NKU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY TIMELINE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58 What began as a rebuilding season ended in rejoicing, the Norse rallying for a 71-62 overtime triumph over North Dakota State for the NCAA Division II basketball crown Saturday at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. A team figured a year away from its peak somehow stands at the summit. NKU had no seniors in its nine-player rotation. It had just four players back from last season, two of them starters. Yet it had heart. NKU trailed late in the second half of all five of its tournament games, behind by double digits in two of them. It rallied from seven points down with 15 minutes left Saturday, then regrouped after losing a four-point lead in the final 80 seconds of regulation. “Our team has more heart than anyone,” forward Amy Mobley said. Mobley, a freshman from Harrison, scored 13 points Saturday, 11 of them after halftime. Michelle Cottrell, a sophomore forward from Boone County, earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors after totaling 23 points and 19 rebounds. Michele Tuchfarber, a junior guard from Mount Notre Dame, totaled nine points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals and also made the all-tourney team. NKU finished 32-2, ending with a 24-game winning Michele Tuchfarber sees an opening against streak. North Dakota State, a five-time national champ, went North Dakota State in the second half. 28-4. “This is one of the few times I have ever been speechless,” Winstel said. “When we went into this year, we didn’t ever think about winning a national championship. We’re so young, we never looked ahead past the next game.” The secret Saturday was defense. NKU held the Bison to one basket the last 11:27 of play, including 0-of-7 shooting in overtime. They shot 33.9 percent, making just seven of 30 shots after halftime. Division II Player of the Year Jayne Even scored just 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting. “They were all over Jayne defensively, and their offensive execution was much better than ours,” NDSU coach Amy Ruley said. The lead changed hands throughout the second half, but the Bison used two free throws and a basket with 39 seconds left to tie the score. Livingstone missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer, NDSU turned over the ball, and Cottrell missed a heavily guarded shot at the buzzer. After 32 years as a university, another five minutes wasn’t too much longer to wait. “Everyone was tired, but we had so much adrenaline,” NKU junior Julie Cowens said. “We knew we were wearing them out.” NKU started the overtime strong, working the ball to Cottrell NKU’s Jessica Jenson drives baseline. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 2013-14 NKU Norse media guide
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