Lions duel in Final Four tonight

Momentum, team chemistry and a sense of destiny have been the key

components to Vanguard University’s momentous run to the Final Four

of the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Tournament. It

seems the Lions, making their first Final Four appearance in their

history, will need an extra dose of each of their strengths in their

quest to defeat Southern Nazarene.

Tonight’s start is 8 p.m. CST.

The Crimson Storm (27-9) is in the NAIA semifinals for the 12th

straight year.

It has won five national championships in their history, including

four in a row from 1994-97. Last year, Southern Nazarene lost to

Oklahoma City, 82-73, in the national title game and the Crimson

Storm is hoping for a championship rematch. Top-ranked and undefeated

Oklahoma City (32-0), the four-time defending champion, is expected

to reach the final, which is Tuesday at 8 p.m. CST.

The Lions (28-9), on the heels of a thrilling come-from-behind

victory over Oklahoma Christian Saturday, are apparently the

outsiders of the Final Four. Three of the four teams in the

semifinals are from the powerful Sooner Athletic Conference.

However, Vanguard has thrived in the underdog/Cinderella role

throughout the season. In the preseason, Golden State Athletic

Conference coaches picked the Lions to finish ninth in the

conference.

That motivated Vanguard and it finished with the GSAC title and

the most conference wins in GSAC history.

Similarly, the Lions appeared to be down for the count against

Oklahoma Christian Saturday. The Eagles led 58-44 with 5:58

remaining, but Vanguard rallied with a 17-2 run that was capped by

senior Robbin Dittenbir’s game-winning layup with eight seconds left.

But, it wasn’t just Dittenbir who led the Lions’ comeback.

Sophomore guard Lacey Mills drilled back-to-back three-pointers

inside the final two minutes and senior guard Jessica Lenderman

knocked down a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left.

Balance has been the basis of Vanguard’s historic season.

“Throughout the whole year we’ve had this cheer: As one, we

believe,” Dittenbir said in a phone interview late Saturday night.

“We came back to win against Cal State Dominguez Hills (Dec. 14) when

we were down by 20. It’s just a drive, a desire and a passion that’s

within us.”

Dittenbir expressed anxiety for tonight’s matchup.

“It will definitely be exciting,” said Dittenbir, who has scored

42 points (14 per game) and grabbed 30 rebounds (10) in Vanguard’s

three wins in the NAIA tournament. “We lost to them earlier in the

year, so I’m really looking forward to this.”

The Lions lost to Southern Nazarene, 71-48, Dec. 30 at the GSAC

Challenge at the Master’s College. But, Vanguard is clearly a

different team since then. The Lions have won 20 of their past 23

since that loss, mainly because they have different scoring options

on offense, including Dittenbir, Mills, sophomore Jennifer Wilcox and

Laura Lee, the school’s all-time three-point leader. Wilcox, who

earned All-GSAC honors along with Dittenbir, led the Lions during the

regular season with 11.2 points per game.

“The two words that best describes us is, team chemistry,”

Vanguard Coach Russ Davis said. “We have unbelievable team

chemistry.”

The Crimson Tide had five players score in double figures in their

74-61 quarterfinal victory over Point Loma Nazarene Saturday.

Bendegne Diop, a 6-5 junior center, led Southern Nazarene with 17

points, while senior guard Sasha Seriogina had 12 points.

Senior center Courtney McKinney, who averaged 8.3 points per game

during the regular season, is the Lions’ tallest player at 6-1 and

will most likely have her defensive focus on Diop.