Women's Basketball outlasts Dillard in overtime; advance to Championship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - With her team trailing by two, Wiley University women's basketball player Kelechi Dike stole the ball and hit a game-tying layup with 27 seconds left to force overtime. Zacyria Dozier hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining to lift the No. 6 seed Lady Wildcats to the HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship game with a 48-45 victory over No. 2 Dillard in the semifinals on Saturday.

The Lady Wildcats (15-13) advance to the championship for the first time as a member of the HBCUAC and for the third time in program history. They reached the Red River Athletic Conference final in 2008 and won in 2013. The win is their first against Dillard since December 1, 2023.

Wiley led 15-14 at halftime. It held the Lady Bleu Devils to 4-for-27 from the field. The Lady Wildcats allowed Dillard to tie the game twice early in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Kendall Campbell with seven minutes remaining, put Wiley ahead 22-19. A three-minute scoring drought allowed Dillard to take the lead. Celebria Peacock put the Lady Wildcats back on top with a three. They missed their last four shots and Dillard held a 31-28 lead entering the fourth.

The lead changed hands multiple times in the fourth. A layup by Jessica Nerestant with 5:31 remaining gave Wiley a 34-33 lead. The Lady Bleu Devils retook the lead on a turnover. A three by Peacock put the Lady Wildcats ahead by two. Campbell increased the lead to four at the foul line. Wiley went nearly four minutes without a field goal, allowing Dillard to claim a 41-39 lead. Dike's game-tying layup ended the drought. Nerestant blocked a go-ahead basket and Dike got the rebound. She sprinted down the court but her shot rolled off the front of the rim sending the game to overtime.

After allowing Dillard to score first, Nerestant tied the game at 43 with a jumper. Following a Lady Bleu Devil turnover, Dozier shot from the top of the key to give Wiley the lead for good. The Lady Bleu Devils had a chance to tie the game but their jumper, short of the 3-point line, fell short and the celebration began.

Nerestant led the Lady Wildcats with 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Peacock followed with 13 points, hitting three clutch 3-pointers. Dike led the team with 12 rebounds.

The Lady Wildcats will meet Philander Smith University, which knocked off No. 1 Stillman College 62-50 earlier on Saturday, at 4 p.m. Sunday. Along with securing the 2025 title, the winner will receive the conference's second automatic berth to the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Basketball National Championship Opening Round.

For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index

About Wiley University Athletics

Wiley University sponsors 12 varsity sports: women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) and the Continental Athletic Conference for men's and women's soccer.

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