Lubbock Christian wins the 2021 DII women's basketball championship
FINAL — LCU 69, Drury 59
No. 1 Lubbock Christian defeated No. 3 Drury, 69-59, to win the 2021 DII women's basketball national championship on Friday night. It's the Chaparrals' second-consecutive title, and their third since joining DII in 2016. They also finish the season undefeated at 23-0.
Allie Schulte led the way with 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting. She was one of four Lady Chaps who scored in double figures. Drury's Paige Robinson finished with a game-high 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal.
Lubbock Christian used its outside shooting to build an early lead. The Chaparrals went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, and had a 32-24 edge at halftime. They led 60-39 with 6:26 remaining before Drury made one final push.
The Panthers closed the game on a 20-9 run. Allie Clevenger's 3-pointer with 57.8 to play brought them within four, 63-59. But the comeback came up short.
LET THE CELEBRATION BEGIN!!@LCUCHAPS wins the @NCAADII Women's Basketball National Championship! pic.twitter.com/zyrHkBXCfl
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 27, 2021
Below are the final stats for each team.
Lubbock Christian
Drury
END 3 — LCU 51, Drury 38
Lubbock Christian has exposed Drury's interior defense with constant dribble penetration and basket cuts. With the Panthers out of position, they committed several fouls trying to defend layup attempts.
The Chaps have scored 14 points off of Drury's 13 turnovers. Five different players have made at least one 3-pointer for Lubbock Christian.
Madelyn Turner leads all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The guard also has five assists, two rebounds and one steal.
HALF — LCU 32, Drury 24
The Chaparrals led by as many as 14, but Drury slowly chipped away with a 7-0 run midway through the second quarter. The Panthers capitalized on 12 turnovers committed by the Lady Chaps. Lubbock Christian also suffered a scoring drought that lasted 4:25.
It was a physical first half, with players colliding underneath the basket and in transition. There were 16 personal fouls between the two teams.
Drury guard Paige Robinson leads all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. She also has three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Below are each team's stats after the first half.
Lubbock Christian
Drury
END 1 — LCU 22, Drury 12
The Panthers were about to close the first quarter on a 4-0 run. But then Laynee Burr buried a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Lubbock Christian a 22-12 lead after one period of play. The Chaparrals are shooting 60 percent (6-of-10) from deep so far.
1ST 3:40 — LCU 19, Drury 8
Both teams made their first two field-goal attempts to begin the game. Drury started 4-of-4 from the floor, but have missed its next three shots. Lubbock Christian took advantage by shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Lady Chaps' guards Ashton Duncan and Allie Schulte lead all scorers with six points apiece.
From four zipcodes over Madelyn Turner NAILS it! @LCUWomensBball | @NCAADII pic.twitter.com/S0pI5RToFY
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 27, 2021
2021 DII women's basketball championship is tonight
The 2021 DII women's basketball tournament concludes tonight with the championship game at Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
No. 1 Lubbock Christian will face No. 3 Drury at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. Click the link below for live stats during the game.
- No. 1 seed Lubbock Christian vs. No. 3 seed Drury | 8 p.m. ET | CBSSN
Not only are the Chaparrals undefeated at 22-0, but they're also the defending champions. Lubbock Christian won the last DII women's basketball title in 2019.
Drury is trying to win its first championship. This is Panthers' second appearance in the title game. They lost to California (PA) back in 2004.
Live updates will be published here throughout tonight's game.
2021 DII women's basketball championship is set
The semifinals of the 2021 DII women's basketball championship took place on Wednesday. Below are the results from the two games.
The Panthers and Lady Chaps will meet in the championship game on Friday, March 26. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
FINAL: No. 1 Lubbock Christian 63, No. 5 Central Missouri 61
No. 1 Lubbock Christian was pushed to the brink by No. 5 Central Missouri, but held on for a 63-61 victory on Tuesday. Lady Chaps guard Allie Schulte scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting while adding four assists and four rebounds. The Jennies were led by Brooke Littrell's 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Lubbock Christian will now face Drury in the championship on Friday, March 26. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Below are the final stats from the game.
Lubbock Christian, 63
No. 5 Central Missouri, 61
END 3RD: No. 1 Lubbock Christian 50, No. 5 Central Missouri 48
It's fitting that a battle between the last two national championships would come down to the final period. No. 1 Lubbock Christian holds a narrow lead over No. 5 Central Missouri after three quarters of play. Allie Schulte leads all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting. There were five lead changes in the third quarter alone.
Below are each team's stats through 30 minutes.
Lubbock Christian, 50
Central Missouri, 48
HALF: No. 5 Central Missouri 33, No. 1 Lubbock Christian 28
Offense was hard to come by in the first half, as not a single player currently has double digits in scoring. Jennies forward Brooke Litterell and Lady Chaps guard Allie Schulte each have seven points.
Lubbock Christian is shooting just 37.9 percent from the floor, while Central Missouri is making 43.3 of its field-goal attempts.
Below are each team's stats after two quarters of play.
Central Missouri, 33
Lubbock Christian, 28
END 1ST: No. 5 Central Missouri 19, No. 1 Lubbock Christian 15
The Jennies hold a 19-15 lead after one quarter of play against the country's top scoring defense. Central Missouri forward Brooke Littrell led all scorers with six points on 3-of-4 shooting.
Below are the stats for each team at the end of the first quarter.
Central Missouri, 19
Lubbock Christian, 15
FINAL: No. 3 Drury 74, No. 2 Lander 65
The Panthers survived a late rally from the Bearcats to hang on, 74-65, in the first championship semifinal on Wednesday. Lander went on an 11-2 run late in the fourth quarter to make it a 67-65 deficit with 1:40 to play, but would draw no closer. Zamaya Passmore led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-23 shooting in a losing effort.
Paige Robinson, who scored 13 in the third quarter, finished with 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting for Drury. She also added six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block.
The Panthers advance to the national championship game, where they'll face the winner of tonight's championship semifinal between No. 1 Lubbock Christian and No. 5 Central Missouri.
Below are the final stats for each team.
Drury, 74
Lander, 65
END 3RD: No. 3 Drury 54, No. 2 Lander 47
After three lead changes in the third quarter, Drury holds a 54-47 advantage heading into the fourth. Paige Robinson scored 13 of her 19 points in that third period.
HALF: No. 2 Lander 32, No. 3 Drury 31
Both teams settled in after a hectic first quarter. Bearcats center Miriam Recarte leads all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. She's also grabbed six rebounds.
While Drury has cut off Passmore's path to the basket, she utilized her passing skills to rack up seven assists in that first half.
Five Panthers have scored at least four points. Azia Lynch has a team-high 10 points and eight rebounds. Drury also has an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points.
Below are each team's stats at halftime
Lander, 32
Drury, 31
END 1ST: No. 2 Lander 21, No. 3 Drury 16
Lander's Zamiya Passmore turned the first quarter into a track meet. She was aggressive out of the gate, taking the ball coast-to-coast for several contested layups. The guard had seven points and five assists in the first quarter.
The Panthers missed eight of their first 10 shots, but remain within striking distance thanks to four points and three rebounds from Alana Findley.
Below are each team's stats after one quarter of play.
Lander, 21
Drury, 16
