Hays, Kan. – The Missouri Southern women's basketball program went down to the wire with #16 St. Cloud State in the NCAA Division II Central Region Quarterfinals but fell short 69-67 in overtime inside Gross Memorial Coliseum tonight. 
 
The Lions (24-7, 19-3 MIAA) were led by Amaya Johns with 20 points as she shot 6-of-13 from the field and was 3-of-5 from three off the bench. Lacy Stokes stuffed the stat sheet one more time this season finishing with 20 points, eight assists and seven steals. 
 
Brooke Stuaffer added nine points going 3-of-6 from three in her final game as a Lion, Kaitlin Hunnicutt had eight points as well going 2-of-3 from three. Madi Stokes had a team-high 10 rebounds and added five points and Layne Skiles had seven rebounds and five points tonight as well.
 
#16 St. Cloud State (24-4, 19-2 NSIC) was led by Brehna Evans with 22 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, Tori Wortz and Nikki Kiboten each scored 13 points with Kiboten coming away with 10 rebounds as well. Caitlyn Peterson led the Huskies with nine points off the bench and added seven rebounds also.
 
Southern won the opening tip and exploded right out the gate with Hunnicutt making a three, Madi Stokes converting a layup and Stauffer nailing a three to jump out to a 8-2 lead with 8:26 left in the first quarter. The three party was not over as Stauffer and Hunnicutt nailed one more each to put the Lions ahead 14-5 heading into the media timeout with 4:57 left in the quarter.
 
St. Cloud State responded with a 6-0 run to close it to within three but a pair of Hunnicutt free throws with 25.1 seconds left in the first quarter saw the Lions ahead 16-11 after one quarter played.
 
Amaya Johns got the scoring started for the Lions with a three to push the lead up to four (19-15) with 6:15 left in the second quarter. Lacy Stokes got a steal and score before an Amaya Johns three with 5:17 pushed the Lion lead up to seven (24-17) and was Lacy Stokes sixth assist of the game. 
 
Coming out of the second quarter media timeout Johns was at the free throw line and sank both free throws for a seven point lead (26-19) with 4:22 left in the half. The Huskies would keep the Lions off the scoreboard for the rest of the half and used a 6-0 run to close the lead to one (26-25).
 
At the half St. Cloud State owned a 16-4 advantage in the points in the paint but were 1-of-8 from three and had committed nine turnovers that the Lions had scored six points off of. Southern was 6-of-13 from three and had only three turnovers.
 
In the third quarter Lacy Stokes got the Lions on the board first with a floater that was responded by the Huskies with a 4-0 run to take their first lead of the game and the first lead change 29-28 with 7:16 left in the third quarter. Lacy would hit another floater to take a one point lead but St. Cloud State responded on the following possession with a three to make it 32-30 with 6:33 left. 
 
The Lions tied it up and then took a two point lead (34-32) following a Johns turnaround jumper with 5:30 left on the clock in the third quarter. St. Cloud State responded on the next possession to tie it before Lacy Stokes nailed a pull up jumper just inside the paint for the 36-34 lead with 4:43 remaining.
 
At the third quarter media timeout with 3:31 remaining the teams were tied 36-36 and had four lead changes with three ties after having no such occurrences in the first half. St. Cloud went ahead by as much as five (41-36) with 2:24 left following an and-one but the Lions clawed back to within one (41-40) following four straight made free throws from Lacy Stokes with the last pair happening at 55.2 seconds left in the third quarter.
 
The Huskies hit a three to go up four but a heads up steal and score by Lacy Stokes before the quarter buzzer sounded made it 44-42 heading to the fourth quarter.
 
St. Cloud began the quarter off with a three but Stauffer answered right back on a second chance opportunity with 8:57 left making it 47-45. Madi Stokes made a free throw to cut the lead down to one before a Skiles three gave the Lions a 49-47 lead with 7:29. 
 
Coming out a timeout the Lions executed a play with Johns nailing a jumper that was assisted by Lacy Stokes for her eighth of the game and the Lion lead grew to five (52-47) following a pair of made free throws by Lacy with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter. Lacy would get the Lions ahead five again following a Huskies bucket to head into the media timeout up 54-49 with 4:33 left in regulation.
 
St. Cloud State cut the lead to two following a and-one with 4:28 left but a Lacy Stokes made free throw made it 55-52 with 3:01 left. The Huskies connected on a three the following possession to tie it and then went ahead by two on their ensuing possession, Skiles tied it up (57-57) with a pair of free throws with 1:52 left to stop the quick run.
 
In what would become an eventful last 1:45 of the fourth quarter St. Cloud State took a three point lead before Johns sank a pair of free throws with 1:05 left to make it 60-59. The Huskies would make a layup with 34 second left and Johns stepped up to nail a three with 21.3 second left to tie it up 62-62. 
 
On the final possession for St. Cloud State in regulation, Lacy Stokes came away with her seventh steal of the game to set a new school record for steals in a single Regional Tournament game breaking the record of six set by Honey Scott against New Mexico Highlands March 8^th, 1994 in St. Joseph, Mo. The Lions had the ball with .5 seconds left after a review and on the throw in was tipped and the clock was then at .2 which under rule meant that no shot not even a tip-in at that point would have counted but Lacy Stokes still amazed the crowd nailing a shot that was instantly waived off as the two teams headed into overtime.
 
Lacy would make a legal shot this time nailing a reverse layup that was assisted by Skiles to begin the overtime period scoring with 4:19 remaining. Madi Stokes made a layup off a second chance opportunity to make it 66-62 with 3:25 remaining before the Huskies made a free throw with 2:44 to cut the lead to two (66-64). 
 
A Huskie steal and scored tied it 66-66 with 1:26 left to set the stage for another intense minute and a half. The Lions got off two shots with both not able to fall and suffocated the Huskies on defense to keep them off the scoreboard before a pair of free throws with 4.7 seconds left put St. Cloud State ahead 68-66.
 
Southern called a timeout to advance the ball into the front court and on the ensuing throw in was tied up with the possession arrow point towards the Lions who threw it in again with 3.2 seconds remaining. Amaya Johns was fouled on the throw in with 2.5 seconds left, made the first free throw before the second ultimately rimmed out and the Huskies controlled the ball off the rebound.
 
St. Cloud had the ball with 1.2 seconds left before Lacy Stokes almost forced another turnover on the throw in to give the Lions the ball but upon review possession was kept with the Huskies with 1.0 seconds left. St. Cloud State missed the first free throw before making the second for the 69-67 lead and the Lions used their last timeout, with the last play freeing Johns up for a three that was no good.
 
For the Lions this was a season to remember after going 9-14 a season ago to being the regular season champions of the MIAA for the first time ever and ending with a 24-7 record along with making their fourth appearance in the MIAA Tournament Championship game and the NCAA Regional Tournament. The Lions will be saying goodbye to graduate student Brooke Stauffer whose lasting legacy at the school goes well beyond what she did on the court and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.