| Lem Atanga McCormick and Amherst pushed their winning streak to 50 games. |
There will be two perfect teams at the Final Four and two returning teams, with the game of the night being the last one.
No. 5 Calvin rallied from an 11-point deficit to tie the game and had a shot to win in regulation but the Knights' three-pointer rimmed out. And No. 12 St. Thomas pulled away from there, as the Knights missed their first four shots in the overtime and turned the ball over four times as the Tommies punched their ticket for Holland, Mich., with an 83-72 win. Taylor Young tied a game-high with 25 points for the Tommies, who improved to 30-1.
Amherst cruised past Emmanuel 84-61 to clinch its fourth consecutive national semifinal appearance. The Lord Jeffs jumped out to an early lead and pushed the lead to double digits on Caroline Stedman's jumper with 7:13 left. Amherst took a 45-28 lead ot the locker room and was never threatened the rest of the way. Lem Atanga McCormick led Amherst with 19 points. Megan Robertson added 14 and 10 rebounds. Fiona Dwyer scored 27 points for the Saints, giving her 51 for the weekend.
The Lord Jeffs will head to Holland, Mich., with a 50-game winning streak extending to last season.
George Fox, who will play Amherst in the semifinals, will also head there with a perfect record. The Bruins overpowered Mary Washington 68-45 to secure their second Final Four appearance.
George Fox hit 10 of 19 three-pointers including four by freshman Jami Roos. Hannah Munger did the rest down low by scoring 19 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking five shots. The key stretch came in the first half when Munger and George Fox's other All-American Keisha Gordon both sat for a four minute stretch. The Eagles only outscored the Bruins by three over that period and could not sustain their offense with Munger and Gordon on the floor. Mary Washington shot 33 percent (18-for-55). George Fox is just the third team to break 50 points against Mary Washington.
Illinois Wesleyan defeated Carthage 77-69 in an All-CCIW sectional final for the Titans' fourth victory over the Lady Reds this season. Illinois Wesleyan raced out to a 14-0 lead but Carthage responded and pulled within two with 10 minutes left. Lexi Bates answered for Illinois Wesleyan with a three-pointer, Britt Hasselbring hit two free throws and Karen Solari scored a layup to push the lead back to nine. Olivia Lett finished another strong performance for Illinois Wesleyan with 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Illinois Wesleyan is headed to the Final Four again after playing and hosting in it last season. The Titans await St. Thomas.