Women's Basketball | 3/12/2012 1:11:00 AM
TICKET INFORMATION: The ticket box office at Lee Arena will open at 6 p.m. on Monday night. Fans can reserve tickets by calling the Washburn Ticket Office at 785-670-2637.
WHO'S BEEN HERE?
Emporia State takes on Pittsburg State in the NCAA South Central Regional Championship game in the ninth Sweet 16 appearance for the Lady Hornets and the first for the Gorillas.
LAST TIME OUT
Jocelyn Cummings scored a career high 27 points to propel Emporia State to a 71-65 victory over Washburn in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional in Lee Arena. ESU fell behind 15-5 with 12:22 left before going on a 13-4 run to pull within a point with 7:25 remaining in the half. The Lady Blues held a 27-23 advantage at the 4:51 mark when Rheanna Egli hit a jumper to start a 10-0 run that put the Lady Hornets ahead for good. The teams went to the locker rooms with ESU leading 35-32. The Lady Hornets shot .a blistering .619 from the field in the second half as they built a 13 point lead midway through the period. A three pointer by Stevi Schultz cut the Lady Hornet lead to two at 67-65 with 24.5 seconds left. Kelsey Balcom then hit two free throws with 12.3 seconds left and Heather Robben converted two with 3.5 seconds left to seal the 71-65 victory. Cummings was the only Lady Hornet in double figures, but Balcom, Robben and Kathry Flott all had eight points.
THE COACHES
Jory Collins is 43-17 in his second year as the head coach of the Lady Hornets. He is 6-2 in the month of March. He has six wins against Top 25 teams. This is his 11th season on the Lady Hornet coaching staff and ESU has advanced to the NCAA tournament in eight of his ten previous seasons. He is 0-4 against PSU.
Lane Lord is 86-57 in his fifth year at PSU and is 5-5 against ESU.
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is 26-5 on the year and ranked #14 in the nation. They are 3-3 over their last six games since defeating ESU 49-42 on Feb. 15 in Pittsburg. MIAA Freshman of the Year Lizzy Jeronimus averages 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Larissa Richards averages 8.3 boards per game and has 71 blocks on the year. This is their first appearance in the regional final.
THE SERIES
The Lady Hornets lead the all-time series 48-23, but have lost five straight for the first time since dropping five in a row from 1988-90. This is the first meeting in NCAA Tournament action between the two and just the third post-season meeting, counting MIAA Tournament and NAIA District Tournament action.
LAST TIME VS. PITTSBURG STATE
In a defensive battle of top 20 teams, #20 Emporia State was held to their lowest point total in 16 years in a 49-42 loss at #8 Pittsburg State. ESU led 24-20 at the half thanks to nine points and five rebounds from Merissa Quick. ESU led 26-20 just 23 seconds into the second half after Quick tipped in a bucket. The Gorillas went on an 8-0 run to take a 40-34 lead with 7:49 left. The Lady Hornets shot just .212 in the second half, going seven of 33 from the field. Quick led ESU with 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. She was joined in double figures by Robben with 11 points.
UP NEXT
The winner will play the winner of the Atlantic Region final between Shaw and Edinboro in the first round of the Elite 8 on March 20 at 6 p.m.
