Dasia Thornton powers defending champion Transylvania to its third straight Elite Eight
There were plenty of unfamiliarities for the Transylvania women’s basketball team in its 63-58 NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 victory against Wisconsin-Stout (23-8) on Friday in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
There was a first-time opponent in a gym brand-new to the Pioneers (30-0), a challenger competitive and threatening upset until the very end, and early foul trouble for senior forward Dasia Thornton.
Thornton picked up her first foul at the 8:27 mark of the first quarter and had to sit after earning her second about three minutes later. Thornton, the team’s leading scorer, had just played a big role in the Pioneers jumping out to a quick 7-2 start. Head coach Juli Fulks said the team had to adapt without Thornton on the floor, navigating the Sweet 16 matchup with a variety of first-half lineups. Ten players received minutes in the victory.
“Dasia got in foul trouble early, which changes a lot of our offense,” Fulks said. “And that’s the first time that’s actually happened this year, so that was kind of a new adversity that we haven’t faced this year. And so I thought our team did a really good job of finding ways to keep scoring, keep rebounding when we were in some different lineups early, but, at the end of the day, this team continues to find ways to win.”
Outscored by Stout in each of the first two quarters, Transylvania trailed by six at halftime. The Pioneers had only trailed one other time at the half this season, when they were down one after two quarters in a Jan. 17 victory against Mount St. Joseph. That game’s lessons proved helpful against the Blue Devils on Friday night, and it prepared the Pioneers to not only remain focused but also come alive in the second half.
“Stout’s defensive pressure, we knew it was really, really good,” Fulks said. “We were concerned coming in. So we just wanted to get in there and calm everybody down and just talk through, ‘These are the reads that are open. This is what they’re taking away. This is what they’re giving us,’ and just try to calm everybody.”
Things clicked in the third quarter, when Thornton’s 10 points led the way for a 23-14 advantage to put the Pioneers on top 46-43 with 10 minutes to play.
“Once we just settled down on offense, it just came a lot easier,” Thornton said. “We were able to make those reads. And, you know, we just came out at halftime saying, ‘We don’t want to lose this game. We came all this way. We’re not going to lose.’”
Thornton finished with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Fulks said Thornton’s ability to get passes and convert is a key component of the Pioneers’ offense.
“One of the things Dasia gives us that’s hard to not underestimate as an opponent, and you just can’t believe it until you see it,” Fulks said, “(is) her ability to go up and get passes. And so our players understand it, and they throw it up and just literally wait for her to go get it. So she was able to get a few today and make some through some contact, which was impressive, but, you know, that starts everything for us, knowing that we can create some mismatches because she can usually outjump about everybody.”
The Pioneers pulled away late and built a seven-point lead with one minute remaining. Transylvania ultimately iced the game from the free-throw line despite shooting just 14-for-28 from the line on the night. (The Pioneers are averaging 63.5% from the line this season.)
Senior guard Kennedi Stacy joined Thornton in double figures in scoring with 17 points to with four rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals. Eight other Pioneers scored in the win.
This marked the 63rd straight victory for Transylvania, as the Pioneers’ win streak now ranks No. 8 in NCAA basketball history, regardless of division or gender. Division III Amherst College ranks No. 7 with its 68-game streak from 2016-18.
Transylvania, in its third straight Elite Eight appearance, was to face host Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday night. The Warhawks defeated 2022 national champion Hope College 72-61 on Friday.
See an updated bracket here. Watch a livestream of Saturday’s game here.
This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 9:11 AM.
