3/11 - GEORGE FOX 74, ST. BENEDICT 69: Leith and Clark Douse Blazers as Bruins Advance to "Elite 8"
ASHLAND, Va. - Led by their two All-Conference players, Kim Leith, who scored 25 points, and Liz Clark, who had 23, the George Fox University Bruins overtook the College of St. Benedict Blazers for a 74-69 win in a "Sweet 16" game of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Tournament Friday evening here at Randolph-Macon College's Crenshaw Gymnasium.
The Bruins, now 22-5 with a 9-game winning streak, advance to the "Elite 8" and will play Saturday against the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets (28-1), an 82-79 overtime winner over the Trinity (Texas) University Tigers (25-5). The Blazers end their season with a 24-5 record. Game time for the sectional final and a chance to advance to the Final Four is 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, or 4:00 p.m. Pacific.
With Clark hitting a pair of three-pointers and two free throws, the Bruins jumped out to a 14-5 lead seven minutes into the game. The Bruins still held a seven-point advantage at 28-21 when the Blazers, who usually rely on the inside play of 6-4 post Kim Johnson and 5-11 forward Anna Heikenen, changed tactics and turned to their three-point shooting. Johnson stepped out to hit a pair and Laura Zwach and Katie Kempe each hit one, fueling a 19-2 Blazer burst that put St. Benedict up 40-30 with a minute left in the half. A Kellie Thomas free throw and another trey by Clark at the buzzer cut the Blazer lead to 40-34 at the break.
Johnson had 15 points and Heikenen 11 at the half as the Blazers shot .500 (15-30), including 6-11 from long range and 4-4 from the line. Clark kept the Bruins in the game as she scored 16 in the first 20 minutes.
The Bruins came back in the second half by turning up the defensive pressure, holding the Blazers to .313 shooting (10-32) and forcing 9 turnovers after St. Benedict had committed only 4 in the first half. Offensively, Leith got untracked for 16 second-half points.
Leith hit back-to-back threes in the space of 11 seconds to tie the game 49-49 with 13:24 to play, but the Blazers scored 7 unanswered points to regain a 56-49 lead with 11:46 to go. Leith and Clark hit threes to cut the margin to one, and the game see-sawed back and forth until Katy Campbell's two free throws with 3:53 left broke a 66-66 tie and put the Bruins ahead for good. A Leith layup stretched the lead to four, and Clark finally iced the game with a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left.
"We were confident in the second half; we like playing in the second half," admitted Leith, the Northwest Conference Player of the Year who sparked the Bruins' comeback. "We just needed to play with the fire we usually play with."
The Bruins were out-rebounded 43-32, but George Fox coach Scott Rueck pointed out, "We knew before this week about the size disadvantage, and that's something we have faced pretty much all year. Our goal was to use our speed and athleticism and rely on our defense. The way we play defense makes the other team rely on shooting from the outside. When they're not falling, it's successful."
The Blazers were certainly successful in the first half, but fell to only .286 (4-14) from three-point range in the second. Johnson was 5-7 from downtown, an amazing number for a 6-4 post, but the Blazers' guards were only 4-18. Leith and Clark hit 5 threes apiece for the Bruins, who are 4th nationally in three-pointers per game.
Leith and Clark were the only Bruins in double figures. Campbell led the Bruins with 7 rebounds, while Robin Taylor had 3 assists.
Johnson had a double-double for St. Benedict with 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Heikenen had 16 points and Kempe scored 14. Johnson and Kempe had 3 assists each.