PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State women's basketball team set a new school record for wins with its 28th win of the season as the Gorillas fought for a 90-81 overtime victory over sixth-seeded Arkansas Tech.
 
The win sends the Gorillas to the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history.
 
Pitt State will meet the Central Region's No. 1 seed, Emporia State University, Monday (Mar. 14) at 7 p.m. (CDT) at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court for the right to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight. The Hornets posted a 66-62 win over fourth-seeded Winona State University in their regional semifinal game Saturday.
 
Cathy Brugman fired a career-high 31 points in the contest. She made six of 11 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, and knocked down all 16 of her free throw attempts as the Gorillas outscored the Golden Suns 31 to 17 at the charity stripe. Pitt State converted 31 of 34 free throws on the contest. Brugman's 16-of-16 performance tied the school record for best single game percentage and was the most made in a 1.000 percent free throw shooting performance.
 
Mikaela Burgess scored seven of her 21 points in overtime and all 21 in the second half.
 
Paige Lungwitz posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Gafford also finished in double figures with 10 points. She added a game-high four blocked shots.
 
Pitt State built a 38-31 halftime advantage against ATU (27-4), but the Golden Suns outscored the Gorillas, 24-17, in the third quarter to knot the scored at 55-55.
 
Pitt State took a 73-67 lead with 3:42 to play in regulation on a pair of free throws by Brugman, but ATU outscored the Gorillas, 8-0, down the stretch to take a 75-73 lead on Aujana Dawkins' mid-range jumper with 23 seconds to play. Burgess converted a driving layup 11 seconds later to tie the game up at 75 and force the extra session.
 
The Gorillas got back-to-back 3-pointers from Burgess and Brugman to open overtime and Burgess added a layup for an 83-75 lead with 2:40 remaining. Fatima Adams cut the margin to six, 83-77, but Gafford and Burgess connected on layups to give Pitt State a 10-point cusion, 87-77, with 1:23 to go.
 
Dawkins paced the Golden Suns with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Bre Brooks and Anissa Pounds added 16 apiece, while Adams finished with eight points.
 
The Gorillas will meet the Lady Hornets (28-5) for the fourth time on the season. The two squads traded road wins during the regular season. ESU claimed an 80-66 win in the finals of the 2016 MIAA Championships on Mar. 6 at Kansas City, Mo.
 
This will be Pitt State's second appearance in a regional final in program history. The Gorillas defeated the Lady Hornets, 79-67, in the South Central Regional final at Topeka on March 12, 2012 to advance to the Elite Eight during a 27-5 campaign five years ago. Pitt State swept three games from ESU that year. The Lady Hornets, the 2010 NCAA Division II national champions, are making their fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.