By Matt Humphrey
Special to the Enquirer

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Northern Kentucky senior Amy Mobley was either making mind-bending shots, or missing them so badly they hardly touched the rim. But when the Norse trailed Washburn by one midway through the first half Wednesday afternoon at St. Joseph Civic Arena, Mobley picked the right time for accuracy.

One of her two 3-pointers gave Northern Kentucky the lead once more and sparked a 65-53 win in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

TODAY'S GAME

• Matchup: NKU vs. California (Pa.) • When: 7 p.m. • Radio: WTSJ-AM (1050) • At stake: Berth in the title game vs. winner of Bentley vs. South Dakota State.

OTHER SCORES

• California (Pa.) 76, North Florida 62 • Bentley 80, Central Arkansas 69 • South Dakota State 83, Cal State-Bakersfield 62

"I don't know what I was thinking," Mobley said. "I don't know where I was on the floor. ... I'm glad that went in and we went back up by two."

She's even happier NKU (25-7) is two wins from its second national championship in four years. The Norse face top-ranked California (Pa.) at 7 p.m. today in the first of two national semifinals.

Washburn (30-4) held Mobley, the Norse's leading scorer, to nine points, but Mobley's five assists energized an offense that excelled both inside and out. Fellow senior Bridget Flanagan finished with a team-high 20 points, while freshman Sharell Snardon scored 16 points and senior Kristin Polosky added 13.

The Norse's defense frustrated Washburn, which shot 30 percent in the second half.

The Norse held the Lady Blues scoreless for more than nine minutes during one stretch, which helped the Norse build a 50-35 lead with 9:49 left.

"We were playing some man and some zone," Flanagan said. "We were getting out on their shooters and we got a hand in their face."

And that surprised Northern Kentucky coach Nancy Winstel. Her Norse have been known more for their up-and-down offense than for defense.

Shooting 52 percent calmed Winstel's nerves.

"We do some really crazy stuff at times," Winstel said. "The one thing we do when that happens is that we don't panic. I'm over there screaming, ranting and raving and yelling, and they just look at me like: `You know, it's all right. Here we go.' That's just the way we play.

"It's a little nerve-wracking, but this team is so much fun to be around. It's a riot. I'm living a dream. A lot of people crossed us off a long time ago and it's amazing for us to be here, to be in this situation. To win a game is, wow, great."

Washburn senior Crystal Walker scored 21 points, but 11 came in the final eight minutes after Northern Kentucky had the game under control.

Another Washburn senior, Kristy Chapman, scored 14 points in the first half and was the only player keeping the Norse from running away with it.

The Norse led 38-30 at halftime, relying heavily on Snardon. She scored 13 of her 16 points in the first half.

"I was kind of nervous coming in," Snardon said. "I didn't know how I was going to do today. I was surprised that I've done so well."

NKU (25-7) - Burrows 0-1 0-0 0, Myers 3-5 0-0 6, Mobley 3-8 1-1 9, Flanagan 8-11 1-1 20, Polosky 5-11 2-3 13, Marx 0-0 0-0 0, Sterling 0-0 0-0 0, Snardon 5-9 6-7 16, Philips 0-0 0-0 0, Brock 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 24-46 11-14 65.

WASHBURN (30-4) - Goeglein 3-5 0-0 6, McGraw 0-1 0-0 0, Czarnecka 0-3 0-0 0, Walker 7-15 6-6 21, Westling 3-8 0-0 8, Roadhouse 1-3 0-0 2, Chapman 5-13 0-0 14, Ingram 1-3 0-0 2, Garrett 0-0 0-0 0, McHenry 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-51 6-6 53.

Halftime: NKU 38, W 30. 3-pointers: NKU 6-17 (Burrows 0-1, Mobley 2-5, Flanagan 3-6, Polosky 1-4, Brock 0-1), W 7-16 (Goeglein 0-1, Walker 1-1, Westling 2-4, Chapman 4-10). Rebounds: NKU 26 (Burrows 7), W 26 (Walker 8). Assists: NKU 11 (Mobley 5, Polosky 5), W 13 (Chapman 4). Officials - Harris, Logan, Ulmer. Technical fouls - None. Attendance - 1,723.