Women's Basketball Wins Second Straight Title on Last-Second Basket

LANSING, Mich. - Devan Buda’s layup with 1.2 seconds left was the winner for Great Lakes Christian College Women’s Basketball in the NCCAA DII Midwest Regional final on Saturday at the Doty Center, as they held off Kuyper College 47-45 in the Championship final to win their second straight Regional Title.

Buda’s basket, which came off an offensive rebound, gave Great Lakes their first lead since the first quarter.

Kuyper led by as many as 14 points in the first half, jumping out to a 20-6 lead with a suffocating zone defense that kept GLCC from establishing an offensive rhythm. Great Lakes shot a mere 5/23 (21.7%) from the floor in the first two quarters and trailed 26-17 at halftime.

The Lakes chipped away in the third, cutting the deficit to 33-31 at the end of the quarter. They tied the game twice in the fourth before finally taking the lead on the final bucket after trailing for the previous 34:32 of game time.

Leah Yanko led GLCC with 15 points. After a cold start from beyond the arc, she hit three straight triples in the second half to spark Great Lakes’ offense. MyKenzie Kent registered a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Abigail Rivera-Sosa led Kuyper with 11 points. Despite out-rebounding GLCC 36-32, Kuyper’s 16/66 (24.2%) shooting, including a 7/34 (20.6%) second half, would fall short as Great Lakes rallied.

Great Lakes, the host of this season’s Midwest Regional Basketball tournaments, qualified for the final by defeating Emmaus Bible College 85-50 in Friday’s semifinal round. Kuyper defeated Grace 69-44 in their semifinal.

Great Lakes will now await their National Championship Tournament Seeding as they qualify for the NCCAA National Championships with the regional title.