PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- UND had its doubters. There were those who believed the quickness of Emporia (Kan.) State would be too much for the Sioux.
UND had doubters a year ago, too. Southern Indiana's race-horse style of basketball would be too much for UND to handle in the national title game, some experts said.
The Sioux, however, left no doubt last year or this year. UND used its quickness -- and defense -- to again prove it is the best team in Division II women's basketball.
UND won its second straight NCAA Division II national title with a 92-76 win over Emporia on Saturday before 2,624 fans at the Pine Bluff Convention Center, the overwhelming majority hoping to see the Kansas school complete its season unbeaten.
"For 40 minutes, considering both offense and defense, that was our best basketball game of the season," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "We needed it. That's what champions are supposed to do."
The Sioux, who finished 31-1, again are the national champions because they used their quickness for a decisive 14-2 run in the second half; they handled the Hornets' intense pressure defense; they contained 27-year-old twins Jurgita and Aneta Kausaite; and they also made 22 of 31 second-half free throws to kept Emporia at bay.
Oh, yes, the Sioux also repeated, in part, because of the incredible play of a freshman, Mandy Arndtson, who led UND with 23 points. The 5-foot-11 freshman, playing fearlessly, made 7 of 8 shots from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds.
"Mandy is a player who is only a freshman, but doesn't play like a freshman," Roebuck said. "She loves the game of basketball. Everyone can say they love the game, but Mandy plays it with a passion. When you need her the most, that's when she steps up."
And Arndtson and the Sioux were at their best for a 3 1/2-minute stretch in the second half. UND led 44-37 as the Sioux were able to capitalize on Jenny Crouse's inside scoring and timely 3-pointers by Tiffany Pudenz and Jaime Pudenz. That lead, however, was tenuous, given the explosive nature of Emporia's offense.
Emporia's quickness, however, didn't deliver. The Sioux outquicked Emporia for a 14-2 run that gave UND a 58-39 lead with 14 minutes left. Arndtson, Jaime Pudenz and Tonia Jones all had fast-break baskets in the spurt. And Arndtson accounted for half of the 14 points.
"We lost our composure for a little while," Emporia coach Cindy Stein said of the 14-2 UND run. "A lot of it had to do with a lack of NCAA tournament experience. We had never been down before this season and we tried to get it back too quick."
UND stretched the lead to 74-52 on a three-point play by Tiffany Pudenz with 7:39 left. The Hornets, who Stein said were "shell-shocked" by UND's play during the 14-2 run, intensified its defense and made a run at the Sioux. The Hornets' only hope was to foul and hope the Sioux missed their free throws.
They didn't.
Emporia closed to within 10 (84-74) with 2:43 left, but could get no closer as the Sioux consistently hit their free throws, making 22 of 31 in the second half. Arndtson was 7 of 9 from the line; Tiffany Pudenz was 6 of 8 on the way to 18 points while Jaime Pudenz was 7 of 11 in adding 16 points.
Crouse, the MVP of the Elite Eight, scored 17 points, but it was her defense that stood out. The 6-foot-3 junior grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 9 shots. In three Elite Eight games, Crouse blocked 22 shots.
"It just happens," Crouse said of her shot-blocking ability.
Emporia apparently thought it could score inside against Crouse, even after watching the Sioux center dominate play in the paint in UND's two previous tournament games.
"Crouse affected our inside game," Stein said. "But we weren't going to back down. We won 33 games by going inside."
A big key for the Sioux was their ability to protect the basketball. UND committed a combined 51 turnovers in its two previous national tournament wins. The Sioux turned the ball over 17 times against Emporia, but only seven came in the second half when the Hornets' pressure was intense.
Jaime Pudenz, used her quickness and ballhandling ability to keep UND in control against the press.
"The pressed us well,"said Jaime Pudenz. "It wasn't frustrating, but their press made it difficult. But I had a of players to help me out."
That's the way it was. All of the Sioux players helped out as UND again left no doubt that it's the best team in the nation.
| Emporia State (76) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| Spann | 1-2 | 4-6 | 6 |
| J. Kausaite | 5-17 | 11-11 | 21 |
| A. Kausaite | 8-14 | 0-0 | 19 |
| Flick | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Dinkins | 3-17 | 5-8 | 11 |
| Holloway | 4-6 | 0-0 | 9 |
| Bloss | 1-6 | 3-5 | 5 |
| Kindle | 1-2 | 1-1 | 3 |
| Perine | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Duncan | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Totals | 24-71 | 24-33 | 76 |
| UND (92) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| J. Pudenz | 4-9 | 7-11 | 16 |
| Jones | 1-3 | 1-2 | 3 |
| T. Pudenz | 5-13 | 6-8 | 18 |
| Winger | 3-6 | 0-0 | 6 |
| Kabanuk | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Richards | 3-7 | 2-6 | 9 |
| Arndtson | 7-8 | 7-9 | 23 |
| Crouse | 7-10 | 3-4 | 17 |
| Hoffner | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Super | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Carroll | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Totals | 30-58 | 26-40 | 92 |