No. 5 Cardinal Stritch Stiffens No. 4 IU Northwest
Story by Nikki Sherrill, Athletics Communications and Media Intern
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) The second match-up of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship paired up No. 5 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) against No. 4 IU Northwest (Ind.). With the chance to advance to the second-round on the line, the Wolves jumped out to an early lead over the Redhawks and never looked back as they move on and earn their 17th national championship victory, 71-51. Cardinal Stritch moves to 25-6 overall, while IU Northwest drops to 25-7 to end their season.
Cardinal Stritch, an at-large qualifier, moved on to the second round and will face the winner of No. 1 Concordia (Neb.) (31-2) and No. 8 Bryan (Tenn.) (18-14) on Friday at 10:15 a.m. IU Northwest, who qualified as the Association of Independent Institutions’ tournament runner-up, ended their season at 25-7 in their third appearance in the national championship.
The Wolves never let up on the strong play, as they maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. The largest lead for Cardinal Stritch came at the 5:49 minute mark when it jumped to an 18-point lead over the Redhawks. Led by Maranda Huibregtse, who netted 25 total points, going 8-of-17 from the field, Cardinal Stritch earned their 25th victory on the year. Senior Nicole Fenner also made her impact on the game for the Wolves, pulling down four rebounds and scoring 15 points.
Nicki Monahan, the senior guard for IU Northwest, utilized her game to anchor the Redhawks’ charge. With 17 points and five rebounds, Monahan was just-shy of her average. From the field, IU Northwest was 19-of-51. Grayce Roach was the only other Redhawk to hit the double-digit scoring mark in the contest with 10 points. Cardinal Stritch ended the match shooting 23-of-51, while pulling down pulled down 37 total rebounds.
With the win, the Wolves look to avenge a second-round loss and move into the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2014 national championship. Last season, Cardinal Stritch was knocked out in the second-round at the hands of Morningside (Iowa).
