SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– Six days after dispatching Truman State to claim the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament championship, the Drury Lady Panthers repeated the effort Saturday night against their conference rival, taking a 66-51 win in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
The contest was a tight affair for most of the evening, with Drury enjoying a ten-point margin of 35-25 at halftime behind 17 points from GLVC Player-of-the-Year junior Paige Robinson.
And while the Lady Panthers were able to extend their lead to as much as 18 points early in the fourth period, it still wasn’t over, as Truman State drew to within ten with seven minutes remaining.
Drury then outscored the Bulldogs 13-8 to close the game and held on to improve to 21-1 on the season, while Truman State ended the season at 17-5.
“We knew they were going to adjust some things based on how we played them the first time,” said Drury head coach Amy Eagan. “We communicated to the kids that it would be a little different kind of game, and it was.”
Robinson would finish the night with a game-high 26 points to lead the Lady Panther scoring, and as has happened in several late-season games, sophomore Alana Findley came off the bench to provide a spark, scoring 14 points, along with six rebounds and a pair of key steals.
“We always talk about being ready when it’s your time, and Alana’s done some really good things for us, and I’m really proud of her work on both sides of the ball,” said Eagan.
Ellie Weltha and Hannah Belanger shared scoring honors for Truman State with 16 points apiece, with Weltha adding 17 rebounds as the Bulldogs held the edge on the boards 42-35.
Drury’s win moves them on to the regional championship tilt on Monday night against fifth seed Ashland, who eliminated Michigan Tech 74-65 in the other semifinal meeting and will renew a well-documented postseason rivalry between the two programs when they meet in the final.
“I think for the kids, they’re excited and ready,” added Eagan. “They know the history of the Drury versus Ashland games, and I’m sure they’ll be ready for this one.”
The regional championship game will tipoff at 6:00 pm, again at the O’Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield. The winner of Monday’s game advances to the NCAA-II Elite Eight in Columbus, Ohio March 23-26.
