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SOU women rally past Western Baptist Raiders will play host to Albertson in the Cascade Conference title game Monday at McNeal Pavilion SALEM - As the Southern Oregon women's basketball team has soared the last month of the season, the only pitfall has been a stubborn Western Baptist squad that knocked off the Raiders twice by a combined nine points. In the span of two minutes Friday night, SOU erased all bad memories by rallying for a thrilling, 86-85 victory at Western Baptist to advance to the Cascade Conference championship game. The Raiders, 18-10 overall and winners in 12 of their last 14 outings, play host to Albertson - a 91-72, upset victor at Eastern Oregon on Friday - on Monday night at 7:30 in McNeal Pavilion, with a berth in the NAIA national tournament at stake. Senior forward Melissa Core made the most of her crunch-time experience Friday, dropping in two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to provide the Raiders their winning margin. "We couldn't ask for a better foul shooter at the line," said first-year SOU head coach Kevin Wilson. "She's second in the conference (at 80.3 percent). ... When she got fouled, we knew we'd be one point ahead with 3.6 seconds left." The 24th-ranked Warriors (22-11) couldn't get a good shot off at the buzzer, as Tati Gallardo's desperation 3-pointer missed. The Raiders trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and 10 in the second, finally pulling into a 79-79 tie on Core's 3-pointer with 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining. They took their first lead at the 1:39 mark, when Core converted 1 of 2 free throws for an 80-79 edge. "The deficit was five to seven the entire night," Wilson said. "But we just kept playing and executing." After Core's free throws, the lead changed hands six more times. Junior guard Sara Marks pushed SOU to an 84-83 advantage with 20 seconds left by making a steal and speeding to a transition layup. With 9.6 seconds on the clock, Marks fouled out, sending Gallardo to the line. She dropped both shots for an 85-84 lead for the Warriors. The Raiders inbounded to Core, and Wilson decided against a timeout at halfcourt when he saw Core had an alley to the hoop. "I said, 'Just take it, Melissa,'" Wilson said. "She was just going, and there was no way they were going to stop her from scoring without fouling." Ultimately, the foul couldn't even curb Core from delivering an SOU victory. Core finished with 19 points, as did Marks. Reserve junior guard Kelly Dexter erupted for a Raiders' career-high 20 points in 23 minutes, shooting 7-for-12 from the field. "Kelly Dexter was the big key," Wilson said. Junior post Amy Tangedahl helped SOU to a 48-39 advantage in rebounding with 15 boards. She added 12 points for her second consecutive postseason double-double. Five WBC players scored in double figures, but the Raiders limited the Warriors to 35.3-percent shooting from the field in the second half. "It was a great game," Wilson said. "(The SOU players) just have huge character. With a couple minutes to go, we're seven down. ... But we never panicked. "I'm just so proud of this team to be where they are now." And that's one win from the NAIA national tournament. SOUTHERN OREGON (18-10) Hilaire 3-7 0-0 6, Core 6-10 3-4 19, Tangedahl 5-14 2-2 12, Nunley 3-5 0-0 6, Marks 8-20 1-3 19, Beers 0-0 0-0 0, Dexter 7-12 5-9 20, Magee-Arick 0-9 4-4 4, Dolezal 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-78 15-22 86. WESTERN BAPTIST (22-11) Ward 5-14 4-4 16, Schmidgall 5-7 0-0 13, Gallardo 5-12 5-6 18, Born 0-7 2-3 2, Lundgren 6-12 6-7 18, Hinkle 6-10 0-0 16, Dickman 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 0-1 0-2 0, Villwock 0-0 0-0 0, Llewellyn 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-64 17-22 85. Halftime-Western Baptist 45, Southern Oregon 38. 3-point goals-SOU 7-19 (Hilaire 0-2, Core 4-5, Marks 2-5, Dexter 1-3, Magee-Arick 0-4), WBC 12-29 (Ward 2-8, Schmidgall 3-3, Gallardo 3-7, Born 0-4, Hinkle 4-7). Rebounds-SOU 48 (Tangedahl 15), WBC 39 (Lundgren 16). Assists-SOU 17 (Marks 7), WBC 19 (Born 6). Fouled out-Marks, Schmidgall. Team fouls-SOU 18, WBC 20. A-300. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.