SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Winona State (17-12) reaches the NSIC Tournament Championship for the first time since 2011 after defeating Concordia-St. Paul last night, 66-56.
Their opponent, No. 10 Augustana (26-3) reaches the title game after breezing past Sioux Falls, 63-43.
The two teams split the season series with Winona State defeating the Vikings in their most recent matchup, 71-76.
This year marks the third straight year the two teams have met in the playoffs. Last season, the Warriors overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat Augustana in the quarterfinals, 82-76.
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SEMIFINAL SUCCESS: The streak from beyond the arc continued for the Warriors Monday night as Winona State shot 48 percent from the three-point line en route to victory.
Gabie Doud helped propel the Warriors to an early lead, knocking down a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter. In the second half,
Allie Pickrain picked up where Doud left off, connecting on four three-pointers over the final 20 minutes. The Golden Bears cut the Warrior lead to eight points in the final minutes of the contest, but Winona State refused to surrender the lead.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS: Augustana is returning to the NSIC Championship game for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Winners of their last four games, the Vikings have outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points over that stretch. Much of that success can be attributed to Augastana's ability to consistently shoot the ball. In this year's tournament, the Vikings have shot 47 percent from the field in three games. The O'Farrell twins have asserted their dominance on the court, as the two lead the team in scoring and steals. Logan O'Farrell was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year for the third time as she has collected a league high 3.2 steals per game this year. Prestley was honored with second team All-NSIC honors this year, and averages 11.8 points per game while collecting 4.7 rebounds per game.
YOUR TIME TO SHINE: It's been a total team effort by Winona State to reach the championship game. Junior's
Liz Evenocheck and
Rachel Novotny each spent time in the Warrior starting lineup this season, and have each shined in a reserve role during the postseason tournament. Novotny recorded her highest point total in over a month (16 points) on 7-of-8 shooting in Winona's opening round road game against Minot State. In yesterday's semifinal game, Evenocheck scored 12 – her highest total in over a month as well.
ROLLER COASTER SEASON: Winning 13 of their first 14 games, Winona State spent the first half of the season near the top of the south division. Midway through the year, the Warriors hit the toughest part of their schedule and went on a 10-game losing streak. Down the stretch, the team was playing competitive games, but just couldn't get over the hump until the final weekend of the season when they defeated tonight's opponent Augustana. The Warriors are playing with a sense of grit and determination that we saw earlier this season, poised for a chance at the NSIC title.
CEMENTING HER LEGACY: As
Hannah McGlone collected her fourth rebound in Sunday's game against Northern State, the senior became Winona States all-time leader in rebounds, eclipsing the record previously held by Lisa Parsons (928). McGlone also became a member of the 1,000 point club and now sits 16th on the all-time scoring list (1,063). McGlone and Parsons are the only two women in Winona State history to score over 1,000 points and collect 900 rebounds in their career. This past Wednesday marked her 120th career game which placed McGlone at the top of the list for most games played in by an individual in program history.
