Facing off against one of the top teams in the country, Cal State San Marcos needed a little extra time to finish the job but the Cougars were successful, earning an 85-80 overtime win over top-seeded Gannon to advance to the national semifinal on Wednesday in St. Joseph, Mo.

The Cougars were led by 26 points and 10 rebounds from All-American Jordan Vasquez. Charity Gallegos and Ava Ranson each added 15 points in the win while Mina Tameilau chalked up 14 points. Malia Mastora rounded out the CSUSM scorers in double-digits with 12 points, including the game-clinching three. 

After waiting on results of the later game, Cal State San Marcos will play Minnesota State in a semifinal game on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. PT. No. 5 seed Minnesota State defeated No. 4 Georgia Southwestern, 93-88 late Monday night.

The Cougars took the early lead, going up by as many as five points midway through the first quarter but Gannon battled back to eventually take a 17-15 advantage into the second frame. The Golden Knights pushed the lead to double-digits on a three-pointer with just under five minutes left to go in the first half but the Cougars fought back and a second-chance layup by Vasquez right before the buzzer pulled CSUSM back within four at the break, 39-35.

Gannon again built a double-digit lead early in the third quarter, opening up the second half on an 8-0 run. The Cougars finally found their rhythm once again, using a pair of free throws by Vasquez with 2:49 left in the third to pull back within one point, 51-50. A pair of free throws by Ranson with less than a minute left gave the Cougars a lead once again and after trading points, a layup by Gannon's Samantha Pirosko gave them a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cougars kept fighting throughout the fourth quarter, eventually pulling back into the lead on a three-pointer by Mastora with 1:41 left in regulation. An and-one by Gannon's Bri Claxon with 1:24 left tied the game once again at 74-74 and that is what the score would remain heading into overtime.

Both teams were running on fumes in overtime as they struggled to get points but after a Gallegos layup with 2:37 left and a pair of made free-throws by Tameilau with 1:53 on the clock, the Cougars found themselves leading with less that two mintues to play. Gallegos hit two more free throws with 1:25 left to push the lead to four points but Gannon responded with a layup at the other end to pull back within two with a minute left to play. 

Gallegos again put the Cougars up by four before Gannon's Kate Ratliff again pulled the Golden Knights back within two with 38 seconds left on the clock. With 12 seconds left in the game and just one tick remaining on the shot clock, Mastora hit a three-pointer to put CSUSM up five at 85-80.