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TOPEKA, Kan. -- Stevi Schultz had a season-high 20 points Saturday but the Lady Blues came up short in their comeback effort against Emporia State, 71-65 in Lee Arena in the semifinal of the NCAA South Central Region tournament.

Ninth-ranked and top-seeded Washburn ended its season 29-5 while fifth-seeded Emporia State improved to 23-8. The Lady Hornets will play Monday at 7 p.m. against Pittsburg State in the championship game.

Schultz hit a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left that cut ESU's lead to 67-65 and then she stole the ball from Jocelyn Cummings six seconds later to give Washburn a chance to win or tie. Ebonie Williams missed a 3-pointer and then the Lady Hornets made four free throws in the closing seconds to win and avoid going 0-4 this year against Washburn.

Schultz went 6 for 15 from the field. She ended her four-year career with 1,084 points, 15th best in school history. She finished second with 217 career 3-pointers.

Williams and Cassie Lombardino scored in double figures in their final games at Washburn. Dana Elliott, who started the last four games, had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Emporia State shot 58 percent from the field after a 62 percent effort in the second half. The Lady Hornets trailed by 10 at the 12:22 mark of the first half. They cut it to one five minutes later and then took the lead for good with 2:49 left in the half on a 3-pointer from Kelsey Balcom.

The Lady Hornets pushed their lead to double-digits near the midway point of the second half and kept it that way until the four-minute mark. Laura McMullin hit two free throws for Washburn at 3:55 to cut it to eight but Washburn trailed by multiple possessions until Schultz hit her 3-pointer with 24 seconds left.

Washburn shot 36 percent from the field. The Lady Blues were edged in rebounding, 35-33 and they had just seven turnovers while ESU had 15. The Lady Hornets made up for the turnover margin with their strong shooting. Cummings, who finished with 27 points, went 10 of 14 from the field. Kathytn Flott came off the bench and shot 4 of 5 for eight points.

The Lady Blues won their ninth MIAA tournament title and their eighth regular season title this year. They had their 11th-straight 20-win season and went to the NCAA tournament for the 11th straight year.