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Ladyjacks beat GCU to win WAC tournament and NCAA bid

Posted March 12, 2022 6:00 am

The Associated Press

Stephen F. Austin's Zya Nugent (22) drives against Grand Canyon during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Western Athletic Conference women's tournament Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Zya Nugent scored 20 points with 12 rebounds plus six assists and top-seeded Stephen F. Austin beat second-seeded Grand Canyon 74-57 on Saturday to win the Western Athletic Conference tournament in its first year as a league member.

Stephen F. Austin (28-4) is headed to the NCAAs for the 18th time, the previous 17 trips coming during its 34 years in the Southland Conference.

Tasharian Robinson made 5 of 7 3-point attempts and added 19 points and Stephanie Visscher scored 15 points with five assists for the Ladyjacks, who shot 53%, made 12 of 21 from the arc and never trailed.

Ja'mya Powell-Smith scored 14 points with five steals, Jay McChristine added 12 points and Kiyley Flowers had 10 for Grand Canyon (22-9), which lost to California Baptist in last year's championship game. The Antelopes shot only 35% and made just 4 of 20 3-point tries.

The Ladyjacks led by double figures for the entire fourth quarter reaching a game-high 22-point margin with 4:23 left after a 13-3 run over three minutes.

Grand Canyon cut a 14-point halftime deficit to three in the third quarter after outscoring SFA 14-3 over the first six minutes. The scoring burst included 3-pointers by Flowers and Powell-Smith after the Antelopes missed their first 10 from the arc. But the Ladyjacks finished the next four minutes on a 13-4 run with Angel Scott scoring five of the last six and they were back up by 12.

Nugent scored 13 points and Robinson added three 3-pointers in the second quarter when the Ladyjacks made 8 of 11 shots and pulled away for a 33-19 halftime lead after an 11-all first-quarter tie.

The game matched teams ranked in the top 10 in both steals and turnovers forced and that was borne out with a combined 42 turnovers and 18 steals, 13 by GCU.

SFA beat the second-place Antelopes 61-43 on its way to winning the regular-season title by three games at 17-1. Its lone conference loss came in a 76-74 setback to UT Rio Grande Valley in its regular-season finale before beating fourth-seeded Utah Valley in tournament semifinals.

More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Stephen F. Austin's Aiyana Johnson, right, scrambles for the ball against Grand Canyon's Kennedi Shorts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Western Athletic Conference women's tournament Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) The Associated Press

Stephen F. Austin's Zya Nugent (22) shoots over Grand Canyon's Amara Graham (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Western Athletic Conference women's tournament Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) The Associated Press

Grand Canyon's Jay McChristine (32) blocks a shot by Stephen F. Austin's Aiyana Johnson (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Western Athletic Conference women's tournament Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) The Associated Press

Stephen F. Austin's Zya Nugent (22) shoots overGrand Canyon's Amara Graham (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Western Athletic Conference women's tournament Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) The Associated Press

Stephen F. Austin's Zya Nugent (22) celebrates after scoring against Grand Canyon during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Western Athletic Conference women's tournament Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) The Associated Press

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