Late Defensive Stand Lifts St. Norbert to Win

From Sports Information Director, January 12, 2008 | Women's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College remained unbeaten in Midwest Conference by getting a defensive stop on the game's final possession, holding off Beloit College 55-54 at Schuldes Sports Center. The Green Knights are 7-3 overall, 4-0 in the MWC. Beloit dropped to 5-5, 2-2.

The triumph was the 500th win in women's basketball for St. Norbert, making it only the second Wisconsin Division III school to accomplish the feat. It was also the first Midwest Conference team to reach the mark.

In the game's final sequence, St. Norbert inbounded from under the Beloit basket three times, as the Buccaneers entered the game's waning moments with three fouls to give. Following two fouls, on the third inbound with 4.5 seconds left Beloit's Mary Parker stole the pass and got off an off-balance shot, which Rachel Hermus rebounded as time expired.

St. Norbert led 53-45 with 4:01 left following a Denise Heuser 3-pointer. Beloit would charge back with a pair of free throws and a layup by Parker, and a long 3-pointer by Amanda Moore to get within 53-52 with 2:28 left. Parker then put the Buccaneers up 54-53 with 1:34 to go on another layup. The Green Knights didn't score on their next possession but got the ball back on an over-and-back violation on Beloit. Linsey Propson's driving layup with 1:01 left were the game's final points.

St. Norbert led by as many as 11 points, once in each half.

Heuser led St. Norbert with 13 points, while Hermus and Morgan Strasser each chipped in 12 points apiece. The Green Knights, who made just 22 of 56 field goals (39.3 percent), outrebounded Beloit 35-34.

Angie Meehan led Beloit with 14 points, with Moore adding 12 and Katie McCool 11. Beloit, which had 20 turnovers, shot 36.4 percent (20-for-55) from the field.