Drury Lady Panthers Game Preview
NCAA-II Tournament – Midwest Regional
#2 (2) Drury Lady Panthers (30-1) vs. (3) Lewis Flyers (21-10) 
Fri., March 10, 2023 – Ashland, Ohio   
 
Tickets
$20 (reserved), $15 (general admission), $10 (student)
Order Online
 
NCAA-II Midwest Regional Webpage
 
Live Coverage
Radio: KICK 92.3 FM / 1340 AM
Audio: www.923kick.com, TuneIn app
Live Video: Stretch Internet
Live Stats
 
Lady Panthers open NCAA-II Tournament on Friday vs. Lewis  
The Drury Lady Panthers open the NCAA-II Tournament on Friday at 1:30 pm (Central) against Lewis at Kates Gym in Ashland, Ohio.
 
Drury is 30-1, ranked second nationally in NCAA-II, and is the number two seed in the Midwest Regional. Lewis is 21-10 and is seeded seventh.
 
The winner of Friday's game advances to the second round to play the winner of Grand Valley State, seeded third in the region and ranked fifth nationally in NCAA-II, and sixth-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday at 4 pm (Central).
 
Each Midwest Regional game is hosted by the top seed and number one ranked team in NCAA-II, Ashland. The Midwest Regional championship is scheduled for Monday at 6 pm (Central).
 
Drury in the NCAA-II Tournament
The Lady Panthers are in the NCAA-II for the 20th time in their 23-year history. Drury has only missed the tournament twice in seasons they have been championship eligible. The Lady Panthers are 35-18 all-time in the national tournament, with five regional championships, three appearances in the national semifinals, and have two National Runner-Up finishes. Drury is 14-3 all-time in the tournament's opening round.
 
The Lady Panthers have played seven games against teams in this year's NCAA-II Tournament field and have gone 6-1 in those games, with their only loss coming against number one ranked Ashland, 68-67 in overtime, on Nov. 23 in Springfield.
 
30 W's
Drury's win on Sunday gave them their 30th win of the season, marking the eighth time in the program's 23-year history they have reached the 30-win mark. Not counting the COVID-shortened season in 2021 when Drury only played 26 games (and won 24 of them), this year is the sixth season in a row the Lady Panthers have won at least 30 games.
 
Drury vs. Lewis - Round Four
Friday's game against Lewis will be the fourth meeting this season between the two teams and the third in the last 13 days. Drury has won all three games against the Flyers so far this year, including a 71-52 win on Sunday in the GLVC Championship game in St. Charles, Missouri. The Lady Panthers ended the regular season with a 76-69 win over Lewis in Springfield on Feb. 25, and won in Romeoville, Ill., 82-75 on Jan. 12.
 
The Lady Panthers are 22-8 all-time against the Flyers and will be playing Lewis in the NCAA-II Tournament for the fourth time. Drury has won all three previous encounters on the national stage, the latest being a 63-49 win over the Flyers in the 2018 Midwest Regional semifinals in Ashland, Ohio.
 
Last Game
Drury 71 Lewis 52 (March 5, 2023 - GLVC Championship)
 -- Lewis led Drury at the half 31-28 and were up by seven with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter
-- The Lady Panthers went on a 14-0 run late in the third period and held the Flyers to seven points in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 22-7 in the final frame
-- Terrion Moore led Drury with 17 points
-- Drury forced Lewis into 25 turnovers while only committing 11
 
Drury still number two in latest NCAA-II poll 
For the ninth week in a row, the Drury Lady Panthers are the number two ranked team in the nation at the NCAA-II level. The top five teams in the national poll stayed the same as Ashland (31-0) remained number one, the Lady Panthers are second, and Tampa (30-1) is third. Grand Valley State (29-2), also in the Midwest Region, is ranked fifth this week. The week's poll marks the 151st consecutive week the Lady Panthers have been ranked in the top 25, the longest such streak in the nation. It is also their 89th straight week to be ranked in the top 10.
 
GLVC Champs - for the seventh straight season
Drury won their seventh-straight Great Lakes Valley Conference championship on Sunday with a 71-52 win over Lewis. It marked the program's 12th league title with 10 GLVC championships and two crowns won in the Heartland Conference.
 
GLVC unbeatens
Drury's 20-0 conference season marked only the fifth time a GLVC women's team has gone undefeated in the league regular in the 39-year history of the league. On Sunday, the Lady Panthers became the third team ever to go undefeated in the regular season and win the league tournament in the same year. 
 
DaMitz-Holt tops 2,000 career points
Drury guard Kaylee DaMitz-Holt topped 2,000 career points in the GLVC Championship on March 5 against Lewis. The graduate student from Preston, Missouri, and Skyline HS enters the NCAA-II Tournament with 2,009 points combining her totals at Pittsburg State and Drury. DaMitz-Holt played three seasons at Pitt State where she scored 1,015 points. She also reached 600 career assists in Drury's Feb. 11 win over Missouri-St. Louis and enters Saturday's game with a total of 619. DaMitz-Holt has scored 994 points with Drury in her two years with the Lady Panthers.
 
Alana Findley climbing all-time Drury charts
Drury senior Alana Findley ranks among the program's all-time leaders in several categories. She is 6th all-time in rebounds and became the 21st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points on Jan. 14 at Illinois Springfield. 
 
Rebounds
1. Hailey Diestelkamp (2016-20) 1,101
--
5. Caitlin Shouse (2007-10), 639
6. Alana Findley (2019-present) 617
7. Hannah Dressler (2013-17), 596
 
Steals
1. Kara Rutledge (2002-06) 423
--
6. Payton Richards (2017-22) 224
7. Alana Findley (2019-present) 215
8. Lauren Holmes (2018-20) 211
 
Points
1. Hailey Diestelkamp (2016-20) 2,321
--
13. Heather Harman (2014-18), 1,229
14. Alana Findley (2019-present) 1,220
15. Megan Brunson (2000-04), 1,184
 
QUICK FACTS
Record
30-1
 
NCAA-II Ranking
#2
 
Regional Tournament seed
#2
 
NCAA-II Tournament Bid
Automatic (GLVC Champion) 
 
Midwest Regional Quarterfinals
Fri., March 10 (all times Central)
#3 Grand Valley St. vs. #6 Kentucky Wesleyan, 11 am
#2 DRURY vs. #7 Lewis, 1:30 pm
#1 Ashland vs. #8 Malone, 4 pm
#4 Michigan Tech vs. #5 Trevecca Nazarene, 6:30 pm
 
Midwest Regional Semifinals
Sat., March 11 (all times Central)
GVSU/KW vs. DU/LU, 4 pm
AU/MU vs. MT/TNU, 6:30 pm
 
Midwest Regional Championship
Mon., March 13 -- 6 pm (Central)
 
#allweDUiswin