ALEXANDRIA, La. – Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID), Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA) and Jaryn Madsen (FR/Warden, WA) helped open up a sizable second half lead as 14th-ranked Vanguard held on to defeat LSU Shreveport, 71-60, in the first round of the 2023 NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament on Tuesday.
The guard trio outscored the Pilots 31-16 over a 16 and a half minute span between the end of the second period and beginning of the fourth quarter, stretching their lead to as many as 15 points before withstanding a late LSUS charge down the stretch.
The Lions utilized a combination of dribble penetration from Si'i, Baumgartner's free throw shooting and savvy leadership, and a barrage of threes from Madsen to pave the way to victory in VU's first NAIA Tournament appearance since 2021.
Baumgartner picked an exceptional time to post her third 20-point game this season, finishing with 21 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 11-of-12 at the free throw line. She added four assists, three rebounds and a steal in a team-high 38 minutes.
Madsen was the unsung hero with career highs in points (18) and three-pointers (5), including three second half triples that turned a tied game into a double-digit lead.
The Golden State Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, Si'i shone brightest with the game on the line. She scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half and displayed her typical all-around game with six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
The Lions needed all three to step up as foul trouble plagued the team throughout the game. Both Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda) and Sarah Matossian (SO/Laguna Niguel, CA) fouled out, although Akullu made all four of her shot attempts and finished with four steals.
Ultimately, VU's nine threes and 50 percent (22-of-44) shooting for the game carried them to victory, as did limiting the Pilots to 37.7 (20-of-53) percent efficiency.
Destanee Roblow led the Pilots with 11 points. She was the only LSUS player in double figures.
VU improved to 22-6 on the year. The Pilots ended their season 24-8.
What Happened?: The Lions could not have asked for a better start, scoring the game's first 11 points as Baumgartner sandwiched two threes around a trey from Estefania Giner (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico). Si'i extended the lead to 11-0 with a layup and the Pilots missed their first five shots.
Alexis Brown got LSUS on the scoreboard with a layup at the 5:17 mark, and the Pilots steadied themselves the rest of the quarter. LSUS finished with a 10-2 run to cut VU's advantage to 17-15 at the end of the first period. Alondra Washington scored eight straight points to help the LSUS cause.
The Lions kicked their lead back up to eight as Madsen and Matossian drilled threes to start the second quarter. But the Pilots answered with a 10-0 run to swap leads for the first time. Angel Reese hit a three and made a layup to put her team up 25-23 with 4:58 remaining in the half.
Giner hit a shot and got fouled, converting the three-point play to retake the lead for VU, but Tiarra Tillison came down and sank a triple to swipe it right back.
After a Madsen three put the Lions back up by one, Chelsea White knocked down two free throws to give LSUS its final lead of the game at 30-29. The Lions got four Baumgartner free throws in the final two minutes to forge a 33-33 halftime tie.
VU shot 57.1 (8-of-14) percent in the third quarter and held LSUS to 27.3 (3-of-11) efficiency in a pivotal turnaround.
Si'i maneuvered inside for a pair of layups to begin the action. The Pilots hung around for a bit, and trailed by just five at 44-39 when Si'i made another layup with 2:17 to go. Madsen hit two huge threes on back-to-back possessions to polish off a 9-0 run, putting the Lions up 50-39 with 55 seconds remaining in the third period.
The Lions entered the final 10 minutes with a 52-42 lead as Si'i completed a nine-point period on a layup with 11 seconds left.
LSUS's aggressive defense forced seven Lion turnovers in the fourth quarter, as the Pilots trimmed the deficit to as little as four points with less than a minute remaining. However, the Lions made eight of their last 10 free throws to ice the game away at the line.
Akullu had a pair of key layups in the fourth to pad VU's lead, insulating the Lions from LSUS's late push. Derrica Gilbert's triple cut VU's lead to 64-60 with 37 seconds remaining. Baumgartner and Si'i hit six straight free throws to push the lead back to double digits.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions earned a solid win against an opponent just two hours away from Rapides Coliseum, where the Pilots also played in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament.
What Was Said?: "I'm proud of our team. We battled extreme foul trouble and played a team from Louisiana that was getting after us," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "We came out strong and lost momentum. We found it again in the third. Our bench was huge for us. Jaryn made huge shots for us and the bench held it close while we battled all that foul trouble. Jaryn played out of position and was huge. Halle had a tough first half offensively, but, defensively she did a heck of a job. She was the difference getting to the hoop early in the third. Lauren was clutch and did what seniors do – made huge free throws and big shots. We need to play better tomorrow and we will.
"Got the first game jitters out of the way. Proud to survive and advance, and proud of our team for gritting it out."
What's Next?: The Lions take on No. 17 Texas Wesleyan on Wednesday in a second round tournament matchup. Tip time is 3:30 p.m. (PT).
