Green Knights Fall to Carroll in MWC Tournament

From Sports Information Director, February 24, 2012 | Women's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College suffered a 61-60 loss to Carroll University in a semifinal game of the Midwest Conference Tournament on Connie Tilley Court at Schuldes Sports Center.

The Green Knights finished the season 19-5 after winning the Midwest Conference title with a 17-1 record. Carroll, which lost 97-46 on the same floor 13 days ago, improved to 13-11. The Pioneers will face Monmouth in Saturday's 3 p.m. championship, with the Scots claiming a 76-62 win over Lake Forest in the other semifinal.

The game featured 12 ties and seven lead changes. The score was tied 50-50 with 6 minutes 50 seconds left before St. Norbert went on a 6-1 run to take a 56-51 lead. Tasha Giese had a basket and a conventional three-point play to start the run, while Krista Hawkinson added a free throw. Hawkinson's charity shot with 4:56 to go gave the Green Knights their biggest lead of the game. Neither team scored again until Janelle Groer canned a 3-pointer for Carroll with 3:15 left to cut into the deficit.

The Pioneers squared the game at 56-56 with 1:39 to go on a hoop by Hillary Arthur. Jamie Kuhl rebounded her own miss for a 58-56 lead with 1:07 left, but Groer was clutch again, canning a triple from the right wing for a 59-58 lead with 44 seconds to go. Arthur made a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left for a 61-58 lead, and St. Norbert couldn't get the game-tying 3-pointer to fall.

Groer finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds for Carroll, including 21 points in the first half. The Pioneers shot 46.3 percent from the floor, making 25 of 54 field goals. Emily DeNoyer and Breann Maryanski had 10 points apiece for the Pioneers.

St. Norbert shot 37.7 percent from the floor, making 23 of 61 shots. Giese had 15 points, while Kuhl had 18 points and nine rebounds. Krista Pelky added 13 points.