WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The No. 2 seed Lady Jackets turned to their defense to clamp down on No. 6 Mount Vernon Nazarene, 67-51, to advance to the title game at the NCCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.

Cedarville, 24-7 and winners of 13 straight, will face No. 8 Colorado Christian on Saturday at 2:00 p.m for the NCCAA banner.

The Lady Jackets had ideas of making the semifinal tilt a blowout early. They sprinted to a 24-8 lead with 7:30 left in the first period, but MVNU closed to within 30-20 at the intermission.

The Cougars used an eight-point run to forge a 39-39 deadlock with 12:05 to play. Kayla Jenerette came right back with a lay-up to begin a seven-point spurt and CU never trailed again. The largest lead was 67-47 at the 2:15 mark.

Deborah Gordon scored 14 points for Cedarville. Becky Orchard tallied 13 points, Jenerette finished with 12, and Kara Cayton added 10.

The Jackets held MVNU, 18-14, to 23 percent shooting in the first half and 32 percent for the game. They also forced the Cougars into 20 turnovers while committing 13.

STATS  ♦  NCCAA TOURNAMENT INFO