The KCU Lady Knights grabbed an unprecedented 13th National Championship title in the NCCAA on Saturday. This is the fourth championship in a row. The Lady Knights have won 12 of the last 16 tournaments.
KCU defeated North Central Bible College in the opening round with a score of 66-48.
The semi-final round put KCU up against Maranatha Baptist Bible College. KCU prevailed 73-54 in this contest.
In the championship game, the Lady Knights went head to head with region rival, Ohio Christian University. The game was hard fought with many lead changes and exciting moments. Down one point in the final seconds, junior Meredith Reed made a layup and was fouled and made the free throw to put the Lady Knights up by two for the close 72-70 win.
OCU had made a three-point basket with 9.9 seconds left to take a 70-69 lead, which appeared to secure their victory. After a timeout and setting up the winning play, Coach Arnett sent his team out to grasp another victory from the jaws of defeat as Autumn Carter made the perfect full-court pass to a flying Reed for the decisive score.
Several team members received NCCAA Honors. Kristin Hecht was named first team All American while Ashley Baldwin and Autumn Carter were named to the All American second team. Scholar Athletes were Kristin Hecht, Meredith Reed, Heather Stacy, and Kelli Jo Young. Hecht was also named All Tournament Team and National Player of the Year.
