Simpson holds off Concordia, advances to second round

STEVENS POINT, Wis. - Simpson looks like a team that has been here before.

Stacey Schutjer finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds, Mindy Hutchcroft hit a pair of clutch free throws and Simpson held on for a 59-56 win over Concordia-Moorhead in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship on Friday at Berg Gymnasium.

Making a seventh-straight trip to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, Simpson built a big lead, lost it, then made plays down the stretch to advance to the second round.

With Simpson leading 57-56 and less than 30 seconds left in the game, Concordia's Brittany Jossart came up short on a layup attempt and Kate Nielsen brought down the rebound. Nielsen missed the front end of the 1-and-1 but Hutchcroft grabbed the offensive board with 14 seconds left.

Hutchcroft was fouled, hit both free throws and Concordia missed two 3-point attempts which would have tied the game in the final possession.

Schutjer's performance gives her 1,000 career points and improves her rebound total to 508, becoming the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

The Storm (22-6) advance to the second round where they will face host school UW-Stevens Point (26-2) on Saturday at 7 p.m. UW-Stevens Point beat St. Norbert 79-69 in Friday's late game. The Pointers beat Simpson earlier this year, 78-60.

Jamie Elbert scored 13 points off the bench, Hutchcroft added 10 and Darrina Bledsoe had five assists and six steals.

Jossart and Tricia Sorensen scored 14 apiece for the Cobbers (21-7). Alexandra Lippert posted a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double and Sorensen added nine boards.

After two free throws from Jossart tied the game at 20 with 4:33 left in the first half, Elbert led Simpson on a 12-0 run to end the half. She went 4-for-4 from the line and her layup as time expired gave Simpson a 32-20 lead at the break.

An Elbert layup gave Simpson a 14-point lead with 11:19 left in the game, but Concordia responded with a 24-10 run over the next 9 minutes. Erica Nord's free throw with 1:16 left tied the game at 55 before a layup by Schutjer gave the Storm a two-point edge.

The 6-foot-4 Lippert had five blocks for the Cobbers, but got into foul trouble early in the second half.

Fans can listen to Saturday's game at http://www.simpsonathletics.com/sports/wbkb/livevideo and follow the Live Stats at http://www.uwsp.edu/athletics/wbb/live/XLIVE.HTM.