AZUSA, Calif. – From pre to postseason, California Baptist University and Alaska Anchorage spent the year as top-seven teams in the NCAA Division II rankings. When the two finally met in the West Regional semifinals, it was bound to be a battle.
 
It was certainly that, as 40 minutes of regulation were not enough to decide a winner. Fourth-ranked Alaska Anchorage grabbed the hard-fought 83-79 victory in the final five minutes to end the fifth-ranked Lancers' season far too early with a 29-3 record.
 
"It was a heck of a game," said Coach Jarrod Olson, who led a then-unranked Lancers team on a Cinderella run to the Division II Championship game a season ago. "We are obviously disappointed we didn't win but we are really proud of the effort.
 
"It was just two really good teams competing and getting after it. It went to overtime, but eventually someone has to lose at some point, unfortunately."
 
The Seawolves improve to 35-2 and will face the winner of Saturday's regional semifinal between UC San Diego and Azusa Pacific on Monday.
 
"They have an unusual style," Olson said of UAA's relentless full-court press, half-court trap and overall aggressive defense. "We turned the ball over a little more, but there were a ton more possessions… It gave us a little bit of trouble at times, but we had a chance to win."
 
There was a shot for both teams to walk away winners Saturday. CBU took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter and then had a shot to win it with 1.6 seconds left in regulation, but it could not hold off UAA's swarming run at the end of regulation and into overtime.
 
Kamille Diaz led CBU's offense with a game-high 23 points on 7-for-19 shooting and three three-pointers. Cassidy Mihalko logged a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Erin Asher and Courtney Nelson each scored 11 points.
 
"It was definitely intense and fast paced, we were running back and forth and both teams were tired, for sure," Mihalko said. "It was fun basketball, though, and exciting. We like to play fast and UAA matched that, it was a fun game."
 
The Lancers exposed the Seawolves full-court press for some open threes and easy layups and a 10-5 lead 2:20 into the action as a result. Nelson hit an elbow jumper to start, and threes from Asher and Diaz sandwiched a layup from Mihalko.
 
Alaska Anchorage began to shore up its defense and get some easy buckets of its own to grab a 21-16 lead with 2:26 to go in the first quarter. In danger of letting things get away, CBU closed out the final 49 seconds on a 5-0 run after a three from Emma Meriggioli and two free throws from Diaz.
 
Another strong finish to the first half helped the Lancers go into the break with the narrow 39-36 lead. The Seawolves were up five, 29-24, with 5:02 to play before CBU was sparked by a deep Diaz three less than a minute later.
 
The 15-7 run included a nice lay-in from Frerer, threes from Meriggioli and Mihalko, two Diaz free throws and an Olivia Weber jumper.
 
In the third, CBU continued to build on the heat it accrued from beyond the arc late in the first half. Asher hit from deep to give the Lancers a 42-41 lead two minutes in that they would build on. The advantage would grow as high as eight on a 9-2 CBU run.
 
Two buckets from Weber, along with a Diaz three and Mihalko layup, made up the charge that had the Lancers leading 59-51 with 2:46 left in the third. UAA would hit a jumper with 20 seconds left, but CBU had to feel good going into the fourth with a 59-53 edge.

Despite the six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Alaska Anchorage was certainly not going to just go away in the final 10 minutes. The Seawolves snagged a 70-67 lead with 1:21 to go, but the Lancers battled back to tie things with nine ticks to go, while giving themselves a shot at the winner, as well.
 
It was off the mark and sent the game into overtime. Both teams traded buckets early on, with Diaz hitting a layup in 50 seconds in to keep the game tied at 74. Asher nailed a corner three for a 77-76 Lancer lead with 1:34 to play.
 
Twelve seconds later UAA took the lead back, 78-77, with a layup and then upped its lead to 80-77 with 29 seconds left. Diaz kept hope alive when she finished a contested layup with 19 seconds left.
 
A foul two seconds later sent UAA to the free-throw line with a double bonus and it hit both for a big 82-79 lead with 17 seconds left. CBU missed a layup and the ensuing rebound at the other end and was forced to foul again with three seconds to go. The Seawolves sealed the win with another free throw.
 
While a disappointing finish to the season, especially after last year's run, Olson could not have been more proud of his team.
 
"Last year at this time, we just hit our stride and really kept going and gelling as a team," Olson said. "We really carried that over to this year. We are a different team this year than last year, but you can argue we are more successful. We maybe didn't go as far in the tournament, but in the regular season, we were a much better team this year."
 
It was a cruel ending for the Lancers, but with a host of seniors for next year, including Mihalko, Diaz, Nelson and Asher returning — along with younger Meriggioli — they figure to be players in the madness of March in 2017, as well.
 
"The ball bounces in for one team and out for another, that's just basketball," Olson said. "You'll see it 100 times over the next week-and-a-half… That's just how this time of year works and that's what makes it so exciting and special when you do go on a run like we did last year. It's why you have to embrace it when you're in it, because you know how hard it is to get there. It takes a lot out of you and you need some help along the way. This year it didn't happen for us in that sense, but it doesn't mean we are any less proud of how we played and competed. If anything, I think I am a little prouder of this team because of some of the things we had to overcome."