Kirkwood advances to NJCAA D-II women’s basketball championship game

PORT HURON, Mich. — Top-seeded and defending national champion Kirkwood defeated Bryant and Stratton (Wis.) in the semifinals of the NJCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament, 69-41, Friday night at SC4 Fieldhouse.

The Eagles’ defense was suffocating holding the Bobcats to their second-lowest scoring output of the season. And the lowest was 34 points against Kirkwood on Sept. 20 in Cedar Rapids.

Bryant and Stratton shot 30.6 percent from the field (15 of 49) and just 24 percent from 3-point range (6 of 25). The Eagles won the rebounding battle 51 to 24.

Kirkwood (35-1) advances to championship where it faces No. 7 seed Morton (30-2) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Panthers have enjoyed some big wins at the tournament, upsetting No. 2 seed Johnson County, 62-47, on Wednesday, and then taking down No. 3 seed CCBC Essex, 84-72, on Friday.

Kirkwood is going for its eighth national title.

On Friday night in the semifinals, Teya Maas hit a 3-pointer to give Bryant and Stratton the lead, before Kirkwood went on a 13-0 run, capped by a Kortney Drake 3-pointer.

The Eagles led 23-6 after one quarter and the Bobcats never seriously threatened.

Tasia Jordan had 21 points off the bench to lead Kirkwood. Drake had 15 points on five 3-pointers. Ashley Tull had six points and 12 rebounds, and Tati Hodges-Johnson also pulled down 12 rebounds.