Denison opened the second half on a 12-0 run behind nine points from Gretchen Staubach.  That shot of adrenaline would be enough propel the Big Red to a 67-57 victory over No. 2 seed Ohio Wesleyan in the semifinals of the 2014 North Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament.

The Big Red improve to 21-6 overall and will face top-seeded and fourth-ranked DePauw on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in Greencastle, Ind.

In the first half both teams struggled to find a consistent tempo as the two squads combined for 21 turnovers in the period.  Both connected on just 11 field goals and the two teams went into the locker room tied 25-25.

In the second half, Mikaela Freundlich opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and Staubach would follow with nine unanswered points over the next 1:34.  With 16 minutes to play, DU found themselves with a double-digit lead.

With 10:13 to play, Kristin Henning got OWU to within six points at 43-37 but that would be as close as the Battling Bishops would get.  DU was red-hot in the second half, shooting 58 percent from the field (14-for-24), and they got to the free throw line 22 times, connecting on 13.  Staubach scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the period and Jordan Holmes was a dominating presence in the post.

Holmes checked into the game averaging a double-double and she came very close to notching her third triple-double of the season.  She played all 40 minutes, scoring 14 points while tying the NCAC Tournament single-game record with a career-high 23 rebounds.  Her 19 defensive boards were two less than Ohio Wesleyan's team total for the game.  Not to be overlooked was Holmes' impact in the shot blocking category.  She finished with seven blocks, one more than her season average which leads all of NCAA Division III.

Following Staubach and Holmes was junior guard Candise Love.  She finished with 10 points in 34 minutes of action.  Freundlich and Paige Williams each chipped in seven points for the Big Red.

Ohio Wesleyan was paced by Henning's 15 point effort in 26 minutes off the bench.  LaNiece McRae scored 10 points and led the Bishops with 15 rebounds.  For the game, OWU shot 34 percent from the field and were edged on the boards 41-37.  Denison connected on 48 percent of its field goal tries.

This marks Denison's ninth appearance in the NCAC Championship game. In DU's eight previous championship game appearances they boast a record of 7-1.  Their only loss came in 2012, against DePauw.

NOTABLE: Jordan Holmes' 23 rebounds tied the NCAC Tournament record for rebounds in a game, matching Jerilyn Bushong's effort in 1986 for Ohio Wesleyan.