March 9, 2025
#1 Eagles Punch Ticket to Nationals
Cedar Rapids, IA-
Kirkwood 90
United Tribes Tech 49
North Central B District Championship
Kirkwood punched their ticket to the NJCAA Women's DII National Tournament with a convincing 90-49 victory over United Tribes Tech on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hall.
The Eagles (31-0) will be making their fifth consecutive trip to the national tournament and 24th overall in program history.
Kirkwood started the game hot and never looked back, as they took an early 12-3 lead just 2:54 into the game forcing a United Tribes timeout.
A driving layup by sophomore Kaliyah Sain at the buzzer gave the Eagles a 23-9 lead after a quarter.
Kirkwood would take their largest lead of the first half (42-16) on a basket by freshman Kennedy Blakely with 3:38 remaining in the half.
The Eagles doubled up the Thunderbirds in the first half and took a 44-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Kirkwood closed the third quarter with a 20-6 run to take a 74-34 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Sophomore Jenna Twedt went 6-9 from three-point range and led the Eagles with 25 points.
Sophomore Lizzy Puot scored 20 points, and Sain finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, and six assists.
The Eagles forced the Thunderbirds into 25 points and scored 41 points off those turnovers.
Kirkwood, who has been ranked #1 in the nation all season long, will now wait until Tuesday afternoon's seeding show to see who their opponent will be.
The NJCAA DII National Tournament will be March 17-22 in Joplin, MO.
Link to Box Score:
