California Baptist University
Southern Nazarene University
Heartbreak In The Heartland
3/17/2013 2:09:00 AM | Women's Basketball
A thrilling see-saw battle came down to the final seconds as Simone Holmes threw up a runner in the lane as the buzzer sounded, but it was not to be amidst the superior length of the Crimson Storm.
"The girls played hard all night and fought all the way to the end," said CBU Head Coach Jarrod Olson, who completes his first season at the helm for the Lancers. "We had a chance at the end, it just didn't fall our way. That's all you can ask for. I was extremely proud of how this team fought and competed, not only tonight, but the whole tournament."
The loss snaps a 15-game winning streak for the Lancers, ending their 2013 campaign at 25-6. CBU's 25 wins and 15-game streak were both the second best totals in program history. CBU also won its first ever PacWest title earlier this year, closing the regular season with 11 consecutive wins to pass defending PacWest Champs Grand Canyon on the final day of the year.
A second championship this season wasn't in the cards, however, as the SNU length gave CBU trouble much of the night.
The Lancers held an 11 point lead late in the first half, but a 17-6 Crimson Storm run to close the period evened things up heading into the break.
Midway through the second half SNU found some distance, going up by seven.
Then Holmes and went to work.
Holmes drained a wide open three from the elbow and off of an SNU turnover, Holmes drove down the lane and hit a running layup while drawing the foul. She would hit the free throw to give CBU a 64-63 lead with 5:15 to play.
The teams would trade baskets over the next few minutes and with 1:21 to play Myriah Hicks hit a free throw to give CBU a 70-69 lead. The Crimson storm had an answer this time, hitting a three from straight away to make it a two point SNU advantage.
Under a minute to go Hicks was forced to throw up a wild shot on the baseline on the following possession. Jasmine Beverly corralled the offensive board, but her put-back attempt would go wide and end up out of bounds to the Crimson Storm.
After two SNU free throws, Holmes drained a mid-range jumper and it was back to a two-point game. On the inbounds, Hicks made the steal and it was CBU ball with 12.7 seconds to go.
Following two CBU misses and a traveling call on the Crimson Storm, the Lancers had one final shot, but Holmes' runner in the lane was just off target as CBU fell for the first time in nearly two months.
"We had a lot of good looks, especially at the end, but we just couldn't convert," said Olson. "We didn't lose for lack of effort, that was for sure. Simone and Myriah led us once again. They fought hard as did everyone on the team."
Hicks closed the game as the team's leading scorer with 21 points and Holmes finished with 20 for the Lancers. Beverly added 10 points. CBU had its worst shooting night of the tournament in the championship game, hitting 28 of 81 shots (34.6 percent).
The Crimson Storm were led by Annie Kassongo with 23 points on 11 of 16 shooting. SNU shot 50.8 percent from the floor.
"This team really came together and made a great run this year," said Olson. "Everyone was fully invested and sacrificed something for the good of the team. They were a pleasure to coach and I'm thankful for the opportunity."
