Sunday's game against Dakota Wesleyan ended up being a roller coaster for the Hastings College women's basketball team, head coach Carrie Hofstetter and the fans at Lynn Farrell Arena.
The team looked comfortable and poised in a dominating first half that saw the HC defense rise to the occasion, and an offense that was putting together key scoring runs. But in the second half, the NAIA Division II No. 24 Tigers mounted a comeback and cut a 14-point deficit down to one in the closing minutes.
That late surge from the Tigers put HC on the ropes after it looked like the Broncos would run away with the game. While they didn't accomplish that, the Broncos did survive for a 63-60 win over Dakota Wesleyan (14-6, 6-5 GPAC).
Earlier this season, DWU knocked off HC by 22 points in a performance that the Broncos struggled on the defensive side of the ball. Hofstetter said it was a priority that the team be ready on that side of the ball in Sunday's game — and HC (10-11, 5-6) put together a textbook Bronco defensive effort in the first half.
The Tigers, who average 74.7 points per game and rank first in the country in 3-point percentage (.398), were held to just 20 points in the first half.
To read more, see Monday's Hastings Tribune or the Tribune e-edition.>>>
