Green Knights Hang On for Big Win at Carroll

From Sports Information Director, February 11, 2014 | Women's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

WAUKESHA - St. Norbert College kept its Midwest Conference title hopes alive with a bizarre 62-58 win over Carroll University at Van Male Fieldhouse.

The Green Knights (16-4, 13-2 MWC) are tied with Cornell College for first place in the league with three games remaining. St. Norbert almost saw a seven-point lead over the Pioneers (13-8, 10-6) with 2 minutes remaining evaporate but held on.

St. Norbert took a 59-52 lead with 2:04 remaining on Brianna Byrne's conventional three-point play. The Pioneers' Brianna Johnson scored with 1:45 left. Following a trade of possessions, Carroll's Emily DeNoyer then canned a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. St. Norbert was whistled for an off-ball foul on the shot so the Pioneers' Julie Piech had a chance to tie the game at the free-throw line, but split a pair of charity tosses to cut it to 59-58.

Byrne then split a pair of free throws with 50 seconds left for a 60-58 lead. Carroll's Corrine Engles missed a jumper with 30 seconds to go. Heidi Van Sistine rebounded for the Green Knights and found Byrne on an outlet, and she scored with 21 seconds left for the game's final points.

Both teams battled tooth-and-nail from start to finish. Neither team led by more than five points in the first half before settling on a 22-22 halftime tie. Carroll's biggest second-half lead was 34-29 with 14:20 left before the Green Knights tied it at 34-34 with 12:49 to go. The Green Knights had a 47-46 lead with 5:35 left before a quick 7-0 spurt but them ahead 54-46 with 3:53 left to precede the game's final moments.

Byrne finished with a career-high 20 points. Tasha Giese added 12 points, while Lauren Carman had eight points. The Green Knights shot 61.0 percent (25-for-41) from the floor, which offset an icy 45.8 percent (11-for-24) at the free-throw line.

DeNoyer led the Pioneers with 17 points, and was the only Carroll player to reach double figures. Brianna Johnson added nine points for the Pioneers, who shot 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the floor.