Box Score POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. ---The Bethel Pilots (23-11, 10-8) defeated the Sterling Ciollege Warriors (20-13, 13-9) 76-63 in the semifinal of the NCCAA D1 National Tournament. 

Win the win, the Pilots will advance to Saturday's NCCAA Championship matchup, their first appearance in the championship since 2011. 

Isabel Scales led the Pilot charge with 16 points and five rebounds (0-5). 

Mariah Claywell added 14 points, shooting 6-9 from the field (66%). 

Jazmyn Smith posted 12 points while leading the team in boards with six (3-3). 

Izzy Nooe led the team in steals (four), and added three dimes. 

The NCCAA shared the following highlights: 

• Bethel opened the first semifinal with a bang, scoring the first 13 points of the game to shock Sterling. The Pilots' pace led to a trio of early buckets before Olivia Nickerson highlighted the run with a three to make it 13-0.
• Sterling would score their first points with 3:53 to play in the first quarter on a McKenna Vogl jumper. The Warriors started to find some offense late, but they could not slow down the Pilots as the score sat at 22-9 at the end of the first quarter.
• Gracie Oard would spark the Sterling offense in the second quarter with an early three that cut the deficit to 10. Later in the period, Navaeh Johnson would hit a layup off an assist from Kali Briar to put Sterling within 10 for the first time since the opening moments.
• Some crucial buckets from Karlee Jacobs down the stretch helped Sterling stay in it at the half. Her bucket with 25 seconds brought the Warriors within five. Bethel's Isabella Nooe responded with a layup high off the glass to end the first half to give the Pilots the 34-27 advantage. 13 different players scored in the first half with no player scoring more than nine points as the game provided balance early on.
• The third quarter would see Bethel move their lead back to 10 before Sterling instantly got back within striking distance. A jumper from Bailey Young with 3:54 left put Sterling back within five, tying the closest they had been.
• After McKena Vogl cut it to two at the free throw line, Bethel would end the third quarter on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a Jazmyn Smith putback at the third quarter horn. Bethel led 49-41 headed into the fourth quarter.
• Bethel carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, capping a 12-2 run with a Justyce Williams jumper to put the Pilots back in front by 12 with eight minutes to play.
• Bethel would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way seeing their balanced offense and pesky defense earn them the 76-63 win to advance to Saturday's national championship where they will pursue their first title since 2011.

Head Coach Scott Polsgrove shared, "Obviously really proud of the team. We got off to a great start and did a great job of handling a couple of runs by Sterling. We got great contributions from everyone including Luvrain Gaskins going 5-5 from the field and scoring 11 points of the bench." 

The Bethel Pilots will next face the College of the Ozarks (24-11) on Saturday, March 21 at 6 PM EST/ 5 PM CST in pursuit of their seventh NCCAA National Championship Title. 

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