Warriors' hoops season ends in Sioux City
Mar. 16—Ellie Sander did not want her college basketball career to end on Saturday.
Despite her best efforts, the No. 25 Lewis-Clark State Warriors' 2025 campaign, and her college career, ended with an 11-point loss to the No. 5 Briar Cliff Chargers in the second round of the NAIA Tournament.
The senior from Spokane dropped her game-high 17 points in the final 22 minutes, sinking a pair of 3-pointers and drilling each of her five free throws to give the sixth-seeded Warrior women's basketball team a chance against third-seeded Briar Cliff.
Sander's heroics and the Warrior bench's 21 points were not enough to redeem their 28 turnovers as LC State lost to the Chargers 71-60 in the NAIA Tournament Round of 32 on Saturday in Sioux City, Iowa.
"I think we beat ourselves today," LC State coach Caelyn Orlandi said. "Unfortunately, turnovers cost you games.
"I'm sad we couldn't get it done for all three of our seniors."
Kennedy Benne led the host Chargers with 16 points, the majority of which came from the foul line where the senior from nearby Oakland, Neb., made 9-of-12 free throws in front of an infused Briar Cliff home crowd.
After winning two tournament games in its home gym, Briar Cliff will not have to travel far. The Tyson Events Center in downtown Sioux City, Iowa — a 10-minute drive from the Charger Dome — will host the remainder of the NAIA Tournament, beginning with the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
Bench lights a spark
The Warriors started the game cold from the field, posting just four points in the first quarter and falling behind 12-4 after 10 minutes.
Then, LC State sophomore Grace Beardin of Orofino sparked the Warrior resurgence.
Beardin fought her way to the foul line where she sank two free throws to open the second quarter.
Then, she buried a pair of 3-pointers within the next three minutes. Beardin's eight points came in a fewer-than-five-minute span at the start of the second quarter. In 16 total minutes on the court, she grabbed two offensive boards and dished out two assists.
Also aiding the Warriors' comeback was 6-foot post Lindsey Wilson, who added nine points and six rebounds.
Beardin's second trey and a pair of Wilson layups constituted a 7-0 LC State run that tied the game at 20-20 with 4:38 left in the second quarter.
No starter had more than three points in the first half but the Warriors still led Briar Cliff 30-26 at halftime thanks to huge contributions from the LC State bench.
"When Grace (Beardin) came in, she turned the gig around for us," Orlandi said. "Lindsey (Wilson) came in the first half, had three offensive rebounds for putback points. She was really big, and that gave the whole team confidence. Both those two coming in, knocking down shots just gave everybody that little confidence boost that they needed."
The Warriors led for the first nine minutes of the second half but fell into a nearly five-minute scoring drought which Briar Cliff used to go on a 7-0 run and take a one-point lead with 20 seconds left in the third quarter.
LC State trailed by no more than two possessions until the 2:40 mark of the fourth quarter when Briar Cliff's Grace Flanagan sank her second 3-pointer to put the Chargers up by eight.
The trey was part of a 12-5 Briar Cliff run to close the game.
Seniors' last hurrah
Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM
Sander and fellow senior Mataya Green made a slew of plays in the second half to keep the Warriors' hopes of advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years alive.
With the Warriors trailing by three early in the fourth quarter, Sander cut to her right, pushed the ball toward the glass off her right hand as she fell out of bounds and slid on her back along the hardwood, looking up just in time to see the ball fall through the nylon. She drew a foul on her shot and hit the free throw for a three-point play the old-fashioned way and a 46-46 tie.
Those kinds of hustle plays have defined Sander's four-year LC State career, which included more than 1,000 points and over 500 rebounds.
Green tallied six points and eight rebounds for LC State with two of her points coming off a well-placed pass from sophomore Darian Herring from beyond the arc to Green's hands in the paint. Green's make tied the game at 51-all with 7:27 left.
"Both of those players are Warriors through and through," Orlandi said. "They've had fantastic careers here."
Warriors' season in review
In Year 2 of Orlandi's tenure, the Warriors are going home following a Round 2 loss after dropping a three-point Round 2 contest to Jamestown (N.D.) last season.
"One game, one moment, doesn't define this team and the team success they had this season," Orlandi said. "I'm extremely proud of how hard they've worked all year. Twenty-six wins is nothing to be ashamed of."
LC State started the season 10-0 and only lost to teams in the NAIA Tournament field. The Warriors fell to Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho and Oregon Tech before beating each in the second regular season meeting and besting Oregon Tech a second time in the conference semifinals.
The Warriors lost three times, including the conference final to Southern Oregon, the No. 2 team in the nation and bounced back with a first round NAIA Tournament win over Columbia on Friday.
While the Warriors lose seniors Sander and Green, they return an experienced roster next season with five seniors and three juniors, including the All-Cascade Conference honoree core of Sitara Byrd, Herring and Hymas.
Orlandi said she and her staff will look to sign several more players to fill out the roster and build on the winning culture of Warrior women's basketball.
"We have a culture and a system here in Warrior basketball, and we're just gonna continue it on — continue the culture, continue the winning ways, continue to push the basketball and recruit to that," Orlandi said. "And obviously every year, plan to make it farther than the year before."
LEWIS-CLARK STATE (26-7)
Sander 5-10 5-5 17, Byrd 2-8 0-0 6, Green 3-5 0-0 6, Hymas 1-7 6-6 8, Herring 1-4 0-0 2, Wilson 4-5 1-3 9, Barger 1-1 0-0 2, Wallace 0-0 0-0 0, Brager 1-4 0-0 2, Beardin 2-4 2-2 8. Totals 20-48, 14-16 60.
BRIAR CLIFF (28-5)
Benne 3-6 9-12 16, Langel 1-2 0-0 2, Webster 2-4 1-2 5, McNair 4-16 6-6 14, Flanagan 2-6 0-0 6, Heineman 1-2 1-2 4, Reinoehl 0-2 0-0 0, Mongan 5-9 2-2 15, Sodeman 4-9 1-2 9. Totals 22-56 20-26 71.
LCSC 4 26 13 17—60
BCU 13 13 16 29—71
3-point goals — LCSC 6-20 (Sander 2-4, Byrd 2-6, Hymas 0-4, Brager 0-2, Beardin 2-4), BCU 7-23 (Benne 1-2, McNair 0-7, Flanagan 2-5, Heineman 1-2, Mongan 3-4, Sodeman 0-3). Assists — LCSC 12 (Hymas 5), BCU 13 (Six with 2), Fouled out — LCSC (Green, Sander), BCU None. Rebounds — LCSC 31 (Green 8), BCU 27 (McNair 4). Total fouls — LCSC 19, BCU 20. Technical fouls — None.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Topics
-
A 'blessed' ending for Pewaukee's Amy Terrian, the 2025 Ms. Basketball award winner
Friday was an emotional night for new Ms. Basketball winner Amy Terrian from Pewaukee. She reflected on her amazing career with the Pirates.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Warrior women's hoops team advances in NAIA Tournament
Mar. 15—Minutes after beating 11th-seeded Columbia (Mo.) in the first round of the women's basketball NAIA Tournament, the live stream captured the sixth-seeded Lewis-Clark State Warriors gathered ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
KSHSAA state basketball 2025: Everything from Saturday's state basketball championship games
It was a tough ending to the 2025 basketball season for Shawnee County. Inside the heartbreak from Saturday's state championship games.Yahoo Sports - 12h -
Warriors star Stephen Curry reaches 25,000 career points
Stephen Curry became the 26th player in NBA history to score 25,000 career points, reaching the milestone during the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ 115-110 win against the Detroit ...ABC News - Mar. 8 -
Ellie Krueger finishes Blue Jay career as an all-stater
Mar. 15—JAMESTOWN — Ellie Krueger got some exciting news in the middle of her workout last week. "I found out I was all-state when I was lifting in the weight room after school," said Krueger, a ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
She advanced DEI at her university. Her son-in-law, JD Vance, wants to end it.
Lakshmi Chilukuri helped create a pilot course on race, ethnicity and gender in biology and medicine.CBS News - 4d -
Caledonia ends season with impressive win in fifth-place game
Mar. 14—ST. PAUL — No. 6 seed Caledonia finished its season with an impressive 69-63 win Friday over No. 4 seed Sauk Centre in the Class 2A girls basketball tournament fifth-place game at ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Ranking best freshmen in college basketball: Michigan State's Jase Richardson earns Freshman of the Week
A look at the top performing freshmen in college basketball last week and for the 2024-25 seasonCBS Sports - 5d -
Diana Taurasi says goodbye to one of the greatest careers in women's basketball history
Diana Taurasi wanted to take her time before deciding whether to retireABC News - 2d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
1B/OF Joey Gallo released by the Chicago White Sox
Joey Gallo has been released by the Chicago White Sox after the veteran slugger struggled in nine Cactus League games with the team. The White Sox announced the move on Sunday. The 31-year-old ...Yahoo Sports - 21m -
The Players Championship: Rory McIlroy leads as play suspended due to weather
Rory McIlroy holds a one-shot lead over J.J. Spaun with play suspended due to lightning.Yahoo Sports - 21m -
Five NCAA bracket tips to win your men's March Madness pool: Don't overthink it
If you want to build a winning March Madness bracket, follow these 5 tenets of men's college basketball starting with Duke.Yahoo Sports - 24m -
Rams bring back No. 3 RB Ronnie Rivers with 1-year deal
The Rams are keeping Ronnie Rivers, their No. 3 running back last season, with a 1-year dealYahoo Sports - 26m -
15 biggest salary cap hits for the Eagles in 2025 after the first wave of NFL free agency
Updated look at the 15 biggest salary cap hits for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025 after the first wave of NFL free agencyYahoo Sports - 26m
More in Sports
-
Hanshin Tigers sweep Cubs, Dodgers in shutouts
The Hanshin Tigers capped a two-game sweep over MLB clubs with a 3-0 win over the Dodgers, following a matching victory over the Cubs the day before.ESPN - 19m -
1B/OF Joey Gallo released by the Chicago White Sox
Joey Gallo has been released by the Chicago White Sox after the veteran slugger struggled in nine Cactus League games with the team. The White Sox announced the move on Sunday. The 31-year-old ...Yahoo Sports - 21m -
The Players Championship: Rory McIlroy leads as play suspended due to weather
Rory McIlroy holds a one-shot lead over J.J. Spaun with play suspended due to lightning.Yahoo Sports - 21m -
Five NCAA bracket tips to win your men's March Madness pool: Don't overthink it
If you want to build a winning March Madness bracket, follow these 5 tenets of men's college basketball starting with Duke.Yahoo Sports - 24m -
Rams bring back No. 3 RB Ronnie Rivers with 1-year deal
The Rams are keeping Ronnie Rivers, their No. 3 running back last season, with a 1-year dealYahoo Sports - 26m