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Mistakes cost Panthers in 85-72 setback against Quincy
Lone senior Amanda Harnist scored a team-high 22 points in the Panthers first NCAA appearance.

Mistakes cost Panthers in 85-72 setback against Quincy

Box Score

Second-seeded Quincy used a 51-point, second-half outburst to overcome a halftime deficit and beat the No. 7 seed Panthers 85-72 on Friday afternoon in the first round of the Midwest Regional at the Student Development Complex Gymnasium in Houghton, Mich.

KWC ended the season with a 17-10 record.

"In the first half we played great team defense, and we had said from the get-go that we were going to stop their driving as a team," KWC co-coach Caleb Nieman said. "But when they hit a couple 3-pointers (in the second half), we started playing one-on-one defense."

Quincy (26-3) seized control almost immediately after intermission.

KWC's Amanda Harnist, who scored a team-high 22 points, hit a 19-foot jumper on the Panthers' first possession that pushed the lead to 38-34. But Quincy's Courtney Shuman, who scored a game-high 29 points, answered with a strong move inside that ignited an 11-0 run that put the Hawks ahead 45-38 with 16:28 remaining.

KWC continued to battle, and cut its deficit to 75-68 when Harnist drained a 3-pointer with 4:27 to play. But the Panthers' comeback bid was derailed by turnovers.

"That's been a problem of ours," said Nieman of the 18 overall turnovers. "And we also kind of rushed shots when they started switching defenses."

Nieman viewed the first half as a lost opportunity.

The Panthers had built a 28-20 lead on Jordan Ogle's 3-pointer with 6:11 left. But the Hawks were able to close within a 36-34 deficit by halftime.

"At halftime we talked about keeping the pedal down, and that we felt like we should have been up by 10," Nieman said. "We were frustrated that we looked tired."

KWC struggled to find offensive consistency, with Harnist the only double-figure scorer. The Panthers shot 41 percent overall (29-of-70), but made just 5-of-22 3-point attempts (23 percent).

KWC won the rebounding battle, 44-38. Harnist and Kailyn Mitchell each grabbed nine boards.

Quincy's Ali Schwagmeyer added 21 points and Stephanie Wagner 16. The Hawks shot 45 percent (32-of-71) from the field -- 63 percent (5-of-8) from 3-point range.

"We're extremely proud of the girls," said Nieman of himself and his wife, co-coach Nicole Nieman. "They have really worked for us, bought into the hard work, and they were in this field because they earned it and deserved it."
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