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Hallelujah St. Mary's heads back to NCAAs after winning WCC title
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Jerkisha Dosty and Corrie Mizusawa each scored 15 points, including nine free throws by Mizusawa in the final 1:27, to lead Saint Mary's to a 58-53 victory Sunday over Loyola Marymount in the West Coast Conference championship game. Saint Mary's (25-5) earned the WCC's automatic NCAA tournament bid in winning its second conference title in three years. With both teams struggling from the field, the Gaels relied heavily on the Dosty sisters inside. Jerkisha hit 6-of-13 shots, while her twin sister Jermisha, the WCC player of the year, grabbed 16 rebounds, six on the offensive end. But Loyola Marymount (21-9) kept the game close in the second half after trailing 24-16 at halftime. Saint Mary's led by 10 points twice, the last time at 32-22 with 14:23 left. Behind Bryn Britton and Adrianne Slaughter, the Lions threatened Saint Mary's in the final minutes, twice closing within four points. Britton scored 15 of her 22 points in the second half, while Slaughter scored 10 of her 12 points in the final 20 minutes. But Mizusawa, the WCC freshman of the year, offset 3-pointers by Britton and Michelle Brown with her free-throw shooting. Mizusawa, who made 11-of-14 from the line, kept the Gaels' lead at 56-51 with her final free throw with 20.4 seconds left. Slaughter scored off a rebound with 12.4 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 56-53. But Katie Davis hit 2-of-4 free throws in the final seconds to secure the win. Saint Mary's, the WCC regular-season co-champion, won its 10th straight game despite shooting 38.8 percent. But the Gaels held Loyola Marymount to only 30.6 percent shooting.
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