Lady Tribunes survive scare, move on at nationals
MCC holds off Waubonsee to advance in the winner's bracket.
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas - After racing to a 19-point halftime lead, it appeared that the MCC women's basketball team would cruise to an easy win over Waubonsee Community College in the opening round of the 2015 NJCAA Division II national tournament on Wednesday.
But after a frenetic finish that saw the Chiefs claw their way back into it, the Lady Tribunes are thankful to move on.
Bailey Hixson knocked down a pair of free throws with 7.9 seconds left to ice a 69-63 Monroe victory and set up a meeting with Kirkwood Community College at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday.
The final minutes had plenty of drama, as Waubonsee whittled a 22-point deficit down to single digits. The effort was led by Sarah Grams, who connected on five 3-pointers in the second half on her way to a game-high 21 points.
Grams hit a 3 to cut the lead to 67-59 with 3:05 remaining. The Chiefs then added a pair of baskets in the midst of five consecutive Tribune misses to close within 67-63 with 1:21 left.
MCC missed a 3 on its next possession and Waubonsee had a chance to cut further into the lead. The Chiefs got the look they wanted, but Grams' 3 rattled in and out and Hixson grabbed one of her 11 rebounds on the game.
MCC failed to put the game away, however, as a pair of missed free throws and a turnover gave Waubonsee more chances down the stretch. But an illegal screen foul by the Chiefs put Hixson on the line with under 10 seconds left, and the sophomore calmly sank the free throws for the final points of the game.
The Tribunes took control from the opening tip, racing to a 25-8 lead just seven and a half minutes into the game. Hixson sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around one from Tyese Purvis early in the run, and Rose Ayala added a conventional 3-point play and a short jumper to close it.
The Tribunes stayed hot the rest of the half. Purvis hit a pull-up 3 and Ayala followed with a rebound and putback to push the lead to 20. Ayala then added four of her 11 first-half points down the stretch as MCC went into the locker room with a 44-25 advantage.
The Tribunes led by as many as 22 points early in the second and maintained that lead thanks to the play of Adre'onia Coleman. The freshman forward was unstoppable at times, scoring 14 of MCC's first 22 points in the second half before the Chiefs battled back.
Coleman finished with a team-high 19 points for Monroe. She was 7-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the foul line. Ayala was strong off the bench, contributing 11 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Hixson tallied 12 points and 11 boards, and Purvis scored nine.
The Tribunes now move on in the winner's bracket, where a second-round matchup with Kirkwood awaits Thursday evening. The Eagles were 77-45 winners over North Arkansas earlier Wednesday.