ST. JOSEPH, Minn. –
Niki Fokken only needed eight points to reach a career milestone Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but in her final game in a CSB basketball uniform, she did so much more than that.
Fokken just missed tying her career-high Friday with 26 points as she led the College of Saint Benedict basketball team in scoring for the 15
th time this season in her final collegiate basketball game. For her final performance in a CSB basketball uniform, Fokken is this week's CSB Athlete of the Week.
In its first NCAA appearance since 2009, CSB got down 7-3 early to a quick George Fox team, but a few timely baskets by Fokken helped keep Saint Benedict in the game. She had 10 first-half points, including a three-point play at the 6:24 mark of the second quarter that got her to the 1,000-point milestone. She is the 20
th CSB basketball player to reach 1,000 points, and the first since 2014.
Fokken added 16 more points in the second half to finish with 26 on the night – two shy of her career-high. In 33 minutes played, she had 26 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in a 79-63 loss to the Bruins to end the team's best season since 2008-09.
In her four-year career, Fokken – who is 19
th on the school's all-time scoring leaders list – finished with 1,018 points, 593 rebounds, 175 blocked shots, 88 assists and 79 steals. For her career she averaged 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and shot .441 from the field. She leaves sixth in CSB history in total rebounds, and eighth in rebounding average. She is also fourth in total blocked shots and blocked shots per game (1.7).
Saint Benedict wrapped up a stellar 2017-18 season 22-5 overall and ranked 24
th in Division III. CSB loses three seniors to graduation in Fokken,
Chelsey Guetter and
Kate Banovetz.
