The NDSCS women kept rolling Monday, picking up a gritty come-from-behind win over Bismarck State, 75-71, at the Blikre Activities Center. The Lady Wildcats trailed 42-32 at the half before holding the Mystics to 29 second-half points.
The victory earned NDSCS (22-7) home court advantage throughout the upcoming Region XIII Tournament. The Lady Wildcats earned a first-round bye and will open playoffs Wednesday in Wahpeton.
Maggie Westling was a monster in the paint, collecting a 20-point, 17-rebound double-double. Former Wahpeton standout McKena Koolmo had one of the best offensive games of her college career, scoring 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
Demi Van Gils added 15 points and Ava Boyes scored 10. Peyton Gette dished out a game-high six assists.
The Wildcat men fell just short of a double-digit comeback down the stretch against the Mystics, falling 82-78 after taking a 76-75 lead with 58 seconds remaining.
The Wildcats received a sizzling performance off the bench by Sebastian Mackey, who dropped a game-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting overall while hitting all three of his 3-point looks.
Nidas Paulauskas and Mikkel Cintron scored a dozen points each. Khalif Bettis also factored into the box score with nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Wildcats (14-16) will take the No. 4 seed into Region XIII playoffs, earning themselves a first-round home game at 4 p.m. Sunday against Miles Community College.
