KEARNEY, Neb. - Steffi Sorensen's 3-pointer with 1:44 to play led No. 1-ranked Florida Gulf Coast to a 61-57 win against Clayton State of Georgia on Thursday night in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournament.
FGCU will play Southern Connecticut State on Saturday for the national title.
FGCU jumped out to a 22-2 lead before Clayton clawed its way back into contention.
The Lakers managed to come back and take the lead in the second half before Sorensen delivered her big 3-pointer. Her shot from the left wing put FGCU up 58-55. She added two free throws with 16.8 seconds to seal the win.
FGCU, which beat UND 83-64 in Wednesday's quarterfinal round, improved to 34-0, while Clayton closed out at 29-6.
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FGCU was led by Katie Schrader's game-high 25 points. Sorensen finished with 14.
Clayton was led by Marie St. Fort's 16 points.
Southern Connecticut St. 67, UC-San Diego 53: Southern Connecticut State pulled away late to advance to Saturday's title game against undefeated Florida Gulf Coast University.
Kate Lynch's 3-pointer with 7:15 to go gave Southern Connecticut a 48-44 lead. From there, the Owls pulled away to reach the title game for the first time in school history.
Lynch led the Owls with 22 points, while Shamika Jackson added 16.
Former Lake Region State College player Babette Noah scored 10 points for Southern Connecticut and finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Neither team shot well. San Diego made 38 percent of its shots, while Southern Connecticut made 36 percent.
Southern Connecticut improved to 33-2, while UC San Diego closed out at 27-5.
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Southern Connecticut's win marks the second straight year that the Northeast Region champion has reached the title game in the Elite Eight. Grand Valley State beat Northeast Region champion American International 58-52 in last year's championship game.
The Owls won't be favored against undefeated Florida Gulf Coast.
"You won't find many teams in the country that have more offensive weapons that Florida Gulf Coast," Southern Connecticut coach Joe Frager said.
