California (Pennsylvania) used a last-minute three-pointer to defeat Drury in the Division II Women's Basketball Championship March 27 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

In a game that featured six ties and seven lead changes, it was Megan Storck's three-point basket with just 28.6 seconds left in the contest that ultimately sealed a 75-72 victory for California.

The game was a seesaw battle in which California established a halftime lead of 41-33 and led by as many as 15 points in the second half. But after a 19-2 run, Drury took the lead, 63-61, with a little over seven minutes to go.

At the 3:55 mark, the teams stood deadlocked at 67. With just 44 seconds remaining, Drury held a slim 72-71 edge on the strength of two Kara Rutledge free throws.

But Storck's three-point shot found the bottom of the net, giving California a 74-72 lead and dooming the Panthers, who could not connect on a couple of three-point attempts in the final seconds. California added a free throw to complete the victory.

Drury head coach Nyla Milleson said her team, which finished 36-2 after the loss, enjoyed a tremendous journey for a program just in its fourth year of NCAA competition.

"I have not been more proud of any group of young ladies that I have ever coached. We are all disappointed right now, but the past four years and this year have been great. This is a great group of young people. It doesn't get any better than this," Milleson said.

With the win, California not only earned the honor of cutting down the nets but also the opportunity to shave the head of school President Angelo Armenti Jr. Armenti had promised that if the Vulcans won the championship, he would shave his head. Following the net-cutting ceremonies, players and coaches helped Armenti fulfill his promise.

Drury advanced to the title game by beating Seattle Pacific in the quarterfinals and Henderson State, 82-70, in semifinal action. California triumphed over South Dakota State, then defeated Merrimack, 89-65, in the other semifinal. The Vulcans finished the year 35-1.

Quarterfinals

Henderson St. 61, Quincy 60; Drury 94, Seattle Pacific 83; Merrimack 76, Augusta St. 68; Calif. (Pa.) 96, South Dakota St. 79.

Semifinals

Drury 82, Henderson St. 70

Drury: Jill Curry 5-11, 6-7, 8, 16; Amanda Newton 6-14, 4-6, 14, 17; Hope Hunt 3-9, 2-2, 2, 11; Allison Regier 6-14 , 2-2, 6, 15; Kara Rutledge 4-8, 6-6, 9, 17; Sara Stratton 1-2, 0-0, 0, 3; Bethany Creed 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Magen Brunson 1-5, 0-0, 2, 3; Lauren Holtkamp 0-2, 0-0, 2, 0; Amy Belew 0-6, 0-0, 3, 0. Totals: 26-71, 20-23, 50 (4 team), 82.

Henderson St.: Aesha Carter 7-15, 4-4, 11, 18; Crystal Oates 2-5, 0-0, 2 , 4; Maggie Sauls 8-16, 0-0, 4, 21; Julie Anderson 0-0, 0-0, 6, 0; Saprina Reed 7-18, 2-3, 0, 18; Rochelle Vance 1-1, 0-0, 1, 2; Stephanie Evans 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Collea Carter 2-3, 0-0, 2, 5; LeVesha Holland 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Rebecca Frost 1-5, 0-0, 2, 2. Totals 28-64, 6-7, 33 (5 team), 70.

Halftime: Drury 43, Henderson St. 34. Three-point field goals: Drury 10-24 (Newton 1-3, Hunt 3-6, Regier 1-5, Rutledge 3-5, Stratton 1-2, Brunson 1-2, Belew 0-1); Henderson St. 8-16 (Sauls 5-7, Reed 2-7, Carter 1-2). Officials: Linda Johnson, Steve Bruno, Theresa Crowley. Attendance: 1,182.

Calif. (Pa.) 89, Merrimack 65

Calif. (Pa.): Sameera Philyaw 8-13, 4-6, 3, 20; Erin Dillon 1-4, 0-0, 3, 3; Becky Siembak 9-14, 2-4, 8, 20; Megan Storck 5-11, 2-3, 2, 12; Sara McKinney 8-14, 2-3, 8, 18; Lisa Gottuso 1-3, 0-0, 3, 2; Dani Mills 4-8, 2-3, 9, 10; Fanisha Clark 1-5, 2-2, 7, 4. Totals: 37-72, 14-21, 45 (2 team), 89.

Merrimack: Meghan Leary 0-5, 2-2, 1, 2; Christina Siragusa 3-6, 6-7, 4, 14; Eileen Brosnihan 7-13, 2-2, 6, 16; Jenny Smith 2-5, 0-0, 5, 5; Joelle Martin 7-17, 3-3, 7, 19; Colleen Carbone 1-3, 2-2, 1, 4; Diana Mitchell 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Katie Scurrah 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Julie Higgins 1-1, 0-0, 0, 2; Molly Garber 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Krystyn Quist 0-3, 3-6, 3, 3. Totals: 21-55, 18-22, 28 (1 team), 65.

Halftime: Calif. (Pa.) 47, Merrimack 28. Three-point field goals: Calif. (Pa.) 1-9 (Dillon 1-4, Storck 0-3, McKinney 0-2); Merrimack 5-12 (Leary 0-1, Siragusa 2-4, Smith 1-1, Martin 2-4, Carbone 0-2). Officials: Pam Miller, Kriston McKinnon, Doug Knight. Attendance: 1,182.

Championship

Calif. (Pa.) 75, Drury 72

Calif. (Pa): Erin Dillon 5-8, 0-0, 2, 12; Becky Siembak 2-7, 1-2, 8, 5; Megan Storck 6-15, 2-5, 3, 16; Sameera Philyaw 5-8, 2-5, 7, 12; Sara McKinney 11-20, 4-5, 6, 26; Lisa Gottuso 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Dani Mills 0-2, 4-4, 4, 4; Fanisha Clark 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0. Totals 29-61, 13-21, 34 (3 team), 75.

Drury: Jill Curry 4-12, 6-6, 5, 14; Amanda Newton 6-12, 5-6, 9, 17; Hope Hunt 4-12, 0-0, 8, 10; Allison Regier 2-6, 0-0, 2, 5; Kara Rutledge 5-9, 3-4, 5, 15; Sara Stratton 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Bethany Creed 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Magen Brunson 2-4, 0-0, 2, 6; Amy Belew 1-2, 3-3, 0, 5. Totals 24-59, 17-19, 35 (3 team), 72.

Halftime: Calif. (Pa.) 41, Drury 33. Three-point field goals: Calif. (Pa.) 4-9 (Dillon 2-3, Storck 2-4, McKinney 0-1, Gottuso 0-1); Drury 7-21 (Hunt 2-8, Regier 1-2, Rutledge 2-5, Stratton 0-1, Brunson 2-4, Belew 0-1). Disqualification: Newton. Officials: Linda Johnson, Pam Miller, Theresa Crowley. Attendance: 2,681.