No. 2-seeded Raiders match program’s single-season wins record at 33-0 with NAIA second-round romp

ASHLAND — The Southern Oregon women’s basketball team knows a few things about NAIA National Tournament drama. The Raiders made sure there was nothing of the sort in the first two rounds this weekend at Lithia Motors Pavilion.

SOU, after being stopped in the second round each of the last three seasons, busted through Saturday night by hammering Wayland Baptist 78-51 in what was a 30-point game with a few minutes left in the first half.

At 33-0, the No. 2-seeded Raiders matched the program’s single-season wins record and advanced to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, for the first time since the NAIA’s two divisions merged and the bracket expanded to 64 teams three years ago. They’ll face No. 6 seed Xavier (La.) at 1 p.m. PDT Thursday in the Round of 16.

“I am so incredibly excited for our team,” said SOU coach Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt. “They’ve worked so hard for so many months to get back to this point and now they have a chance to go win a national championship. Our focus in practice leading up to this weekend was extremely sharp and they’ve continued to learn and grow as the season has gone on.”

A night after defeating UC Merced by 34 points, the Raiders never ceded momentum against the No. 7-seeded Flying Queens (26-5). The gap first appeared when Bridgette McIntyre hit two 3-pointers and was fouled shooting another in the first quarter, helping the Raiders jump out to a 24-11 lead. They limited WBU to one bucket over the first eight minutes of the second as it ballooned to 47-17.

Emma Schmerbach did a little bit of everything and posted 17 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocked shots. McIntyre scored 15, and her sister, Meghan McIntyre, recorded 10 points, six assists and five steals.

That defense — and a five-block effort from Clara Robbins — kept the Raiders running and the Queens winded. It made life particularly hard on 6-foot-4 All-American Megan Nestor, who shot 17-of-20 with 35 points and 15 rebounds Friday against Carroll (Mont.). Against SOU, she went 8-of-17 and had little energy to spare on the defensive end.

The rest of WBU’s starters combined to misfire on 13 of their 14 attempts from 3, and the Queens’ bench provided only three points.

Eliza DiGiulio and Mallory Williams scored eight apiece off the bench for SOU, while Sierra Scheppele came on to hit a pair of 3-pointers. Morgan Baird, who went for 28 against Merced, yielded to her teammates while totaling eight points, five boards and four assists.

In five postseason games including the CCC Tournament, the Raiders have given up an average of 48.4 points. All five opponents finished 35% or worse from the field.

All four No. 1 seeds and three No. 2 seeds advanced to the final site. The SOU-Xavier winner will face either top-seeded Bethel (Tenn.) or No. 4 seed Hastings (Neb.) in the quarterfinals.