ST JOSEPH, Missouri — The Minnesota State University-Mankato men's and women's basketball teams will have a chance to complete the NCAA Division II sweep.
The MSU-Mankato women's team used ball-hawking defense and a last-second layup to set down Cal State San Marcos 70-68, while the men's team shot 47.7% from the field to defeat West Texas A&M 79-72 and punch their tickets to their respective championship games. It's the first time a men's and women's team from the same school reached the championship since Central Missouri in 1984.
The Mavericks women's team will take on second-seeded Texas Woman's University at 6 p.m. Friday in St. Joseph, Missouri, while the men's team will tip off against No. 2 Nova Southeastern at 2 p.m. Saturday in Evansville, Ind.
Guard Emily Herzberg scored the game-winning layup with less than a second remaining off an out-of-bounds play, throwing the ball in to teammate Natalie Bremer, sensing a double team on the ball and then cutting wide open to the basket.
Herzberg ended the night with 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals, but Bremer had a historic night. Her line of 29 points on 13 of 24 shooting (54%), nine boards and two steals came as she became the 26th player in MSU-Mankato history to score 1,000 points in her career.
All-American guard Joey Batt had a cold night shooting, scoring 13 points on 3 for 15 shooting, but led the Mavericks' tenacious defensive effort. MSU-Mankato posted 14 steals for the game, and pressured Cal State San Marcos into 27 turnover, leading to 24 points.
The Mavericks now move on to the national title game for the first time since 2008-09. MSU-Mankato will be looking for revenge from a meeting with the Pioneers earlier in the season, where they lost 76-71 at a tournament in Billings, Montana.
Malik Willingham led the MSU-Mankato men's team Thursday against the Buffaloes with 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting. His 15 first-half points led all scorers as the Mavericks took a 43-35 lead into the break.
The Buffaloes rallied in the second half, tying the game at 49-all with less than 14 minutes to play, but the Mavericks responded with a 7-0, sparked by a Justin Eagins triple. Eagins finished with 18 points, while Dylan Peeters followed with 17. Peeters also finished with a team-high 12 rebounds.
Defense played a major role in the men's semifinal as well as the Mavericks held West Texas A&M to just 35.2% shooting from the field. The Mavericks will now face the defending champion Nova Southeastern Sharks, who defeated Cal State, San Bernardino 91-77 in Thursday's semifinal.
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