Minnesota State Mankato women blow out Southern Nazarene for regional title, Elite Eight berth

Joey Batt scored 28 points and Destinee Bursch scored 23 points to lead seventh-seeded Minnesota State Mankato to an 80-48 victory over host and top-seeded Southern Nazarene on Monday night in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Central Regional in Bethany, Okla.

The victory gave the Mavericks (29-5) their first berth in the Elite Eight since 2009.

The Mavericks were in control from the outset, opening the game with a 17-2 run. The Mavericks led 46-16 at halftime.

Hannah Giddey led the Storm (30-3) with 11 points. Southern Nazarene finished with a season low in points and field-goal percentage (30%) and tied its season high with 25 turnovers.

The Elite Eight begins next Monday in St. Joseph, Mo. The Mavericks’ next opponent is to be determined, as the NCAA will reseed the eight remaining teams.

• The MSU Mankato men’s team can also win the Central Regional and reach the Elite Eight with a victory Tuesday night at home. The Mavericks (31-2) play host to fourth-seeded Northwest Missouri State at Taylor Center.

Former Bemidji State and North Dakota men’s basketball coach Dave Gunther died at age 86 on Saturday, the UND athletics department announced.

After playing college basketball at Iowa, the Lemars, Iowa, native played professional basketball for three seasons. He appeared in one game for the San Francisco Warriors of the NBA during the 1962-63 season. He coached high school basketball for four seasons before beginning a 34-year coaching career at Wayne (Neb.) State in 1967.

He coached at North Dakota from 1970 to 1988, leading the program to 332-117 record. He is a member of the North Dakota Athletics Hall of Fame.

He coached at Bemidji State from 1996 to 2001. He also coached at Buena Vista from 1993 to 1995.

JOEL RIPPEL

Wednesday’s Gophers baseball game against Augsburg at Siebert Field was canceled due to cold temperatures in the forecast,