Warrior women’s hoops team advances in NAIA Tournament

Minutes after beating 11th-seeded Columbia (Mo.) in the first round of the women’s basketball NAIA Tournament, the live stream captured the sixth-seeded Lewis-Clark State Warriors gathered on the court for a photo together.

Smiles and embraces abounded among the victorious Warriors as they posed for the camera and strolled into the locker room elated at the reality of extending their season by at least one day.

Lewis-Clark State sophomore forward Darian Herring and junior guard Payton Hymas dropped 21 points apiece with five blocks and four steals respectively as the Warriors beat the Columbia Cougars 75-59 to advance in the NAIA Tournament on Friday in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Warriors will try to crack the Sweet 16 at 2 p.m. Pacific today when they face the site host Briar Cliff. Besides online streaming coverage, today's game can also be heard on KVTY-FM (105.1).

Ellie Sander tallied 11 points, grabbed four steals and led LC State (26-6) with four assists and six rebounds.

Mallory Shetley led Columbia (28-4) with 25 points.

“It’s win at all costs right now and I think our team is just really together right now,” LC State coach Caelyn Orlandi said. “They encourage each other. They want each other’s success more than their own success.

“When you put others above yourself, that’s when the great teams are made, and I think that’s what we’re doing right now.”

The Herring-Hymas show

Herring didn’t even need to turn around to set up the Warrior basket just before halftime.

All she had to do was extend her arms to her left at the right time for a driving Hymas, who took the handoff in the key, flew past the Columbia defenders and found the bottom of the nylon to put the Warriors up by 14 with three seconds left in the first half.

It was a sign of the LC State offense firing on all cylinders, but for Orlandi and the Warriors, it was just another play. Nothing special.

“Darian (Herring) knows how to move the basketball,” Orlandi said. “Just a play to get those two together, working together. But they both read extremely well.”

Herring set the tone for the Warriors in the first quarter with a layup 17 seconds into the game and another bucket over a minute later to put LC State out to a 4-0 lead.

The pair of leading scorers also anchored the Warrior defense, racking up the blocks and steals to show it while shutting down various scoring opportunities.

Herring had the responsibility of guarding Shetley, the Cougars’ top scorer, for much of the game. Orlandi praised the sophomore from Deer Park for her defense of Columbia’s top playmaker.

Shetley took 23 shots to accumulate 25 points. The next highest Columbia scorer, Tori Rubel, posted 10 points.

Columbia’s last lead was 7-6 just over three minutes into the contest. Herring and Hymas connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to restore the Warrior lead and jumpstart a 10-0 LC State run which included a pair of Sander free throws and a Sitara Byrd layup.

The Cougars only made five shots from the field in the first quarter and the Warriors capitalized with a 22-12 lead after 10 minutes.

The Cougars kept it a single-digit game through most of the second quarter before a 9-0 LC State run boosted the Warriors to a game-high 16-point lead just before halftime.

Columbia connected on a pair of jumpers to cut the deficit to 12 with 16 seconds left in the half before Herring handed the ball off to Hymas, who raised her point total to double figures upon the make.

The Cougars staged a 15-2 run which cut the LC State lead to six at the 3:05 mark of the third quarter before Mataya Green added four of her 10 points over the next 18 seconds.

A 15-11 fourth quarter in favor of LC State clinched the Round 1 win and ensured the Warriors would play another day.

Tournament time

Deep into March, the Warriors are still playing basketball.

Four of their Cascade Conference compatriots played on Friday too.

Orlandi credits the top-notch competition that LC State faced in the regular season for preparing her team for this moment.

“We’re playing College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon back-to-back; Southern Oregon and (Oregon Tech) back-to-back on the road,” Orlandi said. “Those are all teams that are in the tournament.”

With the Warriors’ second-round game at 2 p.m. today — less than 18 hours after the final buzzer — it was an almost immediate bedtime for the roster.

The stakes are clear to LC State: Win or go home. While that pressure could be enough to keep one up at night, the Warriors can rest on their laurels of the energy and focus that they have brought to tough road environments all season long.

“Being on the road, you’re responsible for your own energy, and we did a great job with that tonight,” Orlandi said. “They’re excited to be here. This team deserves to be here. They work hard and we look forward to (today).”

Round 2 vs. host Briar Cliff

The Warriors’ win sends them to a head-on collision course with one of the top teams in the country in the second round of the NAIA Tournament.

The third-seeded and No. 5-ranked Briar Cliff (Iowa) Chargers avoided an upset on their home court just before LC State played Columbia, beating Spring Arbor (Mich.) 65-61.

Orlandi said that the Chargers get about 20% of their offense in transition and make an average of nine 3s a game.

“They’ve had three losses this year to the No. 1 team in the nation (Dordt), We had three losses to the No. 2 team in the nation (Southern Oregon),” Orlandi said. “They played a tough conference, and they’re extremely skilled. We’re gonna have to bring good basketball, great defensive intensity and get ready to score the ball.”

COLUMBIA (28-6)

Backes 2-9 0-0 6, Shetley 10-23 5-6 25, L. Miller 3-10 0-0 9, M. Miller 2-3 1-4 5, Rubel 4-6 0-0 10, Friedrich 0-1 0-0 0, Klusmeyer 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 22-55 8-12 59.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (25-6)

Byrd 3-8 0-0 7, Sander 4-7 2-3 11, Hymas 9-14 1-2 21, Green 5-7 0-0 10, Herring 10-15 0-0 21, Brager 1-8 1-1 3, Wilson 1-1 0-0 2, Barger 0-1 0-0 0, Beardin 0-2 0-0 0, Wallace 0-2 0-0 0, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-65 4-6 75.

3-point goals — CC 7-21 (Backes 2-7, L. Miller 3-8, Rubel 2-3, Friedrich 0-1, Klusmeyer 0-2), LCSC 5-17 (Sander 1-2, Byrd 1-4, Hymas 2-2, Herring 1-1, Barger 0-1, Wallace 0-1, Brager 0-4, Beardin 0-2). Assists — CC 12 (six with 2), LCSC 10 (Sander 4) Fouled out — None. Rebounds — CC 29, LCSC (Rubel 10) LCSC 29 (Sander 6). Total fouls — CC 7, LCSC. Technical fouls — None.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.