Sioux City, IA-Menlo Women's Basketball tipped off against the number one seed Tigers from Campbellsville Kentucky. The following 40 minutes of action were highlighted by Menlo's unwavering competitive spirit that saw the team answer every one of Campbellsville's runs with one of their own. The final score may not have been in favor of the Oaks but it is impossible to ignore the effort and intensity the team played with knowing the sense of finality that came with this game. We are beyond proud of our coaches and athletes for representing the entire Menlo community on the biggest stage!

Oaks Rise to the Challenge 

In a back and forth affair against a tough opponent Menlo's shot makers came ready to play. For the game the Oaks shot a solid 43.3% from the floor but were absolutely dialed in from deep. Hitting 45% of their three's, Menlo dominated from the arc as they held the Tigers to only 33% from deep. The duo of Alberte Frisch and Jordyn Rosette proved to be snipers and were unphased by the bright lights in the Tyson Events Center. Frisch has long been a key component of coach Spataro's rotation as an offensive spark plug from the second unit. Once again the sophomore from Denmark filled that role admirably going for 17 points including a 58% field goal percentage and a 60% shooting display from deep.  She also took on some secondary playmaking duties and handed out three assists.

Jordyn Rosette capped off an outstanding playoff run over the last few games with a game high 22 points. The Tigers had no answer for Rosette all game long as she hit 73% of her shots from the field and an even more impressive 75% of her threes. Rosette's three game run through the national tournament highlighted the forwards elite shooting touch. Across three games Rosette hit 12 of 19 three point attempts. That is a 63% conversion rate and doesn't get much more elite than that. 

Alongside Frisch and Rosette, the senior trio of Kiara Brown, Shay Boley and Jasmyne Huggins submitted strong showings as well. All three would play over 32 minutes and stuff the statsheet as they have done throughout their Menlo careers. While running the point, Boley had a game high eight assists and swiped two steals. As has been the case for her all year, she was also a force on the glass with seven rebounds. Not many teams can rely upon their point guard to constantly fight amongst the bigs to secure rebounds. 

Jasmyne Huggins was once again one of the focal points of Menlo's defense. The forward out of Hayward gave the Tigers frontcourt all kinds of resistance down low while also switching out on the perimeter at times. Huggins turned in a stat line featuring four steals, three blocks and five assists for good measure. Huggins emergence as a do it all player was one of the biggest storylines of this season.

Lastly, Kiara Brown caps off her Menlo career in fitting fashion with another big time double-double highlighted by a game high 12 rebounds. Brown took on the challenge of guarding the Tigers top frontcourt players all game long and made sure they had to be aware of her presence. This was Brown's second straight playoff double-double and her 14th of the season.

Recapping An Outstanding Year

The 2023-2024 season was one for the books that was filled with accolades, memories and most importantly, wins! This year's 20 wins marks the second season in a row that Menlo reached the twenty win threshold and is the seventh time head coach Shannon Spataro has eclipsed 20 wins in a season. As for conference play, the Oaks finished second in the GSAC thanks to an impressive 11-3 record across all conference matchups. Said conference wins came in large part to an 11 game win streak that stretched from December 21st through February 1st. The team spent much of the season ranked among the NAIA's Top 25 programs ending the season ranked 23rd in the nation. During the year Menlo picked up wins over Vanguard and Southern Oregon, two programs that spent the year ranked among the NAIA Coaches Top 25. The Oaks also had five other wins this year against teams that qualified for the national tournament. From an individual standpoint the pair of Jordyn Rosette and Kiara Brown would both be named to the GSAC All-Conference team. Six players would be named to both the GSAC All-Academic and NAIA Daktronics Scholar Athlete teams highlighting the Oaks success in the classroom as well as the court. Arguably the biggest highlight of the season was the teams incredible come from behind victory in the second round of the NAIA National Tournament that saw the team rally from a 23 point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun the Southern Oregon Raiders and advance to the Final 16!

In the end, I speak for the entire Menlo community in saying thank you to this program for another fun, exciting and memorable season of hoops! From Haynes-Prim Pavilion to the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City Menlo Women's Basketball made sure everyone they faced will remember the Oaks from Atherton!