Pirates Tumble In Ot Mount Mercy Ousts Whitworth In Naia Women’s Tournament

The No. 3-seeded Mount Mercy Mustangs of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hit back-to-back baskets with 1:45 left in overtime and Peg Loecke hit a free throw with 20 seconds remaining to seal a 63-60 win over unseeded Whitworth in the second round of the NAIA Division II women’s basketball national championships Friday night at Western Oregon College.

The Pirates had a chance to send the game into a second overtime, but Annette Sweeney saw her 3-pointer go in and out with 4 seconds left.

“It was a battle,” Whitworth coach Helen Higgs said. “We put ourselves into position to win, which is what you ask. I’m not going to say we should have won because that takes away from Mount Mercy, but it wasn’t a gift.”

Although, late in the overtime, the Pirates did give Mount Mercy two points.

Whitworth’s Sheri Northington took a pass from Jennifer Tissue with 40 seconds to go and converted it into a basket that trimmed the Mustangs’ lead to 62-60.

Following a foul and a missed Mount Mercy free throw, the Pirates had a chance to tie. Instead, they turned the ball over and were forced to foul.

However, the Pirates received a reprieve. Mount Mercy again missed its free throw and Whitworth hauled in the rebound with 22 seconds to play.

Another turnover.

This time, Loecke knocked down one of two free throws to provide the final margin.

Mount Mercy (30-5) advanced to the quarterfinals, where it will meet Concordia of Wisconsin at 6 tonight.

Whitworth finished its first season under Higgs at 19-12.

The turnovers were two of four committed by the Pirates in the overtime.

But Higgs refused to fault her players. Instead, she chose to focus on Mount Mercy’s wealth of postseason experience.

“We lost to a great team that has been to the Final Four,” she said. “Some missed free throws and turnovers down the stretch cost us. Their size and experience wore on us.”

The Mustangs appeared in the NAIA Division II’s Final Four last year and the quarterfinals the two previous years.

The Pirates were making their first national tournament appearance.

Whitworth had a chance to win Friday’s game in regulation, but Tissue couldn’t get her five-foot jumper to fall in traffic.

Sweeney finished with 19 points to lead the Pirates. Northington added 18 points and 16 rebounds.

The start of the game was delayed nearly an hour because the preceding game, between Northwest Nazarene and Huron (S.D.), went into double overtime.

WHITWORTH (19-12)

Sherer 3-7 2-4 8, Roberts 0-6 0-2 0, Northington 9-13 0-0 18, McFadden 3-8 0-0 6, Sweeney 6-17 4-5 19, Tissue 4-10 0-2 9, Elliot 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 6-13 60.

MOUNT MERCY (30-5)

Loecke 5-10 9-10 19, Lochner 3-10 3-4 9, Halvorsen 1-5 1-2 3, Smith 1-8 0-0 2, Henderson 7-12 2-3 17, Andersen 1-3 2-2 4, Dvorak 0-0 0-0 0, Kluesner 0-0 0-0 0, Junge 1-2 0-0 2, Holsteen 2-5 1-2 7. Totals 21-55 18-25 63.

Halftime - Mount Mercy 27, Whitworth 25. Regulation - Mount Mercy 56, Whitworth 56. 3-point goals - Whitworth 4-13 (Sweeney 3-10, Tissue 1-2, Roberts 0-1), Mount Mercy 3-15 (Loecke 0-1, Halvorsen 0-1, Smith 0-6, Henderson 1-4, Holsteen 2-3). Fouled out - Sherer. Rebounds - Whitworth 39 (Northington 16), Mount Mercy 42 (Halvorsen 9). Assists - Whitworth 10 (McFadden 3), Mount Mercy 12 (Smith, Hendersen 4). Total fouls - Whitworth 21, Mounth Mercy 12. Technicals - Holsteen.