American Gold Sports Alliance

Women's Basketball

Santiago 2023: Azurá Stevens brings 3×3 glory to Team USA

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By Maggie Hendricks| Olympics

Standing with her 3×3 teammates, Azurá Stevens has an ear-to-ear grin on her face. They had just won the Pan American Games 3×3 women’s tournament for Team USA, and Stevens had excelled in her first try at a different kind of basketball. Stevens’ smile is something fans have grown used to, as it shows even when her team is not winning gold medals.

Stevens’ positivity shows when she is on social media. Her X (formerly known as Twitter) feed is filled with kind and encouraging words. Her Instagram and TikTok often show Stevens doing the latest dance trend, along with her teammates. Even after a WNBA season where her Los Angeles Sparks finished just outside the playoffs, Stevens keeps up the good vibes.

“It’s difficult. Life and the game bring a lot of different challenges. I think just trying to stay grateful for everything, even when things don’t feel like they’re going my way, just staying really positive and being as grateful as I can for every experience, because it brings a learning opportunity and so that’s something that kind of helps me to keep it even. Even when things aren’t,” Stevens said to Olympics.com.

How her parents fuel Stevens

Part of where Stevens learns her lessons about gratitude is from her parents. In 2020, she started a food truck with her parents that serves southern food staples: shrimp, grits and fish. Though her father runs the business, she works on the truck whenever she is home in North Carolina. Stevens said her parents are her biggest inspiration.

“From a young age, they’ve sacrificed so much for me to be able to chase my dreams. They still support me so much,” Stevens said. “They’re a huge inspiration, an example that they set for me growing up and then all the sacrifices they made for me to be able to follow my dreams.”

A new kind of challenge

Her attitude has been helpful as she tried 3×3. Stevens has excelled at five on five basketball. She won a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky and an NCAA title at UConn, and was a sought-after free agent before she signed with the Sparks in the 2023 offseason. But 3×3? It’s a completely different kind of challenge for the 6-foot-6 (198 cm) player.

“Obviously, you’re not doing full court, which has a lot quicker pace. And there’s a lot of reading and reacting and just sort of slowing down,” Stevens said. “I think that’s something that’s been a little bit of a challenge for me so far as it’s a little bit of a slower pace because it’s half court, you know, but then when you score, you’re right on defense. that point in that regard and continuing to get comfortable with it.”

Now with a 3×3 gold medal in hand, Stevens is considering whether she will play basketball in the offseason. She will return to the Sparks in 2024 for her seventh season in the WNBA, and perhaps, Paris 2024.

“I’d love that opportunity. I’m excited to be part of that pool, and see how it goes from there,” Stevens said.

Iowa draws 55,646 to set record for women’s basketball game

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ESPN Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Lisa Bluder’s idea turned into history.

The Iowa coach came up with the plan for her team to play an outdoor game at Kinnick Stadium, with the hope of setting a women’s basketball single-game attendance record.

Iowa did that, and more.

The Hawkeyes’ 94-72 exhibition win over DePaul in the “Crossover at Kinnick” on Sunday drew 55,646 fans, almost doubling the previous record of 29,619 set by Connecticut and Oklahoma in the 2002 NCAA championship game at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

“You know, you can have an idea and it could fall flat if nobody shows up,” Bluder said. “But, man, Hawk fans showed up today. Fifty-five thousand, breaking the record, getting to play outside. … It was a dream. It really was. It was just fabulous.”

“Fifty-five thousand? That’s pretty incredible,” said Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year, who put up a triple-double of 34 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. “It’s hard to kind of imagine yourself playing basketball in front of 55,000.”

Bluder’s idea for an outdoor game came to her when 9,000 fans showed up for a campus celebration in April upon the Hawkeyes’ return from the NCAA championship game against LSU.

Sunday’s game was played under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures in the 50s and a gusty wind swirling around the north end zone where the court was set up.

“Great weather,” Bluder said. “It was raining all week, and then great weather today? I’m so thankful.”

The wind played havoc with some of the shots. The Hawkeyes were 36-of-73 from the field but just 6-of 22 on 3-pointers and 16-of-30 on free throws.

Clark hit one of her familiar long-range 3-pointers early in the second quarter, but she also air-balled a free throw in the second half.

“It was a little windy,” Clark said. “The cold was perfectly fine. It was a bit chilly, and I’m glad we play an indoor sport. I promise I’ll never air-ball a free throw again. The wind took that one, for sure.”

The game was Iowa’s answer to August’s “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” an outdoor doubleheader featuring the national power Nebraska Cornhuskers and three other in-state college teams that drew 92,003 to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln for the highest documented attendance ever for a women’s sporting event.

“I think this was amazing,” DePaul guard Michelle Sidor said. “Sixty thousand people coming out for women’s basketball was pretty special.”

Women’s and girls basketball has a long and rich history in Iowa. Girls played six-on-six high school basketball more than a century ago — three offensive players, three defensive players, only two dribbles and none allowed to cross half court. The girls’ basketball state tournament, first held in 1920, was a huge event televised statewide and in neighboring states until the five-player game took over in the 1980s.

Last year, the Hawkeyes ranked second nationally in attendance and Iowa State was seventh.

“We’ve had basketball here since the 1920s,” Bluder said, noting that associate head coach Jan Jensen’s grandmother is in the state girls high school hall of fame. “I mean, this is deeply rooted in this state. So it’s just perfect that it was here.”

Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke, who grew up in nearby Cedar Rapids, said, “Breaking the record in our home city, my home state, is really amazing. I think it’s just really cool being able to change the game and change people’s mindset on basketball.”

Players and coaches from both teams also participated with the crowd in “The Hawkeye Wave,” the tradition of fans at Kinnick waving to young patients and their families who are watching games through the windows at the adjacent Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Proceeds from the game are being directed to the hospital. A check for $250,000 was presented during a break in the game. Among the attendees were former Iowa players Megan Gustafson, the 2019 national player of the year, and Kathleen Doyle, the 2020 Big Ten player of the year.

“Before the game, I just talked to them about this being a historic day for us,” Bluder said. “How we were playing for more than just ourselves. Playing for the university, fighting for the children’s hospital. We just talked about playing for everybody else and and not for ourselves.”

Bluder’s team has never been more popular in the state. The program is coming off its best season, Clark is the returning Associated Press player of the year and a show-woman with her deep 3-pointers. Every home game this season is sold out.

“It’s hard to really wrap your head around everything that’s happening,” Clark said. “Obviously, you can imagine it but it’s never the same until you’re actually in the experience enjoying it and loving it.”

Aliyah Boston is the unanimous pick for WNBA Rookie of the Year

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By: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Aliyah Boston is the unanimous selection for the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, receiving all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina proved to be everything and more for the Indiana Fever this season, putting together one of the best rookie seasons on record. Her 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game helped the Fever to 13 wins, an improvement from the five games they won last season.

Boston led all rookies in scoring, rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes per game. She also became just the sixth rookie All-Star starter.

In the first six games of her career, Boston averaged 15 points per game on 70% shooting – something no other WNBA player had done before. And she’s the first player in WNBA history to average 15 points per game on 60% shooting through 20 career games.

“Aliyah’s not normal. She’s not the normal rookie,” Fever veteran Erica Wheeler said. “She understands what it means to be a great teammate, and a great sister, too. She’s a franchise player.”

In August, Boston became the fourth rookie in WNBA history to have a 25-point, 10-rebound, four-steal game. She finished the season with 11 double-doubles to lead the 2023 rookie class.

Joining Boston on the All-Rookie team are Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller of the Minnesota Lynx, Li Meng of the Washington Mystics and Jordan Horston of the Seattle Storm.

Stephanie White wins Coach of the Year with ‘overachieving’ Sun

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By: Josh Needelman | Just Women’s Sports

Stephanie White’s first season with the Connecticut Sun has been a success. Now, her work has been formally recognized.

White was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year, the league announced Sunday, having received 36 of 60 possible votes. The Sun earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs after a 27-13 regular season despite significant roster turnover.

“We’re honest. We’re transparent. We expect a lot, they give a lot, and they expect a lot from each other, and they expect a lot from us,” White said in an interview with ESPN. “I think that allows us to, I guess for lack of a better term, overachieve when people think we might not be or would have been in the position that we’re in.”

The Sun lost Jonquel Jones, the 2021 WNBA MVP, and Jasmine Thomas in the offseason. Then, two-time All-Star Brionna Jones suffered a torn Achilles in June, ending her season.

But Connecticut marched on, with Alyssa Thomas and others leading the way. Thomas averaged 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.8 steals during the regular season.

“Everyone here has had the expectation that we want to compete for a championship, and that’s just our mindset,” White said.

The Sun earned their seventh-straight playoff berth, and then beat the Minnesota Lynx, 90-60, in the first game of their opening round series.

“We know their back is against the wall, but we have to play like our back is against the wall every possession as well,” White said. “So I’m pleased with how we came out and performed, but I know that game’s over and we’ve got to do that again and we’ve got to take it to another level.”

Alyssa Thomas continues to make WNBA history with back-to-back triple-doubles

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Jack Baer | Ysports

In the span of one year, Alyssa Thomas has become the unquestionable WNBA triple-double queen.

The Connecticut Sun star already had the most triple-doubles in WNBA history with four entering Tuesday, despite not having a single one at this time last year. She was already one of three players to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season, alongside Candace Parker and Sabrina Ionescu. She was already the first person to ever record a triple-double in the WNBA Finals, doing so last year.

Thomas added to that legacy Tuesday with another triple-double in an 89-81 loss to the New York Liberty, giving her unprecedented back-to-back triple-doubles after accomplishing the feat Sunday. She also became the first player to post three triple-doubles in a season, and all of them came within a week’s time.

She finished the game with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, plus four steals, one block and only one turnover.

It took 24 points from Breanna Stewart, a double-double from Jonquel Jones and nine assists from Courtney Vandersloot to get the win for the Liberty, who are starting to look like the super-team they were expected to be before the season.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 22: Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Connecticut Sun dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center on June 22, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Sun defeated the Lynx 89-68. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Alyssa Thomas is doing things the WNBA has never seen. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

In regards to Thomas, let’s put it this way. Counting the playoffs, there have been 23 triple-doubles in the 25-year history of the WNBA. Thomas has posted the last seven, a figure that represents more than 30% of the total.

Add that to a level of defense that made her a Defensive Player of the Year finalist last season, and you have the arguable favorite for WNBA MVP this season.

Alyssa Thomas breaks her own WNBA record with sixth triple-double

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Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Alyssa Thomas is picking up right were she left off last season, breaking her own WNBA record for triple-doubles for the second time in less than a week.

Her 14-point, 11-rebound and 12-assist performance Sunday, which propelled the Connecticut Sun to an 96-72 victory over the Chicago Sky, came just five days after her first triple-double of the season. Thomas now has six overall in her career, and four in regular-season competition, both WNBA records.

The WNBA is coming off the year of the triple-double, with nine recorded during the 2022 season, including four by Thomas. That includes the first two in WNBA Finals history. She also is the first player with more than two triple-doubles in a single season. Her first four triple-doubles all came after July 21 in the 2022 season.

In addition to Thomas’ staggering success, Candace Parker and Sabrina Ionescu each had two apiece in 2022, and Moriah Jefferson had one.

“I think the game is changing,” Parker said following the third triple-double of her career in June 2022. “I think we’re gonna very soon see this on a nightly basis. We’re going to see those playmakers who have the ball in their hands. So I don’t know how long I’m going to hold onto this. But I’m grateful for this opportunity to play on a team where we can spread the wealth.”

How many triple-doubles have been recorded in WNBA history? There have been 22 triple-doubles in the league’s 27 seasons, with 18 being recorded during the regular season and just four during the playoffs.

Sheryl Swoopes recorded the first playoff triple-double in 2005, while Courtney Vandersloot did so last year. Thomas joined their club in this year’s Finals.

Swoopes, Vandersloot, Thomas, Parker and Ionescu are the only players with multiple triple-doubles in their careers. While 22 triple-doubles have been recorded, they have come from just 11 total players.

Sheryl Swoopes (2)

Swoopes recorded the league’s first-ever triple-double on July 27, 1999, while playing for the Houston Comets. She recorded 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. She would later get her second triple-double on September 3, 2005, with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Margo Dydek

While with the Utah Starzz, Dydek had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks on June 7, 2001. Dydek remains the only WNBA player to have recorded a triple-double through blocks and not assists.

Lisa Leslie

Leslie set a new bar on September 9, 2004, recording 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks for the Los Angeles Sparks. That stood as the record for most points in a triple-double until Ionescu broke it in 2022.

Deanna Nolan

On May 21, 2005, Nolan recorded the first of two triple-doubles that year. That season became the first with multiple triple-doubles in a season. She had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Detroit Shock.

Temeka Johnson

As a member of the Seattle Storm, Johnson recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on July 24, 2014.

Candace Parker (3)

It took nine seasons for Parker to record her first triple-double. On July 28, 2017, she had 11 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists for the Sparks.

Her other two came in 2022, with Parker recording the first triple-double of the year on May 22, with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. While she became the oldest player to record a triple-double in WNBA history in that game, she later became the first player to record three triple-doubles in league history with another one on June 23 (10 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists).

Courtney Vandersloot (2)

Vandersloot recorded the first of her two triple-doubles on July 20, 2018, recording 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists. She recorded her second triple-double during the 2021 postseason, notching 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Chelsea Gray

As a member of the Sparks, Gray recorded a triple-double on July 7, 2019. She had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

Sabrina Ionescu (3)

Ionescu’s first triple-double came on May 18, 2021, as she recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists – the highest point total since Leslie’s triple-double in 2004.

She bested that number with a 27-point, 13-rebound and 12-assist performance on June 12, 2022. Then, against the Aces on July 7, Ionescu set the record for points in a triple-double, recording 31 points – the first 30-plus point triple-double – and adding 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

Moriah Jefferson

Jefferson added her name to the list on June 28, 2022, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, for the first triple-double in Minnesota Lynx history.

Alyssa Thomas (6)

Thomas recorded the first triple-double of her career and the first in Connecticut Sun history on July 22, 2022. The star forward tallied 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 2, Thomas recorded 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become just the third player in WNBA history to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season — joining Parker and Ionescu, who also did so in 2022.

She added yet another — and the first in WNBA Finals history — on Sept. 15, with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in a Game 3 win against the Las Vegas Aces. Then she followed it up with still another in the team’s Game 4 loss to Las Vegas, notching 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first WNBA player to post back-to-back triple-doubles.

On June 20, 2023, Thomas posted her fifth career triple-double, with 13 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists. And her sixth came just five days later, on June 25, in a 14-point, 11-rebound and 12-assist performance.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark wins Honda Cup: ‘Sky’s the limit’ for women’s sports

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Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is no stranger to winning, be it awards or basketball games. And she won one of the biggest awards of her career Monday, as she was named the 2023 Honda Cup winner and Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.

The 12 finalists for the Honda Cup came from 12 NCAA women’s sports, including Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas, Virginia swimmer Kate Douglass and UCLA soccer player Lilly Reale.

Two other athletes joined Clark among the top three finalists — Texas volleyball player Logan Eggleston and Stanford golfer Rose Zhang — but the Iowa basketball star took home the honors.

Clark, who also won player of the year accolades in her sport, led Iowa to its first national championship game in school history this April. She also became the first Division I women’s basketball player to have more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season.

“It’s truly a tremendous honor. And, to all these women, you guys are incredible. It could have gone to any of you. I’m just lucky to be up here in your guys’ presence and obviously my two coaches who are amazing women. We have an all-woman coaching staff. I get inspired by the best every single day, whether it’s them, whether it’s my coaches,” Clark said as she accepted the award. “I know my family is watching back home. Just a tremendous honor. I’m lucky to be here.”

The summer already has been a busy one for the star. After throwing out the first pitch at an Iowa Cubs baseball game in early June, she traveled north to see Taylor Swift in Minneapolis. Next, she’ll take her talents to the golf course at the John Deere Classic Pro-Am golf event on July 5.

Clark noted that getting to spend the weekend alongside the other athletes was “so much fun.”

“I get to learn what the other athletes’ daily lives are like. I’m their biggest fans as well,” she said. “I try to make time for every women’s sport and want to help elevate their sports to the next level, too.”

She also said that while she attends sporting events to cheer on other Iowa women’s sports teams and athletes, the weekend has helped fuel the fire to attend even more of those events.

“It makes me want to watch and support them even more,” Clark said. “If you’re not watching women’s sports, you’re truly missing out. Now is the time to tune in, as the sky’s the limit for women’s sports.”

AS SUE BIRD AND SYLVIA FOWLES SAY GOODBYE, WNBA PLAYERS REFLECT ON THEIR LEGACIES

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BY Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

The WNBA regular season is nearing its end, and so are the careers of two of the game’s best players.

Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird will meet for the final time in the regular season Friday, as Fowles’ Minnesota Lynx host Bird’s Seattle Storm. In the coming weeks, each will step onto a WNBA court for the final time as a player. Still, the impact each has had on the game will remain.

Los Angeles Sparks forward and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike underlined the power of both players, which extends well beyond their stat lines.

“The legacy that they’re leaving – it touches so many young players that I can’t wait to see how that evolves in someone else’s game,” Ogwumike told Just Women’s Sports. “They’ve done so much for the league, so much for the culture, so much for certain franchises that are now living in history.

“I’m happy we can give them their flowers while they’re still going hard and hooping.”

As a young player, Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum looked up to the duo, who she said not only influenced her game but also made her proud to be part of a league like the WNBA.

“You can’t speak enough to what both of them have done in different realms of the sport,” Plum said.

Speaking at the WNBA’s All-Star weekend, stars from across the league pointed to Bird and Fowles as trailblazers, role models and leaders.

Chicago Sky guard Candace Parker has played against Fowles since she was 14 years old and matched up against Bird for the first time in college in 2006, but also has gotten to play alongside both as part of gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic teams.

“For me personally, they’ve made me better as teammates but also made me better competing against them,” she said. “It’s amazing to be able to honor them.”

For Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, Fowles is “the toughest matchup” that she’s ever played against in her career.

“So strong physically. So dominant. A great finisher around the rim,” she said of the Lynx center. “She’s definitely someone that I look up to, someone that I try to model and shape my game around. She was the prototype of what success for a long time in this league looks like.”

Jones views Bird as a “prototype” for point guards in the league. The Storm star has helped shape the game both for the WNBA and women’s sports as a whole, Jones said.

“I’m happy to say that she’s a member of the WNBA and I’m a member of the WNBA with her,” she added.

When Fowles and Bird each were asked about the other’s impact, both focused on the strengths of the person – not the player.

“Sue Bird is everything this game needed: her leadership, her sisterhood, her friendship and just the things she does for the community,” Fowles said. “I think any young player, young point guard should have a good foundation of role models to go off of and Sue Bird is definitely one of those people.”

For Bird, Fowles’ care for her teammates sets the Lynx center apart from the rest.

“Sylvia is the one player I think in our league, when you see how her teammates interact with her, how they take to her – I know they jokingly call her grandma and whatnot – she really just has a certain nature about her that is so warm, so welcoming and so inviting,” Bird said. “I think the way that she impacts her team, the way she’s able to bring groups together, I can’t even think of another player that does it the same way Syl does.

“Believe me, I could sit here and talk about points and rebounds and championships and all of the things, but that, I think, is the secret ingredient that she has.”

Younger players, including Atlanta Dream rookie Rhyne Howard and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, recognize how Fowles and Bird have elevated the WNBA.

“It’s pretty remarkable, what they’ve meant to our sport and to everyone,” Ionescu said. “Where they came from and where they’ve left the game is absolutely in better hands. We’re excited as younger athletes to continue to pave the way for those to follow but they’ve done an incredible job and their career has been nothing short of amazing.”

For Howard, Fowles and Bird have provided footsteps to follow.

“They’ve set the stone,” Howard said. “They’ve been and done everything that young rookies like me want to do. So just to have them to look up to is big.”

Seattle Storm star Jewell Loyd sees in the retirements of Fowles and Bird a call to action for those still in the league and those to come.

“They’re what it means to be a professional athlete. To be a role model. To be a leader,” she said. “They are a generational talent. It’s sad that they’re leaving but they’ve left their mark and it’s our job now to carry that through.”

Hyde sets Wheaton North scoring mark

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By Stan Goff
Daily Herald Correspondent

What Claire Hyde has accomplished on the basketball court for Wheaton North is quite impressive, but the way she acted during her crowning moment on Saturday was just as impressive.

When the Falcons senior guard knocked down a 3-point shot less than a minute into the second half, Wheaton North called a timeout to recognize the fact that Hyde had just broken the school record for most points scored in a career. But Hyde was not ready for a celebration, rather she wanted to get her team’s defense fired up for the next possession of the game.

There wasn’t much need to worry, after all, as Hyde’s shot put her team up 34-20 and they were well on their way to defeating their crosstown rivals 58-32. But it’s that extreme focus that has helped this 5-foot-4 dynamo pile up a historic total of points, as well as lead this year’s team to an 18-5 record and a 9-2 mark in the DuKane Conference.

“We called that timeout to congratulate her and she was like, ‘Hey we need to focus on getting a stop here.’ It just shows you what a great kid she is and what this whole team is focused on,” said Wheaton North coach Dave Eaton, who presented Hyde with the game ball following the win. “She’s just an all-around great player but also one of the best kids to ever where a Wheaton North jersey. She’s an unbelievable kid. As good a basketball player as she is she’s an even better person.”

Hyde doesn’t follow her individual stats very closely, but she was aware that she was within the school record of 1,381 points set by 2018 graduate Hannah Swider. She entered Saturday’s contest needing 13 points to set the record and tallied a game-high 12 through two quarters as the hosts built a 28-14 lead. Hyde hit on three shots from beyond the arch in the first half, showing off her range with a couple bombs from well beyond the line.

Having grown up on the south side of Wheaton, Hyde knows many of the Tigers players well and was even coached on a seventh-grade team by Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Kroehnke.

“It was crazy how it played out that it was that amount of points and it landed on this game,” said Hyde, who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. “I’ve always appreciated Kroehnke and all that he’s done for me. He’s always been such a role model in my life. I grew up on the South side so I obviously have a connection there.

“I did [know about the record] because my parents and the coaches were all talking about it. I was really nervous coming into this game, I’m not gonna lie. My stomach was turning but I was just focusing on getting the win and thinking let’s get another conference victory.”ADVERTISING

Hannah Struebing paced the Tigers (13-11, 2-8) with 14 points and Campbell Bastian added a trio of 3s, but the day belonged to Hyde and the Falcons.

“I got to coach Claire when she was in seventh grade, so I’m very happy for her,” Kroehnke said. “It’s well-deserved. I told her I hope I never have to coach against her again, but that I love you and I’m very happy for you.”

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