Drury Holds Off Seattle Pacific to Win Elite Eight Showdown
March 24, 2004

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (Mar. 24) – Able to only show flashes of the brilliant play which had brought it here, Seattle Pacific University succumbed to local favorite Drury, 94-83, in an Elite Eight matchup of the nation’s top two NCAA Division II teams Wednesday at the Civic Arena.

The top-ranked Falcons’ 30-game unbeaten streak was snapped by a No. 2-rated Lady Panther squad which parlayed strong inside play with some hounding backcourt pressure for its 29th consecutive victory. Drury (35-1), based in Springfield, Mo., will meet Henderson State (Ar.) in the first semifinal game Thursday night.

Kara Rutledge scored 15 of her 26 points in the final 10 minutes as Drury pulled away to the delight if some 1,500 fans who had made the 225-mile trip from Springfield, Mo. Rutledge also made eight steals and All-America center Amanda Newton added 23 points.

Valerie Gustafson (Sr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) topped SPU with 21 points. Kristin Poe (Sr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) and Mandy Wood (So., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) added 14 apiece.

Adversity had been averted virtually the entire season, but Drury’s decision to apply backcourt pressure virtually every possession rattled the Falcons early and often. They trailed for 38 of the 40 minutes and although SPU rallied several times, it was not able to sustain a big run.

After trailing by 12 early in the second half, Seattle Pacific twice cut it close. A Poe layup cut Drury’s lead to 60-56 and she hit an 18-footer from the left corner to make it 64-59 with 10 minutes, 32 seconds left. However Poe could not convert a subsequent steal into a basket seconds later, and the Lady Panthers were able to regroup.

A three-point play by Rutledge restored the lead to 69-59 and SPU got no closer than six the rest of the way. Rutledge finished 8-10 from the field and 9-11 at the foul line. It was a career-high total for the 5-foot-9 sophomore.

“They controlled the tempo of the game,” said Gordy Presnell, SPU coach. “We had to play catch-up. We had a number of chances; we just couldn’t get it done.”

The Falcons caught fire from time to time, but their efforts were negated by turnovers (25 in all) and foul trouble. Brittney Kroon (So., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.), the nation’s top shot-blocker, played only 16 minutes before exiting with five fouls. The Lady Panthers outscored SPU 29-15 on free throws.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Presenll said of his team. “The loss will sting but it’s been a pretty amazing year, a great run.”

Drury jumped on top early 11-4 behind Newton before SPU settled down. Four treys brought it back and Poe’s three-point play produced its only lead at 27-24 with 7:25 left in the first half. The Lady Panthers then retaliated with a 17-5 burst and were in front 49-41 at the break.

“We could’ve taken care of the ball better,” said Poe. “If we had, it might have been a different game.”

Drury made 17 steals, shot 53 percent (32-61) and out-rebounded SPU 38-26.

Seattle Pacific shot 48 percent from the floor (30-62) and its bench accounted for 33 points, including 12 by Carli Smith (So., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian), who also had a team-high seven boards. Wood hit four three-pointers.

Gustafson and Poe, the team’s two seniors, will leave a significant hole. Gustafson, the team’s top scorer, finished No. 8 on the career list while Poe was No. 6 in rebounds and among the top five in steals.

DRURY 94, SEATTLE PACIFIC 83

SEATTLE PACIFIC (30-1) Gustafson,Valerie 10-14 1-1 21; Wood,Mandy 5-12 0-0 14; Poe,Kristin 4-10 6-9 14; Smith,Carli 4-6 4-4 12; Taylor,Amy 2-5 0-0 6; Beaumont,Michelle 2-9 0-0 5; Kroon,Brittney 2-3 0-0 4; Hermanson,Trisha 1-1 0-0 3; Poe,Jenny 0-2 3-4 3. Totals 30-62 15-20 83.

DRURY (35-1) Rutledge,Kara 8-10 9-11 26; Newton,Amanda 8-14 7-7 23; Curry,Jill 8-13 3-419; Hunt,Hope 2-5 4-5 8; Creed,Bethany 1-2 4-4 6; Regier,Allison 2-11 0-1 4; Brunson,Magen 2-4 0-0 4; Belew,Amy 0-1 2-2 2; Holtkamp,Lauren 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 32-61 29-34 94.

Halftime: Drury 49, Seattle Pacific 41. 3-point goals-Seattle Pacific 8-24 (Wood,Mandy 4-8; Taylor,Amy 2-4; Hermanson,Trisha 1-1; Beaumont,Michelle 1-6; Poe,Jenny 0-1; Poe,Kristin 0-4), Drury 1-14 (Rutledge,Kara 1-2; Newton,Amanda 0-1; Hunt,Hope 0-1; Creed,Bethany 0-1; Regier,Allison 0-6; Brunson,Magen 0-2; Belew,Amy 0-1). Fouled out--Seattle Pacific-Kroon,Brittney, Drury-None. Rebounds-Seattle Pacific 26 (Smith,Carli 7), Drury 38 (Curry,Jill 8; Newton,Amanda 8). Assists-Seattle Pacific 16 (Poe,Kristin 4; Taylor,Amy 4; Wood,Mandy 4), Drury 20 (Hunt,Hope 8). Total fouls-Seattle Pacific 26, Drury 18. A-2212