SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Shaw battled back from an eight-point deficit in the second half to down Pittsburg State 61-58 and advance to the NCAA Division II semifinals for the second consecutive year in a game played Tuesday night at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary’s University.The Lady Bears outscored the Gorillas 9-1 midway through the second half, and battled to build and hold onto a small lead as PSU found a hot shooting touch from beyond the arc.
Shaw (27-6) advances to the national semifinal where they will take on Rollins. Last season, the Lady Bears lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Clayton State 63-46. Pittsburg State finishes its season with a 27-6 mark.
The Lady Bears shot only 29 percent on the evening, but held the Gorillas to 35.1 percent and forced 20 PSU turnovers, compared to only 12 for Shaw. The Lady Bears scored 17 points off the miscues.
“Sometimes you have to win ugly,” said Shaw head coach Jacques Curtis. “This was the type of game we expected. At this level, everyone can play. This was two teams battling it out and not wanting to go home. Our girls just found a way to win.”
Shaw’s defense carried the game, holding the normally high-powered PSU offense – which averages 71.6 points per game – to only 58.
“Defense is our image,” said Shaw senior Kyria Buford. “I’m not the best at defense, but I do what I can. We do well in either 2-3 [zone] or man-to-man.”
The Lady Bears ran the risk of losing the game in the first half, trailing the Gorillas by eight, 27-19, with 2:39 remaining on the first half clock. Sparked both by five points from Aslea Williams and a defensive effort by Shaw substitute Shemieka Brown, the Lady Bears scored nine in a row to close out the half and take a one-point lead into the locker room.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The best season in Pittsburg State women's history came to a disappointing end Tuesday night.
Despite a team-high 16 points from Topeka native Alexa Bordewick, the Gorillas dropped a 61-58 decision to Shaw in the Elite Eight at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's University.
Aslea Williams scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Shaw (27-6) advanced to a national semifinal game against Rollins. Kyria Buford added 13 points for the Bears.
Shaw won despite shooting only 29 percent and trailing by eight with less than 13 minutes to play. The Bears relied on a strong defensive effort that forced 20 Pitt State turnovers and limited the Gorillas to 35 percent shooting.
"Sometimes you have to win ugly," Shaw coach Jacques Curtis said.
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