Nineteenth-seeded Eastern Arizona rallied in the fourth quarter to knock off 14th-seeded Moberly Area (Mo.) 70-63 in the first round of the NJCAA Women's Basketball National Championships Tuesday.
The Gila Monsters will now take on third-seeded Chipola Wednesday at approximately 3 p.m. Arizona time. The tournament is being held in Lubbock, Texas.
Trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, and seven, 48-41, in the third quarter, EAC took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Nyeniea Jones, 55-54, and eventually led as many as nine, 64-55, with just 3:13 to go.
Nadira Elayeb led Eastern in scoring with 20 points. She also hauled down 16 rebounds.
Ajae Yoakum scored 19 and had 13 rebounds and Catarina Ferreira added 15 points.
EAC, ranked 22nd in the nation, is now 16-2 while Moberly, No. 14, is 18-7.
