We start off March with the NAIA Division II championship tournament. Will either team have better success then they did at the last tournament? Let’s hope so.
Women
Wed, March 9th
The women’s team started off the tournament against Tennessee Wesleyan; a team that went a decent 17-10 in the regular season.
First Half
At the end of the first half, SXU found themselves up 13 against Tennessee; 37-24. Defense played a huge role in SXU’s early lead as they held their opponents to an extremely inefficient 8-32 (25%) shooting from the field. SXU’s first half stats paint the picture, as they had 3 blocks, 7 steals, and forced Tennessee to turn over the ball 10 total times, turn overs they used to generate extra offense.
Sophomore guard Kara Krolicki was the Halftime Hero with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist in 18 minutes of play. With a comfortable lead, SXU didn’t get complacent, and looked to continue to play tough defense in order to close out this game, and move on in the tournament.
Second Half
In the end, SXU picked up the win in dominating fashion; 86-58. Turn overs were a huge factor in why Tennessee lost and SXU won. Tennessee totaled 23 total turnovers for the game with 13 of them coming in the second half alone.
This was huge for SXU as this created more scoring opportunities for SXU to use in hopes of building a bigger lead. This strategy worked in the end as SXU was able to score 49 in the Second half, outscoring their opponents by 15.
Kara Krolicki had a huge game as she carried her team with 29 big points, 6 rebounds, and a steal in 34 total minutes of play.
Fri, March 11
After winning the first round of the tournament, SXU moved on found themselves matched up against Goshen College. Goshen went 26-8 in the regular season, meaning they were just as good a team as SXU was. This would be a very tightly contested game for both teams.
First Half
At the end of one, SXU found themselves down a hefty 13 as they trail; 32-45. The top reason SXU found themselves trailing early was their shooting. SXU shot a horrendous 11-36 (30.6%) from the field and a woeful 2-15 (13.3%) from the 3-point line, while Goshen shot a respectable 17-39 (43.6%) from the field and 6-13 (46.2%) from the 3-point line.
Turnovers also hurt the Cougars as they had 7 in the half which culminated into more scoring opportunities for Goshen College. Although Kara Krolicki was having a rough shooting game (3-17 shooting), she was still able to get to the line and convert on 5 of her 6 free throw shots, and lead her team with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 20 minutes of play.
To come back and win this game, SXU would have to take smarter shots, and make them with consistency. Also, they needed to hold onto to the ball to avoid giving up valuable possessions.
Second Half
In the end, SXU wasn’t able to comeback as they fell to Goshen College; 66-84. This half was the same story as the first. SXU continued to struggle shooting the ball with 32.4% shooting from the field and 20.4% shooting from the 3-point line. Not only this, but SXU continued to turn over the ball by garnering 12 additional turnovers for the half.
After having such a dominant game in the first round of the tournament, sophomore guard Kara Krolicki really struggled here. While she may have had 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists; Krolicki struggled shooting only 6-27 from the field and had 4 turnovers.
This is a game that SXU needs to re-watch so they can learn from it and grow from it, to ensure they never have a game like this again.
Men
Wed, March 9th
Moving onto the men, they started off the tournament matched up against Davenport University. Davenport went 30-4 in the regular season, so this would prove to quite the challenge for SXU.
First Half
At the end of an exciting quarter, both teams found themselves tied at 36. What factored into SXU being able to hang with Davenport was the 3-point shooting and ability to get to the free throw line. The Cougars converted on 6-16 (37.5%) of their 3-pointers and made all 8 of their free throw shots.
The Halftime Hero for SXU was guard Stanley Moore, who had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. If SXU wants to pull the upset and advance in the tournament, they need to continue to make their shots consistently, and play tighter defense as they allowed Davenport University to shoot 14-27 (51.9%) from the field and if they continue to allow this they will not win this game.
Second Half
In the end, SXU lost this game to Davenport University; 62-77. While they made 6 3-pointers in the first half, SXU was unable to keep this as they 2 of their 12 3-point attempts (16.7%) in the second half. SXU also allowed Davenport to obtain 13 offensive rebounds, and 38 in total for the game, 9 more than SXU’s 29.
The MVP for SXU here was sophomore guard Larry Motusis who had 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. It’s been a tough run for both the Men and Women’s team, but with tragedy comes triumph. Both teams need to look back on the games they played learn from them, and comeback even stronger.
For more sports updates remember to keep it locked here at The Xavierite.
Kenneth Washington
Deputy Sports Editor
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