PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- When Mandy Arndtson made her recruiting visit to UND, Sioux coach Gene Roebuck played a Kelli Britz highlight tape.
"It showed Kelli shooting 3-pointers. It showed Kelli grabbing rebounds and going coast to coast with them," Roebuck said.
"I told Mandy, 'This is why I'm recruiting you. To do this.'"
When UND won its first national title last year, Britz made the all-tournament team behind nailing 3-pointers and bolting to the other end after snatching rebounds.
Other than the pony tail being a little shorter this time, Arndtson played that same role Saturday as the Sioux claimed their second straight national title, this time by 92-76 over Emporia (Kan.) State.
Arndtson had a statistical line out of a dream -- 7 of 8 from the field, 7 of 9 from the line, 10 rebounds, team-high 23 points and zero turnovers.
"I wasn't real happy with the way I started the first two games here," Arndston said. "I went out there with no fear this time."
She may have started poorly in the first two games here, but she finished strong in both. She scored 16 points in the first-round win over Bentley College, then made the big stretch plays against Northern Michigan.
Kind of like Britz. With one big exception. Britz was a senior; Arndtson is a freshman.
Freshmen aren't supposed to do that. Not at national tournaments. Not when surrounded by players with more playoff seasoning.
Roebuck knew he was getting a player that wasn't cut from the usual power forward mold, a player who would create matchup problems for opponents. He knew he was getting someone who could run and shoot from outside, two qualities that usually don't go with that position.
He didn't know he was getting someone with steely nerves, however. But he had an idea by the way she played.
"I saw her at this camp she attended just after she had been at an AAU tournament," Roebuck said. "These were just camp games, but she was going so hard, having such a blast out there playing. Those are the players I want -- the ones with a real passion for the game."
That love of the game, UND point guard Jaime Pudenz says, is probably why Mandy is as unshakeable as concrete.
"Mandy is a big-time player," Pudenz said. "She doesn't have the tournament experience, but she plays like it. I think it's because she just plays by instinct."
Senior starting forward Elisha Kabanuk's theory on Arndtson's unflappable play is a hybrid of focus and effort. "Mandy plays with no distractions," Kabanuk said. "When she hits the floor, whether it's a practice or a game, she keeps going hard until it's all done."
Unlike her first two games, when was benched after short stints because of jittery play, Arndtson was sharp from the start Saturday. About 10 seconds after she entered the game, she scored on a drive.
Her 3-pointer in the closing seconds provided a 40-32 halftime lead and then she had seven of the points in a 14-2 run early in the second half that decided matters.
"I just relaxed and played today," Arndston said. "Maybe I just wanted it too bad those first two games and was scared to lose."
She showed no fright Saturday. And she kept up Roebuck's run of having recruited at least one major impact player for four straight years. UND's starting lineup included three players named North Central Conference Freshman of the Year -- senior Tiffany Pudenz, junior Jenny Crouse and sophomore Jaime Pudenz.
St. Cloud State's center Christine Williamson won the award this year, although Arndston received a lot of support around the league, especially at UND.
"I felt from the get-go this season that we had the best freshman in the league and I still feel that way," Roebuck said.
It's too late for a recount, but who watching Saturday's national championship game could have argued?
"Obviously, this is more important," Arndtson said.