WAVERLY, IA – The BLC women's basketball team took the court in their first-ever NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. BLC played the regional host, Wartburg College, who entered the game with a 24-3 record as the 13/15th ranked team in the country.
 
The Vikings fell behind early 7-0 before Kenlie Pytleski buried a three to put BLC on the board. The Knights started out hot from behind the three-point line, making three of their first four attempts. Hanna Geistfeld made her way into the scoring column with a layup at the halfway mark. The Knights stayed hot from the floor while the Vikings struggled to keep up, falling behind 19-5. The Vikings closed out the quarter with a pair of threes and an 8-2 run to close the gap, trailing 21-13 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Knights continued to push in the second quarter, extending their lead. Geistfeld buried a long jump, but four minutes through the second quarter the Vikings traled 31-15. The Vikings found some rhythm towards the end of the quarter after Sandin completed a three-point play followed by a pair of threes from Emily Skrien and Geistfeld.
 
The first half came to an end with a score of 46-26 in favor of the Knights. The Vikings were 10-33 (30.3%) from the field in the first half and 5-14 (35.7%) from three. The Knights were 17-28 from the field (60.7%) and 6-15 (40.0%) from three. The Knights outrebounded the Vikings 26-9.
 
The Vikings started chipping away at the lead in the third quarter. A three-point play from Abby Olson and a layup from Geistfeld cut the deficit to 14 points. Geistfeld followed up with a pair of free throws a couple possessions later and BLC trailed by 13. The Knights stretched their lead towards the end of the quarter and the Vikings trailed 70-50 heading into the fourth.
 
As the game went on, the Knights overpowered the Vikings, winning 91-63. Hanna Geistfeld led the Vikings with 23 points and eight rebounds. Haley Sandin contributed 16 points and four assists. The Vikings shot 37.5% from the field and 8-24 from deep.
 
The Vikings end their season with an overall record 22-6. BLC took second place in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season before winning the tournament championship to capture the NCAA qualifying bid. The Vikings set a school record for wins this season, surpassing their mark from last year. They say goodbye to Haley Sandin who ended her career as the best player in BLC women's basketball history.

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MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Dan DeWitt at 507-344-7856 or email ddewitt@blc.edu.