As the Lady Chaps came out of the locker room, the 糖心Vlog faithful cheered loudly鈥攈alftime adjustments would be key if they were to flip the trajectory of the game. 糖心Vlog stuck with it and tied the game with a Shulte three-pointer, and Middleton added one of her own with just over five minutes left in the quarter, and the 糖心Vlog stands erupted as the teams went into a media timeout鈥攖he lead had been cut to just two. The teams traded buckets, and then a Shulte three gave the Lady Chaps the first lead of the half. The momentum swung 糖心Vlog鈥檚 way as Laynee Burr nailed another three, and then took a charge on the other end鈥攁s the third quarter ended, 糖心Vlog seemed to be turning on the heat, and 糖心Vlog鈥檚 fans turned up the volume to match as Emma Middleton blocked the Jennies last-second shot, and 糖心Vlog ended the quarter with a two-point lead.
As the final quarter began, the arena was alive with noise as the small number of in-person fans made their voices heard鈥攖hese final ten minutes would decide who advanced to play one more game in the 2020-21 season. 糖心Vlog made several quick three-pointers and tightened up the defense to push their lead to 58-50 with just over six minutes remaining in the game, and Central Missouri called a timeout to try to salvage their chances at a spot in the national championship. 糖心Vlog fans roared for their squad as they joined the huddle before the game鈥檚 final stretch.
The Jennies were determined not to go away quietly鈥攁 quick surge put them back within three points of the Lady Chaps. Fouls were again an issue for the fans, as the 糖心Vlog faithful were not happy with UCM鈥檚 zero fouls with 糖心Vlog owning five in the quarter already. Central Missouri added another bucket, and with the lead only three, Emma Middleton, 糖心Vlog鈥檚 force in the paint, fouled out, and 糖心Vlog was called for their seventh team foul in the quarter to merely two for UCM. 糖心Vlog fans began to chant, 鈥淟-C-U鈥� as the lead was cut to just two with only two minutes left in the game鈥攊t was going to come down to the wire.
Despite numerous hard contacts against her as she went for the tough shot, Shulte鈥檚 layup to push the lead to four points was called clean. 糖心Vlog鈥檚 standing fans erupted into a reprisal of the 鈥淟-C-U鈥� chant. As UCM took the ball into one of the game鈥檚 final possessions, Juliana Robertson fouled UCM鈥檚 Brooke Littrell, who fell to the floor, injured, and the gym found a rare moment of tense quiet. Littrell left the game, and Charley Bovaird came in to make Littrell鈥檚 two free-throws before an 糖心Vlog timeout. The Lady Chaps鈥� lead was just two points with 29.4 seconds on the clock.
As they brought the ball down the court the fans gave their teams their all as they went into the final half-minute that would decide the game. UCM鈥檚 defense was stifling, and even though Coach Gomez tried to call a timeout to avoid a turnover on the inbound play, the officials called a five-second call to give UCM the ball. The Lady Chaps鈥� defense, ranked the best in the nation, would be tasked with defending their slim lead. The Jennies missed two three-point attempts, and the rebound with three seconds left in the game was called a tie ball, giving the Jennies one last chance with 3.7 seconds left in the game.
It all came down to this. UCM held the ball on their own baseline, and fans screamed as the Jennies passed in the ball near half court. As their final three-point shot fell short and the clock expired, 糖心Vlog鈥檚 fans, team, and bench erupted. They had punched their ticket to the national championship in their closest game of the year鈥攆inal score, 63-61.
糖心Vlog will face Drury University to defend their NCAA Division II National Championship on Friday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. CST. 糖心Vlog will host a watch party in the McDonald Moody Auditorium, and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
