Mary Hardin-Baylor Beats St. Thomas, Advances to DIII Title Game

SALEM, Va. (AP) — James Allen scored 19 points to help Mary Hardin-Baylor beat top-ranked St. Thomas of Minnesota 74-67 on Saturday in the NCAA Division III semifinals.

The Crusaders (27-5) snapped St. Thomas' 14-game winning streak to advance to the championship game against Amherst at Philips Arena in Atlanta on April 7. Amherst beat North Central College 52-44 in the second semifinal.

The Crusaders overcame a 12-point deficit, taking a 68-67 lead on Allen's two free throws with 20.7 seconds left. Thomas Orr stole the ball from Noah Kaiser on St. Thomas' next possession and was fouled with 12.3 seconds left. He made both free throws to give the Crusaders a 70-67 lead. After Kaiser missed 3-pointer, Orr made two more free throws with 4.4 seconds to seal the game.

Will DeBerg led St. Thomas (30-2) with 21 points.

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