Women's Basketball Rallies Late to Defeat Bellevue

Women's Basketball closed out the calendar year on Monday with a trip to Bellevue to take on the Bruins to close out the Bruin Classic. The Tigers faced a lot of adversity but managed to claw their way back from an 11-point deficit to post a 76-75 win. The victory moved Doane's record to 10-3 on the season while the Bruins dropped to 10-4. The 10th win marked the first time since 2008-09 that the Tigers hit the mark prior to the new year.

Doane fell behind 13-2 to start the game but used a 7-0 run to cut into the deficit. The Tigers were back within three points by the end of the opening quarter. To start the second quarter, Doane went on a 12-3 run to take a 31-25 lead. The Bruins came back after a timeout with a 13-0 run to regain the lead as the Tigers were held scoreless for four minutes. Doane finished with a 7-2 run and trailed by two points at the break.

In the third quarter, the Tigers started with a 12-4 run through five minutes to take a six point lead. Bellevue closed the final five minutes of the quarter with a 14-6 run to regain the lead, 58-56, going into the final 10 minutes. The opening five minutes of the fourth quarter belonged to the Bruins as they extended their lead to seven points.

Doane cut the Bellevue lead down to one point with 3:17 to play, 71-70, with a 6-0 run over 40 seconds of play. The Bruins scored four of the next six points to lead 75-72 with two minutes to play. The Tiger defense held Bellevue scoreless over the final two minutes and Kaylee Klover scored the final four points to put Doane in front. Macy Holtz blocked a last-second 3-point attempt by Bellevue to seal the victory.

Klover posted her eighth double-double of the season as she recorded 23 points and 17 rebounds. Holtz finished with 20 points and Megan Chambers collected 15 points and a team-high five assists. Maddie Portwine chipped in 12 points and a team-leading two steals. Grace Thompson led the team with two blocked shots.

Doane shot 55-percent from the floor (29-of-53), 39-percent from behind the arc (5-of-13), and 65-percent at the free throw line (13-of-20). Bellevue shot 42-percent from the floor (27-of-65), 38-percent from behind the arc (11-of-29), and 83-percent at the free throw line (10-of-12).

The Bruins were led by Gabby Moore and Ashtyn Arnold with 20 points apiece. Kaylee Denker added 14 points.

Next up for the Tigers will be NAIA No. 1 Dordt in Sioux Center, Iowa, on January 2, at 5 PM.