Posted: Mar 23, 2016
- Bentley secured its place in the NCAA Division II semifinals with a nail-biting victory over Virginia Union in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 53-52, thanks to a superb defensive effort. The Falcons held the Panthers (28-3) to 33 points below their seasonal average (and their season-low) and survived two shots in the lane by All-American Kiana Johnson (26 points) in the final seconds and as a result will move on to the Final Four against undefeated Lubbock Christian. Bentley trailed only once (1-0) and had a terrific offensive first quarter, draining 10-14 field goals and holding as much as an eight-point lead en route to a 24-18 edge after the opening period. Victoria Lux (11 rebounds, 5 assists) had all nine of her points in the first stanza to top the Falcon scoring but things slowed considerably thereafter. Bentley’s lead fluctuated between 2-7 points in the second quarter, which ended 36-32, and rose to a game-high nine points (41-32) thanks to a 5-0 start in the third period via a basket from Jen Gemma (16 points, 12 rebounds) and a three-pointer from Lauren Green (8 points). VUU notched a 7-2 spell to whittle the margin to 43-39 (4:37) before Gemma converted Bentley’s penultimate field goal at the 3:36 mark to push the lead to 45-39. The third period ended with a 48-42 score but the Panthers quickly trimmed it to 48-47 after a triple from Ashley Smith (all five VUU bench points) and a layin from Lady Walker (11 points, 10 boards). Megan Lewis (7 points) scored the last Falcon basket of the game with 8:04 to go with a successful drive, giving Bentley a 50-47 lead. The Falcons offensive issues were at their apex in the last quarter (1-6 FG, 7 turnovers) yet they never lost the lead. Johnson (the nation’s top scorer at 28 ppg and winner of national Player of the Year honors) sandwiched three free throws around one from Gemma to draw Virginia Union within 51-50 at the 2:33 mark. Macchi Smith, who accounted for all five Bentley bench points, dropped in two foul shots with 1:08 on the clock to extend the lead to 53-50, only to see Johnson hit an elbow jumper to cut the gap to 53-52 with 59 seconds left. Smith then prompted a turnover from the Falcons, their 21st of the game, to set up a final VUU possession. Her initial shot was rejected by Lux with eight ticks left, leading to a held ball that went the Panthers’ way (4.2 seconds); Johnson’s final shot was an eight-footer in the lane which caught plenty of iron but fell out at the horn, ending the gripping contest. Jane White added eight points for the Falcons, who shot 39% overall (8-32 FG in the last three periods after a strong start) and won the glass, 39-32. Johnson, a Michigan State transfer, accounted for exactly half of the Panther points while Walker, Taylor White (10 points, 6 boards) and Smith were the only other VUU players to score. The Panthers, representing the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, shot 32% from the field (2-11 3FG) and forced a dozen more turnovers (21-9), leading to a 19-9 advantage in points-off-mistakes.
- Notes… The victory was the 800th in Barbara Stevens’ Bentley career and her 957th overall win… Bentley has now won 16 consecutive post season games, including ten in a row in the NCAA tournament… Next up for the Falcons is Lubbock Christian University (Texas), which held off Florida Southern in their Elite Eight game, 73-69. The Lady Chaparrals, who play in the Heartland Conference, sport a 33-0 record and are looking to become the third undefeated national champion in Division II history (ironically after Bentley, 2014 and North Dakota State, 1995)… This is the first NCAA trip for LBU, which became Division 2 tournament eligible this season after years of success at the NAIA level… Haley Fowler (5-10 senior) led LCU with 23 points in their win with support from 5-10 senior Nicole Hampton (16 points, 9 boards), 6-4 sophomore Tess Bruffey (16 points, 6 rebounds) and 5-9 senior Kelsey Hoppel (11 points). Just as Bentley had never played Virginia Union before, they have also never crossed paths with top-ranked Lubbock Christian… The other semifinal will pit Alaska Anchorage against Grand Valley State. This is the fourth Elite Eight for UAA without ever having reached the title game while GVSU, in its third Elite Eight, defeated AIC for the 2006 national crown.