Cal Baptist wins WAC, but Utah Valley gets bid
LAS VEGAS — Tiena Neale scored 21 points and California Baptist, the nation’s lone undefeated Division-I women’s team, beat Grand Canyon 78-60 on Saturday in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title game — but its Utah Valley that is headed for the NCAAs for the first time.
Top-seeded California Baptist (24-0) is in the third year of a four-year transition to D-I and ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. The Lancers will participate in the WNIT.
Third-seeded Grand Canyon (18-7) beat secondseeded Utah Valley 57-54 in the semifinals but the league predetermined that the Wolverines, second during the regular season, would be the WAC’s automatic qualifier if California Baptist won the tournament. Utah Valley was 10-4 in conference play while third-place Grand Canyon was 8-4 within a league schedule hit with pandemic-related cancellations. The teams split their regular-season series.
Sydney Palma added 15 points and Caitlyn Harper 10 points with nine rebounds while Britney Thomas grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points for California Baptist. Seven Lancers combined to make a WAC tournament-record 17 3-pointers, 11 in the first half when it took a 43-32 lead. The Lancers shot 39% overall but 43% from long distance
(17 of 40). The 3-pointers and 49-33 rebounding advantage overcame a disparity on the free-throw line and 18 turnovers.
A bucket to open the third quarter got Grand Canyon within nine points, but California Baptist followed with a a 9-0 run and led by double figures thereafter. Its largest lead was 20.
Katie Scott scored 21 points, 17 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Antelopes, who shot just 31% and were 4 of 24 from 3-point range. Scott also had 10 rebounds for her third double-double this season.
ATLANTIC 10
In Richmond, Va., Taya Robinson scored 18 points as fifth-seeded Virginia Commonwealth (15-10) upset No. 1 seeded Dayton (14-3). VCU will face UMass for the title. Sam Breen and Destiney Philoxy scored 28 points apiece as the seventh-seeded Minutemen (14-6) upset the third-seeded Billikens (12-4), 88-81.
BIG TEN
In Indianapolis, Chloe Bibby scored 21 points and Mimi Collins had 17, leading top-seeded Maryland (24-2) to a second consecutive title, 104-84 over Iowa. The
Terrapins (24-2) shot 51 percent from the field in their 13th straight victory. Diamond Miller had 15 points and seven assists, and Katie Benzan finished with 14 points and six assists.
Maryland led 55-37 at halftime and 79-57 after three quarters.
Monika Czinano scored 22 points for Iowa (18-9), and Caitlin Clark finished with 21. Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall each scored 11.
BIG WEST
In Paradise, Nev., Cierra Hall scored 23 points and Evanne Turner added 22 as top-seeded UC Davis (13-2) beat second-seeded UC Irvine. The Aggies and Anteaters were tied 26-26 at halftime, but the Aggies held the Anteaters to eight points apiece in the third and fourth quarters.
COLONIAL ATHLETIC
In Elon, N.C., Keishana Washington scored 30 points to lead third-seeded Drexel (13-8), 63-52, over top-seeded Delaware.
METRO ATLANTIC
In Atlantic City, N.J., Willow Duffell scored 20 points with 13 rebounds and a career-high six blocks as top-seeded Marist (18-3) won its first league title since 2014 in a 69-30 rout of Saint Peter’s.
MID-AMERICAN
In Cleveland, Micaela Kelly scored 29 points as the second-seeded Chippewas (18-8) earned their sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament in a 77-72 victory over top-seeded Bowling Green.
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC
In Norfolk, Va., Deja Winters made the gamewinning 3-pointer as North Carolina A&T (14-2) earned its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance by beating Howard 59-57.
SOUTHLAND
In Katy, Alyssa Mayfield scored 16 points as topseeded Stephen F. Austin (23-2) beat Central Arkansas, 55-47.
The Lumberjacks face third-seeded Sam Houston State for the title. Faith Cook, who scored a gamehigh 23 points, made the go-ahead layup with 12 seconds to go as the Bearkats (14-7) beat SE Louisiana 79-77.
SOUTHWEST ATHLETIC
In Birmingham, Ala., Cherelle Jones made two free throws with 13.9 seconds left, and the topseeded Tigers (18-5) earned their first NCAA Tournament bid in 13 years.