Green Knights Take Care of Grinnell

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, January 31, 2020 | Women's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College won for the fifth time in its last seven games with a solid 59-46 win over Grinnell College in a Midwest Conference game on Connie Tilley Court at Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center.

The Green Knights built a 10-point lead in the early going, going from a 5-5 tie to a 17-7 lead after a 12-2 run. Olivia DeCleene and Mary Cravillion canned 3-pointers during the run, and Jessica Boerner's hoop put St. Norbert ahead 17-7 with 2:20 left in the period. The Green Knights led 17-10 after the first period.

St. Norbert scored seven of the first eight points in the second quarter, with Cravillion getting a basket, Kaycee Gierczak a 3-pointer and Boerner another hoop for a 24-1 lead with 6:36 left. The Green Knights would keep their double-digit lead into halftime with a 28-16 advantage.

Things escalated quickly in the third quarter, with St. Norbert opening the period on an 11-1 run for a 39-17 lead with 6:51 left in the frame on a Gierczak basket. The Green Knights would lead by 24 points at 44-20 on a Boerner hoop at the 4:37 mark and led 50-30 at the end of the quarter.

St. Norbert led 54-33 with 7:14 to go before Grinnell mounted a last-ditch rally by going on a 13-0 run to get to within 54-46 with 2:48 left, but Gierczak's layup with 2:16 to go put St. Norbert up 56-46 and effectively decided the outcome.

The Green Knights shot 35.9 percent (23-for-64) from the floor. Gierczak led St. Norbert with 15 points, while Boerner totaled 13 points. Macie Zurfluh just missed a triple double with 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Grinnell shot 30.6 percent (15-for-49) from the floor. Tyria Heath was the only Pioneer to reach double figures with 20 points.