Bethel ended the first half with a 29-9 run, overcoming its second straight 1-for-14 shooting clip, to lead 31-21. Vanguard responded with a 29-8 run to start the second half for a 50-39 lead. The Lions held an eight-point 59-51 lead with 4:21 to play.

The Lady Wildcats began a slow burn to tie the game. Bethel guard Kashundria Berry drove to the lane with :03 to play and deposited the game-tying layup to tie the game at 63.

But Bethel didn't have enough left in overtime as Vanguard captured a 75-69 victory and advanced to the Elite Eight. The Lady Wildcats close the campaign with a 22-12 overall mark and their first Sweet 16 appearance.

Bethel coach Chris Nelson said this year's team will learn life lessons as a result of their national tournament experience.

"That comeback defines the way we are," said Nelson. "A lot of people can't take their dark moments. When you go through tough times, people can't see a year down the road, a month down the road, but our girls were able to stay the course."

Tristian Johnson had the hot hand for Bethel and scored seven triples and led the Lady Wildcats with 27 points. She hit clutch shot after clutch shot when her team needed the lift the most. Johnson hit a long two with 3:40 to play to cut the lead to four, 59-55. Almost three minutes later, she flushed a big three in traffic to cut the lead to two, 63-61.

With :19 left in regulation, the Lions threw the ball away, setting up Berry's drive to the rack and the game-tying shot.

"We gave K.B. an opportunity to get to the rim," said Nelson. "We had Johnson in the corner and I told KB to go ahead and kick it because I knew TJ would knock it down, but they stayed tight on Johnson and KB was able to get a layup, so that was great decision making."

In overtime, Vanguard's 10-2 run provided enough separation to earn it a berth opposite Lee University (Tenn.) in the Elite Eight.

"Bethel plays hard, plays good defense, they gut things out and they don't quit," said Vanguard coach Russ Davis. "Chris (Nelson) is one of the best young coaches in the country right now. I am really impressed with him and I knew we'd have a battle; we didn't play very well, but we're gutting things out. There is a reason why we didn't play well and Bethel was the reason."

Vanguard players were seen rolling their eyes or gritting their teeth in the first half, after missing 19 of their last 21 shots.

"That's the most frustrated I've seen all year. I got on them at timeouts and I got on them at halftime," said Davis. "I told hem they were playing five on 10 because not only were they playing them, they were playing against themselves."

Vanguard played Stanford and Connecticut, two current No. 1-seeds in the NCAA women's Division 1 tournament, in pre-season exhibitions.

"I told them to just go out and play," said Davis. "I told them we played teams like Stanford and Connecticut because we won't see any better players all year and so we can get some confidence. I think we got more confident as the game went on."

Vanguard had five players in double figures, led by the speedy Bridgette Reyes, with 14 points. She turned her ankle late in the game and wasn't the same player, but she was trouble for Bethel defenders. Molly Prohl also had 14. Jaclyn Blied had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Diana Neves also had 13 points. Sarah Boyd finished with 11.

Teena Carter, a Milan product, had a big game, too, scoring 14 points. She missed one triple, but after Nina Djokovic cleared out the lane, Carter followed up with an easy point-blank shot. Berry also had 14. Djokovic was limited to 10 points and 14 boards. Davis, the Vanguard coach, joked with the BU senior center that he was tired Friday because of her.

"I stayed up all night watching tape because of you," he said.

The Lady Wildcats wave goodbye to five seniors: Berry, Djokovic, Johnson, Joanna Ortiz, Jovanna Petrovic, all who reached the national tournament two straight years.