Shelby Myers' Drury University Team Seeded First In NCAA-II Elite Eight

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Published on March 21 2019 2:28 pm
Last Updated on March 21 2019 2:28 pm
Written by Millie Lange

Shelby Myers (back row, third from left) and her teammates at Drury University.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The Drury Lady Panthers, ranked number one in the nation for most of the final stages of the basketball season, showed their championship moxie on Monday night as they turned back the Lakers from Grand Valley State 51-44 in front of a packed house of 2,428 at the O'Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield, Missouri in the NCAA-II Midwest Regional championship game.
 
With the victory, the Lady Panthers will take their memorable and magical adventure next to the NCAA Division II Women's Elite Eight in Columbus, Ohio starting March 26.

Effingham High School graduate Shelby Myers is a member of the team. She has had to Red Shirt this year after breaking her foot in the preseason,
 
Acknowledged as one of the nation's top defensive teams, Drury used that defense in the final minutes of play to perfection, as they scored just two points in the last 7:45 of the title game forcing the Lakers into turnovers and missed shots and held on to improve to a perfect 34-0 on the year.
 
"Their will to win was incredible; we got lost a little in the first half from our focus," said Drury head coach Molly Miller. "Shots didn't fall, and the ball didn't bounce our way, so we had a little halftime chat, and said control the controllable and play Drury basketball."
 
After trailing most of the contest, the Lady Panthers kicked it into another gear midway through the third period grabbing a 32-30 lead with 6:30 remaining in the quarter. With the help of a pair of missed lay-ups by the Lakers, the Lady Panthers expanded their lead as sophomore Lauren Holmes drilled a three-point shot and drove the lane for a basket in the span of one minute to give Drury a 43-36 margin headed to the final quarter of play.
 
"It's not just me, though, it's my teammates," said Holmes of her play that provided a crucial spark. "We all do it together, and someone had to step up, and it just happened to be me in that quarter."
 
Drury moved pulled away from the Lakers 49-39 early in the fourth, then used their pressure defense to hold off Grand Valley State with a pair of free throws in the final minute providing the needed margin.
 
"We're kind of in three-stops-in-a-row mode most of the time," said Miller.  "We have a philosophy that when we need a run, three stops in a row is the way. We might not hit one, but if they don't as well, then we're still good."
 
The first half was a low scoring intense twenty minutes as Drury fought through foul difficulties to their starting lineup and neither team was able to hit for a good percentage. Grand Valley State was up 25-22 at the break, marking the first time during the season that the Lady Panthers had trailed after the first half.
 
Junior Hailey Diestelkamp as she has throughout the season paced the Drury effort, with a 13 point, 10 rebound double-double effort.  Holmes would, however, lead the scoring with 15, as Drury posted a season-low 51 points while making just 19 of 66 shots for 29 percent, also the worst mark on the year from the field.
 
"My shot wasn't falling tonight, so I had to produce in other ways," said Diestelkamp.  "That's what this team does really well if you're not doing well at something, go find something else to do, that's what coach always stresses."
 
Jenn DeBoer had 16 points to lead the Lakers, while Cassidy Boensch pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for Grand Valley State which concludes the season at 29-4.
 
Diestelkamp was named as the regional Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-region team by teammates Holmes and junior Daejah Bernard.  Boensch and Maddie Dailey from Grand Valley State rounded out the All-Tournament team.
 
Monday's win marks the fourth NCAA-II Regional title in Lady Panther history. Drury also advanced to the Elite in 2014, 2007 and 2004.
 
The Drury Lady Panthers are seeded first in the NCAA-II Elite Eight and will play Nova Southeastern on Tuesday, March 26 at 5 pm (Central) in the national quarterfinals at Alumni Hall in Columbus, Ohio.
 
The NCAA announced the Elite Eight seeds and updated the national bracket on Wednesday morning. The winner of Tuesday's Drury-Nova Southeastern game will advance to the national semifinals and play the winner of fourth-seeded North Georgia and number five seed Lubbock Christian on Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 pm (Central).
 
The other Elite Eight match-ups include second-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State vs. the seventh seed, St. Anselm, and number three Indiana (Pa.) against sixth-seeded Azusa Pacific. All four quarterfinal games are on Tuesday, March 26 in Columbus with both semifinal games on March 27. The national championship game is scheduled for Friday, March 29.
 
The Lady Panthers draw against eighth-seeded Nova Southeastern is a rematch of their Dec. 16 game when Drury picked up an 86-63 road win over the Sharks in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Lady Panthers led 44-33 at halftime in that game before pulling away in the fourth quarter.
 
Drury is making their fourth NCAA-II Elite Eight appearance in program history, and their first trip to the national quarterfinals since 2014. They have also made the field of eight in 2007 and 2004 with their '04 team finishing as the national runner-up.
 
Each of Drury's three games will be carried live on local Springfield radio through the MeyerComm network of stations. Each of the quarterfinals games will be broadcast with live video on NCAA.com while the semifinals and championship game will be carried on the CBS Sports Network.
 
Elite Eight schedule (all times central)

QUARTERFINALS – Tue., March 26

#3 Indiana (Pa.) vs. #6 Azusa Pacific, 11 am

#2 Southwestern Oklahoma St. vs. #7 St. Anselm, 1:30 pm

#1 LADY PANTHERS vs. #8 Nova Southeastern, 5 pm

#4 North Georgia vs. #5 Lubbock Christian, 7:30 pm
 
SEMIFINALS – Wed., March 27

IU/APU vs. SWOSU/St.A, 5 pm

DU/NSE vs. NG/LCU, 7:30 pm
 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Fri., March 29 – 6 pm
 
Elite Eight Seeds

#1 LADY PANTHERS, 34-0, Midwest Region champions, ranked #1 NCAA-II coaches' poll

#2 Southwestern Oklahoma St., 33-1, Central Region champions, ranked #7 NCAA-II coaches' poll

#3 Indiana (Pa.), 29-3, Atlantic Region champions, ranked #14 in NCAA-II coaches' poll

#4 North Georgia, 30-4, Southeast Region champions, unranked

#5 Lubbock Christian, 29-5, South Central Region champions, ranked #25 in NCAA-II coaches' poll

#6 Azusa Pacific, 28-5, West Region champions, ranked #24 in NCAA-II coaches' poll

#7 Saint Anselm, 22-9, East Region champions, unranked

#8 Nova Southeastern, 21-11, South Region champions, unranked