NORFOLK – Francesca Minali’s 23 points led the Northeast Community College women’s basketball team to a 79-47 victory over Marshalltown Community College here Wednesday in the NJCAA Region XI semifinal.
Hawks Coach Matt Svehla attributed solid play on both offense and defense to the victory.
“We did a pretty good job of moving the ball in the first half, and our defense was solid. We were able to play our bench considerable minutes, particularly in the second half, and that is always a good thing,” he said. “We are now off to play in the regional championship where we will need to put together a good game.”
The Hawks shot for 49 percent (33-for-67) to Marshalltown’s 35 percent (17-for-49).
In addition to Minali’s game-high 23 points, Raveen Murray finished with 10, Maeva Kitantou had nine and Sydney Koel scored eight. Kara Valasek collected a double double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Northeast (26-4) now advances to the Region XI Championship where they will face 11th ranked Iowa Western Community College on Saturday in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Hawks fell to Iowa Western twice this year, each loss by two points. Game time is 6 p.m.