HARTFORD, Conn. - In Ray Oosting Gymnasium Transylvania University fans were outnumbered 10-1, but the Pioneers silenced the deafening Smith College crowd with a 76-65 Final Four win, punching their ticket to Dallas for the NCAA DIII National Championship in two weeks.
PHOTO GALLERY
Transylvania improves to an remarkable 32-0 on the season, while Smith finishes their campaign at 30-2. Transylvania advances to the NCAA Division III National Championship where they will face Christopher Newport University on April 1 in the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The Pioneers posted a 6-0 start, fighting a tough Smith squad. The Smith Pioneers battled back for most of the first quarter, but a big time block from Sydney Wright (Cynthiana, Ky.) with 55.1 left in the quarter helped to silence the Smith faithful. First-team all-American Maddie Kellione (Cynthiana, Ky.) did what she does best and scored the last two points of the quarter to give Transy the momentum, though heading into the quarter break trailing by three. Kellione shot 3-for-3 from the field in the first frame.
To start the second quarter, Dasia Thornton (Cincinnati, Ohio) pulled the Pioneers within one from the free throw line. The senior added a nice and-one at 6:34, giving the Pioneers the 28-27 lead with 3:09 remaining in the half. Kellione's three-pointer at just over the two-minute mark gave the Pioneers a 31-29 lead. Thornton came up big again, with a big block to set up an easy layup for Kellione. Emilie Teall (Lexington, Kyscored back-to-back buckets, with a triple and nailed a bucket at the buzzer to put Transy up 36-31 going into halftime.
Taking the lead into the third quarter, the Pioneers were locked-in and worked to build on the lead. At 6:08, Kellione saved a ball from going out of bounds, tossing to Kennedi Stacy (Salyersville, Ky.), allowing for Thornton to help out with a second-chance basket to lift the Pioneers, 45-37. Kellione expanded the lead to double-digits with an and-one play at 5:26 and added another short jumper as the third period expired, to take a 57-42 lead heading into the fourth.
Smith began to surge in an attempt to make a comeback to start the fourth frame, but the Pioneers refused to give an inch. Just as Smith started to gain, Transy did what they have done all year; handled the big moments and knocked down routine shots. With each shot Transy made, the cheers of the Transy faithful swelled. The Pioneers sealed the deal down the stretch, punching their ticket to the final game of the season, 76-65.
Kellione led the Pioneers with 24 points, shooting 67 percent from three, four assists, and went 4-of-5 from the free throw line during her 39 minutes of play. Thornton followed with 18 points and 11 boards for the double-double. Laken Ball (Beckley, W. Va.) added her own 13 points and three boards. Stacy scored nine points, added three rebounds, and three assists. Wright also joined in with seven points, four rebounds, and three assists. Teall played a solid 20 minutes, coming in clutch with her five points at key moments.
The NCAA Division III National Championship will be played in Dallas at the American Airlines Center, along with the NCAA Division I Final Four and the Division II National Championship in celebration of Title IX's 50th Anniversary. The title game will be held on April 1 with tipoff set for 12 p.m. ET.