BOX SCORE || BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - After connecting on only 3-of-17 3-point tries in the first half, third-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State shot 50.0 percent from the 3-point arc over the final 20 minutes to get past Henderson State, 66-60, in Friday's first Great American Conference Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinal contest from Bruin Fieldhouse.
Off the bench, Sarina Sayama scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the half to lead the Lady Bulldogs (17-10) back to the GAC semifinals for the third straight year. First-Team All-GAC forward Michelle Fisher added 11 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Fisher and Kylie Boggess each played all 40 minutes of the contest. Boggess scored 16 points on 8-of-16 shooting. She grabbed eight rebounds.
The upset-minded Lady Reddies had crept out to a 48-45 lead midway through the second half before the Lady Bulldogs went on a 17-4 run that spanned more than five-and-a-half minutes to sew up the victory. Sayama hit a pair of 3-pointers during the run as, she, Fisher and Boggess scored 15 of the points during that spurt.
GAC Defensive Player of the Year Aungelique Sledge led the Lady Reddies with 18 points and five steals. Krystal Beachum scored seven points to become the fourth member of the 1,000-point club in GAC history. Vanessa Pieper added a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
The Lady Bulldogs will eye their third-straight finals appearance when they face the winner of East Central and Southern Arkansas at 5:45 pm on Saturday. Southwestern Oklahoma State picked up two double-figure wins against Southern Arkansas during the regular season. In two matchups with the Lady Tigers, both teams on by double-digits on their respective home floors. All GAC Basketball Championship contests stream on
GACSportsNetwork.com.