Women's Basketball Drops High Scoring Contest

CRETE, Neb. – Doane women's basketball put together its strongest offensive stretch of the night in the second half, but an early deficit proved too much to overcome in a 101–78 loss to No. 25 Hastings on Wednesday evening inside the Haddix Center.

Hastings used hot perimeter shooting to build a 24–15 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 58–30 by halftime. The Broncos hit 14 three-pointers on the night and shot 41 percent from the field, taking advantage of 27 Doane turnovers to generate 31 points off miscues.

Doane found rhythm in the second half, particularly over the final 10 minutes, where the Tigers outscored Hastings 26–20 behind efficient shooting and bench energy. Emma Brown scored all nine of her points in the fourth quarter while adding three rebounds. Kara Kudlacz also provided a spark off the bench with six points on a pair of threes, while Emma Vander Plaats finished with 10 points, including two triples and three assists.

Guard Mattea Kassebaum paced the Tigers with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in her first start, and junior Rylie Rice contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. Ella Johnson chipped in eight points and four boards, and Addie Hatcliff pulled down seven rebounds with five points. Doane shot an efficient 46 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three, while also hitting 17-of-24 free throws.

Hastings was led by Ann Bose's 21 points and McKenna Yates' 17, as 11 Broncos entered the scoring column. The visitors held a 42–38 edge on the glass and outscored Doane's bench 47–35 in a fast-paced contest that featured 178 total points.

With the loss, Doane falls to 2–3 overall and 0–2 in GPAC play, while Hastings improves to 4–2 and 2–0 in the league. The Tigers will look to rebound Saturday when they travel to face Briar Cliff in Sioux City, Iowa. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

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