Buzzer beater sends Grace to national title game
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace College’s women’s basketball team advanced to the NCCAA National Title in dramatic fashion with a 75-73 win over Oakland City, thanks to a buzzer beating shot from Kensie Ryman.
The fourth seeded Lancers trailed by as many as 13 points before Kensie Ryman’s last second heroics toppled the No. 1 seeded Mighty Oaks. The game-winning shot earned a spot on Thursday night’s ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 plays.
With eight seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 73 apiece, the Lancers inbounded the ball in front of their own bench. Grace worked the ball around the perimeter before Kensie Ryman made a strong drive to the basket and converted a layup at the buzzer as the Lancer faithful flooded onto the floor of the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
The Lancers will play in the National Championship game for the first time in program history on Saturday at 5 p.m. They will face off against the No. 6 Carolina. Tickets can be purchased on GCLancers.com/tickets.
“We showed great poise not to force a shot,” Grace head coach Dan Davis commented on the game winning play. “Kensie showed great poise to not rush her shot and made one of the biggest shots in program history.”
The Thursday night affair was hotly contested in the opening minutes. Maddie Ryman and Peyton Murphy each had buckets early then Maddie Ryman added a trifecta to give the Lancers a narrow 7-6 advantage.
The Mighty Oaks quickly responded with an offensive barrage which fueled a 14-4 run and a nine-point advantage for the No. 1 seed.
Oakland City hit at an impressive 66 percent clip in the opening quarter and led by as many as 13 points.
Kaylee Patton ended the frame with a two-point jump shot which cut the deficit down to 10 points as the game entered the quarter break.
Patton and Maddie Ryman each had scores early in the second quarter as the Lancers trimmed Oakland City’s lead down to seven points.
A pair of free throws from Kate Rulli got the Lancers to within five points, a margin that was maintained over the middle portions of the quarter.
With 54 seconds left in the first half, Maddie Ryman sank a pair of shots from the charity stripe to tie the game at 35, but the Mighty Oaks ended the half with three-straight points and carried a 38-35 advantage into halftime.
Grace came out firing on all cylinders in the second half and burst out to a three-point lead. Morganne Houk hit a trifecta to tie the game and Maddie Ryman had an old-fashioned 3-point play to give the 41-38 advantage.
By the middle of the third stanza, Grace lead reached a 54-47 mark after Kensie Ryman hit a corner 3-point shot and then assisted on a Maddie Ryman fast break layup, which was started by a stout defensive effort from Peyton Murphy.
The Lancers were unable to hold their lead to the quarter break though, as Oakland City closed the third on a 7-0 lead which sent the contest into the fourth quarter tied at 56.
The Lancers drew first blood in the final frame as Maddie Ryman hit a shot from beyond the arc. Grace and Oakland City battled back and forth, as the final quarter featured nine different lead changes. The largest lead that either side had in the stanza was three points.
With three minutes left in regulation it was the Might Oaks who held a 73-71 lead. Grace’s defense then locked Oakland City down, holding the Might Oaks scoreless over the 3:03 of play.
Maddie Ryman tied the game at 73 which set the stage for Kensie Ryman’s highlight reel play.
The game winning shot came after a Grace timeout which resulted in Kensie Ryman’s driving layup to send the Lancers to their first ever National Title appearance.
“This was one of the most intense games I have been a part of in my time at Grace,” commented Davis. “I can’t wait to take the court again on Saturday to play for a national championship in front of our packed crowd.”
The Lancers finished the game shooting 53 percent from the floor while holding Oakland City to 47 percent. The Lancers were narrowly outrebounded 34-32.
Kensie Ryman’s night included 11 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Maddie Ryman led all players with 22 points.
Murphy added 14 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals.