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

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score - Bracket) Top-seeded Southern Oregon refused to have its season end at the hands of another upset-minded Cinderella in Thursday afternoon’s first-round game at the 2016 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships, presented by Mercy Medical Center and Seaboard Triumph Foods. The Raiders blew open a 16-3 lead out of the gate and throttled eighth-seeded Clarke (Iowa), 85-63.

In his first season at the helm of Southern Oregon, head coach Alex Carlson will lead his squad into Friday’s second-round action with an overall record of 30-1. The Raiders are riding a 14-game winning streak since their only defeat of the season. Meanwhile, Clarke fell to 19-13 overall following its second-straight journey to the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Clarke and playmaking senior guard Breland Prochaska competed hard, but their 29 turnovers gave them little shot of pulling an upset. Southern Oregon pushed the pace with its full-court pressure defense while pulverizing the Crusaders with superior size (51-41 rebound advantage). The Raiders had the game well in hand by the halftime break when it enjoyed a 46-28 lead.

Southern Oregon also owned a massive advantage from the 3-point line, where it made 11 shots in comparison to Clarke’s 0-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. The Raiders got four triples alone from Ashley Claussen and Autumn Durand (2-for-3 on 3-point shots) racked up 21 points and 10 rebounds. Carly Meister chipped in 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field.

Kelsey Ernst pitched in a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) for Clarke, currently part of the Association of Independent Institutions. Prochaska was limited to eight points (3-for-13) from the field. The Crusaders made their first-ever national tournament in 2015 under head coach Don Adams, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the program.

Carlson is aiming to take Southern Oregon, ranked third in the final coaches’ poll, to heights it’s never reached. The Raiders have advanced to the semifinals once in program history but have failed to land a spot in the title game. They play again at 5:15 p.m. CT on Friday versus Briar Cliff (Iowa) (23-9).