Hastings (Neb.) dominated from start to finish en route to a 99-51 first-round win over Maine-Fort Kent Wednesday at the 19th Annual State Farm-NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.
The Broncos, who move to 31-3 on the season, advance to the second round to face Grand View (Iowa) Friday at 12 p.m. With the win, Hastings is now 10-2 in first-round games. Maine-Fort Kent, who made its third straight appearance in Sioux City, closes out its season with a 19-10 record.
Hastings, the country’s sharpest shooters from 3-point land, nailed 14 of its 25 attempts good for 56 percent. Senior forward Lindsey Ducey was lights out for the Broncos. She recorded a season-high 32 points, connecting 12-of-17 field goals and was perfect from the 3-point line on four tries. Ducey also crashed the boards with a game-high 12 rebounds. Sophia McDermott came off the bench to score 15 points for the Broncos and Alicia Statler contributed 10 points.
Talisha Herring and Kristen Violette led the Bengals with 16 points each despite being limited to just 28 percent shooting. Maine-Fort Kent was able to penetrate down low, getting 20 points in the paint.
