NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The IU Southeast women's basketball team survived two three-point attempts in the final seconds to defeat the University of Rio Grande 96-95 to advance to Tuesday's River States Conference Women's Basketball Championship game.
Ariana Sandefur led IU Southeast with 23 points and added eight rebounds and four assists. Lauren Lambdin added 20 points off the bench, Natalie Fichter had 19 points, Maddie Knight had 12 and Hannah Coleman had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Grenadiers (20-11) fell behind 26-14 after a basket by Avery Harper but the Grenadiers were able to cut the lead to single-digits by the end of the first quarter on baskets by Fichter and Knight.
In the second quarter, IU Southeast used a 20-8 run to take a 42-35 lead. Maddie Knight (10) and Natalie Fichter (11) helped spark the comeback as they combined to score 21 of the 33 points in the second quarter.
IU Southeast led 55-51 at halftime.
Lexi Woods scored to cut the RedStorm deficit to 68-66 late in the third quarter but Madi Woods and Ariana Sandefur scored on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead back to six. Natalie Fichter hit a three-pointer with under 10 seconds left in the period to give IU Southeast a 75-68 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Lauren Lambdin scored early in the fourth to give the Grenadiers a 80-70 lead but the RedStorm answered with a 18-8 run to tie the contest with about four minutes to play.
Sydney Holden scored 12 of her 27 points in the fourth to pull the RedStorm back in the contest.
Lauren Lambdin hit back-to-back three pointers to give the Grenadiers a six-point lead but a three by Holden and a putback by Reagan Willingham cut the lead to 96-95 with 51 seconds to play.
The Grenadier offense stalled as Lambdin missed a three-point attempt and then had her next shot blocked after an offensive rebound by Fichter.
Kaylie Apperson missed a three-point attempt but an offensive rebound by Willingham gave her a second chance and her wide-open attempt from the right-wing missed at the buzzer.
IU Southeast will host No. 3 seed Ohio Christian Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the RSC Championship with an automatic bid to the 2020 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship on the line.
