ASHLAND, Ohio. – Grand Valley State pulled in front of Drury late in the third quarter and held off the Drury Lady Panthers for a 74-69 win in the NCAA-II Midwest Regional semifinals on Saturday in Ashland, Ohio.
Drury, seeded third in the region and ranked fifth nationally, ends their season with a 32-5 record while the Lakers, seeded number two in the region and ranked number six in Division II, advance to the regional championship game with a 29-2 mark.
The Lady Panthers owned a 33-32 lead at halftime, but Grand Valley State quickly went up by four to start the third quarter. Drury retook the lead midway through the period, but the Lakers outscored Drury 10-3 final 4:19 of the quarter to seize a 52-46 lead.
Grand Valley State pulled away in the fourth and went up by as much as 12 with less than a minute to play. A frantic Drury rally pulled them within five, but the Lakers hung on to advance.
“We didn’t defend as well in the second half,” said Drury head coach Amy Eagan. “Grand Valley State started playing downhill really well, and we gave up a lot of straight-line drives. We got caught in a lot of one-on-one on the offensive end, they made it very tough for us to score, and I think that ended up affecting our defense.”
Grand Valley State guard Emily Spitzley scored a season-high 28 points and had eight rebounds, while Qay Stanton added 18 points.
Alana Findley led the Lady Panthers with 20 points and the junior from Fair Grove grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Kaylee DaMitz and Paige Robinson both added 15 points for Drury.
One of the top defenses in the nation, the Lakers held Drury to 39 percent shooting from the field and just 3 for 22 from three-point range. Grand Valley State entered the game allowing just 48.8 points per game, and was holding teams to a .331 percentage from the field for the season.
The Lakers shot 52 percent from the floor, hitting 24 of 46 shots. They connected on 21 of 28 free throws for the game and were 11 of 15 from the line in the fourth quarter.
Drury’s loss closed the careers of three fifth-year seniors. Payton Richards and Azia Lynch ended five-year playing careers for the Lady Panthers that included five Great Lakes Valley Conference championships, two NCAA-II Final Four appearances, a 32-0 season in 2020, and a national runner-up finish in 2021. Katie Kirkhart transferred to Drury from Oral Roberts last year and helped the program to two league titles in addition to the national championship game appearance last year. Student-athletes were granted an additional year of eligibility due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I told them after the game that the thing I’m most proud about is the people they are,” said Eagan. “They’re just great kids, fun to be around, they work hard, and they’re passionate about being a Lady Panther. They’re really good people.”
Drury’s 32 wins this season are tied for the third-most in program history and was the seventh 30-win campaign in program history. The Lady Panthers were in the NCAA-II national tournament field for the 19th time in the program’s 22-year history.
Grand Valley State will play the winner of Ashland and Walsh in the regional championship game on Monday night in Ashland, Ohio.
