LAKELAND, Fla. – With a dominant fourth quarter and an incredible performance from junior point guard Samara Auguste, no. 2 seed St. Thomas (21-8) defeated  no. 3 seed Coastal Georgia (18-11) 76-60 in the semifinals of The Sun Conference Championship Tournament on Friday night.  With the win, the Bobcats will now play #1 Southeastern in The Sun Conference Championship Game to be played at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The win also guaranteed the Bobcats a trip to the NAIA Division II National Championships to be held March 7-13 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Auguste, a First-Team All-Conference selection, led all scorers with 29 points, hitting 12 field goals and going 4-for-4 from the free throw line.  The Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year also led all players with four steals and a game-high seven assists.  Auguste's 29 points were one point shy of her career high.

Katie Rienas, also a First-Team All-Conference performer, scored 15 points hitting two three-pointers and going 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.  Second-Team All-Conference selection Keiana Brooks scored 13 points.

Ebony Griffin pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, including five boards on the offensive glass.  Griffin added seven points on the offensive end, while Kristina Bugarski scored six points on two made three-pointers.

Trailing 55-53 at the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats went on an explosive run in the fourth quarter to outscore the Mariners 23-5 in the final stanza. 

St. Thomas will play Southeastern at 6 p.m. in Saturday's conference championship game.  To view a live broadcast of the game, go to https://portal.stretchinternet.com/thesun/