DE PERE, Wis. - St. Norbert College slowly pulled away in the second half to claim a 63-41 win over Illinois College in a Midwest Conference Tournament semifinal game at Schuldes Sports Center.
The Green Knights (22-2), ranked No. 16 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, will face Monmouth College (16-8) in the championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
St. Norbert led 17-15 with 7 minutes 21 seconds left in the first half before taking a 25-18 halftime lead. The Green Knights then opened the first 5 minutes of the second half on a 13-4 run for a 38-22 edge with 14:56 left to play. The Lady Blues would never get closer than 11 points the rest of the game.
Krista Pelky tied a St. Norbert record with seven three-point field goals, sharing the mark with Julie Schill and Stacy Ritter. Pelky, who had five of her 3s in the second half, finished the game with 21 points. Jamie Kuhl was the only other St. Norbert player in double figures with 10 points.
The Green Knights shot 43.8 percent from the floor, making 21 of 48 shots. St. Norbert forced Illinois College into 26 turnovers and 31 percent (13-for-42) shooting from the floor.
No Illinois College (13-11) player finished ni double figures. Alex Gabriel had nine points off the bench, while Sarah Puckett and Rachel Macon each had eight.