Women's Basketball | 3/9/2012 11:38:00 PM
March 9, 2012-Heather Robben scored a game high 19 points, including a ten of ten performance from the free throw line, to lead Emporia State to a 64-56 victory over Tarleton State in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament in Topeka's Lee Arena. The win sets up the third matchup between the Lady Hornets and the host Washburn Lady Blues this season.
The TexAnns jumped out to a 6-3 lead early before Rachel Hanf and Kelsey Balcom hit back to back three pointers to give the Lady Hornets a 9-6 lead with 16:35 left in the first half. ESU's lead would grow to eight on a old fashioned three point play by Robben with 4:05 left in the period before the Lady Hornets settled into a five point lead at 33-28 going to the half.
An 11-1 run in the second half turned an eight point ESU lead into a 44-42 lead by TSU with 9:46 left in the game. Robben converted another old fashioned three on the next possession to give the Lady Hornets the lead for good. The TexAnns were still within 49-48 with 6:42 left when the Lady Hornets went on a 9-0 run to take their biggest lead of the night at 58-48 with 3:55 left in the game. ESU went eight for eight from the line in the final four minutes to ice their seventh straight win in NCAA Tournament play.
Robben was joined in double figures by Balcom with 16 points. Merissa Quick had nine rebounds as the Lady Hornets outrebounded the TexAnns 44-23 on the night.
ESU will take on host Washburn at 7 p.m. on Saturday night in the semifinals of the Regional Tournament in Lee Arena. It will be the fourth time this season the two have met and the fifth time in the last ten years the two have met in the NCAA Tournament.
NOTES:
Robben's ten of ten performance at the line is the third best by a Lady Hornet in NCAA Tournament play (Cassondra Boston 13-13 vs. WTAMU on 3/13/10; Jurgita Kausaite 11-11 vs. North Dakota on 3/21/98)
ESU is now 3-0 against Tarleton State in the NCAA Tournament, with all three games coming in the first round.
