By: Scott DCamp, Northland Communications
Thief River Falls, Minn. -
Top-ranked Rochester Community & Technical College defeated third-ranked Northland Community & Technical College 78-65 in the NJCAA Women's Basketball Region 13B championship game. The game was played Sunday afternoon in Thief River Falls in front of large crowd that was mainly comprised of Northland fans.
The Pioneers fed off the crowd and led for the first 25 minutes of Sunday's game. The Pioneers opened the game on a 4-0 run and led 13-2 three minutes into the opening quarter. The Pioneers led by as many as 10 points in the opening quarter, including a 16-6 advantage with 5:37 remaining, but the Yellowjackets went on a 12-2 run to tie the game 18-18 with 1:37 left in the first.
The Pioneers finished the opening quarter on a 7-0 run and led 25-18 through the first 10 minutes of play.
A
Josie Iverson three-pointer 27 seconds into the second quarter pushed the Pioneers' lead back to 10 points, 28-18. The Yellowjackets went on several small runs for the remainder of the half, but the Pioneers answered with a score of their on each occasion and they took a 39-35 lead into the locker room.
The Pioneers continued to play with a lead early in the third quarter. The Yellowjackets used a 12-6 run to take a 47-45 lead, their first lead of the afternoon, but the Pioneers quickly tied the game on a pair ot Tegan Fitzsimonds free throws with 4:39 remaining in the quarter.
The Yellowjackets took the lead for good on Macaya Copeland three-pointer with 4:20 remaining in the third, and gradually pulled away in the fourth for the 13-point win.
The Yellowjackets were led by Copeland with 32 points, a team-high four assists and a team-high seven steals. Kara Goetzinger also had a big day for the Yellowjackets with 19 points.
Top scorers for the Pioneers were Tiayana Schwinghammer with 26 points, with
Josie Iverson and
Rylie Klopp scoring 112 points each.
The Yellowjackets guaranteed themselves a spot in the 2025 NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship. Northland is still alive for an at-large bid. At-large bids will be announced during the NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Selection Show Wednesday.
Rochester Community and Technical College at Northland Community & Technical College March 2, 2025
78
65
Box Score
Rochester Community and Technical College
| Player |
MIN |
FGM-A |
3PM-A |
FTM-A |
OREB |
DREB |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
PF |
PTS |
| STARTERS |
|
| 0Macaya Copeland |
39 |
14-31 |
2-6 |
2-2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
32 |
| 3Aniyah Reuben |
33 |
0-4 |
0-3 |
2-2 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
| 10Kara Goetzinger |
25 |
9-12 |
0-1 |
1-4 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
19 |
| 11Nyomi Crushshon |
20 |
2-4 |
0-1 |
5-6 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
| 20Cassidy Shute |
33 |
0-3 |
0-2 |
2-4 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
| RESERVES |
|
| 2Allana Bates |
16 |
2-4 |
1-2 |
2-2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
| 12Tori Henderson |
11 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 21Makadyn Gust |
11 |
1-1 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
| 23Jaide Pressley |
15 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
| TMTeam |
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
|
| TOTALS |
|
30-61 |
4-16 |
14-20 |
7 |
18 |
25 |
15 |
17 |
1 |
15 |
24 |
78 |
|
|
49.2% |
25.0% |
70.0% |
|
Game Information
| Date/Time |
March 2, 2025 - 12:00 PM |
| Location |
Northland Gym |
| Technical fouls |
Rochester Community and Technical College-None ; Northland Community & Technical College-None . |
