03/07/26 05:30:00
Printable Page
03/07 17:28 CST Western Illinois turns back Lindenwood's rally, wins women's
OVC Tournament championship
Western Illinois turns back Lindenwood's rally, wins women's OVC Tournament
championship
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) --- Mia Nicastro had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Mallory
Shetley added 18 points and Western Illinois defeated Lindenwood 71-65 on
Saturday to win the OVC Tournament championship.
The Leathernecks advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third time. Their prior
appearances were in 1995 and 2017.
No 1 seed Western Illinois led 54-50 through three quarters. Lindenwood, the
No. 2 seed which once trailed by 16 points, got a three-point play from Gracie
Kelsey and later Aleshia Jones had a three-point play followed by a layup that
got the Lions within 59-58 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the game.
Nicastro and Shetley then led Western Illinois down the stretch, scoring eight
points and four points, respectively, as the Leathernecks closed out the
championship. Lindenwood was held to one point over the final 5 1/2 minutes
until Ellie Brueggemann hit two desperate 3-pointers in the final 25 seconds.
Brueggemann scored 21 points, Jones 18 and Kelsey 14 for Lindenwood (25-8).
Madison Davis and Allie Meadows each scored 10 points for Western Illinois
(26-5).
Western Illinois, which never trailed, raced out to a 13-3 lead after five-plus
minutes of play. The Leathernecks led 20-11 heading to the second quarter and
36-22 at halftime after shooting 63% in the first half.
The Lions, who defeated Western Illinois 50-49 in a regular-season finale to
create a tie for the regular-season championship, battled back in the third
quarter. Lindenwood outscored Western Illinois 28-18 without a scoring run of
more than five consecutive points.
Lindenwood lost in the championship game for the second year in a row.
Up next
Postseason decisions await on Selection Sunday. -__
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up
here. AP women's college basketball:
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.
|
