SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - The Kentucky Wesleyan College women’s basketball team entered new territory on Saturday, beating Indianapolis 82-81 to earn its first berth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game.
The Panthers got 21 points from Kristen Rowe, and KWC held on for the win as Indianapolis misfired with one second left.
KWC will play Maryville (18-11) at 1 p.m. today for the title. Maryville, the No. 5 seed, knocked off No. 1 Quincy 70-66 in the second semifinal.
The game against the Greyhounds was another tight one for the seventh-seeded Panthers, who defeated No. 2 Wisconsin-Parkside 73-71 on Saturday.
“I think the biggest thing is the kids have decided to believe in themselves and believe in their teammates and believe in what’s going on out on the court,” KWC co-head coach Nicole Nieman said. “I think the biggest thing is confidence.
“It’s not going to be easy. You have to go out and fight for it.”
Battle the Panthers did, trailing 52-49 at the half and falling behind by nine early in the second half.
KWC rallied and took its first lead of the half, 67-66, when Rowe hit a shot in the lane with 10:41 to go.
Bianca Baron hit a layup with 23 second left and KWC led by four, 82-78. Indianapolis’ Kristin Turner drained a 3-pointer with 13 second to go, and the Greyhounds sent Lauren Goffinet to the free-throw line.
Goffinet missed the toss. Indianapolis held the ball for the last shot and Nickole Gonser’s jumper bounced off the rim.
Katy McIntosh led Indianapolis with 21 points. Megan Gardner finished with 14 points, while Dajana Jovanovic tossed in 12 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Greyhounds shot 52 percent from the field, 30-for-58, and 13-for-16 at the line for 81 percent. They also hit 8-for-20 from 3-point range for 40 percent.
Barton had another big game off the bench for KWC, scoring 16 points. T’Essence Phelps finished with 12.
The Panthers shot 50 percent from the field, 28-for-56 and 12-for-18 from 3-point range, 68 percent. At the line, KWC was 14-for-20 for 70 percent.
Rowe was 3-for-3 from the 3-point line. Phelps and Barton were 2-for-2.
KWC will hold a 45-minute practice at 7:45 a.m. today. The Panthers and Maryville didn’t play during the regular season.
“We’re not too nervous now,” Nieman said. “Really, we’re just trying to play hard. I think they realize what they have to do to win the game.”
The brackets for the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament will be announced tonight.
The women’s selection show will be broadcast over the Internet on NCAA.com at 9 p.m. The men’s show is set to start at 9:30.