SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The No. 2 Drury women’s basketball team handled business Saturday, topping Truman State 66-51 in the NCAA-DII Midwest Regional Semifinals.
Paige Robinson led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds while Alana Finley added 14 points.
For Drury, it marked the opportunity they didn’t get last year when the tournament was canceled.
“Just really thankful, you know?” Drury Head Coach Amy Eagan said. “We had a lot of emotions the last couple of days whether it was going into practice and this morning even with some COVID testing and that kind of stuff. We’re very thankful that we got to.”
“It was awesome, especially having fans out there cheering us on,” Robinson added. “It was just an extra confidence booster for all of us.”
The Lady Panthers advance to the regional championship game where they will meet Ashland, a team they have a lot of history with in regionals of the past.
Back in 2016, Drury beat Ashland in Midwest Semifinals, 86-60.
Ashland got revenge the following two years, beating Drury back to back times in the Midwest Championship games.
Then last year, both sides were undefeated entering the regional before it was canceled due to COVID-19.
So on Monday it’ll almost feel like destiny as the two meet again for a 6:00 pm tip-off with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.
