Box Score

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Union University women's basketball team earned a trip to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Women's Basketball National Championship game following a 56-36 win over Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University. Union improved to 24-6 on the season, while Azusa Pacific dropped to 20-9 overall.
                     
For Union, this will be their fifth appearance in a national title game in the last six years. Four straight from 2009-2012 in the last four years of NAIA play, and now one in the NCCAA. Union was third in last season's national tournament after an overtime one point loss in the semifinals.
 
Union now has guaranteed 10 straight seasons of at least a third place finish in national tournaments dating back to 2005. During the last nine years, Union has four first place national tournament finishes, two second place finishes, and three third place finishes.
 
The Lady Bulldogs will play for the NCCAA National Title Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. central time against fellow Gulf South Conference foe, Lee University. It will be the fourth meeting of the year, with Lee leading the season series 2-1, with Union winning the most recent meeting in the NCCAA MidEast Region title game. All three games with Lee have been decided by less than five points.
 
In the semifinal win Thursday over Azusa Pacific, Union opened the game with five straight points, including a 3-pointer from Kelsey Risner. Azusa Pacific answered with eight straight points to lead 8-5 at the 13:45 mark. The teams went back-and-forth over the next eight minutes and with 5:08 left in the half, the game was tied 13-13. Union then closed the half on a 10-1 run to lead 23-14 at the break.
 
In the second half, Union quickly pushed the lead to double figures and it never dropped below 10 for the remainder of the game. Union extended their lead out to 18 points, 36-19 at the 10:23 mark. Azusa Pacific cut the Union lead down to 12 points just under three minutes to play, but Union's Amy Philamlee and Chelsea Bodiford drained back-to-back 3-pointers to spark Union's 8-0 run to close the game. Union's largest lead of the night came with the final, 56-36.
 
 Union's defense held an Azusa Pacific team that averages 71.2 points per game to their lowest point total of the season. The Cougars previous low was 46 in a loss to conference foe California Baptist Feb. 8. Azusa Pacific managed just 25  percent shooting from the field and only 13 percent (2-16) from long range. Azusa was 8-of-17 (47 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Union managed slightly better shooting percentages, going 30 percent from the field and 21 percent (8-38) from 3-point range. Union did fired 74 percent from the free throw line, making 14-of-19.
 
Union was led by Philamlee with 17 points and five assists. She drained three 3-pointers in the win. LaTesa McLaughlin added 13 points and was 8-of-8 from the free throw line. DeAnna Thompson scored six points, but grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
Azusa Pacific was led by Allison Green with 13 points. Kelly Hardeman added nine points and Sendy Valles led with 10 rebounds.
 
#UNION#