WORCESTER, Mass. – The #22/19 Thomas Jefferson University women's basketball team (28-4) dominated the fourth quarter to pull away from second-seeded Southern New Hampshire (22-8) and defeat the Penmen, 62-49, on Saturday to advance to its first region final since 1986.
 
The Rams, the third seed in the regional tournament, will battle the top seed and tourney host, Assumption, for the East Region Championship and a spot in the Elite Eight on Monday, March 13^th at 7 p.m. The Greyhounds downed fifth-seeded Bentley, 62-47, in the other semifinal on Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jefferson got out to a 10-4 lead in the opening quarter. SNHU came back with an 8-3 stretch to close the gap to one (13-12) entering the second. The Rams caught fire to start the second period, going on a 12-4 run to up the margin to nine (25-16) with 5:13 on the clock. Jefferson was 4-for-7 during the surge, with all four baskets coming from beyond the arc, two each by Haley Meinel and Emily Keehfuss. At the same time, the Rams held the Penmen to just 2-for-10 from the field.
 
Jefferson went into the third quarter with a 29-22 advantage. The Rams tallied the first six points of the stanza to increase the difference to 13 (35-22) with 7:40 remaining. After a three-pointer by SNHU, Jefferson strung together five more points for its largest lead of the game at 40-25 with 5:33 left. However, the Penmen rallied with a 16-3 run to end the frame and trail by just two (43-41) entering the fourth. The Rams converted just 21.4% of their shots during the quarter, which opened the door for SNHU to get back in it.
 
Jefferson recovered and posted nine of the first 13 points of the final period to open a seven-point lead (52-45) with 5:32 to play. After a jumper by the Penmen, the Rams totaled eight in a row to raise the cushion to 13 (60-47) at the 2:14 mark. Four different players scored during the stretch. Jefferson locked down on defense, allowing just one basket over the last five minutes, and earned its spot in the region final.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Haley Meinel: 24 points, 10 steals, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
Sam Yencha: 13 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist
Cassie Murphy: 9 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals
Emily Keehfuss: 9 points, 2 rebounds
Morgan Robinson: 3 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 18-of-56 (32.1%)
3PT: 5-of-12 (41.7%)
FT: 21-of-27 (77.8%)
 
NOTES
- Haley Meinel's 10 steals is a career high and is the fifth double-digit steals performance by a Division II player this year.
- The Rams limited the Penmen to just 30.4% shooting.
- The win was the 700^th at Jefferson for head coach Tom Shirley.