KEARNEY, NEB. - Cassie Brannen scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half, helping Northern Kentucky rally from two big deficits and beat South Dakota 63-58 in the NCAA Division II women's national championship game Saturday night.
Brannen scored nine points in a row before fouling out with 1:13 left and the Norse (28-8) leading 54-52. By then, Northern Kentucky had erased deficits of 12 and nine points and was on its way to a second national championship. The Norse also won the 2000 title and lost the 2003 championship game to South Dakota State.
Jeana Hoffman scored 19 points for South Dakota (33-2), which played its first and last Division II championship game. The Coyotes, who had their 31-game winning streak stopped, begin the transition to Division I next season. The game also was the final for head coach Chad Lavin, who is retiring.
The Coyotes went into a late shooting slump and were outscored 18-8 in the last 3:58.
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