Finals Bound: Penn Rallies to Drop Mount Mercy 79-72
Christa Subbert in action against Mount Mercy earlier in the season
Cedar Rapids–The game of the year did not disappoint as the Lady Statesmen cagers defeated Mount Mercy 79-72 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference Semifinals Saturday.
In claiming the pseudo-upset over the second seed, #3 seed Penn (23-9) advances to Monday’s championship game versus top seed and #12 St. Ambrose in Davenport at 7 p.m. The winner claims the conference’s automatic bid to the NAIA Division II National Championships.
The teams split the season series with the Lady Statesmen falling in Davenport 61-50 on January 2 and then winning 67-53 in Oskaloosa on January 27.
It is the program’s second trip ever to the MCC Tournament Finals, also meeting St. Ambrose at the end of the 2003-2004 campaign. The Queen Bees were unfortunately victorious over Penn 70-57.
The visitors stormed out of the gate, taking a 16-5 lead just 4:28 into the contest. Mount Mercy (19-13) bounced back, however, going on a 32-9 run to pull ahead by 12 with 2:22 remaining until the break.
Penn finally weathered the storm and closed out the stanza with a mini 6-0 run to trail 37-31 at halftime.
The programs played fairly even in the early minutes of the second half with the Mustangs still owning an eight-point advantage at 52-44 with 15:36 left.
The Lady Statesmen then rattled off seven in a row, and after a few buckets were exchanged, Penn took the lead back for good at 60-59 (7:12 mark) on a layup by Christa Subbert (Sr., Stanton, Stanton HS). The points were two of her game-high 29, which drew her within just seven points of Becky Inman’s all-time school record of 2,139 points. The senior was 7-of-16 from the floor (2-of-6 3-PT), but did most of her damage at the line, finishing 13-of-15.
At the conclusion of Penn’s 11-1 run which was started by Subbert’s basket, the squad was ahead by nine with 4:01 on the clock. As can be expected with its season on the line, Mount Mercy fought hard in the waning minutes, but could come no closer than four points as the Lady Statesmen, who finished 33-of-44 from the charity stripe, made nine of their final 14 attempts in the final 1:56.
In a very physical game (53 total fouls), the Mustangs had numerous free tries as well, but were not as efficient in going just 20-of-37 at the line. Mount Mercy was much more successful from the field, though, winning the shooting battle 53.5%-40.4%, but was forced into 23 turnovers, good for 22 Lady Statesmen points.
Orielle Thomas (Fr., Waynesville, Mo., Waynesville HS) also had a big performance on a huge stage, posting 16 points and ten rebounds for her second-straight double-double and sixth of the season. The visitors claimed a 38-30 rebounding edge, which led to a 13-5 margin in second-chance points.
Rachel Butler (Sr., Orange County, Calif., Cerritos CC) added 11 big points off the bench, while Kim Thompson (So., Park Forest, Ill., Upper Iowa) contributed nine and Sarah Martin (So., Anthem, Ariz., Boulder Creek HS) tallied eight.
Samantha Darley (Sr., Gilbert, Ariz., Mesa CC) put six points on the board as well in the win.
Thomas assisted on four made shots and also paced Penn with three steals.
The team’s 23 wins are the most since 1981-1982 when the program finished 28-10.
“I am very happy with this win,” Lady Statesmen Head Coach Brian Spielbauer said. “Our ladies played awesome! This was a tough, physical game and we had great contributions from a lot of people. We are excited to reach the championship and look forward to Monday night!”
