March 1

Thunder Comeback Falls Short in Independent Tournament 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team could not overcome a 17 point halftime deficit against Webber International University in the NAIA Division II Independent Tournament held at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL.  The Thunder were hampered by poor shooting in the first half, only connecting on seven of their 33 attempts for 21%.  Tri-State’s second half comeback fell short as they were defeated 72-67.

Nikki Bergman had a double-double for the Thunder with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Amber Kruckeberg added 12 points and six rebounds.  Ashley Weyenberg contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. 

The Thunder end their season with a record of 3-23.  Nikki Bergman was selected to the NAIA Division II All-Independent Team.  Bergman averaged 13 points, 6.9 rebounds, and two assists.  She shot 80% from the free throw line and 35% from the three point line. 

February 19

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Defeated by Hot Shooting Comets  

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team was defeated 102-72 by Olivet College.  Olivet shot 9-17 from the three point line and 61% from the field in the first half in jumping out to a 54-24 halftime lead.  The Thunder cut the halftime deficit to 16 with 10 minutes to go in the second half, but could not get any closer. 

Four Thunder players scored in double figures led by Nikki Bergman with 13 points and 11 rebounds.  Kayla Cheesman added 12 points and four assists.  Erin Long and Emily Vedder each chipped in 10 points off the bench for Tri-State. 

The Thunder end their regular season with a record of 3-22.  They will return to action in Florida on Thursday, February 26^th for the NAIA Division II Independent Tournament. 

February 14

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Sets Season Highs in Loss to Hope  

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team was defeated 102 – 82 by Hope College.  The Thunder set four new season highs.  They shot 78 field goals, 38 of those threes.  Tri-State also pulled down 23 offensive rebounds and had 17 steals. 

Five Thunder players scored in double figures led by Mindy Tilford with 14 points.  Amy Senefelder and Ashley Weyenberg chipped in 13 points apiece, Nikki Bergman had 12 points, and Erin Long added 10 points.  Kayla Cheesman led the Thunder defense with six steals and Tilford had five steals.  Amber Kurckeberg led Tri-State with nine rebounds.

Tri-State drops their season record to 3-21.  Hope College improves their record to 22-2 on the season.  Tri-State returns to action Wednesday, November 18^th at Olivet College.

February 11

TSU Guard Tilford Ties School Three Point Record

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team dropped a 77-58 decision to Kalamazoo College.  Mindy Tilford had the hot hand for the Thunder and shot 7-12 from behind the three point line on her way to a game high 25 points.  Tilford ties the Tri-State record for most threes made in a game.  Jody Yochum was 7-12 against IUPUI in 1992 and Crystal Hardesty was 7-11 against St. Francis in 1999. 

Amber Kruckeberg had her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.  Ashley Weyenberg chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.  Tilford and Kayla Cheesman dished out four assists apiece.

Tri-State drops their season record to 3-20.  Kalamazoo College is now 13-9 on the season.  The Thunder return to action on Saturday, February 14^th for their last home game of the season against Hope College. 

February 7

Slow Start Stalls the Thunder against Albion College 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team was defeated 104-84 by Albion College.  Albion shot 70% from the field in the first half while grabbing a 57-30 halftime lead.  The Thunder improved their shooting percentage in the second half from 35% to 65%, outscoring Albion 55-47 in the half. 

Kayla Cheesman and Mindy Tilford led the way for Tri-State with 20 points apiece.  Cheesman also dished out six assists and Tilford added four assists.  Ashley Weyenberg also scored in double figures with 15 points.

Sarah Caskey led the Albion offense with 22 points.  Liz Marcus had nine rebounds for Albion

Tri-State drops their season record to 3-19 while Albion improves to 18-4.  The Thunder return to action on Tuesday, February 10^th at Kalamazoo College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM.

February 4

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Falls to Alma College  

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team could not overcome a slow start in a 72-50 loss to Alma College.  Tri-State’s record is now 3-18 and Alma improves to 11-8.

Mindy Tilford led the Thunder scorers with 14 points.  Amber Kruckeberg had eight points and nine rebounds for Tri-State.  Kayla Cheesman added nine points and four assists.

Game high scoring and rebounding honors went to Karen Hall of Alma College with 26 points and 12 rebounds.

February 2

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Unable to Hold Lead  

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team let a 34-28 halftime lead slip away in a 70-64 loss to Calvin College.  Calvin overcame shooting 1-15 (6.7%) from behind the arc to pull out the victory.  Calvin held an advantage at the free throw line where they were 23-30 from the line compared to the Thunder’s 10-11.  Tri-State’s record on the season is now 3-17, while Calvin improves to 15-3. 

The Thunder had three players score in double figures with Kayla Cheesman leading the way with 17 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.  Amber Kruckeberg assisted the Thunder attack with 13 rebounds, nine points, and four assists.

Lisa Winkle led Calvin with a career day of 27 points and 16 rebounds.

Tri-State returns to action Wednesday, February 4^th at home against Alma College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM.

January 28

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Hits the Glass for Win

The Tri-State University Women’s Basketball Team hit the glass in a 56- 53 win over Adrian College.  The Thunder out rebounded Adrian College by a margin of 56-28 .  The Thunder also used a balanced scoring attack to put away Adrian College. 

The Thunder were lead by Ashley Weyenberg with a double double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, also recording a double double was Amber Kruckeberg with 11 points and 13 rebounds. She also dished out six assists.  Nikki Bergman had a game high 14 rebounds to go along with eight points and six assists.  Mindy Tilford added 11 points and Tara Solis chipped in eight points for the Thunder. 

Adrian College was lead by Mandi Lemmons with 14 points and Corrie Helldobler and Meredith Blazejewski each chipped in 11 points. 

The next game for the Thunder will be Saturday, January 31 as they travel to Calvin College for a 3:00 tip off.   

January 26

St. Mary’s Holds Off Tri-State in OT 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team was defeated by St. Mary’s College 67-64 in overtime.  The Thunder overcame a 16 point defecit with 13 minutes left in regulation to force the overtime by sinking two free throws with less than one second on the clock.  Tri-State scored the first basket in overtime but could not hold onto the lead. 

Amber Kruckeberg led the team with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.  Mindy Tilford chipped in 13 points and four assists and Nikki Bergman had 12 points and four assists.  Amy Senefelder added 10 points. 

Tri-State’s record is now 2-16 on the season.  The Thunder returns to action at home Wednesday, January 28^th against Adrian College.   

January 20

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Shoots Their Way to Second Win 

The Tri-State University Women’s Basketball shot their way to an 84 -67 win over Olivet College.  The Thunder shot (55.8%) 39-52 from the field for the game and (56.3%) 9-16 from the three point line.  The Thunder opened up a 20 point lead in the first half and never looked back. 

The Thunder had four players in double figures lead by Kayla Cheesman with 23 points and five assists.  Also scoring in double figures for the Thunder were Mindy Tilford with 19 points, Nikki Bergman had 10 points.  The Thunder got a great performance from Amber Kruckeberg turning in 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

January 17

Tri-State University Women’s Basketball Team Falls to Hope College 94-73

The Tri-State University Women’s Basketball Team fell to Hope College 94-73.   The loss drops Tri-States record to 1-15, while Hope improves to 15-1.

            The Thunder were lead by Nikki Bergman with 26 points, also scoring in double figures were Mindy Tillford (17) and Kayla Cheesman (12).  Kayla Cheesman also added eight assists in the game.

            Hope College had five players in double figures, leading the way was Adelynn Vilmann with 14 points. 

The next game for the Thunder will be at home against Olivet at 7:30 on Tuesday January 20^th. 

January 14

Tri-State Women’s Basketball fights hard in loss to Kalamazoo.

The Tri-State University Women’s Basketball Team lost a hard fought game to Kalamazoo College 51-49.  The Thunder fought back from a seven point deficit with 11:48 to go in the game to take a three point lead with 4:27 to go but they were unable to hold the lead.  Kalamazoo tied the game up at 47 with three minutes to play.  The game remained tied until Kalamazoo hit two free throws with just 13 seconds to play.

The Thunder were lead by Kayla Cheesman with 15 points and Nikki Bergman chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds.  Amber Kruckeberg had 11 rebounds and seven assists.    

Kalamazoo was lead by Mary Brown and Lindsay Basler each scoring 13 points.

The next game for the Thunder will be Saturday, January 17th as they travel to Hope College for a 3:00 tip off. 

January 10

Tri-State Women’s Basketball falls to Albion College.

The Tri-State University Women’s Basketball Team was defeated by Albion College 74-53. 

The Thunder were lead by Mindy Tilford with 20 points, Amber Kruckeberg tossed in 14 points and hauled down a game high eight rebounds,  and Tara Solis chipped in 10 points for the Thunder. 

Albion College was lead by Jamie Fornetti with 12 points and Jocelyn Zappala with 11 points. 

The next game for the Thunder will be Wednesday January 14^th as they host Kalamazoo College at 7:30.

January 7

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Drops 10^th Straight Game 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team lost their 10^th straight game of the season in a 79-65 defeat by Alma College.  The Thunder drop their season record to 1-12.

Tri-State had four players score in double figures, led by Nikki Bergman with 17 points.  Kristina Link had a double double for the Thunder with 14 points and 13 rebounds.  Amber Kruckeberg added 12 points and Mindy Tilford had 11 points for Tri-State.

Tri-State returns to action Saturday, January 10^th at Albion College.  Game time is scheduled for 3:00 PM.

January 3

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Comeback Falls Short

The Tri-State University Women’s Basketball Team fell to a tough Calvin team by the final score of 55-50.  The Thunder were down 12 points will 11 minutes to go in the game, they then went on an 11-2 run to close the lead to just one point with 3 minutes to play, but were never able to tie the game or take the lead. 

The Thunder were lead by Nikki Bergman and Kayla Chessman each scoring 11 points and pulling down 7 rebounds.  Amber Kruckeberg chipped in seven points and Mindy Tillford added six. 

Calvin College was lead by Lisa Winkle with a game high 17 points and a game high nine rebounds. 

The next game for the Thunder will be Tuesday January 6^th as they travel to Alma College.  Game time is set for 7:30.

December 30

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Falls to Spring Arbor 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team was defeated by Spring Arbor University 92-51.  The loss is Tri-State’s eight straight defeat, which drops their season record to 1-10.

Nikki Bergman and Shanna Hoogenboom led the way with 16 and 11 points respectively.  Bergman also had seven rebounds. 

Tri-State returns to action at home Saturday, January 3^rd at 3:00 PM against Calvin College.

December 23

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Drops Two Games in Hoop N Surf Classic 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team fell to Mt. Marty College and South Dakota Tech in the Hoop N Surf Classic held in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The Thunder drop their season record to 1-9.

In their first game, the Thunder was defeated 71-56 by Mt. Marty.  Nikki Bergman led the way with 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.  Kayla Cheesman added 10 points.

South Dakota Tech defeated Tri-State 76-55 in the second game.  Tri-State had a balanced scoring attack with Shanna Hoogenboom and Kayla Cheesman each scoring 11 points, and Mindy Tilford chipped in 10 points.

Tri-State returns to action December 30^th at Spring Arbor University.

December 17

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Defeated by Adrian  

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team was defeated by Adrian College 68-59.  Tri-State drops their season record to 1-7, while Adrian improves to 3-4.

The Thunder was led in scoring by Nikki Bergman and Shanna Hoogenboom with 16 points apiece.  Bergaman also had six rebounds and Hoogenboom added five rebounds.  Kristina Link had 11 rebounds and six points for Tri-State. 

Tri-State returns to action December 19^th and 20^th at the Hoop-N-Surf Classic held in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Tri-State will take on Mt. Marty in their first game and South Dakota Tech in their second game. 

December 13

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Falls Short in Overtime Against St. Mary’s.

The Tri-State University Women’s Basketball Team came just short in overtime against St. Mary’s losing 64-62.  The Thunder battled back from an 8 point halftime deficit to force overtime but weren’t able to grab the lead in overtime.

The Thunder had a balanced scoring attack lead by Nikki Bergman with a game high 21 points.  Shanna Hoogenboom had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, Kristina Link had 9 rebounds and 9 points, and Kayla Cheesman and Mindy Tilford each chipped in 6 points for the Thunder.  St. Mary’s was lead by Emily Creachbaum with 18 points.

The next game for the Thunder will be December 16^th at Adrian College.  Game time is set for 7 P.M. 

December 8

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Goes 0-2 at Cornerstone Tournament 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team went 0-2 over the weekend at the Cornerstone University Tournament.  In the first game Tri-State was defeated 66-41 by host Cornerstone University.  Indiana University-South Bend defeated Tri-State 71-60 in the consolation game. 

Nikki Bergman made the all-tournament team for Tri-State.  In the two games she had 38 points and 11 rebounds.  Kelly Stechschulte had nine points and six rebounds in the Thunder’s loss to Cornerstone.  Kristina Link chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds in Tri-State’s loss to IUSB. 

Tri-State drops their season record to 1-5.  They return to action at home on Saturday, December 13^th against St. Mary’s College.

December 2 

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Falls Just Short Against Indiana Tech.

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team lost a close game to Indiana Tech (69-66).  The Thunder were lead by Nikki Bergman with a double double of 16 points and 15 rebounds.  Kayla Cheesman added 14 points and Ashley Weyenberg chipped in 11 in the losing effort.  Indiana Tech was lead by Quanette Vales with 16 points.  The next game for the Thunder will be Friday night at 7 P.M. as they take on #15 Cornerstone University in the Cornerstone University Tournament.  

November 29

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Rallies For the Win Over St. Francis  

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team rallies for first win of the season. The Thunder rallied from a 12-point deficit with 15 minutes left to pull out the win 60-57 over University of St. Francis.  The Thunder were lead by Nikki Bergman’s double double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.  Shanna Hoogenboom chipped in 13 points and Ashley Weyenberg was the Thunder’s leading scorer with 16 points.  St. Francis was lead by Chivonn Keppeler with 15 points. 

November 26

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Falls to Indiana Wesleyan 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team could not overcome a 15-point halftime defecit and was defeated 67-49 by Indiana Wesleyan.  Tri-State had the slight rebounding edge at 27-25.

Shanna Hoogenboom led the Thunder with 11 points and three rebounds.  Kayla Cheesman had 10 points and four assists for the Thunder.  Tri-State shot 19-40 from the field for 47.5%, but could not stop Indiana Wesleyan from shooting 26-56 for 46.4% from the field. 

Tri-State drops their season record to 0-2.  The Thunder return to action Saturday, November 29^th at home against the University of Saint Francis.  Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm. 

November 22

Tri-State Women’s Basketball Opens Season 

The Tri-State University women’s basketball team opened the season on Saturday against a tough Taylor University team.  Tri-State trailed by six at the half and could not overcome the six-point deficit in dropping their first game of the season 73-67.  Taylor improves their record to 5-1 on the season.

The Thunder had a balanced scoring attack with four players in double figures.  Nikki Bergman led the way with 17 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Kayla Cheesman added 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.  Mindy Tilford had 13 points and Shanna Hoogenboom added 11 points.   

Tri-State returns to action Tuesday, November 25^th at Indiana Wesleyan.  Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.