LEWISTON, Idaho – Every Warrior scored on Tuesday to help No. 10 LC State Women's Basketball advance to the second round of the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship. The Warrior women cruised past Simpson (Calif.) 73-55 and will face former Frontier Conference foe (RV) Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Wednesday with a trip to Sioux City on the line.
Hannah Broyles was solid for LC State with 18 points,
Callie Stevens added 13 and
Maddie Holm notched her third straight double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Broyles opened the contest with five straight points to give LC an early edge. Stevens struck for seven consecutive points to push the margin to 12-3 four minutes in, and an eight-point run with tallies from
Sitara Byrd,
Sara Muehlhausen,
Payton Hymas and
Adyson Clabby had the Warriors ahead 20-5 by 2:16.
Muehlhausen scored once more to end the first quarter with LC in front 22-11.
A fast break basket by
Ella Nelson kept the momentum going in the second frame, and triples by Broyles and Holm pushed the LC State advantage to 30-16 at 6:57. A layup by Holm gave the Warriors a 16-point cushion, 34-18, with six minutes to play in the half. LC State led 37-28 at the break.
A free throw by Holm and 3 by Broyles pushed the lead back out to double-digits, 41-30, at 8:28 before a six-point runs with baskets by Holm, Stevens and Broyles made it a 47-32 game by 5:15. Hymas hit a 3 and Sander added a foul shot to give the Warriors a 54-38 cushion heading into the final 10 minutes.
Lindsey Wilson and Hymas hit back-to-back jumpers to put LC on the board in the fourth quarter, and a scoring run by
Ellie Sander, Stevens and
Mataya Green gave the Warriors a 20-point lead, 71-51, with 2:12 to play.
Green hit the last basket of the game to seal the 73-55 victory.
Broyles led all scorers with 18 points to go with five steals. Stevens scored 13, and Holm had 12 points and 12 boards. Broyles, Sander and Clabby each dished out four assists.
The Warriors shot .435 from the field, and the defense forced 23 Simpson turnovers. LC State won the battle at the board 43-33.
UP NEXT
LC State will face Rocky Mountain on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center in the 2023 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship Second Round, presented by Ballogy. The winner will advance to the NAIA's Round of 16 in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Warriors faced Rocky twice this season and won both meetings.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
