Drury University survived a tough shooting afternoon and a tough Truman State team on Saturday in women’s basketball.
The tense 72-66 victory at O’Reilly Family Event Center keeps the Lady Panthers undefeated at 21-0 and should keep them at No. 1 in the NCAA Division II rankings.
They reached that pedestal last Tuesday for the first time in 15 seasons.
The dig-deep win was the kind that championship-caliber teams need in the tournaments of March. The outcome was in doubt Saturday until junior guard Daejah Bernard made three free throws in the last 36 seconds.
The Panthers’ defense suffocated Truman and bled most of that time without allowing a shot.