photo/Drury Athletics

Number one ranked and unbeaten Ashland ended Drury’s season with a 74-62 win in the NCAA-II Midwest Regional championship game on Monday night in Ashland, Ohio.  The Eagles, the top seed in the regional, ran their record to 34-0 while the second seeded Lady Panthers, ranked fifth nationally, concluded their season at 30-4.

Three Drury players led their offense with 14 points as Heather Harman, Paige Wilson and Hailey Diestelkamp each had 14. Diestelkamp added nine rebounds and two steals.

Monday’s game ended the careers of three seniors, Paige Wilson, Hannah Dressler and Briana Jones. The trio helped Drury to a 109-17 record during their time with the Lady Panthers as well as three NCAA-II national tournament appearances and two Great Lakes Valley Conference titles.

Drury’s final record of 30-4 marked their third 30-win season in program history. Their national tournament appearance was their 14th trip to the NCAA-II tournament in their 17-year history and it was Drury’s eighth appearance in the Sweet 16 and regional championship game.

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Drury’s Annie Armstrong (photo/Drury Athletics)

Drury University’s last-second game-winning attempt to defeat seventh-seeded Grand Valley State was no good as the fourth-seeded Lady Panthers lost 62-60 in overtime in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional title game on Monday night. The Lady Panthers finished their season 26-5, as Grand Valley State (25-9) moved on to the NCAA-II Elite Eight next week in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Despite scoring the game’s first 10 points, Drury trailed by 12 points at the half (31-19) and fought back to regain the lead in the third period of a game that went back and forth from there.  Grand Valley took a 53-49 lead near the end of regulation, but saw Drury tie it up on a pair of jumpers by senior Annie Armstrong, who led all scorers with 25 points, to force overtime.

In the extra period, the Lady Panthers grabbed a quick lead on an Armstrong 3-pointer, but the Lakers would score the next five points to go up 58-56. It was tied at 60 with 13 seconds left after two Armstrong free throws, but the Lakers’ Janae Langs drew a blocking foul call on DU’s Hannah Dressler with her drive to the basket with 4 seconds remaining.

Langs made both free throws, setting the stage for one last DU shot at winning it. But after a timeout, the Lakers swarmed Armstrong, and Drury turned to Roller to try to hit a 17-footer in traffic that bounced away, touching off a GVSU celebration on its first trip to the Elite Eight since 2006.

“It’s gut-wrenching … this is tough,” Drury coach Molly Miller said. “This team will be remembered, but they deserved a lot. I know there are a lot of tears in that locker room because it’s fresh and it stings, but what can’t be forgotten is how special this team is. The effort and the will they brought today was outstanding.

Armstrong, who scored 19 of her 25 points after halftime, finished her career as DU’s No. 11 all-time scorer with 1,179 points in three seasons after the Kickapoo High product transferred in from Eckerd College after her freshman year.

Story: Scott Puryear, Associate AD For Marketing & Communications

WOMEN

Hot-shooting Bellarmine held off hard-charging Drury down the stretch, as the third-seeded Knights downed second-seed Drury 80-77 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship post-season tourney semifinals Saturday afternoon at Family Arena.

The nationally 10th-ranked Lady Panthers (24-4), saw their 14-game winning streak snapped, and will learn their seeding and draw for the NCAA-II Midwest Regional when the pairings are announced at 9 p.m. Sunday at www.ncaa.com. Drury is safely in the field after ranking No. 3 in each of the last three rankings.

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Kameron Bundy scored a career-high 34 points in the final game of his illustrious four-year career, but the second-seeded Panthers couldn’t slow seventh-seeded Quincy in the end in falling 107-99 in overtime of their Great Lakes Valley Conference quarterfinals matchup Friday night at the Family Arena.

Tevin Foster matched his Drury career high of 25 points as well, but Quincy (20-9) rained in 15 3-pointers on the Panthers (19-8) and, after being tied at 92 at the end of regulation, pulled away late to end a seven-game losing streak to the defending GLVC champion Panthers.

Dreams of a national championship repeat come to an end in the Elite Eight. (photo/Drury athletics)

West Liberty posted an 85-75 victory over the Drury Panthers in the NCAA-II Elite Eight Wednesday night at the Ford Center in Evansville, IN. The loss ends the hopes of a Division II championship repeat.

Seger Bonifant came off the bench to hit all seven of his shots – including 6 of 6 from 3-point range – to lead the Hilltoppers (30-3) into the national semifinals. Central Missouri will play Metro State in Thursday’s other semifinal game.

Drury finished 28-4 and with wins of 51 of its last 55 games dating back to last year’s 23-game winning streak at season’s end that produced the program’s first NCAA-II national title.

West Liberty’s 6-foot-7 sophomore made all five of his trey attempts in the second half, including three in a stretch of 1:04 with just over six minutes left that turned a 61-60 Hilltoppers lead into a 70-60 advantage with 5:10 to play, and Drury never recovered.

The Panthers – who had won their last 49 games when they shot 50 percent or better – made just 43 percent of their field-goal attempts (24 of 56), and after opening 4-of-6 from 3-point range, finished at 6-for-13.

West Liberty, the nation’s scoring leader at 101.5 points per game and making its fourth straight appearance in the Elite Eight, shot 44 percent (27 of 61) from the field, including 11 of 30 on 3-pointers. The Hilltoppers turned it over just nine times to Drury’s 12, but nine of the Panthers’ miscues came after halftime.

“I’m really proud of these guys up here,” head coach Steve Hesser said. “Nobody expected us to be here. We lost three outstanding seniors last year, and it didn’t take these guys long to figure out we played in front of the biggest crowds on the road that our opponents had for the year, and these guys had to really do things and be a team … I’m just really, really proud of them.”

Story courtesy of DruryPanthers.com

Sanayika Shields matched her career-high with 21 points and added a game-high 11 rebounds. (photo courtesy of Drury Athletics)

After falling behind by as many as 13 points to the number one team in the country, the Drury women’s basketball team battled back to take the lead, but in the end loss 74-66 to Bentley University in the NCAA Division II women’s basketball Elite Eight on Tuesday night in Erie, PA. The Lady Panthers finish their season at 27-4, while the Falcons improved to 33-0.

Springfield, Mo. native Annie Armstrong, who finished with 16 points, hit a three-pointer with just under nine minutes to play to give Drury a 52-48 lead. However, Bentley responded with a 9-0 run. Armstrong hit another three-pointer with under three minutes to play to cut the Falcons lead to three, but they responded with back to back scores, ending the Drury threat.

“I’m very proud of my team tonight,” first-year DU coach Steve Huber said. “The best decision I ever made in my life, probably other than marrying my wife, was leaving a great institution at Creighton and coming to Drury and being able to be a part of 10 kids that bonded, bought into me and bought into a team … that wasn’t given much respect nationally and ended up going 27-4 and in my opinion, probably losing to the national champions.”

Coach Huber is right. This is just the second game all season where Bentley has won by fewer than double digits.

Sanayika Shields matched her career-high with 21 points and added a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the Lady Panthers. Drury’s 6’7 center Amber Dvorak grabbed nine rebounds, but was held just two points on 1-for-9 shooting and fouled out in 22 minutes. She had gone 24 straight games scoring in double-figures.

Drury celebrates it’s regional championship. (photo/Drury athletics)

The top seeded Drury Panthers broke open a tight game to beat sixth-seed Michigan Tech 71-57 in the NCAA-II Midwest Regional championship game befoe 2,332 fans Tuesday night at the O’Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield.

The nationally eighth-ranked Panthers, in winning their 26th consecutive game at The O (as it’s known to Panther fans), improved to 28-3 and now advance to the Elite Eight.

It will almost be a home court feel for the Panthers who will play next week at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. That’s the same venue where the Great Lakes Valley Conference has held its post-season tournament the past two seasons (and Drury is 4-1 over the last two seasons in that arena).

Drury will take on West Liberty – an 89-82 winner over top seed and nationally 2nd-ranked East Stroudsburg on Tuesday – at 6 p.m. next Wednesday, March 26. The Hilltoppers won their fourth straight Atlantic Region title while improving to 29-3 on the season.

Drury fans will be cheering for the men’s and women’s programs. Each team has a chance to advance to the Elite Eight. (photo/DruryPanthers.com)

Defending national champion Drury is one step away from a return trip to the NCAA-II Elite Eight after defeating fifth seed Lake Superior State 79-61 late Sunday in the semifinals of the Midwest Regional at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.

The Panthers (27-3) will take on sixth-seed Michigan Tech (24-7) in Tuesday’s 7 p.m. championship game. The winner will advance to the Elite Eight, beginning March 26 through the 29th at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. Drury defeated Michigan Tech 76-62 in last year’s regional semis on its way to its first NCAA-II title.

Kameron Bundy scored 17 points to lead four Drury players in double-figures as the Panthers won their 25th consecutive game at The O’Reilly Family Center and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the program’s history (also in 2004 and ’13).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________Amber Dvorak and Sanayika Shields each posted double-doubles and top seeded Drury rolled into the NCAA-II Midwest Regional finals with a 78-58 victory over fifth seed Quincy in the semifinals Sunday afternoon. Dvorak had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Shields added 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Lady Panthers held a commanding 49-29 final advantage on the boards against the Hawks, who had defeated Drury 82-79 in Quincy on Jan. 30.

The Lady Panthers moved to 26-3 and will take on sixth-seed Wayne State in Monday’s 7 p.m. title game at The O’, where Drury has gone 14-1 this season and won eight straight. Wayne State (23-7) knocked off No. 2 seed Lewis 87-80 in Sunday’s other semifinal. It will be Drury’s sixth appearance in an NCAA-II regional final, joining those in 2003, ’04, ’06, ’07 and ’10, and is the first for the Lady Panthers in Springfield since 2006.

The Drury-Wayne State winner will advance to the NCAA-II Elite Eight, which will be played March 25-26 and 28 in Erie, Pa.

Drury University continue their run towards a repeat (photo DruryPanthers.com)

Cameron Adams scored 19 points and Kameron Bundy added 14 points to lead top seed and defending national champion Drury to a 69-64 victory over No. 8 seed Wisconsin-Parkside in an NCAA-II Midwest Regional opening round game before 2,141 fans Saturday night at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.

Drury picked up its 24th consecutive victory at The O’, which pushes the Panthers to 26-3 overall and into Sunday night’s 8:30 p.m. semifinal against fifth-seed Lake Superior State (27-5), which used a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime and then defeated fourth-seed Findlay 88-83 to advance.

Drury made just 41 percent of its shots (24 of 58), but held the Rangers to 40 percent (23 of 58), including 5-of-24 from 3-point range.

The Panthers moved to 12-1 this season in games decided by five points or less.

Story courtesy Drury Panthers athletics.