North Dakota State Athletics
5-0
St. Mary's (Texas)
2-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's (Texas) | 34 | 39 | 73 |
| North Dakota State | 44 | 38 | 82 |
Lorenz Steal, Career-High 26 Points Helps Bison Silence Rattlers 82-73 at Turkey Day Shootout
11/27/2004 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KINGSVILLE, Texas--Tournament MVP Katie Lorenz scored a career-high 26 points, but it was a steal late in the game that was key in North Dakota State's 82-73 win over St. Mary's University on Saturday, Nov. 27, in the final game of the Turkey Day Shootout at Texas A&M-Kingsville's Steinke Center. The Bison went 3-0 at the three-day tournament and finished as the lone undefeated team.
North Dakota State (5-0) is scheduled to host Mesa State, Colo. (3-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, in the opening round of the NDSU Valley Imports Classic. In the other contest, Minnesota-Duluth (4-0) plays Wingate University, N.C. (2-3) at 5:30 p.m.
Lorenz, a 5-foot-8 junior from Langdon, N.D., came up with a critical steal from St. Mary's Chronda Reagan with 1:22 left. North Dakota State was closely guarding a 74-71 lead. The Bison watched a late 14-point lead in the second half was whittled away. Lorenz was fouled and hit a pair of free throws.
"I think she (Chronda) was trying to get them into their offense. I guess I picked her pocket, I reached in there and grabbed it," said Lorenz, who drained six straight free throws and also assisted on a Brandee Gibbs bucket in the final minute.
"She's a very good player," said Lorenz of her St. Mary's counterpart, Reagan, who netted a game-high 30 points on a variety of moves and shots. Reagan hit 10 of 17 from the field and 8 of 12 from the free throw line.
"Her ability to shoot off the dribble gave us a lot of trouble. We hacked her a lot and sent her to the foul line."
North Dakota State held a 10-point lead for half of the game including a 44-34 halftime lead, but couldn't quite put the Rattlers (2-4) away. Following a Lisa Bue steal and layup, the Bison went up 70-56 with 7:10 remaining in the game. Bue with 10 and Lacey Johnson with 11 joined Lorenz in double-figures.
However, that's when Reagan and the Rattlers stormed back. With help from Dawn Killian, Juliett Williams and Charlena Rodez, St. Mary's gradually fought it's way back into the game and had the ball with a chance to tie the score. Killian netted 15, Williams tallied 11 off the bench and Rodez added 10.
Lorenz stepped up and not only stole the ball, but the momentum. After a disappointing 2 of 12 showing against St. Edward's, Lorenz responded with a 9 of 15 shooting performance from the field againt St. Mary's. She hit all six foul shots. Lorenz averaged 16 points and 5.7 rebounds over the three-game set, adding 17 assists and four steals.
Overall, the Bison were 14 of 15 from the free throw line and hit 50.8% from the field. NDSU also held a 40-34 rebound advantage, but committed 18 turnovers to 12 for the Rattlers. North Dakota State hit a season-high 8 of 21 from the 3-point line.
"The main thing was to get three wins, but as far as our level of play, we need to get back to the fundamentals" said Lorenz.
Joining Lorenz on the all-tournament team were Chronda Reagan (St. Mary's University), Julie Dawson (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), Wendy Young (University of Arkansas-Monticello), Amy Mueller (University of the Incarnate Word) and Angela Trotter (Texas A&M University-Kingsville).
