First Day of NJCAA Women's Basketball Championship Complete

KSAL Sports - Mon 12:07 PM 03/18/2013

The first day of the NJCAA Women's Basketball National Championship is complete at the Bicentennial Center.

Here are recaps of all of the games:

No. 16 Weatherford (TX) 72, No. 17 Northeast (NE) 68

Northeast controlled the first half, sprinting out to an eight point lead at 10-2. After Weatherford closed to within four, Northeast responded by pushing the lead to 12 three different times, the last coming at 24-12. Weatherford dominated the remainder of the half, outscoring Northeast 35-11 to take a 37-35 halftime lead. Weatherford controlled the second half, as Northeast never tied or took the lead. Weatherford kept Northeast at arm's length for most of the half until Northeast closed within two at 70-68 in the final moments. Northeast had a chance to tie or win, but turned the ball over. Weatherford hit two free throws to seal the win.

Weatherford was led in scoring by JohVonna Darrington's 16 points. Itiana Taylor added 15, Bre Brooks 13 and Desiree King 12. Northeast was paced by Lexi Murphy's 19 points, while Ivana Vuletic chipped in 12.

Weatherford is 25-5 and will face No. 1 Trinity Valley at 2pm on Tuesday, while Northeast ends the year at 28-5.

No. 9 Blinn (TX) 72, No. 24 Kaskaskia (IL) 63

It was all Blinn from the get-go, as the Buccaneers built as much as a 20 point first half lead at 37-17. Blinn led Kaskaskia 48-30 at the halftime break. Blinn rebuilt the lead to 20 early in the 2nd half. Kaskaskia was able to cut the lead to as little as 10 midway through the half, but Blinn never let them get any closer. The Buccaneers then rebuilt a 17 point lead with 6 minutes to go. Kaskaskia made another charge late, but couldn't get any closer than the final 9 point margin.

Blinn was led by Fatima Adams with 19 points. Audrisa Harrison added 16 and Jazzmin Parker had 16. Kaskaskia was led by Adrina LaVern's 20 points, while Alex Stanford and Makeba Elliott each had 11.

Blinn is 31-3 and will face No. 8 Darton State at 4:30pm on Tuesday, while Kaskaskia ends the year at 24-9.

No. 13 Midland (TX) 57, No. 20 Volunteer State (TN) 49

In one of the tightest games of the day, the largest lead for either team was the eight-point margin by which Midland won. The lead changed hands eight times, and there were nine ties before Midland took over for good in the final three minutes. Midland led 31-29 at halftime, but Volunteer State battled back to take a lead at 46-44. Midland would surge back in front, but Volunteer State tied the game at 49. Midland would then score the final eight points of the game, capping it with four straight from the foul line to hold on for the win.

Midland was led in scoring by Meghan Braeuer's 16 points. Achiri Ade added 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Diamalises Rivera chipped in 11. Catherine Kruschke missed out on a double double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Volunteer State was paced by Natasha West's 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Midland is 27-7 and will face No. 4 Gulf Coast State at 6:30pm on Tuesday, while Volunteer State ends the season at 23-5.

No. 21 Williston State (ND) 67, No. 12 North Idaho 63

The first upset of the tournament came in the fourth game. Williston State and North Idaho played a tight game as well. Williston State took an early 14-6 lead on the 2011 National Champions, but the Cardinals regrouped. The lead would change hands four times in the first half, with three ties as well. North Idaho managed to surge ahead 39-35 at the break. In the second half, it remained much of the same early with the teams trading leads. Williston State started to pull away in the final 10 minutes, leading by as much as 11 at 61-50 with 5 minutes to go. However, Northern Idaho wouldn't go away, using a 13-0 run over the next 2:30 to go ahead 63-61. The Tetons responded with four straight points, regaining the lead on a three-point play. Williston State then converted free throws down the stretch for the 67-63 win.

Maggie Lorenz paced the Tetons with 20 points, Jazzmine Robinson added 12 and Jackie Lee had 11. North Idaho was led by Katie Buskey's 19 points, Mollie Kramer added 18 and Hannah Love chipped in 12.

Williston State is 31-3 and will face No. 5 Shelton State on Tuesday at 8:30, while North Idaho ends the year at 28-5. 

No. 15 Crowder (MO) 69, No. 18 Redlands (OK) 64

Crowder erased an early second half deficit and held on for a five-point victory. Redlands used a 14-1 first half run to surge in front early, going up by nine, but Crowder closed the first half on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 26 at the break. After Redlands took an early lead in the second half, Crowder went on a run to lead by as much as 14 late in the game. However, turnovers and missed free throws allowed Redlands to creep back into the game, and had a couple chances to bring the game back to a single possession. Crowder was able to get a couple defensive stops and hit just enough shots at the line late to hold on for the 69-64 win.

Terai Sadler led Crowder with 21 points, while Caprese Marshall and Veronica Amos added 14 points each. Amos had a double double with 11 rebounds. Kayla Pahcoddy led all scorers with 25 points, while Arielle Cooper added 19 and Lissette Plasencia chipped in 12.

Crowder is 29-5 and faces No. 2 Central Arizona on Wednesday at 1pm, while Redlands ends its season at 21-10.

No. 10 Chipola (FL) 78, No. 23 Southwest Illinois 62

After a back and forth game early on, Chipola built a 15 point halftime lead. The Indians never looked back in the second half, cruising to a 16 point victory. Southwest Illinois was never able to get the lead under double-digits after halftime. The deficit bulged to 25 with 12:30 left in the game. Southwest Illinois's Janelle Cannon was able to convert a couple of late baskets, but it was not enough. Cannon, who averages 25.4 points a game, ended with 26. Chipola's Rayven Brooks stole the show, though, finishing with 29 points.

Chipola is now 26 - 6, and advances to play #7 Southern Idaho Wednesday at 3pm. Southwest Illinois finishes its season at 25 - 6.

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