From SCU Sports Info.
Matthew Stephens, Sports Information Director
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Southwestern Christian University lost a shootout against Bethesda (Calif.) 106-94 Thursday in the semifinals of the NCCAA Women’s Basketball Division I National Championship at the Manhattan Orthopedic Capital Center.
Second-seeded SCU led by 14 mid way through the second half, but third-seeded Bethesda hit 10 second-half 3-pointers to erase the deficit and win by 12 points.
With the loss, the Lady Eagles (18-18) will play in the third-place game against Emmanuel (Ga.).
Eliora Johnson, Maranda Janz and Grace Hadley each notched a double-double to pace the SCU effort. Johnson, a freshman from Toronto, scored a game high 24 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds off the bench.
Janz, a sophomore from Erick, Okla., scored 20 points and corralled 11 rebounds, and Hadley, a freshman from Bethany, Okla., finished 16 points and 11 boards.
Freshman Andi McGill finished one assists shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine dimes.
The Lady Eagles shot 49 percent from floor while holding Bethesda to just 28 percent shooting in the first half and took a 53-43 lead to the locker room at the break.
Bethesda hit 10 of its 19 3-pointers in the second half to climb back into the game. The Lady Flames closed the game on a 16-4 run to advance past SCU.
The Lady Eagles outscored Bethesda 26-16 in the paint.
The Lady Flames scored 32 points off 26 SCU turnovers on the night.
SCU will take on fourth-seeded Emmanuel in the third-place game at 11 a.m. CDT Saturday at the Manhattan Orthopedic Capital Center.