SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Providence used a 13-2 fourth-quarter run to get past Concordia (Neb.) 73-66 Thursday in the Round of 16 at the NAIA women's basketball national championship at the Tyson Events Center.
Trailing 56-49 early in the fourth after Concordia scored the first six points of the period, Eliannah Ramirez and Keanna Salave'a made back-to-back 3-pointers for Providence. Kendal Brigham made a bucket for Concordia, but Ramirez, Monique Carter and Maddy Dixon combined to score the next seven points to give the Argos a 62-58 lead with 5:16 to play.
Brigham kept Concordia close — she scored 10 points in the fourth and 18 for the game — but Providence got a clutch 3 from Kolby Pimperton and secured the win at the free throw line. The Argos, seeded second in the Naismith Quadrant, will meet No. 1 seed Marian (Ind.) in the tournament quarterfinals. Providence (25-8) and Marian (33-1) will play at 12 p.m. (MDT) Saturday.
Providence had five players score in double figures Thursday: Pimperton scored 14 points, Taliah Lee added 13, Ashlee Maldonado had 12 and Dixon and Salave'a each scored 10. As a team, the Argos made 14 of 30 3-pointers, with Pimperton, Lee and Maldonado each making three shots from beyond the arc.
Salave'a added 15 rebounds to her stat line to finish with a double-double, while Maldonado had eight assists.
In addition to Brigham's 18 points, Taysha Rushton scored 15 points and Sadie Powell had 13 for Concordia. Concordia made just 4 of 16 3-point attempts in the game.
