ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The dream season has ended. No. 15 Emporia State rallied from an 18-point deficit in the final 8:36 of regulation and eliminated No. 1 Gannon 97-94 in overtime in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Final Four played at the St. Joseph Civic Center in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Gannon seemed to have everything under control after snapping a 47-47 tie with 10 straight points. Kristina Freeman (Yonkers, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) started the run with a lay-up, before Carrie Nolan (Girard, Pa./Girard) followed with five straight points. A three-pointer by Kim Vargas (Sterling, Va./Broad Run) capped the run and gave the Lady Knights a 57-47 lead with 13:39 to play.

The difference stretched to 76-58 with a 10-3 blitz later in the half. The Lady Knights converted four consecutive shots during the run. Freeman's jumper with 8:48 showing on the clock capped the sequence.

Emporia State, who has made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 14 years, did not wither. The Hornets answered with a 15-0 run over the next three minutes and 54 seconds, forcing eight straight Gannon misses in the process.

Gannon still led 87-83 when Emporia State took advantage of the Lady Knights' foul trouble. With Vargas and Brittany Tabron (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic) fouled out, Alli Volkens was fouled inside with 37 seconds and converted both free throws.

Following two Gannon missed free throws, Volken's lay-up with nine seconds left in regulation knotted the game at 87. The Lady Knights had one last shot, but Tiffany Crocker's (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) running jumper at the buzzer fell off the rim.

Crocker drilled a three-pointer seven seconds into the extra session, but the Lady Knights could only manage four points the rest of the overtime. Shanna Thompson's jumper (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) forced the game's 12th tie with 1:36 left on the clock.

Gannon turned the ball over on its next two possessions while Emporia State took a 97-94 lead with three free throws. The Lady Knights did get a great look at the buzzer, but missed a potential tying three-pointer at the end of a play that covered the length of the court in 4.4 seconds.

Six Lady Knights reached double digits in scoring for the first time this season. Freeman led the way with 17 points. Thompson followed with 16 points off the bench. Vargas and Crocker added 15 points each. Nolan and Julie Kleber (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Gannon shot 45.9 percent (34-74) from the field, 23.8 percent (5-21) from three-point range and 72.4 percent (21-29) from the free throw line.

All-American point guard Cassondra Boston headlined the Emporia State scoring attack with a game-high 21 points despite hitting only 7-of-22 shots. One day after scoring a career-high 28 points, Oliver produced 20 points and five rebounds off the bench. Brittany Miller recorded 18 points and nine rebounds. Jamie Augustyn and Rachel Hanf netted 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Emporia State shot 39.7 percent (29-73) from the floor, 33.3 percent (13-39) from behind the arc and 78.8 percent (26-33) from the charity stripe.

The contest featured 12 ties and nine lead changes. Gannon out-scored Emporia State 54-30 in the paint.

Gannon's best season in program history ended at 37-1. The Lady Knights ended the season with NCAA Division II records for most victories in a season (37) and consecutive wins in a single season (37).

Emporia State improved to 29-5 and moved into Friday's national championship game against Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks earned a 79-64 decision over Franklin Pierce in Wednesday's first semifinal.

For a complete box score from Wednesday's Gannon-Emporia State NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Semifinal Game, please click here.