Rochester, MN - Onondaga faced the No. 3 seeded Minnesota West Lady Jays out of Worthington, MN last night in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. The Lady Jays were the 2023-24 D3 National Champions. Onondaga's chance for the title came to an end after a 76-44 final score in the Rochester Regional Sports Center.

After a double OT thriller preceeding the scheduled tip-off time, the Lazers hit the court nearly 90 minutes delayed. After a few turnovers to start, the Lazers carried scored their first field goal a minute and a half in. Brianna Weaver started the 3-point streak for the Lazers continuing from Thursday night. The shooting proved to be contagious with threes from Weaver, Kathryn Grainger, Sarah Hirschler, and Amiya Johnson going 62.5% from the arc. The Lady Jays struggled shooting from the outside, but were able to score from down low after Precious Gabriel grabbed her second foul early on. Onondaga had the clear edge at the end of the 1st quarter leading 24-16.

Gabriel remained on the bench at the start of the 2nd quarter, trying to avoid further foul trouble. With several open looks for Minnesota West down low, Lady Jays went on a 9-0 scoring run. The Lazers went scoreless for 7 minutes until another three from Weaver. Fouls started piling up for the Lazers, sending Minnesota West to the freethrow line, the highest percentage freethrow shooting team in division III. Another Weaver three kept the Lazers in the lead. Kelly Seibt looked to her bench to try and stop the Lady Jays from down low. With the margin remaining close, Onondaga got the final possession of the half and a floater from Hirschler sent the Lazers into the half with a 34-30 lead. The Lazers shot an astounding 50% from three in the first half over Minnesota West's 10%.

Precious Gabriel returned to the floor at the start of the 2nd half with two fouls, earning her third early, and forced back to the bench. The Lazers began the half with a couple turnovers, allowing the Lady Jays to finally find their groove from the arc, hitting back to back threes for a 5-point lead and forcing an OCC timeout. The Minnesota West defense focused their attention on Weaver, eliminating any looks from the outside. Seibt had to return to Gabriel for a spark, earning the Lazers their first points five and a half minutes into the half. Minnesota West had a response, forcing another OCC timeout. Quiet scoring for both teams at the end of the 3rd had the Lazers trailing 51-39.

Momentum remained with Minnesota West taking their biggest lead of the day after a 4-point play. OCC put on the pressure with 7:30 remaining, trying to get stops. Gabriel earned her 4th at 6:56, sending the Lady Jays into the double bonus where they continued to convert on freethrows, finishing 22-27 for the day. Amiya Johnson earned her 4th foul at 6:20. With OCC shots refusing to fall and frustration setting in, Sarah Hirschler was issued with a technical foul at 3:46. The Lady Jays continued to extend their lead through the remainder of the game, stealing OCC's shot for a title with a 76-44 final score.

Onondaga will face Hostos Community College today at 3PM EST in the consolation bracket.

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