Colleen Planeta scores one of her 16 points

box score
pictures

San Diego, CA (3/10) - Her team down by one with 11 seconds left on the clock in the Golden State Athletic Conference title game, Point Loma forward Colleen Planeta sank a game-winning jumper in Golden Gym, giving the Sea Lions a 53-52 victory over Vanguard. It was PLNU's third victory over the Lions on the season and their second consecutive last-second come-from-behind one-point win -- this time for the GSAC Tournament Championship.

“We sucked it up and got it together,” PLNU head coach Bill Westphal said. “I had heart surgery two years ago, otherwise I would’ve been on my back that game.”

Though Point Loma led for much of the Monday night's game, buckets came at a premium for both sides. Meanwhile turnover were abundant - 18 each - preventing any extended momentum. PLNU’s largest lead was nine in the first half while the Lion’s largest margin was seven points in the second.

The Sea Lions opened up with a 12-7 run but were caught and passed after a jumper by Molly Pfohl. That’s how the rest of the game would unfold, the lead changing four times in the first half alone.

A three point play by Kerra Sutton-Wodarski and three jumpers from Planeta saw PLNU leading by seven at 6:23. The Lions responded with a bucket but Wodarski and Planeta hit on back-to-back shots to make the Sea Lion margin a game-high nine points. Point Loma took a 29-22 advantage into halftime.

The second stanza belonged, for the most part, to the visiting Lions. Vanguard came out of the break by scoring seven unanswered points, keeping the Sea Lions off the board for nearly six minutes.

Melissa Cook drained a pair of trifectas to put the Lions up by four at 12:07. PLNU battled back to close the gap to two points with a Meghan McGuire jumper at 10:04 and then evened the score at 38-all when Liah Ector sank a bucket.

The Lions took over for the next five minutes, however, and pulled ahead by seven with 5:50 on the clock.

It looked bleak for PLNU until Shawmonee Holm started an 11-3 run when Kati Hilbelink fed her the ball in traffic, resulting in a layup. Holm blocked the next Lion attempt and Hilbelink found Sutton-Wodarski for a three that cut VU’s lead to two.

Lauren Gregory’s jumper doubled the Lion margin to four. Ector laid one in for PLNU and after a VU turnover, and with 2:36 left in the game, senior center Angela Manjarrez pivoted under heavy coverage for a jumper inside the key to tie the game 51-51. Gregory then got one free throw to drop with 2:15 remaining, putting the Lions up 52-51.

A tense two minutes passed, with missed shots from Planeta and Sutton-Wodarski on the Sea Lions’ side and Melissa Cook on the Lions’ end. Sutton-Wodarski attempted a 12 foot jumper with 16 second left that was just short, bouncing off the rim and out to Planeta. The sophomore calmly hit what would be the game-winner.

“I thought Kerra’s shot was good,” said Planeta. “It came right to me and I wasn’t going to miss. No way our seniors were going to lose their last home game."

Vanguard called time to set up one more possession. The Lions got good penetration but missed, the ball tipped down the court as time expired. PLNU had their first tournament championship in the Westphal era.

“We won a bunch of games in a row, and I think by the grace of God -- and I don’t mean that as a cliché -- we have found a way to put it together and to win,” said Westphal, who received his Coach of the Year award, GSAC regular season plaque and tournament championship trophy after the game. “I said I’m never gonna retire or die until I beat Vanguard. And now we beat them three times.”

Planeta led the Sea Lion offense with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Sutton-Wodarski added 14 points despite being in foul trouble for most of the second half.

“We are prepared and we work hard," said Sutton-Wodarski. "We don’t think about if the game is close. We just know we have to be up by one when it’s over. Tonight we got it done.”

Ector added four buckets and a pair of free throws for 10 points, and Hilbelink scored five points and dished out six assists.

The Lions’ GSAC Player of the Year, Jessica Richter, was held to a season-low six points - all from the free throw line. The senior guard did not attempt any shots from the field but did grab 11 rebounds.

Cook paced the Vanguard offense with 19 points. Gregory added 12 and Sarah Boyd put up seven.

The Sea Lion defense stifled VU's perimeter game, limiting the Lions to just 4-20 from the arc. PLNU didn't fare any better, though, sinking just 3-of-15 threes. Vanguard went to the line 21 times, making 16. The hosts were sent to the stripe just seven times, making four.

Point Loma, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, improved to 28-2 on the season. Since a loss to UW Stevens Point on December 27, the Sea Lions have rolled off 22-straight wins.

“We’ve worked so hard for what we’ve accomplished that it’s truly a blessing,” Sutton-Wodarski said. “It’s just nice to be rewarded for all the hard work.”

The Sea Lions will most likely have a first-round bye as one of the No. 1 seeds in the NAIA National Tournament, and will begin play late next week. Fourth-ranked VU continues on to nationals as well with a mark of 24-5.

- By Nathan Scharn and Jorge de la Torre