Box Score (html)
 
HAYS, Kan. – With time running down in a tie ball game, SWOSU sophomore Taber Beer hit the biggest shot of her collegiate career, a wing three-pointer that cleared the net with 0.5 seconds remaining and sent the Lady Bulldogs to the Central Regional Championship game with a 75-72 victory over Central Missouri.
 
With the victory, SWOSU advances to face Fort Hays State, the top seed in the regional, on Monday evening at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, with the winner of that game advancing to the Elite Eight.
 
SWOSU led for less just over eight minutes total in the game, trailing by as many as nine in the early going and they found themselves down by eight, 66-58, with 6:02 to play in the game. As they've done all season, the gritty Lady Dawgs continued to battle and cut the deficit to three, 69-66, after Hayden Priddy buried a jumper in the lane with 2:44 to play.
 
After Bethany Franks got a steal with 1:44 to play, the Central Missouri bench was whistled for a technical foul, which sent Hailey Tucker to the line for two free throws and made it a one-point game. On the ensuing possession, Beer got to the for a lay-in that gave SWOSU a 70-69 lead, their first advantage of the fourth quarter, with 1:30 to play.
 
SWOSU got a stop at the defensive line as the final minute approached, but a shot clock violation on the next possession allowed UCM to regain possession with 31 seconds left, down by one. After UCM called timeout, Franks made the defensive play of the game, stepping in front of a Paige Redmond pass for the steal and dishing it to Tucker, who was fouled and went back to the line with 19 seconds to play.
 
Tucker made both free throws, extending the lead to 72-69, but UCM's inbounds play got the Jennies a good look at a three-pointer that tied the game with 17 seconds remaining. SWOSU's final offensive set saw Tucker with the ball in her hands as time was winding down, and she dished to Beer on the wing as the defense collapsed around her. Beer took the pass and gathered briefly before firing up the shot that will be remembered by the Lady Bulldog faithful forever.
 
"I just knew that they were going to try and lock up some of our top scorers so I was thinking to myself that I might have to take the last shot," Beer said in the postgame interview. "I was ready for it, so I let it fly and held my follow through because I wanted that shot to go in. Coach teaches us to seize our moment and I was excited because I wanted this win for my teammates!"
 
Seven different players scored for the Lady Bulldogs, who were led by Hailey Tucker with a game-high 27 points in addition to four rebounds, two steals, one blocked shot and one assist. Hayden Priddy battled foul trouble to total 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting while Bethany Franks recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in addition to five steals.
 
Beer was SWOSU's leading scorer among the reserves, playing a career-high 28 minutes and hitting 3-of-8 field goals, including two of the most clutch baskets in the game. She rounded out her stat line with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Tyra Aska had six points and five rebounds in 23 minutes of action before fouling out while Taylor Hedrick added five points on 2-of-6 shooting.
 
"We're just excited right now, still on an extreme high after that win," SWOSU Head Coach Kelsi Musick said following the game. "We had the ball there on that last possession and I don't call timeouts in that situation, we like to play through things. I always say big-time players make big-time plays and Taber Beer stepped up when we needed her to. We had a lot of players make crucial plays, whether it be a basket, a rebound or a steal and they did what we needed them to do be successful."
 
SWOSU will take a 32-1 record and a 32-game winning streak into Monday's game as they make their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Regional Championship game. Tipoff against #3 Fort Hays State is set for 7:00 pm at Gross Memorial Coliseum.