Down Goes #1: Broncos Shock Defenders, 91-83
(Hastings, NE) – Facing the undefeated #1 team in the country, the Hastings Broncos played with great intensity and execution, stunning the Dordt Defenders on Saturday by shooting 53 percent in the second half and forcing 26 Defender turnovers.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
19 | 18 | 27 | 19 | 83 |
|
|
23 | 17 | 27 | 24 | 91 |
Team Stats
Dordt (IA)
| Game Statistics | Dordt (IA) | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (29-66) | (33-65) |
| Field Goal % | 43.9% | 50.8% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 37 |
| Assists | 20 | 20 |
| Turnovers | 26 | 22 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 28 | 32 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 20 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 54 |
(Hastings, NE) – Facing the undefeated #1 team in the country, the Hastings Broncos played with great intensity and execution, stunning the Dordt Defenders on Saturday by shooting 53 percent in the second half and forcing 26 Defender turnovers.
Dordt started the game with a three, but Hastings picked up the pressure defensively with two steals from junior Mariyah Avila to propel them to a 7-3 lead. Junior Macy Bryant's three tied it up and freshman McKenna Yates and Avila scored in transition off the steals just over a minute in. The Defenders responded with a 14-4 run over the next three minutes to go up 17-11 with 5:35 left in the first.
Hastings managed to tie it up late at 17 with an offensive rebound that was previously blocked and layup by freshman Jentri Marx, then took a two-point lead with a basket from freshman Ann Bose. The Broncos ended the quarter with a 23-19 lead, thanks to forcing nine Defender turnovers.
Dordt was on fire early in the second quarter, scoring the first six points in a minute. Hasting rallied to take a brief two-point lead, but the Defenders turned up the defensive pressure in the backcourt, forcing turnovers that led to a 35-27 lead and a Hastings timeout during the stretch.
Avila snapped the Dordt momentum with a big three from the wing to make it 35-30 at the 4:34 mark, then Yates drilled a three on the next possession off of an out-of-bounds set and Bryant tied it up with a bucket down low at 35. Sophomore Tathis Arredondo gave Hastings the lead back, penetrating into the lane for a layup, as the 13-2 run gave Hastings a 40-37 halftime lead.
The two teams combined for 27 turnovers and each scored 16 points off turnovers in the first half. Hastings shot 49 percent from the field, holding Dordt to 41 percent. Avila was the top scorer for the Broncos at the intermission with 10 points.
Dordt scored seven of the first nine points of the second half, then Bose came to rescue off the bench with two triples and a two-pointer, including a transition pull-up three coming off of an Avila steal. Hastings got another defensive stop and Avila laid it in to put Hastings up 52-47 with 6:38 left in the quarter. Bose, who scored 13 in the third quarter, later drilled her third three-pointer of the period to put Hastings up 56-47.
Dordt seemed to start chipping away at the line to get it to 56-50, but a Bose free throw and steal off the inbounds turned into a layup for sophomore Bailey Kissinger to push the lead back to nine. Two Kissinger free throws made it 61-50 with 3:27 left in the third. The Defenders, however, closed the third quarter on a 14-6 run, as Hastings led 67-64, trying to keep their perfect season intact.
Kissinger and senior Alyssa Baker scored to begin the fourth, but Dordt continued to fight, trimming the lead to 73-72 with 7:06 remaining. Bryant knocked down a big corner three in response off the penetration from Kissinger, then senior Kiernan Paulk added two from the line to extend the lead back to six with 5:50 left.
A backcourt steal and tough contact finish from Kissinger, along with the free throw after the foul, gave Hastings great momentum that was quickly silenced by a Dordt three. Arredondo then raced down and scored an and-one, but missed the free throw to keep it an eight-point game with 4:22 left. Dordt drained a mid-range jumper as Hastings held a 83-77 lead with 3:20 left.
Dordt got to the line with 2:27 left, knocking down both to cut the lead to four. Kissinger pushed it back to seven by making three free throws in two separate trips to the line with 1:58 remaining. Leading by five after a couple Defender free throws, Paulk drilled a huge three from Kissinger and Marx forced a steal with 1:05 left.
Dordt got a steal, but missed a transition layup with 43 seconds remaining and Arredando secured the board. Hastings ran out most of the clock on their offensive possession, pulling out the massive upset over Dordt, 91-83.
For the game, Hastings had 54 bench points as Bose had 21 points and Kissinger had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Avila finished with 16 points, six steals, and four assists. Bryant also had 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Up next, Hastings will host Mount Marty at 5pm on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Lynn Farrell Arena.
