[Women's Basketball]

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Third-seeded William Penn rebounded from a six-point halftime deficit and clinched a spot in the finals of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament with a 79-72 win over second-seeded Mount Mercy on Saturday at Hennessey Recreation Center.

All season long, the Mustangs were one of the best free throw shooting teams in the league and in the nation. Mount Mercy came in shooting nearly 74 percent from the line, which was third in the MCC and ranked in the top 20 in NAIA Division II women's basketball. Tonight, however, the Mustangs hit just 12-of-25 free throws after the break and finished 20-of-37 for the game.

After William Penn grabbed a 16-5 lead less than five minutes into the contest, Mount Mercy roared back to go up 37-25 with 2:22 left in the opening period. The Lady Statesmen scored the final six points of the half to cut the deficit to 37-31 by intermission. Both teams traded baskets in the early going of the second half as the Mustangs maintained an eight-point lead with 15:36 remaining.

Sarah Martin's 3-point play capped a 7-0 run by William Penn that brought the Lady Statesmen within a point, 52-51, with 12:11 to go. Mount Mercy's lead was four, 56-52, when freshman forward Amanda Frost hit 1-of-2 free throws a couple minutes later. A pair of Kim Thompson buckets sandwiched around a Mustang turnover tied the game with 9:23 on the clock.

Mount Mercy enjoyed its last lead of the game when junior forward Bria Fields drained a jumper, making it 59-58, with 7:40 remaining. On William Penn's next possession, Christa Subbert got a layup and was fouled, converting a 3-point play that moved the Lady Statesmen ahead for good, 61-59, with 7:12 left. Eight of the next nine points were scored by William Penn, and Mount Mercy found itself trailing by nine, 69-60, at the four-minute mark.

Junior guard Micha Mims got the Mustangs back within five, 69-64, with a 3-pointer and free throw on consecutive possessions. Mount Mercy got what it wanted when Subbert missed the back end of a 1-and-1, but the Lady Statesmen rebounded her miss with 1:58 to go and Orielle Thomas hit both free throws to extend their lead to 72-64 with just under two minutes to play.

Mims went to the line and nailed a pair of foul shots to bring the Mustangs within four, 72-68, with 1:19 remaining, but Mount Mercy couldn't get any closer. William Penn knocked down six more free throws to lead by 10, 78-68, with 33 seconds to go and that was it for the Mustangs. Mount Mercy finished one victory shy of its third straight 20-win season, wrapping up at 19-13.

Fields topped the Mustangs with 20 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Kadie Carman had 12 points and five assists in her final game in a Mount Mercy uniform. Mims ended up with 12 points, seven boards, and five assists. Junior guard Emily Greiner also scored 12 points for the Mustangs. Senior forward Tonya Davis finished with eight points in the last game of her collegiate career.

Subbert was 13-of-15 at the free throw line while pouring in a game-high 29 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Thomas had a double-double, totaling 16 points and 10 boards. She also had four assists and three steals. Rachel Butler joined them in double figures with 11 points to go along with six rebounds.

William Penn (23-9) will take on top-seeded St. Ambrose (27-4) in Monday's championship game at Lee Lohman Arena in Davenport. The 12th-ranked Queen Bees defeated fourth-seeded and 16th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan (22-8), 82-72, in Saturday's other semifinal. Monday's winner clinches an automatic berth in the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championship, March 9-15, in Sioux City.