D2 Women’s Final Four
Franklin Pierce Advances To Championship
For the second year in a row, the Delta State‘s run at a National Championship in women’s basketball was ended one round short of a title shot, falling 58-39 to Franklin Pierce University Wednesday at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary’s University.
The Ravens (29-5) out-scored the Lady Statesmen (30-7) 20-10 over the first 13 minutes of the second half, to extend their lead to 49-32, and held Delta State to just seven points over the final seven minutes of the game. The Ravens finished the game shooting 40.4-percent, and were 6-of-23 from three-point range. The Lady Statesmen made just one shot from behind the arc in 11 attempts.
–Courtesy GoStatesmen.com
Mavericks Roll Past Seawolves to the NCAA Finals
The #4 Minnesota State Mavericks defeated the #2 Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves 83-60 to advance to the NCAA Finals. The win brings MSU’s record to 31-2, while UAA ends its season with a 32-4 record.
The Mavericks set a quick pace early on as they connected on their first six shots from the field to build a 17-6 lead with 13:48 left on the clock. Senior guard Heather Johnson chipped in 10 points during that span, including two shots from beyond the three point line. MSU maintained its double-digit lead throughout most of the second half as it held an 11 point lead at 58-47 with less than nine minutes left in the game. The Seawolves then managed to pull within seven points to Mavericks at 58-51.
The floodgates opened after this as the Mavericks responded with a 9-0 to extend their lead to 67-51 and never looked back as they closed out the game with an 83-60 win. Johnson led all scorers with 25 points, while shooting 5-of-7 from behind the three point line. With her five three point field goals Johnson has tied Kelli Freeman for the most three point field goals made in a career at MSU with 241.
Minnesota State will take on the winner of the #24 Delta State/#14 Franklin Pierce game Friday.
–Courtesy MSU Athletics
