By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
WHITEWATER, Wis. -- Millikin University (Ill.) built a 52-30 halftime lead against Willamette University and held a 58-33 advantage early in the third quarter of their NCAA Division III Women's National Tournament first round game on Friday, March 1 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Bearcats responded with a massive rally, cutting the margin to nine points at the end of the third quarter, and moving within six points with 33 seconds left, before the Big Blue defeated Willamette, 91-83.
WU ultimately cut the lead to five points at 88-83 on a 3-pointer by Elyse Waldal (Jr., F, Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak HS/Linfield University) with five seconds left, but the Bearcats ran out of time, as Millikin advanced into the second round of the Whitewater Regional with a 23-5 overall record. Willamette concluded its season at 17-10.
Carolyn Ho (Sr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) led Willamette with 21 points to top five Bearcats in double figures. She scored 17 of her points in the second half. Ho was 9 of 12 on field goals and 2 of 3 on 3-pointers. She also contributed three assists and a game-high four steals. Danielle Morgan (Sr., F, Lompoc, CA/Lompoc HS/California Lutheran Univ.) followed with 16 points as she hit 7 of 8 field goal attempts and went 2 for 2 at the free throw line.
Waldal provided WU with 14 points, including a trio of 3-point shots. She led the Bearcats with six rebounds and had two steals. Waldal earned 11 points in the second half.
Ava Kitchin (Sr., P, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) and Kaitlin Imai (So., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS) each scored 10 points. Kitchin recorded all of her points in the second half on 5-for-5 shooting. She also grabbed three rebounds and earned three steals. Imai accumulated five rebounds and five assists. Megan River (Sr., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) finished with four assists.
Elyse Knudsen of Millikin outscored all players by putting in 36 points, including four 3-point baskets. She also contributed five rebounds, and three assists. She scored 23 points in the first half. Knudsen entered the game ranked second in NCAA Division III in scoring at 25.8 points per game. Sophie Darden added 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting plus a 7-for-8 effort at the free throw line. Darden was credited with six boars, three assists, and two steals.
Bailey Coffman tallied 13 points for the Big Blue. She was 10 for 10 at the free throw line but converted just 1 of 9 field goal attempts. Emily White earned eight points for Millikin.
Although Millikin built a 22-point advantage in the first half, Willamette shot well throughout the game and finished at 55.6% (35 of 63), including 8 of 22 on 3-point shots (36.4%).
Millikin connected on 58.1% of its field goals in the first half (18 of 31), including 4 of 11 on 3-pointers (36.4%), while Willamette was 13 of 28 overall (46.43%) and 1 for 11 on 3-pointers. The Big Blue was 12 for 12 at the free throw line in the first half, while WU went 3 for 3.
During the final 20 minutes, the Big Blue was 12 of 28 on all field goals (42.9%) and 4 of 11 on 3-pointers. Meanwhile, WU converted 22 of 35 field goals (62.9%) in the second half and made 7 of 11 three-point shots (63.6%). Millikin hit 11 of 14 free throws in the final two quarters to help hold off the Bearcats, while Willamette was 2 for 3.
The Big Blue held a 6-2 lead in the first quarter, but the Bearcats moved in front 9-8 on a jump shot by Imai with 4:47 on the clock. Millikin scored the next 11 points to grab a 19-9 advantage with 2:20 to go in the quarter. The run included five points from Coffman, four points by Darden, and two from Knudsen. Waldal broke the run with a layup and a foul shot at the 2:04 mark to pull WU within 19-12, but Millikin owned a 24-14 lead entering the second quarter.
MU opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer by Knudsen, but Willamette countered with an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 29-22 with 7:40 remaining in the half. Morgan earned six of the eight points for the Bearcats. The Big Blue gradually pulled away over the remainder of the second quarter. A fast-break layup by Knudsen at the buzzer gave Millikin a 52-30 halftime margin.
The largest lead of the game, 58-33, was gained by Millikin with 8:35 left in the third quarter on a basket by Darden. Later, WU trailed 66-43 with 2:47 on the clock following a layup by Dardeen, but the Bearcats closed the third quarter with a 12-3 surge that reduced the margin to 69-55.
Willamette's offensive outburst began with a 3-pointer by Waldal and continued with back-to-back layups by Ho after stealing the ball. Kitchin added a fast-break layup and Gardner added a traditional three-point play with two seconds on the clock.
The teams exchanged baskets for much of the fourth quarter, but WU pulled within 11 points at 73-62 on a jumper by Ho with 6:34 to play. Millikin was in front 83-67 with 2:33 remaining when the Bearcats began their final rally.
A layup by Kitchin reduced the lead to 83-72 with 54 seconds left. Darden added a free throw for Millikin, but a layup and foul shot by Ho with 33 seconds to go cut the margin to 84-75. After a turnover, Waldal tacked on a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left to cut the deficit to 84-78. The Big Blue hit 7 of 8 free throws the rest of the way to secure the win.
