By Nikki Sherrill, Athletics Communications & Media Intern

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) After a second-round game which had three different individuals performance highlighted, No. 1 Saint Xavier (Ill.) hoped to carry that momentum and energy into their quarterfinal contest against No. 2 College of the Ozarks (Mo.). The Cougars powered past the Bobcats, who came off a big win over hometown-favorite Morningside, with a 69-53 win to excel them into their first-ever national semifinals.       

With the Cougar win, all No. 1 seeds have advanced into Monday, proving the seeding correct. Saint Xavier, now 33-2 on the year, will see fellow No. 1 in Concordia (Neb.) (34-2) in the second semifinal Monday night. Concordia eliminated No. 3 Jamestown (N.D.) earlier in the day 74-59. The loss drops College of the Ozarks to 28-5 to conclude its season.

Saint Xavier was all over the Bobcats early on, closing the opening quarter with a 22-9 score. The advantage remained with the Cougars into the next quarter as they held the Bobcats scoreless until four minutes into the second quarter. A shooting foul picked up by Brittany Collins counted as her third and prompted a rest to keep her in the game for the second half. The foul allowed free shots and the Bobcats to make a small run. Despite the help of having Collins on the bench and out of their hands, the Bobcats still remained behind the Cougars for the entirety of the game. Saint Xavier held its largest lead at 24 points in the second quarter.

Ozarks closed the gap in the third as they ended down by 16 points. The big factor helping the Cougars was from beyond the arc as they cashed in 00 in the game compared to only 00 from the Bobcats and none hitting in the third quarter. Ozarks was never able to lead the contest and the Cougars were able to walk into the semifinals with another win over thirty on the season under their belts.

Despite her time on the bench after picking up her fouls, Collins was able to make a difference. With her 23 rebounds, she became just the second Saint Xavier player to record 20+ rebounds in a single game. Collins also brought in 21 points which led all scorers in the game. Maddie Welter (11), Chanel Fanter (12) and Kara Krolicki (11) were the other Cougars to drop double-digits in the game. As a team, Saint Xavier out-shot the Bobcats, going 43 percent from the floor on 26-of-60.

Three players hit the double-digit mark for Ozarks, led by Hannah Wisdom who netted a team-high 15 points. From the floor, the Bobcats were bettered by the Cougars as they only shot 26 percent on 20-of-77. Kelsie Cleeton was the leader the Bobcats as she pulled down a strong 15 rebounds and 10 points.

In an NAIA-most 22 national championship appearances, College of the Ozarks’ all-time record at the event now drops to 37-22. The Bobcats have finished second five times and one third-place finish.