Postseason WNIT | 3/31/2025 8:54:47 PM
CLEVELAND STATE 76, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 65
FORT WAYNE, IN – Sara Guerreiro was an end-to-end force for Cleveland State on Monday, closing with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Destiny Leo had a season-high 22 points as the Vikings topped Purdue Fort Wayne to earn a spot in the Fab 4 of the 2025 Postseason WNIT.
Cleveland State (27-9) will play at Buffalo (28-7) in the Fab 4 round; tipoff is set for Wednesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. ET.
Cleveland State jumped ahead thanks to an 18-1 scoring run in the third quarter, but the Mastodons did score six straight points in the final 45 seconds of the frame to trail 57-47 heading into the final quarter. The Vikings ended up with a major edge in rebounds (44-26) which helped offset the turnover count of 18 (PFW had just six).
Mickayla Perdue added 21 points and Jordana Reisma finished with 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Mastodons (27-9), who were just 4-for-8 from the free-throw line, had Lauren Ross close with 14 points. Amellia Bromenschenkel and Sydney Freeman each had 13 points and Jazzlyn Linbo closed with 12 points.
This was the fourth contest between these Horizon League foes this season, with PFW having won two of the three previous games.
ILLINOIS STATE 78, LOUISIANA TECH 70
NORMAL, IL – Illinois State knocked off Louisiana Tech, 78-70, to advance to the Postseason WNIT Fab 4 for the first time since 2011.
Elyce Knudsen led the way for the Redbirds with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 5-of-7 from deep. With her five made triples, Knudsen became the school’s all-time single-season record holder with 90 made 3-pointers on the year. Neveah Thomas scored 16 points and made three 3-pointers, and Maya Wong added 15 points and six assists with three 3-pointers as well. As a team, Illinois State shot 12-of-21 from distance and 58 percent from the field.
Louisiana Tech was equally efficient from the field, however, shooting 53 percent from the field and connecting on 7-of-13 from 3-point range. The Lady Techsters were led by Paris Bradley, who had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists on 7-of-12 shooting. Jordan Marshall added 14 points and eight rebounds for LA Tech.
The Lady Techsters jumped out to a 21-15 lead in the first quarter, but Illinois State answered in the second quarter with a 23-10 advantage to take a 7-point lead into the break. Louisiana Tech cut the lead down to one heading into the fourth quarter, but Illinois State could not be stopped in the final quarter, scoring 27 points on a blistering 77 percent shooting from the field with four 3-pointers. Knudsen scored 13 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter to close the game out for the Redbirds.
Illinois State now hosts Troy in the Fab 4 on Wednesday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
TROY 97, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 88 (OT)
FARGO, ND – Zay Dyer scored six straight points in overtime for Troy, which took control in the extra session with a 10-0 run before finally stopping North Dakota State to earn a spot (for the second straight season) in the Fab 4 of the Postseason WNIT.
The Trojans (23-13) will play at Illinois State (24-12) in the Fab 4 round; tipoff is set for Wednesday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Dyer’s push in overtime was backed up by great free-throw shooting as well, with Briana Peguero and Brianna Jackson each handling the pressure on the line.
Troy protected a small lead for most of the fourth quarter, but NDSU got back within 77-73 on a 3-pointer from Abby Graham with 2:41 to go. Peguero’s free throw for Troy at the :23 mark gave the Trojans a 79-75 lead, but Molly Lenz was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to make the score 79-78. Peguero hit two more free throws, and Lenz tied it up with a 3-pointer at :14 to send the game into overtime tied at 81-all.
Peguero finished with a career-high 22 points and was 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. Shaulana Wagner had 18 points for Troy; Dyer and Jackson each had 14 points and Fortuna Ngnawo closed with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jackson added 14 rebounds as Troy led in that category, 56-37.
The Bison (21-12) saw Avery Koenen come through with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Abby Schulte had 12 points, Lenz scored 11 points and both Marisa Frost and Abbie Draper scored 10 points.
The teams had played each other once previously – in November of this season when Troy won 86-69 in the Great Alaska Shootout.