By Jacob Knabel, Concordia (Neb.) Sports Information Director

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) For the first time since 2011, Marian (Ind.) is headed to the second round of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships. In Wednesday night’s first-round action, the ninth-ranked Knights, seeded third, cruised to a 76-59 win over No. 24 Milligan (Tenn.) in the 2016 event presented by Mercy Medical Center and Seaboard Triumph Foods.

It was the first national tournament win for head coach Katie Gearlds, now in her third year at the helm of Marian (28-6). On the other hand, Rich Aubrey’s Buffaloes slipped to 23-8 overall following the program’s sixth all-time national championships appearance. The Knights will move on to the second round to play either second-seeded Jamestown (N.D.) or seventh-seeded Oregon Tech.

Crossroads League player of the year Lakan Hasser-Smith, a junior guard from Lafayette, Ind., churned out 12 of her 24 points in the first half as Marian built a 40-27 lead. When Milligan cut a 20-point deficit down to 11 midway through the fourth quarter, the Knights again turned to their star. Hasser-Smith made a difficult shot in the lane with 4:22 left to bump the lead back up to 14.

The Buffaloes, a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference, never seriously threatened after trailing by nine after a quarter of play. Milligan shot only 36.2 percent from the floor and was held more than 11 points below its season scoring average of 70.7. It got 18 points and nine rebounds from freshman forward Sarah Robinson.

Hasser-Smith ended up seven rebounds to go along with her game high 24 points. Kellie Kirkhoff added 15 points and Jessica Almeida 10. Not just one-man band, Marian’s bench got the upper hand in terms of scoring, 29-15. The Knights also owned a significant advantage on the boards, 48-35.

Marian had lost three of its previous five games entering the tournament. Prior to that the Knights had put together a 17-game win streak. They are now 2-2 all-time at the national championships.