JACKSON, Tenn. — March 23, 2009 — Sara Chan came off the bench to score 23 points, leading Â鶹ÊÓƵ University to a 73-48 win over Oklahoma Baptist University Monday in the semifinals of the women’s NAIA national tournament at Oman Arena.
The Lady Bulldogs advance to the title game for the first time since 2006, when they defeated Lubbock Christian 79-62 for a second straight national championship.
Both OBU and Â鶹ÊÓƵ struggled early, as nearly seven minutes elapsed before either team hit a field goal. But then Â鶹ÊÓƵ started heating up. A three-pointer from Kayla Hudson with just over seven minutes left in the half gave the Lady Bulldogs an 11-point lead. Another Hudson trey at the buzzer capped a 12-0 run and gave Â鶹ÊÓƵ its largest lead of the first half at 34-18.
OBU never threatened in the second half.
Chan grabbed eight rebounds to go with her game-high scoring. Josephine Owino added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Â鶹ÊÓƵ, while Kaitlin Dudley scored 12.
The Lady Bulldogs will face cross-town rival Lambuth in Tuesday’s championship game at 7 p.m. at Oman Arena.