Lady Statesmen's national title hopes end in Elite Eight

By Staff
Special to The Star
March 22, 2001
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Delta State University couldn't shake off the rust of an 11-day layoff as its dream of a national championship fell short at the hands of Shippensburg University, 70-65, in the 2001 NCAA Division II Elite Quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon.
The Lady Statesmen finished their season with a 32-3 overall record. Delta State captured its third consecutive Gulf South Conference title, its second straight NCAA South Regional championship and made a second straight trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. Shippensburg University is now 28-4 overall and will play the University of North Dakota-Texas A&M-Kingsville winner on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Delta State got out of the gates early taking a 6-1 lead at the 16:19 mark of the first half. The Lady Raiders then used a 12-1 run to overcome the deficit and take a 13-7 advantage with 11:38 to go in the half. A Megan Teel jumper gave the Lady Statesmen a 22-21 lead with 7:14 left only to see Shippensburg outscore DSU 9-2 and take a 32-28 lead at halftime.
A Vicki Mikesic layup and free throw was part of a 13-2 run that gave the Lady Raiders their biggest lead of the afternoon at 44-32. Delta State pulled to within six at 63-57 and had two attempts to draw closer with less than two minutes left in the game. A missed layup and turnover with 1:03 left help the Lady Raiders keep Delta State at a distance and hold on for the win.
Katrina King led Delta State with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Boclair followed with 18 points and six boards. Jamie Howard had nine points. Janna Lyons and Jennifer Waldrup each pitched in five points, Megan Teel scored four points and Shelly Campbell two points.
Mekesic and Christa Cline lead four SU players in double figures with 16 points each. Jesse Gordan had 14 and Stephanie Rothery had 10 as the leaders for the Lady Raiders. Janette Pieczynski was the top SU rebounder with nine while Mekesic and Cline pulled down eight apiece.
Delta State shot 38 percent from the floor to Shippensbur's 48 percent. The Lady Statesmen made 7-of-9 free throws while Shippensburg was 22-of-29 from the charity stripe.