Drury Lady Panthers Game Preview
NCAA-II Midwest Regional Tournament
#5 Drury Lady Panthers (31-4)
March 11-14, 2022 – Kates Gym – Ashland, Ohio
Live Coverage
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Live Stats- goashlandeagles.com
Lady Panthers open NCAA-II Tournament vs. UMSL
The Drury Lady Panthers open the NCAA-II Tournament on Friday at 11 am (Central) against Missouri-St. Louis in the quarterfinals Midwest Regional in Ashland, Ohio. Drury is seeded third in the region, ranked fifth nationally in the NCAA-II coaches’ poll, and carries a 31-4 record. They earned an automatic bid to the tournament as the Great Lakes Valley Conference champion. UMSL is seeded sixth and is 23-5. The Tritons received an at-large berth.
The two teams met last week in the GLVC semifinals, with the Lady Panthers advancing with a 64-54 win over the Tritons. Missouri-St. Louis defeated Drury in their lone regular season meeting, 75-65, at UMSL. The Lady Panthers were held to their two lowest point totals of the year against the Tritons, scoring 64 in their win last week and 65 in the loss in St. Louis. Drury leads the all-time series against UMSL 32-2.
The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the regional semifinals on Saturday at 4 pm (Central) against the winner of second-seeded Grand Valley State and the number seven seed, Wayne State.
Drury’s NCAA-II Tournament history
Drury is in the NCAA-II Tournament for the 19th time in its 22-year history. The Lady Panthers have gone 34-17 in the national tournament with five regional championships, three semifinals appearances, and two national runner-up finishes. Drury has gone 13-3 in their history in the first round. They are playing in a regional hosted by Ashland for the fifth time and have gone 6-4 in Kates Gym during the postseason.
Lady Panthers earn sixth straight GLVC title
The Lady Panthers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA-II Tournament as they won their sixth-straight GLVC championship. The title was Drury’s ninth in 15 years in the league and their 11th conference championship in team history with two titles in the Heartland.
Drury vs. NCAA-II Tournament field
Drury has played seven games against teams in the NCAA-II tournament field and has gone 6-1 in those contests. The Lady Panthers have two wins against teams that are number one in their region (West Texas A&M and Union). They have also beaten Southwestern Oklahoma St., Minnesota-Duluth, Southern Indiana, and Missouri-St. Louis. Drury’s lone loss against the tourney field was also against UMSL on Feb. 4.
Lady Panthers vs. Midwest Regional field, all-time
— vs. Missouri-St. Louis, 32-2
In 2021-22: lost at UMSL 75-65 (2-4-21), won vs UMSL 64-54 (3-5-21, GLVC semifinals in Edwardsville, Ill.)
— vs. Grand Valley St., 5-3
Last meeting: Drury 51 GVSU 44 (3-18-19, NCAA-II regional finals)
— vs. Wayne St., 1-1
Last meeting: Wayne St. 75 Drury 61 (3-13-15, NCAA-II regional q’finals)
— vs. Ashland, 2-2
Last meeting: Drury 88 Ashland 69 (3-15-21, NCAA-II regional finals)
— vs. Ferris St., 2-3
Last meeting: Ferris St. 74 Drury 56 (3-9-12, NCAA-II regional q’finals)
— vs. Walsh, 1-0
Last meeting: Drury 85 Walsh 55 (11-11-17 in Nashville, Tenn.)
— vs. Southern Indiana, 19-4
Last meeting: Drury 77-58 (2-10-21 at DU)
Drury hits 30+ wins
Not counting last year when the season was shortened by COVID-19, the Lady Panthers have won 30 games or more for five straight seasons (Drury went 24-2 last year) and it marks their seventh 30-win season in program history. Their 31 victories are tied for the fourth-most ever by a Drury team, matching them with the 31-3 season of 2017-18.
2004: 36-2
2019: 35-1
2020: 32-0
Alana Findley on single-season charts
Scoring
1. Hailey Diestelkamp (18-19), 758
—
7. Heather Harman (16-17), 521
8. Hope Hunt (03-04), 516
9. Alana Findley (21-22), 507
10. Amber Dvorak (13-14), 502
Rebounds
1. Hailey Diestelkamp (18-19), 316
2. Melanie Oliver (09-10), 311
3. Hailey Diestelkamp (17-18), 280
4. Alana Findley (21-22), 272
5. Hailey Diestelkamp (16-17), 269
Robinson 13 points from 2,000 in her career
Drury guard Paige Robinson needs just 13 points to become the second player in program history to reach 2,000 points in her career. The senior from Bethany, Illinois, enters the NCAA-II tournament with 1,987 points in 114 games in her career. Should Robinson reach the milestone, she would join Hailey Diestelkamp as the only other player to top 2,000 points as a Lady Panther. Diestelkamp (2016-20) is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,321 points.
QUICK FACTS
Record
Drury: 31-4
Qualified
Automatic, Great Lakes Valley Conference champion
NCAA-II Ranking
#5
Midwest Regional Seed
#3
Head Coach
Drury: Amy Eagan (2nd year, 55-6/13th year, 242-148)
Midwest Regional Quarterfinals
Fri., March 11 (all times Central)
#3 LADY PANTHERS vs. #6 Missouri-St. Louis, 11 am
#2 Grand Valley St. vs. #7 Wayne St., 1:30 pm
#1 Ashland vs. #8 Ferris St., 4 pm
#4 Walsh vs. #5 Southern Indiana, 6:30 pm
Midwest Regional Semifinals
Sat., March 12 (all times Central)
DU/UMSL vs. GVSU/WSU, 4 pm
AU/FSU vs. WU/USI, 6:30 pm
Midwest Regional Championship – Mon., Mar. 14, 6 pm
Drury All-Time in NCAA-II Tournament: 34-17
Regional Championships
2021, 2019, 2014, 2007, 2004
#allweDUiswin
