Skylights just miss against Ravens

Getting off to a good start was the primary goal of the Montana State University-Northern Skylights entering their first-round NAIA national tournament game with Benedictine College.

But while the No. 16 Skylights accomplished that mission, the No. 19 Ravens didn’t go away. Instead, they fought back with a dominating second quarter in a game that would need an extra five minutes to decide the outcome Wednesday morning in Independence, Missouri.

That outcome saw the Ravens survive a last-second, game-winning shot attempt by Northern’s Jacy Thompson, as the Skylights fell 55-53 in overtime. The loss ended Northern’s season at 23-9 on the year — another brilliant campaign. And that’s what head coach Chris Mouat chose to focus on following the heartbreaking defeat.

“It was a really well-played game, not pretty at times, but very physical, and both teams defended really hard,” Mouat said. “I think it was obvious why both of us were ranked in the top six in the country in scoring defense.

“So, full credit to Benedictine,” he added. “They played great, they are a very good basketball team, and they earned it today. But, that doesn’t take away from a gritty, gutsy effort by our kids. Once again, they just refused to quit, refused to go away, and they did that all season long, and that’s what I’m most proud of them for. They overcame so much adversity all season long, and they did again in this game. We just didn’t get it done at the end, and that happens sometimes.”

The Skylights didn’t look like they would need to fight through adversity early on as they jumped out to a 19-10 lead. However, the Ravens stormed back with a 20-point outburst of their own in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 30-26 lead into intermission. In the third quarter, both teams went back-and-forth as the Ravens were able to extend their lead to nine, but the Skylights cut the lead back to 39-35 on a Sierra Richards basket. Benedictine ended the quarter on a 7-3 run to take an eight-point advantage, 44-36, into the final period.

“The first half was a tale of two different quarters,” Mouat said. “We came out ready, and we were very productive putting the ball in the hole in the first quarter. But they (Ravens) came right back on us and did the same thing in the second quarter. Then, we fell behind by nine in the fourth, but we made a really nice run there to get back in it and, ultimately, give ourself a chance at the end of regulation. So, I’m really proud of the way our kids fought back.”

With the Ravens up 46-37 in the final quarter, Northern went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 46-46 with 5:03 remaining in the game. Both teams traded a basket to end regulation tied at 48-48, though Northern had a final possession to win the game, but never got a shot off due to a turnover. In overtime, the Ravens shot out to a three-point lead after a Lexie Villegas put back. The Skylights answered with a Cydney Auzenne 3-pointer on their next possession to tie the game at 51-51 with 3:07 left. On the next Ravens possession, LaRanda Thomas was able to convert an old-fashioned 3-point play to give Benedictine the lead at 54-51 with 2:13 left. The Ravens held on to the lead, but had to sweat out a shot by Thompson, which just missed, which would have sent the game into a second OT.

“Turnovers and missed free throws really hurt us today,” Mouat said. “Those are uncharacteristic mistakes for us, but the bottom line is, we just didn’t take care of the ball well enough when we needed to most. Still, we had a chance in regulation to win it, and a chance in overtime as well, and that’s all you can ask for. The kids fought hard and gave themselves a chance.”

The loss was tough as it was MSU-N’s first first-round loss at the national tourney in its last six appearances. Still, the Skylights played well with All-American Natalee Faupel leading the way with 16 points, while Auzenne added 14 and Richards chipped in with nine and a game-high 13 boards. Thompson also finished with nine, but the Skylights did commit 21 turnovers, while Thomas also did damage for the Ravens, leading all scorers with 22 points, as Benedictine advanced to the Sweet 16 to face top-seeded Our Lady of Lakes Friday.

On the other side of the coin, another magical Northern season came to an end Wednesday. And while Mouat said his team is disappointed by the ultra-close loss to the Ravens, he is extremely proud of them, and the season they had.

“Both teams made plays all game long, it was a really good game,” Mouat said. “Unfortunately for us, it didn’t go our way at the end. But that doesn’t take away from what this team has accomplished this season. This team has never quit, they’ve always kept moving forward, and through all of the adversity we faced this season, they always supported each other. And that means a lot.

“And today, this team showed they belonged here (national tournament) again,” he continued. “This team earned the right to be here this season by playing well together and winning a lot of big games, and they should hold their heads up high with what they’ve done this year. And, on top of that, the future for this team is really bright. We’re proud of our seniors, we love everything they’ve done for us, and we are going to miss them an awful lot. But this team has a lot of really good players coming back next year and that has me excited, and after today, hopefully they’ll be very hungry to get back here again.”

Skylights finish the season 23-9

Benedictine 55, Skylights 53 OT

Benedictine 10 20 14 4 7 - 55

Northern 19 7 10 12 5 - 53

BC - Chayla Rutledge 8-14 5-8 22, Ali Taff 0-4 0-0 0, Jordan Kramer 1-5 0-0 3, Kristen Murphy 3-7 0-0 7, Lexie Villegas 2-6 1-2 5, Serena Parker 2-9 0-4 4, Haylee Beard 1-2 0-0 3, Saige Baalman 1-3 0-2 2, LaRanda Thomas 2-5 4-5 9. Totals 20-55 10-21 55.

MSU-N - Rachelle Bennett 1-3 0-2 3, Cydney Auzenne 5-8 2-2 14, Molly Kreycik 0-1 0-0 0, Natalee Faupel 6-14 4-5 16, Makhayla Farmer 1-1 0-0 2, Peyton Filius 0-1 0-0 0, Brandy Lambourne 0-0 0-0 0, Jacy Thompson 3-15 2-3 9, Katie Fertterer 0-0 0-0 0, Sierra Richards 4-8 1-3 9, Tina Doughty 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 9-15 53.

3-pointers: BC 5-17 (Rutledge 1-2, Taff 0-1, Kramer 1-3, Murphy 1-1, Villegas 0-3, Parker 0-1, Beard 1-1, Baalman 0-2, Thomas 1-3), MSU-N 4-17 (Bennett 1-1, Auzenne 2-4, Kreycik 0-1, Faupel 0-2, Filius 0-1, Thompson 1-7, Doughty 0-1). Rebounds: BC 33 (Murphy 6), MSU-N 39 (Richards 13). Fouls: BC 18, MSU-N 14. Fouled out: Kreycik.