North Dakota State College of Science couldn’t pull off another upset in a 56-55 loss to Odessa College on Wednesday in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Casper, Wyoming. 

The Wranglers were the seventh seed, ranked No. 10 in the nation in the final NJCAA DI poll, while the Wildcats were seeded 23rd and riding an eight-game win streak. Science were down by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter but were able to cut the lead down to a point in the final minute. 

Trailing by one with a second remaining, the Cats got a timeout and the ensuing inbound pass was stolen away to end their season. 

Savanna Jones was a force inside for NDSCS with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She spearheaded the late run with eight points in the final three minutes to give them a chance.

Shania Nichols-Vannett went down swinging in the last game of the season, scoring 14 points while also grabbing 6 rebounds and swiping three steals.

Other contributors for NDSCS included Quinn Neppl (9 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl), McKena Koolmo (7 pts, 5 reb) and Jordan Toman (5 pts). 

The Wildcats end their season with a record of 28-7. Their upset win over Eastern Florida State College on Tuesday gave them their second NJCAA Tournament win in school history.