GRAND FORKS, N.D. -Diana Lopez struggled with her outside shooting for most of the game, but the Regis University senior was on the mark when it counted most.

The Rangers wouldn't expect anything else from their leading scorer.

Lopez twice came up with big baskets in the final 90 seconds to lead Regis to a 67-66 win against local nemesis Metro State on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Division II North Central Region tournament.

Regis (26-5) will play No. 1 seed North Dakota (30-3) today in the semifinal round.

Lopez's first basket, coming with 1:28 to play, gave Regis a 65-64 lead. Her second came with 58 seconds to go and gave the Rangers a 67-65 lead.

"The whole game, my shot wasn't falling," Lopez said. "The way they were playing me, I could penetrate."

Metro State's Danielle Ellerington hit a free throw with 38 seconds to go to cut the Regis lead to 67-66. Metro State, though, had an opportunity to win, but Cassondra Bratton's three-point attempt from the left wing at the buzzer was off the mark.

The meeting was the fourth this season between the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rivals. Regis held a 2-1 advantage entering the game, but the past didn't matter to Regis coach Linda Raunig.

"We spent this week trying to approach the game like it was the first one of the year," Raunig said. "There wasn't as much preparation with X's and O's as there was mental preparation."

Regis was led by Lopez's 17 points. Her twin sister, Denise, scored 15, and Stevi Seitz finished with 12 points.

Neither team managed to break away in the first half, which ended in a 29-29 tie. The Rangers gained an edge early in the second half, twice opening eight-point leads. But Metro State came back, led by Rianna Harris, who finished with a game-high 24 points.

The Roadrunners opened a 64-60 lead with 3:11 to go before Diana Lopez led the comeback.

"We went into brain lock on offense and started standing around," Raunig said.

The difference, Metro State coach Dave Murphy said, was turnovers. The Roadrunners committed 24 turnovers.

"Our kids battled," Murphy said. "But the bottom line was turnovers. We did a lot of good things. We outrebounded them and shot 52 percent. On most nights, that's enough to win."

Regis is making its third straight appearance in the North Central Region. The Rangers are in the semifinals for the first time. Their opponent, North Dakota, is no stranger to the postseason, with three Division II national titles in the past decade.

"They're big, strong and play really fast," Raunig said of UND. "We say our post player is six feet, but she's 5-10."

Regis University 67, Metro State 66

METRO STATE (24-7) - Rianna Harris 10-12 1-2 24, Danielle Ellerington 4-10 1-2 9, Anne-Marie Torp 4-9 0-0 8, Megan Johnson 1-2 1-1 3, Cassondra Bratton 3-7 0-0 7, Ashley Mickens 1-3 4-5 6, Paige Powers 21-5 0-0 2, Stephanie Sauter 1-1 0-0 3, Megan Sinclair 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 27-52 6-9 66

REGIS UNIVERSITY (26-5) - Stevi Seitz 5-9 0-0 12, Breanne Burley 4-7 0-0 10, Diana Lopez 7-15 1-1 17, Nicole Gross 2-5 0-0 4, Denise Lopez 6-15 2-2 15, Jenny Vieira 1-1 2-2 4, Jacque Machesney 0-0 0-0 0, Chelsie Rademacher 0-1 0-0 0, Lauren Luebbe 2-5 0-0 5, Becky House 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-58 5-5 67

Three-point goals - MS, Harris 3, Johnson, Bratton; R, Seitz 2, Burley 2, Di. Lopez 2, De. Lopez, Luebbe.

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