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UW-Whitewater women race past St. Thomas

WHITEWATER — Fighting back tears after a disheartening loss to UW-Stevens Point in the WIAC tournament championship last Saturday, UW-Whitewater senior guard Nicole Bundy wasn’t sure if her Warhawk playing career was over.

But when she heard the news that Whitewater was included in the NCAA Division III tournament, Bundy was certain she’d make the most of her second chance.

Bundy scored a game-high 25 points, including 13 during a crucial 28-9 second-half run that propelled Whitewater past St. Thomas, 91-73, in an NCAA Division III tournament first- round game here Friday night.

Whitewater (21-7) moves on to face Carthage (23-4) in a second- game here at 7 tonight.

The Reds knocked off Northland College, 73-60, in the other first-round game at Kachel Gym.

Carthage, however, was the furthest thing from Bundy’s mind after a stressful week.

“This game definitely was a second chance for us,” said Bundy, who was one of five Warhawk players to reach double figures in scoring. “We were so nervous all Sunday, and none of us could sleep, and that (an at-large bid) was all we could think about. Monday came around, and we got the bid, and we were excited.”

Whitewater finally got the home crowd excited midway through the second half. After Rachel Booth’s lay-up gave the Tommies a 64-63 lead, Whitewater reclaimed momentum with a 10-3 run en route to a 74-66 lead with 6:15 left.

Bundy then put the game out of reach with eight more points to help the Warhawks blow the game open at 86-71 with two minutes to play.

“Our composure throughout the last 20 minutes was outstanding and probably the best I’ve seen all year,” Warhawk coach Keri Carollo said.

The Warhawk composure was exactly what the Tommies lacked down the stretch of the second half.

“We lost our poise tonight,’’ said St. Thomas coach Ruth Sinn, whose team gave up a season-high point total. “And that has not happened in a while,”

Whitewater showed its poise from the opening tip. Warhawk freshman center Cortney Kumerow’s six early points helped the host team build a 9-4 lead early in the first half.

The game remained close for the first 10 minutes of the second half before Whitewater took control.

Booth paced the Tommies with 19 points.

WHITEWATER 91, ST. THOMAS 73

St. Thomas (73)—Sears 4-9 1-2 10, Johnson 6-11 2-3 16, Theisen 2-6 2-2 6, Townsen 3-4 3-4 9, Booth 7-13 5-5 19, Dienhart 0-5 0-0 0, Smith, 4-5 2-3 11, Robinson 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 27-57 15-19 73.

Whitewater (91)—Hendrickson 6-13 2-3 15, Bundy, 7-15 7-8 25, Sonntag, 4-9 0-0 10, Burg 7-14 3-5 17, Kumerow 7-9 0-0 14, Moran, 2-8 0-0 5, Glynn, 0-0 0-0 0, Beese 2-3 1-1 5. Totals: 35-71 13-17 91.

St. Thomas 39 34—73

UW-Whitewater 41 50—91

Three-point goals—St. Thomas 4-15 (Sears 1-2, Johnson 2-5, Theisen 0-1, Townsend 0-1, Booth 0-1, Dienhart 0-2, Smith 1-1, Robinson 0-2), UW-Whitewater 8-19 (Hendrickson 1-4, Bundy 4-7, Sonntag 2-3, Chantel 0-1, Moran 1-4). Rebounds—St. Thomas 33 (Booth 8), UW-Whitewater 38 (Burg 11). Assists—St. Thomas 10 (Dienhart 3), UW-Whitewater 21 (Hendrickson 8). Total fouls—St. Thomas 16, Whitewater 14.

n Carthage 73, Northland 60—Carthage College (23-4) advanced to tonight’s title game by winning its first ever Division III tournament game in Friday night’s regional opener. Diana Jacklin scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Carthage.

Northland finished 18-9.

CARTHAGE 73, NORTHLAND 60

Northland (60)—Runge 3-8 0-0 8, Hamm 5-10 0-0 14, Mackey 2-6 2-2 8, Waytashek 1-4 0-0 2, Lundgren 4-8 2-3 10, Seelye 1-3 6-6 8, Stanfield 0-1 1-2 1, Fisher 2-5 5-5 9. Totals: 18-45 16-18 60.

Carthage (73)—Ripkey 3-8 0-0 9, Klemke 3-7 0-0 7, Jacklin 10-14 0-2 20, Gilmore 4-5 2-2 10, Dorn 5-9 0-0 12, Pancratz 0-2 0-0 0, Groessl 4-9 0-0 9, Tondelli 0-1 0-0 0, Corcoran 3-8 0-0 6. Totals: 32-63 2-4 73.

Northland 28 32—60

Carthage 47 26—73

Three-point goals—Northland 8-22 (Runge 2-3, Hamm 4-6, Mackey 2-4, Waytashek 0-1, Lundgren 0-4, Seelye 0-2, Stanfield 0-1), Carthage 7-16 (Ripkey 3-5, Klemke 1-4, Dorn 2-3, Pancratz 0-1, Groessl 1-2, Tondelli 0-1). Rebounds—Northland 31 (Fisher 8), Carthage 14 (Jacklin 14). Assists—Northland 11 (Runge 3, Seelye 3), Carthage 17 (Klemke 4, Gilmore 4). Total fouls—Northland 11, Carthage 17.