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SEATTLE – Junior Melissa Reich registered her fourth double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds Monday to help propel 13th-ranked Seattle Pacific into the NCAA Division II Elite Eight with a 76-68 triumph over Chico State in the women's basketball West Regional championship game at Brougham Pavilion.

The Falcons (27-3), top-seeded in the West Region, won their 14th consecutive game to earn a trip to St. Joseph, Mo., for a quarterfinal contest with Central Region winner Fort Lewis (31-3) on March 23. The national semifinals are slated for March 24 with the championship game set for March 26.

SPU earned its fourth Elite Eight berth and its first under fifth-year coach Julie van Beek. The Falcons lost in the quarterfinal round in 1998 and 2004. They reached the NCAA championship game in 2005 before falling 70-53 to Washburn.

Reich, who also had a double-double in Friday's first round, was named the Most Valuable Player of the West Region tournament. She averaged 12.3 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 65 percent (15 of 23) during SPU's three tournament victories.

The 6-foot-2 center from Bellevue (Wash.) Christian High School grabbed eight of her boards in the first half Monday, helping the Falcons to a commanding 49-30 rebound advantage for the game. SPU capitalized on its dominance on the glass, netting 21 second-chance points to just 10 for Chico.

The Falcons led by as many as 16 points during the first half, going ahead 38-22 on a three-point play by Reich 2:34 before halftime.

Courtney Harrison nailed three 3-pointers in the final 2:20 of the half to ignite an 11-2 closing surge that drew Chico within 40-33 by halftime.

The Wildcats continued that run after intermission, scoring seven straight points to tie the score at 40-40. Synchro Bull opened the half with a free throw, Pauline Ferrall hit consecutive baskets and Bull made a layup with 17:22 left to play to forge the game's first deadlock.

Caitlyn Rohrbach halted the rally with a jump hook at 16:25 and Megan Hoisington followed with a putback that put SPU ahead for good.

Midway through the half, the Falcons extended the margin back into double digits with a run of 12 unanswered points during a four-minute span. Rohrbach played a part in the final seven points of the spree. She made a lay-up and a 3-pointer before passing to a cutting Maddie Maloney, whose lay-up made the score 56-42 in the Falcons' favor with 10:57 remaining.

The Wildcats never came closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Jordan Harazin converted 6 of 7 free throws in the final 1:17 to secure the win.

Harazin led five SPU double-figure scorers with a career-high 17 points, 10 of them coming from the free throw line. Nyesha Sims scored 12 points for SPU and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. The Falcons  also got 11 points apiece from Hoisington and Rohrbach.

Melissa Richardson tallied 15 points to pace the No. 6-seeded Wildcats, who completed their season with a 23-10 record.

Natasha Smith added 12 points for CSU and Harrison finished with 11.

The Wildcats claimed their only lead of the night, at 2-1, on a basket by Ferrall 2:19 into the game. SPU scored the next six points, opening with two free throws by Daesha Henderson, who capped the run with a lay-up.

Henderson joined Reich on the West Region all-tournament team along with Chico State's Smith, Hanna Johansson from Alaska Anchorage, and Andrea Bobic from Humboldt State.

The Falcons finally broke through in the regional final after losing in their last three appearances. SPU lost in 2008 and 2009 to Alaska Anchorage and in 2006 to Chico.


West Region All-Tournament Team
MVP – Melissa Reich, Seattle Pacific
Daesha Henderson, Seattle Pacific
Natasha Smith, Chico State
Hanna Johansson, Alaska Anchorage
Andrea Bobic, Humboldt State


NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament
West Regional Championship
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.
Monday, March 15, 2010

Seattle Pacific 76, Chico State 68

CHICO STATE (23-10)
Richardson 6-14 0-0 15; Ferrall 3-9 1-2 7; Vest 1-6 2-4 4; Bull 2-8 3-4 7; Smith 5-16 0-0 12; Harrison 4-7 0-0 11; Lydon 3-5 0-0 8; Miller 1-1 0-0 2; Marquardt 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 25-67 8-12 68.

SEATTLE PACIFIC (27-3)
Hoisington 5-13 1-2 11; Maloney 1-4 2-4 4; Reich 3-6 4-5 10; Harazin 3-4 10-12 17; Henderson 1-10 3-4 5; Sims 4-8 2-2 12; Rohrbach 5-7 0-1 11; Gorman 0-0 4-4 4; Murray 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 22-52 28-36 76.

Chico State................... 33 35 - 68
Seattle Pacific............... 40 36 - 76

3-point goals--CSU 10-21 (Harrison 3-5; Richardson 3-9; Lydon 2-3; Smith 2-4), SPU 4-16 (Sims 2-5; Rohrbach 1-2; Harazin 1-1; Henderson 0-4; Maloney 0-1; Hoisington 0-3). Fouled out--CSU-Harrison, SPU-None. Rebounds--CSU 30 (Bull 6), SPU 49 (Reich 11). Assists--CSU 20 (Smith 8), SPU 17 (Henderson 4; Rohrbach 4; Harazin 4). Total fouls--CSU 25, SPU 14. Technical fouls--CSU-None, SPU-None. Att.-756.