Sponsored by Marco's Pizza
A bit of history was made by Tiffin University's women's basketball team, as the Dragons posted their third straight upset to win the GMAC Tournament Championship and earn a first-ever berth in the NCAA Atlantic Regional.
And the Dragons did it much the same way they had picked up numerous wins this season - stifling defense, a never-say-die attitude, and a second-half comeback. This time the victim was Kentucky Wesleyan 61-57 in overtime.
The Panthers raced out to an early lead, leading 20-11 after one quarter and 33-21 at the half.
The Dragons had them right where they wanted them.
Tiffin came out after the break and allowed a total of 2 points to the Panthers in the third quarter, outscoring them 18-2. TU erased KWC's 12 point halftime lead and led by four points at the end of the quarter.
The Panthers rebounded in a game that saw 14 lead changes and 6 ties. The teams traded the lead throughout the final period. With 24 seconds left in regulation, KWC hit two free throws to go up 3 points. With time running out, Aarion Nichols hit a long distance three pointer with 5 seconds left that ultimately sent the game to overtime.
TU, which held the Panthers to just 35 percent from the field for the game, continued to play tight defense throughout the overtime period. Tied 52-52 with 2:34 left, Jensen Hiegel drilled a triple and Nichols made two more jumpers to give TU a 59-54 lead with 40 seconds to play.
The Panthers responded with a three pointer of their own to make it 59-57, TU with 34 seconds left. The Dragons brought the ball down the court and used up the shot clock before Nichols put up a layup that missed the mark, but Hiegel was there for the offensive rebound with 4 seconds left. After a quick foul, Savanah Richards hit both free throws to seal the shocking victory.
Overall TU's defense had allowed only 24 points over the game's final 25 minutes of action.
Richards led the team with 23 points and 6 rebounds, while Nichols posted 22 points with 5 rebounds. Jasmine Watts also brought 6 points and 5 boards off the bench, mostly in the first half to keep TU within range of the Panthers.
The Dragons will now await the NCAA Atlantic Regional seeding announcement Sunday night to find out who their opponent will be. The game will be played on Friday, March 12.