Fourth quarter surge carries Pride to Heart Semifinal win over MidAmerica Nazarene

DUBUQUE, Iowa - In their second-straight rematch of a 2021-22 Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament round, the Clarke University women's basketball team were able to clutch out a 77-69 win over MidAmerica Nazarene in the Heart Semifinals on Friday night at the Kehl Center.

Just a one-point game after three quarters at 54-53 Clarke, the Pioneers got the first two buckets of the fourth quarter, including an Allison French three pointer as MNU pulled ahead 58-54, their largest lead of the night.

Needing an answer, the Pride got two free throws from Emma Kelchen then a big second chance three pointer from Mya Merschman to retake the lead at 59-58 before MidAmerica Nazarene tied it with a free throw of their own at 59-59.

The biggest run of the game came immediate after the score was tied with back-to-back made jumpers from Merschman and Giana Michels before Nicole McDermott hit a pair of free throws and an and-one layup from Tina Ubl that sent the Kehl Center faithful into a frenzy at a 68-59 CU lead to cap off a 9-0 run.

MNU wouldn't be able to get any closer than six points for the remainder of the game as the Clarke defense held the Pioneers to just 10 points and only three made shots from the field in the final 7:31 of the game.

Michels and Merschman tied for the team lead with 14 points as both took 12 shots from the field and going 2-for-4 from three point range with Merschman making six field goals and Michels hitting five. Ubl finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, and Kelchen rounded out the double figure scorers with 10 points of her own.

Skylar Culbertson and Nicole McDermott were all over the stat sheet as Culbertson was a point away from her second-straight double-double as she had nine points, 12 rebounds, and three assists while McDermott had a similar line to Ubl's with five points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals. 

The game's leading scorer was MNU's TrEl'Shawn Smith who had 20 points as it seemed as her and French hit a shot every time the Pioneers needed a basket to stay in the game as French finished with 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range.

Clarke women's basketball will now head to the Heart Tournament Championship on Monday night for the third-straight season in a rematch of the 2022 championship game, this time to be played at NAIA No. 1 and Heart Regular Season Champion Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. for a 7:00 p.m. CT scheduled tip.