The California University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team continued their improbable run with a 51-46 victory over the Emporia (Kansas) State Hornets in the semifinals of the NCAA Division-II Basketball Championship on Wednesday evening.
The Lady Vulcans battled through a night of tough shooting, as they shot just 29.3% from the field on the evening.
The Hornets jumped out to an 8-2 lead and held the advtange for most of the first half, relying on the deadly duo of 6-foot-3 forward Merissa Quick and sophomore guard Kelly Moten.
Quick shot 5-of-10 from the field and added eight rebounds and five blocks. Moten was 6-of-13 with nine rebounds and four assists for the Hornets.
Cal U battled back towards the end of the first half, mostly as a result of their prowess at the free throw line. The Lady Vulcans made 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the first half and finished 14-of-17 overall. The teams went into the break with the Hornets holding on to a 31-30 lead.
The defenses cranked up the pressure in the second half. The hero of the elite eight round, Emma Mahady, came up big again on a quiet night for her, as she made two straight baskets, the second of which was with 6:43 remaining in the second half, that gave Cal U a four-point lead. Mahady only had six points on the night, as she shot just 3-of-9 from the field.
Stepping up was her backcourt-mate Kaitlynn Fratz. The diminutive guard from Accident, Maryland had a huge night, even when amongst the taller Hornets. She shot 5-of-18 and 2-of-5 from 3-point range for 14 points. It was the eighth straight game in which she scored at least 14.
Sopohmore guard Miki Glenn and senior tweener Irina Kukolj also had strong performances for the Vulcans. Kukolj shot 4-of-13 from the field and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Glenn had five rebounds, two steals, and 12 points, including 6-for-6 from the foul line.
Two of Glenn’s free throws extended the Cal U lead to 48-42 with 6:14 to play, their largest of the game. The shooters for both sides would then go cold, as neither team would make a basket for nearly six minutes.
Quick and Moten for Emporia State would each make 1-of-2 from the line to draw the Hornets to 48-44. With 1:06 remaining, Central Valley grad Seairra Barrett would also hit 1-of-2 free throws to give the Vulcans a five-point lead.
At the other end of the floor, Moten would make a layup to again make it a one-possesion game at 49-46. After a Glenn miss, the Hornets had one last chance to score, but Mahady stepped in front of Moten and drew a charging foul to give Cal U possession with 18 seconds remaining. Fratz the drained two free throws to ice the game for the Vulcans.
California will advance to the Division-II National Championship Game for the second time in program history. The Lady Vulcans won the title in their last trip to the final in 2004.
They will face the winner of Limestone and Cal Baptist in the final on Friday at 8:00 p.m., again from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Photo credit: Cal U Athletics
