By MATT BANEY OF THE LEWISTON TRIBUNE, March 17, 2007

L-C can't forge winning rally this time, makes
2nd-round exit

 3-17-07 

JACKSON, Tenn. -- When two late free throws from Katya Yancheva gave Lewis-Clark State its first lead of the second half, it seemed the Warriors were about to add another escape to their collection. Once again, they had jumped from the path of a runaway boulder at the last possible second.

Only it wasn't the last possible second. In fact, there were 35 seconds on the Oman Arena clock, and Cumberland was eager to perform its own death-defying stunts.

After scrambling back from a 13-point deficit to seize an unlikely lead, LCSC couldn't stop the Bulldogs in the final moments. The Warriors tumbled to an 86-83 loss in the NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament Friday afternoon.

So LCSC's best campaign since 2001 ended earlier than expected -- in the second round of this single-elimination playoff. The Warriors collected the second-most wins in program history and finished 31-3.

Although L-C was fighting from behind nearly the entire second half, Brian Orr remained confident.

"I really believed in my heart we were going to find a way to win it," the sixth-year coach said. "And when we finally went up by a point right at the end, I thought, 'We're going to do this.' "

After Yancheva's trip to the line gave the Warriors an 83-82 advantage, Cumberland turned to Kiana Robinson, a multi-skilled forward from New York. She missed a fling in the paint, but C'Kala Humes snatched the offensive rebound, drew a foul and made both free throws.

LCSC's Janeen Nelson -- who, along with fellow senior Ashley Baker, finished with 24 points -- tried to answer with a drive down the baseline. But Nelson was called for a carry when the ball got caught on her hip.

The Bulldogs' Angela Cross then converted two free throws with 10 seconds left to make it a three-point spread.

"That's the girl we wanted to foul," Orr said of Cross. "She's the lowest in terms of free-throw percentage on the team. She's 61 percent. And she stepped up and made them both."

Had it been a two-point game, Orr said he would have given the ball to Jade Fulbright, told her to attack the hoop and hope for a bucket or a putback. But with the margin at three, L-C needed a bomb from Nelson.

The senior from Utah fired a long, fadeaway 3-pointer from the left wing. It grazed the backboard, then clanged off.

"I've always told them that it takes courage to take that shot," Orr said. "You're a hero if it goes in. If not, it's one you'll remember for a long time. It's a courageous shot. I think that's more important than whether it goes in or not --- that you had the courage to take it."

The Warriors scooted to a nine-point lead early, but found themselves tied late in the first half. Then came a harbinger of LCSC's doom: Robinson buried a deep 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give the team from Lebanon, Tenn., the lead.

Cumberland (25-7) then roared ahead in the second half, eventually building a 60-47 edge with less than 11 minutes left.

At that point, the Warriors finally started to push back. They switched to a 1-2-1-1 defense -- their "gamble press," as Orr called it -- and jarred four straight turnovers from Cumberland. The resulting 12-0 sprint cut the margin to a single point.

So what were the Warriors thinking at that juncture?

"We're going to win; you guys better watch out -- that's what I was thinking," Nelson said. "We've got the momentum now. You shouldn't have ever given it up, because we're so dangerous."

Unfortunately for L-C, it was a danger the Bulldogs were able to handle.

CUMBERLAND (25-7)

Cross 5-13 2-2 13, Hall 5-12 2-2 12, Humes 3-4 11-13 17, Robinson 5-13 3-3 15, Williams 5-7 1-2 16, Forrest 0-0 0-0 0, Fernandes 1-3 0-0 2, Cunico 2-5 0-0 4, Maddox 1-4 0-0 2, Ruis 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 29-66 19-22 86.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (31-3)

Hart 2-3 0-0 4, Baker 9-18 6-9 24, Yancheva 5-7 2-4 13, Nelson 7-18 6-6 24, Fulbright 2-9 6-6 10, Wittmer 2-4 1-2 5, Preston 0-1 0-0 0, Mendezona 0-0 0-0 0, Troutt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-63 22-28 83.

Halftime score --- Cumberland 37, LCSC 34. Three-point goals --- Cumberland 9-24 (Cross 1-4, Robinson 2-7, Williams 5-7, Fernandez 0-1, Cunico 0-1, Maddox 0-2, Ruis 1-2); LCSC 5-15 (Yancheva 1-2, Nelson 4-12, Preston 0-1). Rebounds -- Cumberland 36 (Hall 8); LCSC 38 (Baker 9). Assists --- Cumberland 17 (Cross 8); LCSC 13 (Wittmer 3). Total fouls --- Cumberland 25, LCSC 19. Technical fouls --- none. Fouled out --- Hart.