From the Lewiston Tribune, published March 1, 2007

 Warriors, Yancheva dodge Great Falls

3-1-07

BUTTE, Mont. -- Brian Orr realizes all the success his squad accumulated during the regular season doesn't mean much once the postseason tips off.

That much was evident Wednesday during the opening round of the Frontier Conference basketball tournament.

The Warrior women were pushed to the limit by Great Falls, and even appeared to be headed for their first loss since early December.

But Katya Yancheva helped L-C survive, burying a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Warriors to a 71-69 triumph.

"The old saying is: "It's tournament time. You survive and advance," said Orr, the Warriors fifth-year coach. "We survived and advanced."

The Warriors (29-1) have now won 21 games in a row and move on to the semifinal round, where they will play either Westminster or Montana State-Northern at 5 p.m. Friday.

The possibility of advancing, though, seemed bleak for a while.

The Warriors were being pushed to the limit by the same Argonaut team they demolished twice during the regular season by a composite score of 193-107.

In fact, with just 2.9 seconds left, L-C and UGF were tied at 66-all. And the advantage, it seemed, belonged to the Argonauts (12-26) because Laura Keaster was heading to the free throw line.

Keaster converted on the second of two attempts, and the Warriors' Vanessa West triggered the inbounds pass.

West chucked the ball to Yancheva, who corralled the pass in traffic near midcourt. Yancheva took two dribbles to the middle of the court and tossed up the game winner.

The bucket marked just Yancheva's second field goal of the game. She finished with five points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Orr had little doubt she would hit the attempt, though, because he said she practices that exact shot all time.

"She is our gal because she does practice it so much," Orr said. "It paid off."

L-C, which trailed much of the second half, may not have been in position to win at the end had it not been for Ashley Baker.

The senior post atoned for a poor first half by tallying 18 points after the break. She finished with 21 on 8-of-12 shooting, and also ripped down eight rebounds.

"That is as good a half as she has ever played," Orr said of Baker's second-half effort. "She was really focused. She was our go-to girl."

GREAT FALLS (12-26)

Briese 0-2 0-0 0, Keaster 4-11 10-13 21, Schwantes 0-7 3-4 3, Millam 6-14 0-0 14, Buck 7-11 5-7 19, Fairbanks 1-2 0-0 2, Richter 1-3 4-4 6, Heny 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 21-55 22-28 69.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (29-1)

Hart 1-2 2-2 4, Baker 8-12 5-8 21, Yancheva 2-11 0-0 5, Nelson 5-13 0-1 15, Fulbright 3-14 1-1 8, Wittmer 1-2 2-2 4, Preston 0-2 0-1 0, Mendezona 1-2 0-0 2, Troutt 1-2 5-6 7. Totals 24-67 16-23 71.

Halftime -- UGF 26, LCSC 26. 3-point goals -- UGF 5-22 (Briese 0-2, Keaster 3-6, Schwantes 0-2, Millam 2-9, Buck 0-1, Fairbanks 0-1, Heny 0-1), LCSC 7-23 (Yancheva 1-4, Nelson 5-10, Fulbright 1-5, Wittmer 0-1, Preston 0-2, Mendezona 0-1). Fouled out -- Hart, Baker. Rebounds -- UGF 43 (Buck 16), LCSC 41 (Baker 8). Assists -- UGF 6 (Buck 2), LCSC 5 (Yancheva 2). Total fouls -- UGF 17, LCSC 18. Technical fouls -- none.