PINE BLUFF -- The new kids on the block gave the playground bullies all they wanted, and a lot more than most of the 3,135 in attendance at the Pine Bluff Convention Center expected Saturday afternoon.
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux entered their third straight NCAA Division II national championship game with high confidence and expectations from their nearly 1,000 rowdy and jubilant fans. The 19-point victory margin UND averaged in its 14 consecutive previous NCAA Tournament victories appeared secure.
But the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns and their strong, vocal faithful had much to say about that before it was all said and done. In the end, the Fighting Sioux revealed too many weapons en route to an 80-63 win and their third consecutive NCAA Division II national championship.
"It took a lot for that ball club to beat us today," said Tech Head Coach Joe Foley after the game. "They [Fighting Sioux] are loaded with seniors and they're a good ball club. But to be associated with sophomores and freshmen and one senior, and for them to play in a game of that caliber, and be able to play. I guarantee you, they [Sioux] knew they were in a ball game today.
"It was a great game for us. They may have won, but it may have built a little more character for us. They're losing their seniors, and we have everybody coming back. So we may be the tough team now."
Tech senior Khelli Mullen, who finished the game with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, was named to the Elite Eight all-tournament team. North Dakota senior center and 2-time All-American Jenny Crouse was named the tournament¹s oustanding player. She led all scorers with 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added four blocks.
"I'm very surprised at what this team was able to accomplish, because we are such a young team," Mullen said tearfully after her final collegiate basketball performance. "It's very disappointing not to win, but you can't give enough credit to the girls on this team for what they've done.
"I don't think there was any extra pressure for me in this game than there hasn't been throughout the year. You know, I have all the confidence in the world in those players. All our players can learn a lot from playing in this game. I'm glad we had the opportunity to play them. We see what it's going to take to win. Maybe that will help them next year."
The Golden Suns finished the first half by shooting 47 percent (16-of-34) from the field, while NDU was 54 percent (15-of-28). Tech's shooting fortunes would fall dramatically in the second half as it shot just 11-of-36 field goals in the final 20 minutes, but the game was still in doubt until the final seven minutes.
All-tournament team selection Katie Richards nailed a 3-pointer for the Fighting Sioux, while Jenny Hoffner added another trey 30 seconds later for a 70-57 margin with 6:53 remaining. After four straight missed shots by Tech, Angie Harris made a steal and hit a soft jumper to make it 70-59.
Another all-tournament squad member from NDU, guard Jaime Pudenz, hit a layup layup before four more Sun misses. She sank six straight free throws to stretch the Fighting Sioux's margin to 80-61 before A.J. Thomas' basket with 24.4 seconds to go provided the final margin.
Tech (31-7) maintained a lead for the majority of the opening 20 minutes, and started the game in almost perfect fashion. The Golden Suns hit six of their first eight baskets -- challenging the heighth advantage of Crouse and Co. by slipping underneath the basket or taking quick passes from Mandi Huskey or Mindy Lasater -- to take a 13-12 lead five minutes into the game.
North Dakota (31-1) gained a 5-4 early lead on a 3-pointer by Pudenz, then tied the game at 8-8 on a trey from Richards at the 17:20 mark.
Crouse, who led all first-half scorers with 12 points, scored the Fighting Sioux¹s first basket and provided NDU with a 14-13 edge with 14:18 left in the first half. Lasater then nailed her first 3-pointer to put the Golden Suns ahead until the 3:53 mark.
Tech maintained a 4-point advantage that decreased to 22-21 on Richards' trey with 11 minutes to go. But an impressive reverse layup by Thomas underneath the outstretched arms of Crouse, followed by a soft jumper in the lane by Laura Buss, gave the Suns a 28-23 lead with 9:14 remaining.
After a television time out, Mullen made a steal and layup to give Tech its biggest lead of the first half (34-28) at the 6:03 mark. But an inside bucket from Crouse, a basket and free throw from Tonia Jones and two foul shots by Kami Winger gave the Fighting Sioux their first lead in nearly 11 minutes, 35-34.
North Dakota only surrendered its lead when Mullen scored inside and Huskey hit a free throw with 1:31 to go. Crouse nailed two from the charity stripe to provide the Fighting Sioux¹s 41-37 lead at halftime.
Thomas opened the second half with another inside jumper to close the Suns' gap to 41-39. Then Crouse scored, and Pudenz streaked to the basket for a layup, then landed another after a Thomas bucket and her second personal foul. Tech called a time out with the Fighting Sioux on top 49-41 with three minutes gone.
North Dakota's Tonia Jones added a layup of her own to make it 51-43, but Lasater answered with a 3-pointer to cut that deficit. Buss scored inside after a Jenny Hoffner basket, and the Suns trailed by five with 14:26 remaining.
But that was the closest Tech would get to the Fighting Sioux in the game. Crouse gave NDU an 8-point cushion that lasted until the 8:56 mark, when she scored again after rebounding her own miss for the Fighting Sioux's first double-digit lead (62-52).
Jones' layup completed a 6-0 North Dakota scoring surge that ended when Harris hit an inside jumper and ensuing free throw for a 64-55 score at the 7:38 mark -- just the third field goal of the second half for Golden Suns.
Thomas led Tech with 16 points, followed by Mullen, Harris with 11 and Lasater with 10. Buss added eight points and seven rebounds. Pudenz netted 14 for the Fighting Sioux, followed by Richards with 13 and Jones with 12.
The fifth member of the Elite Eight all-tournament squad was Emporia State senior Jurgita Kausaite, who averaged 27.5 points in her team's two tournament games.
UND
41 39 - 80
Arkansas Tech 37 26
- 63
| UND | FG | FT | Reb | ||||
| Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | PF | A | Pts | |
| Pudenz | 39 | 4-9 | 6-6 | 1-4 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| Jones | 37 | 5-9 | 2-6 | 1-3 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| Hoffner | 13 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Richards | 33 | 4-8 | 2-2 | 3-6 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| Crouse | 33 | 11-18 | 2-5 | 5-12 | 3 | 1 | 24 |
| Winger | 27 | 1-4 | 3-4 | 4-17 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Carroll | 15 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Leno | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Super | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hoffman | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Reb. | 0-4 | ||||||
| Totals | 200 | 30-58 | 11-15 | 15-49 | 11 | 19 | 80 |
Percentages: FG .517, FT .652
3-Point FG: 5-11 .455 (Richards 3-4, Hoffner 2-4, Pudenz 0-3)
Turnovers: 17 (Richards 5, Winger 5, Jones 3)
Blocks: 4 (Crouse 4)
Steals: 4 (Pudenz, Richards, Crouse, Winger)
| Arkansas Tech | FG | FT | Reb | ||||
| Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | PF | A | Pts | |
| Lasater | 39 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Huskey | 39 | 2-9 | 1-2 | 1-5 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Harris | 20 | 5-9 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| Thomas | 29 | 7-10 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 4 | 1 | 16 |
| Mullen | 39 | 6-18 | 1-1 | 3-5 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Buss | 30 | 4-11 | 0-2 | 3-7 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Hodges | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Compton | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Compton | 1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Reb. | 2-2 | ||||||
| Totals | 200 | 28-70 | 5-8 | 10-27 | 18 | 20 | 63 |
Percentages: FG .400, FT .625
3-Point FG: 2-11 .182 (Lasater 2-5, Huskey 0-3, Mullen 0-2, Buss 0-1)
Turnovers: 10 (Thomas 4, Mullen 2, Huskey 2)
Blocks: 0
Steals: 5 (Huskey, Harris, Thomas, Mullen, Buss)
Attendance - 3, 135