With each win, the Drury women’s basketball team is exploring new heights. Yesterday afternoon in St. Joseph, Missouri, they beat top-ranked Seattle Pacific 84-73 to advance to their first NCAA Division II Final Four. The Panthers have achieved this in just their fourth season of existence. Drury jumped out to a 49-41 lead at the half and never looked back. They had just three players in double-digit scoring, but they got plenty from those three. Kara Rutledge scored a career-high 26 points, All-American Amanda Newton had 23 and Jill Curry added 19. Drury struggled from behind the three-point arc, hitting just 1-of-14 three pointers, but still shot 55 percent for the game, improving to 35-1 on the season. They’ll face Henderson St., which advanced to the Final Four with a 61-60 win over Quincy University. Drury and Henderson St. will tip off tonight at 6 PM. In the nightcap, Merrimack will face California (Pa.) Merrimack got past Augusta St. 76-68, while California beat defending champ South Dakota St. 96-79.
