PUEBLO, Colorado – The Angelo State women's basketball came back from its largest deficit of the season down 15 points at halftime to defeat UC Colorado Springs 86-81 and advance to its first South Central Regional final in program history at Massari Arena on Saturday night in Pueblo, Colorado.
The Belles improve to 26-5 and have won the second most games in a single season in program history. ASU will face the winner of Colorado State-Pueblo or West Texas A&M on Monday at 7 p.m. MST / 8 p.m. CST. UC-Colorado Springs finished the year at 24-9. The Mountain Lions won the rebounding battle 43-29 and scored 52 first half points. ASU shot 43.5 percent from the field and scored 17 points off 20 UCCS turnovers.
"Our team just kept fighting tonight," Angelo State head women's basketball coach Kevin Baker said. "We were down 15 at halftime and we talked at halftime was simple. We had to keep chopping wood and not worry about the fact they were shooting as well as they were. We wanted to keep doing the things that got us here because I felt like our composure and poise got away from that when we were down in the second quarter. We battled through it to survive and advance."
Six players scored in double figures for the Belles with Keanna Kelly leading the way with season high 22 points. Christina Robinson added 16 points and five rebounds and Lexi Murphy scored 13 points. Bria Frierson, Taylor Dorsey and Jasmine Prophet added 11 points each. Prophet grabbed six rebounds and Dorsey handed out a team high five assists.
Down 52-37 at halftime, the Belles came out on an 8-0 run thanks in part to a pair of three pointers from Murphy to cut the deficit to 52-45. After the two teams traded buckets UCCS drained a 3-pointer to push the Mountain Lion advantage to 10. ASU continued to push and free throws from Frierson and Kelly sparked a 12-0 run to take its first lead since the 3:42 mark of the first quarter at 59-57. UC Colorado Springs ended the quarter by scoring the last seven points of the quarter to regain the lead at 64-59 at the end of the third quarter. UCCS was held to just 12 points on 44.4 percent shooting while the Belles scored 22 points on 36.8 percent from the field.
For the first four minutes of the first quarter, UCCS maintained a lead despite the Belles tying the game twice. It wasn't until Kelly drained one of her three 3-pointers to give the Belles a 71-70 advantage and a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The three pointer started an 8-0 run to push ASU's advantage to 76-70. The Mountain Lions scored five straight points to make the score 76-75 with 3:05 to play. Prophet and Dorsey would make four straight free throws to pad the lead at 80-75 and after a Prophet block on the UCCS ensuing possession, Robinson drained a 3-pointer in the corner to make it 83-75. UCCS would not get closer than four points over the final 1:16 at ASU hit three free throws down the stretch to secure the program's first trip to the regional final.
The first quarter was fast and furious as both teams shot over 50 percent. The two teams traded 3-pointers to start the game but UCCS would hit four more in the quarter. The Belles built a 13-9 advantage but moments later the game was tied at 15. UCCS would outscore ASU 15-7 to take a 30-21 lead into the second quarter.
ASU started the second quarter on a 9-4 run capped off with a Robinson 3-pointer at the 7:01 mark but UCCS would maintain the lead. The Belles were held to just seven points the rest of the quarter and UCCS hot shooting continued. The Mountain Lions shot 52.6 percent from the field and outscored ASU 18-7 over the final 7:01 to build a 52-37 advantage in at the break.
Tori Fisher led the Mountain Lions with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Jen Vigil added 20 points. No other player scored more than eight points.
The Rambelles will face the winner of CSU-Pueblo and West Texas A&M for the South Central Regional Championship on Monday, March 13 at 7 p.m. MST / 8 p.m. CST.
