LAKE CHARLES, La. — Eastern Arizona College is heading somewhere it has never been before.
The second-seeded Gila Monsters delivered another dominant defensive performance Monday night, overwhelming Trinity Valley 56-29 to advance to the program’s first national championship game in the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament at McNeese State University.
Eastern Arizona College (32-2) held Trinity Valley to just two points in the opening quarter and never allowed the game to open up, turning a semifinal matchup into a one-sided defensive showcase.
Trinity Valley (31-4) shot 11 of 56 from the field (19.6 percent), went 2 of 19 from 3-point range and committed 20 turnovers, finishing with its lowest scoring output of the season.
Eastern Arizona set the tone immediately. Trinity Valley missed its first eight shots and did not score until the 1:07 mark of the first quarter as Eastern Arizona built a 6-0 lead.
Eastern Arizona carried that defensive pressure into the second quarter, forcing difficult looks and limiting second-chance opportunities. Trinity Valley briefly trimmed the deficit to 20-16 late in the half, but Esmeralda Enriquez answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead back to 26-16.
The Cardinals made one final push early in the third quarter, cutting the margin to 23-21 after a 3-pointer from Taylor Day-Davis.
Eastern Arizona responded immediately.
Enriquez knocked down a 3-pointer on the next possession, sparking a stretch that pushed the lead back to multiple possessions. Eastern Arizona forced six turnovers in the third quarter and turned those into scoring opportunities to extend the advantage.
The Gila Monsters broke the game open late in the third quarter and took full control in the fourth, outscoring Trinity Valley 21-6 in the final period.
Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam delivered in the decisive stretch, hitting a pair of 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 48-27 and put the game out of reach.
Enriquez led Eastern Arizona with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Eanae Dagons added 12 points and four steals, while Navae Guidry recorded 10 points and 14 rebounds. Trinity Alex-Mayer added 10 rebounds off the bench.
Eastern Arizona dominated the glass 53-33, including 20 offensive rebounds, and finished with 13 steals.
Malaya Jones led Trinity Valley with six points, while Taylor Day-Davis added eight. No Trinity Valley player reached double figures.
The Gila Monsters have now held three consecutive national tournament opponents to 56 points or fewer, including 36 in the opening round, 56 in the quarterfinals and 29 in the semifinals.
With the win, Eastern Arizona advances to the national championship game for the first time in program history.
Eastern Arizona will face 16th-seeded New Mexico Junior College on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Arizona time. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
New Mexico arrives after a run through the bracket that included an overtime win over No. 1 seed Butler, setting up a matchup between one of the tournament’s hottest teams and one of its most dominant defenses in the country.
