There will be no No. 1 seeds in the LSC Championship final game on the women’s side.
Texas Woman’s assured that Friday night by knocking off Northeastern State, 54-50 in the second semifinal game at Bruin Fieldhouse.
For the second straight game, Jessica Hanna made a go-ahead layup to break a tie in the final 30 seconds, and then Kayla Weaver sank two free throws to secure the Pioneers’ upset win.
TWU, the No. 3 seed in the North, will match up with UCO, the No. 2 seed that upset Tarleton State earlier in the night.
But for the Pioneers, who have now handed NSU two of its four losses this season, they continue their march in hopes of the school’s first-ever LSC Championship crown.
Weaver led all scorers with 18 points and grabbed 12 boards, while Brooke Shepherd and Taja Guerin each scored 11.
TWU improves to 21-10, setting a new school record in victories.
Northeastern falls to 24-4, but its season is far from over. In fact, the RiverHawks seem to be in prime position to host the South Central Regional next week in Tahlequah.
Jasmine Webb was the only NSU player in double figures with 15.
The Pioneers looked in control midway through the second half, holding a 12-point lead with 9:26 to play.
But Northeastern wouldn’t fold and eventually tied the game on Webb’s 3-pointer with 1:43 to play. Jasmine Wright would tie the game again with 50 seconds left.
But that’s when TWU would look to Hanna once again. Despite making just one basket, Hanna drove the lane for the go-ahead score. On Wednesday night, she made a similar score to beat West Texas A&M in the quarterfinals.
NSU was plagued by poor shooting in the first half, making just 5 of 25 field goals in the first 20 minutes. While the RiverHawks shot 40 percent in the second half, it wasn’t enough to surpass the Pioneers, who had just six turnovers in the game.
TWU entered the tournament with a No. 10 regional ranking with the top eight advancing. While the two wins could help the Pioneers move up in the rankings, a win Saturday night would give them an automatic berth.
Texas Woman’s Notes
Texas Woman’s is now 4-8 in Lone Star Conference tournament action.
Tomorrow will mark the Pioneers’ second Championship game appearance, with their only previous appearance coming in 1990. They lost the 1990 championship to West Texas A&M, 78-50, in Canyon, Texas.
TWU is now 1-1 against Northeastern State in the LSC tournament. They fell to the RiverHawks, 51-42, in the 2003 quarterfinals.
TWU is 0-2 against their Championship game opponent, Central Oklahoma, this season. The Bronchos have defeated the Pioneers by scores of 95-64, on Jan. 26 in Denton, Texas, and 81-63, on Feb. 16 in Edmond, Okla.
Kayla Weaver has recorded double-doubles in two of her last three outings. She closed out the regular season with a 21 point, 14 rebound performance at Southeastern Oklahoma State and registered 18 points, 12 rebounds in tonight’s game.
TWU and UCO have never met in previous LSC tournaments.
Northeastern State Notes
* With the loss, the RiverHawks dropped to 24-4 on the season. Northeastern State fell to 1-1 against Texas Woman's University in LSC Tournament action, previously defeating the Pioneers, 51-42, in the 2003 quarterfinals. The loss also broke a 1-1 season tie with TWU, one of only three teams to hand NSU a loss during the 2010-11 season.
* Northeastern State trailed at the half for just the fifth time this season and dropped to 2-3 when behind at the break. The 17 points in the first half by the RiverHawks was the team's lowest point total in the opening half this season, eight fewer than the season opener against Drury (25) and NSU's road loss at Cameron (25) Jan. 12. It was also the least points scored in any half, three fewer than the 20 points scored in the second half at Texas Woman's (2/19).
* Northeastern State shot just 20 percent (5-of-25) in the first half, their worst mark in any half this season. The team's previous low was 25 percent (7-of-28) in the second half against Texas Woman's (2/19).
* The RiverHawks' 50 total points was the second fewest the team has scored all season. The previous low was 46 in a loss against Texas Woman's (2/19). The 13 field goals made by NSU were the fewest this season and the 28.9 percent shooting from the field was the RiverHawks' season low.
* Jasmine Webb led the RiverHawks with 15 points and for the first time this season NSU had just one player in double-digit scoring. Webb added seven rebounds, one behind team leader Alix Perkins (8).