After pulling off a massive upset in their quarterfinal's matchup against #2 Thomas More, the Shawnee State women's basketball team set their targets to Georgetown College next. Being forced to win it in overtime, Marnae Holland and the Bears continued their hot streak with a 73-68 victory.
Falling down by double-digits in the first quarter, the Bears were forced to fight their way back. After the slow start however, Marnae Holland started to add to Shawnee's comeback effort, as well as her historic night the day before. She chipped in with 8 points and 4 rebounds in the half, as the Bears trailed by just four at the break, in a low-scoring 31-27 ball game.
It was in the second half whenever SSU began to find their rhythm and take the lead back from the Tigers. While there was only four made field goals for the Bears, they attacked the basket at will and converted on 7 of their 8 free throw attempts, including Tanisia Murphy going 5-6. With four ties and three lead changes in the period, the fourth quarter was set to be a battle. As she did in the Bears quarterfinals contest, Kambrayia Elzy stepped up and made big shots for Shawnee when they needed them the most. She was directly responsible for creating 13 of the 18 points scored in the period, and if not for a last-minute layup, the Bears would have won in regulation.
Taking an extra quarter to get the job done, overtime was all but dominated by the standout player of the tournament so far. Marnae Holland yet again rose to the occasion, leading all scorers with 9 points, going a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. Her efforts combined with the Bears defense saw SSU make their way into the championship game.
The Bears will play for the title this evening at 6:00 p.m., facing off against #5 Freed-Hardeman.
For more information on the Bears regarding schedule information or live streaming, please visit ssubears.com. You can also follow the Basketball program on Instagram (shawneestate_wbb) and Twitter (@SSWBB)
