ANCHORAGE, Alaska– California Baptist is headed back to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years. The second-seeded Lancers beat No. 5 Simon Fraser, 77-64, at the Alaska Airlines Center to win the West Region title and run their winning streak to 31-consecutive games.
The 2017 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Elite Eight will be held March 21-24 at Ohio Dominican’s Alumni Hall in Columbus, Ohio. CBU received the no. 2 seed and will play No. 7 West Florida in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. EDT
Kamille Diaz nearly pulled off a triple-double once again with 28 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to win the regional Most Outstanding Player award. She had 59 points, 21 rebounds, 27 assists and eight steals over the three games.
Cassidy Mihalko added 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals to join Diaz on the all-tournament team.
Olivia Weber grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
CBU won the regional title in 2015, also in Anchorage, and advanced to the national finals.
Simon Fraser jumped out to a 25-15 in the first quarter, shooting 11-for-20 from the field. Diaz made two three-pointers during a 17-2 run to close the half and push CBU ahead, 38-31. SFU battled back in the third quarter, tying the score at 44 and 46. CBU did not break, however, with Diaz and Mihalko combining for 16 points in a 22-6 run that put the Lancers back up by double-digits for good.