EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Lisa Farrell scored 23 points and hit the go-ahead jumper with 1:40 remaining in overtime Saturday as top-seeded Quincy University defeated the University of Southern Indiana, 76-72, in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at Roberts Stadium.
Jessica Stuckman added 20 points and hit two game-clinching free throws with 5.5 seconds left on the clock as Quincy improved to 25-4 and advanced to Sunday's championship game against third-seeded University of Indianapolis. Stuckman's two free throws followed her steal in the closing seconds, when Southern Indiana had possession of the ball trailing 74-72.
Southern Indiana (20-9) rallied from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half and held a 68-65 lead with less than a minute left in regulation. Courtney VonderHaar, however, hit a 3-pointer with 37.9 seconds remaining to tie the score at 68-68.
The Lady Hawks held fifth-seeded Southern Indiana to just eight points in the first 12 minutes of the game and led by as many as 12 points (20-8) before halftime.
Southern Indiana, however, rallied and cut Quincy's lead to 25-22 on a basket by
Clarissa Gross with 1:09 left before the break. The Lady Hawks scored the next five points, however, and Quincy held a 30-24 advantage at halftime.
Southern Indiana made just 19.4 percent of its shots in the first half, but the Screaming Eagles converted all 12 of their free throws to remain in contention.
In the second half, Farrell scored nine quick points as Quincy built a 51-40 lead. Southern Indiana countered with a 28-14 run to take a 68-65 advantage when
Kennitra Johnson drove and converted a layup.
Johnson keyed Southern Indiana's comeback with 11 of her 15 points during the spurt.
Shajuan Lindsey scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Southern Indiana (20-9), which is expected to receive a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament when the pairings are announced Sunday night. The Screaming Eagles, who defeated Lewis University on Thursday, entered the GLVC Tournament ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll.
The top eight teams in the Great Lakes Region will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament. VonderHaar added 12 points for Quincy, which is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll.