't the easiest win the #16 Huskies have come by this season, but they earned their first NCAA Tournament win in 16 years. St. Cloud State needed an extra five minutes to do it, but the No. 5 seed downed (RV) Missouri Southern 69-67 to advance to the NCAA Regional semifinal for the first time since 2005-06. Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) led all scorers with 22 points, hitting a clutch free throw in the final seconds to clinch the victory for the Huskies. 

In their first ever meeting with the Lions, the Huskies struggled early in the game, surrendering 14 points in the opening four minutes before settling into their rhythm. St. Cloud State stuck with its game plan, using a 6-2 run in the closing minutes to make it 16-11 after the first quarter. Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) led the Huskies early scoring charge, accounting for seven of the team's 11 first quarter points. 

St. Cloud State's defense kicked it up a notch to open the second quarter, but shots were hard to come by for the Huskies offense. In fact, nearly a full three minutes passed before either team scored a basket, and it was Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany) who finally broke through for St. Cloud. Unfortunately, Navratil's basket also kicked the Lions offense into gear, as the home team cruised out to a 26-19 lead by the first media timeout. The Huskies never panicked, though. Led by the combined efforts of Evans, Caitlyn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) and Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North), St. Cloud State closed the gap to a single point, using a huge defensive surge to cut the Missouri Southern lead to 26-25 at the half. 

It was again the Lions that scored to open the third quarter, but the Huskies didn't take nearly as long to answer, keeping it a one possession game through the early minutes. It allowed St. Cloud State to eventually take its first lead of the game, as Navratil nabbed a 29-28 lead with a left-handed jumper before Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) made it 32-30 with her first basket of the game. 

Wortz' basket lit something in the Huskies, as they held a 44-42 lead entering the fourth and final quarter. The two teams, though, would duke it out for offensive supremacy, as neither could take advantage of turnovers and open shots. Late in the game, things started to slip away from St. Cloud State, as the Huskies fell behind 54-49 at the media timeout. Still, the Huskies battled, staying within a single possession until the closing minutes, when Evans tied it with a three and gave St. Cloud State a 62-59 advantage with one minute remaining. 

Missouri Southern forced overtime in the closing seconds, tying the game at 62-62 and forcing a Husky turnover to force the extra five minutes. It looked like St. Cloud State was running out of gas, though, as the Lions opened overtime with a 4-0 scoring run to jump ahead 66-62. The Huskies were not deterred, cutting the lead to 66-64 and eventually tying it on a steal and basket by Katrina Theis (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove). Evans, then, hit three of four free throws in the closing seconds, while Theis came up with a monster defensive rebounding, clinching the 69-67 victory for St. Cloud State. 

TOP HUSKIES

• Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) led all scorers Friday evening, as she tallied the second double-double of her career with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The senior added two assists and three steals to her stat line. 
• Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) also tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also led the game with three blocks on defense. 
• Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) scored 13 points in the second half and added five rebounds and three assists. 

UP NEXT
The lone team still standing from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), the Huskies will face top-seeded Fort Hays State in the NCAA Regional semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 12.

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