Montgomery, W.V. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team overcame an early deficit to defeat top-seeded Morris College (S.C.) 74-71 in the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference championship game on Saturday afternoon at the Baisi Athletic Center.

"We're coming home champions," said interim head coach Crystal Harris.

Senior Heather Thompson was selected A.I.I. Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Seniors Mackenzie Harnett and Cassie Damyanovich join Thompson on the A.I.I. All-Tournament Team.

With their fifth consecutive win, the Cougars improve to 16-15 overall. Next up for the Cougars will be the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship at the Independence Events Center in Independence, Mo., which begins on March 18. The championship bracket will be announced via live video selection show on Wednesday, March 11 at 5 p.m. on www.NAIANetwork.com.

Harnett led the Cougars with 16 points and five assists while Thompson recorded her eleventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Kimberly Kipp scored 13 points and Damyanovich added 12 points to go along with eight rebounds.
 

The Cougars came one block short of tying the program record (12) with 11 blocks in the game. Thompson and Kipp each had four blocks, Harnett snagged two and Damyanovich collected one to help lead the Cougars to their second consecutive A.I.I. championship.

CSUSM fell behind early, trailing 13-2 at the 15-minute mark of the first half. A Harnett jumper after the media timeout spurred the comeback, as the Cougars slowly picked away at the Hornet lead. The Cougars went ahead 25-24 on an Alex Alvarado layup at the seven minute mark and would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the half. At the break the teams were tied at 37-37.

Harnett hit a three-pointer to start the second half, but Morris went on a small run to take a 51-46 lead with 13:21 left in the game. The Cougars countered with a 5-0 run of their own, regaining the lead at 52-51 on a Thompson basket with 10:14 remaining. CSUSM would not trail for the remainder of the game.

The key to the game was the Cougars' second half shooting and defense, with CSUSM hitting 48 percent (12-of-25) from the field and holding Morris to just 29.7 percent (11-of-37).