Lenoir-Rhyne, Tusculum Advance In NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament

HICKORY, N.C. - The No. 1 seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University Women's Basketball Team (27-4) picked up a 69-58 win over eight seed Anderson University (18-13) Friday evening at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium in the quarterfinals of the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Region Women's Basketball Tournament. L-R will move to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

L-R opened the game with nine straight points and pushed its lead to as much as 18 in the first half (31-13) before going into the locker room with a 32-17 advantage. Junior center Denise Moore (Newport News, Va./Rider Univ.) scored 13 of her team-high 17 points before the break.

After the intermission, the Bears opened up their largest lead of the game at 37-17 before the Trojans roared back into the game. Over the next 5:15, Anderson went on a 21-4 run to cut the L-R lead to three.

The Bears battled back with a 12-0 run of their own, holding the Trojans scoreless for 4:28 to seal the victory.

Junior guard Jami Safrit (Hickory, N.C./Fred T. Foard HS) led the way for L-R with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Junior guard Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell HS) added 13 points and graduate student guard Brittany Mitch (McLean, Va./Duke Univ.) pitched in nine points of her own.

Anderson's Keana Boyd (Newberry, S.C.) led all scorers with 21 points and was helped by Kirsten Peterson (Owego, N.Y.) and Alexa Neal (Greensboro, N.C.) as they chipped in 10 points a piece.

When asked about this season's success, Lenoir-Rhyne Head Coach Todd Starkey replied, "We're doing historical things. Everything that has happened this season, winning the regular season and conference tournament championship, earning the number one seed and hosting the regional tournament and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament is making history. It will be great to look back on at the end of the season and say 'Wow, we had a great run', but there's still more to be done this year."

Lenoir-Rhyne will face fourth-seeded Francis Marion Saturday night at 8:00 p.m., in the regional semifinals. FMU defeated USC Aiken by a 101-83 margin Friday night.

LENOIR-RHYNE 69, ANDERSON 58
ANDERSON (18-13)
Boyd, Keana 8-22 2-2 21; Neal, Alexa 4-9 0-0 10; Peterson, Kirsten 4-8 2-2 10; Wilson, Shanice 4-9 0-1 8; Abed, Ashley 1-5 2-2 5; Sellers, Korie 1-4 0-0 2; Bauzaite, Egle 1-2 0-0 2; Henderson, Kathryn 0-0 0-0 0; Holbrook, Genia 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 23-64 6-7 58.
LENOIR-RHYNE (27-4)
Moore, Denise 7-18 3-4 17; Holt, Amber 4-11 3-4 13; Safrit, Jami 3-6 5-8 11; Mitch, Brittany 3-8 3-3 9; Fulmer, Kristen 2-2 1-2 5; Culler, Whitley 2-3 0-0 4; Kremer, Jacquelyn 2-4 0-0 4; Rann, LaCourtney 1-2 1-1 3; Webster, Meredith 1-3 0-0 3; Sealey, Cameron 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-59 16-22 69.
Anderson...................... 17 41 - 58
Lenoir-Rhyne.................. 32 37 - 69
3-point goals--Anderson 6-26 (Boyd, Keana 3-13; Neal, Alexa 2-7; Abed, Ashley 1-4; Bauzaite, Egle 0-1; Holbrook, Genia 0-1), Lenoir-Rhyne 3-14 (Holt, Amber 2-5; Webster, Meredith 1-3; Mitch, Brittany 0-3; Rann, LaCourtney 0-1; Safrit, Jami 0-2). Fouled out--Anderson-Holbrook, Genia, Lenoir-Rhyne-None. Rebounds--Anderson 39 (Wilson, Shanice 9), Lenoir-Rhyne 39 (Safrit, Jami 8). Assists--Anderson 9 (Abed, Ashley 3; Neal, Alexa 3), Lenoir-Rhyne 18 (Safrit, Jami 8). Total fouls--Anderson 24, Lenoir-Rhyne 14. Technical fouls--Anderson-None, Lenoir-Rhyne-None. A-1195
2009 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Southeast Region Tournament
No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. No. 8 Anderson - Quarterfinals

Tusculum 87, Lander 70

HICKORY, N.C. - Second-seeded and 16th-ranked Tusculum College opened the second half by hitting four straight shots and the Pioneers would go on to an 87-70 victory over seventh-seeded Lander University, Friday afternoon (March 13) in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional women's basketball tournament.

Tusculum (26-5) advances to face the Clayton State University/Carson-Newman College winner in Saturday's first semifinal at 6 p.m. Lander, winner of last week's Peach Belt Conference Tournament and making its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, ends its season at 20-11.

Sophomore 5-0 point guard Jasmine Gunn led Tusculum with 19 points, six assists, and six rebounds. Four other Pioneers also scored in double digits: Stephany Neptune 16, Kat Spears 15, Shantae Shank 13, and Nikki Van Dine 12. Both Neptune and Spears also hauled down 10 rebounds apiece, while Neptune dished out seven assists.

Sophomore 6-0 center Shannon McKever led the young Lander squad with 16 points, all coming in the second half, and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward TaSheba Butler added 14 points, while Mukia Myrick added 12 and Ciara Lyons 10. The Lady Bearcat roster consists only of sophomores and freshmen.

Four different Pioneers hit shots, two from behind the three-point arc, over the opening 1:24 of the second stanza to expand a 38-27 halftime lead to 48-31.

Lander would answer with an 8-0 spurt to trim the margin to 48-39, following a pair of charity tosses by McKever. However, that would be the only time over the final 20 minutes that the margin would dip below 10 points.

Leading 62-50, Shank sparked a 7-0 Tusculum run that left the Pioneers holding a 69-50 lead with 8:36 left.

Tusculum scored the game's opening two baskets as Lander committed three turnovers and missed one shots on its opening four possessions. Despite losing McKever to the bench after a pair of fouls in the opening two minutes, Lander rallied to tie the score at 9-9 on a three-pointer by Nardia Robbins.

Tusculum broke an 11-11 deadlock with a three-pointer by Van Dine. That bucket would spark a 16-8 Pioneer run that produced a 27-19 advantage with 5:38 left in the half.

The margin would swell to 11 points on two occasions, the last at 38-27 on two free throws by Shank with 19.2 ticks left before halftime. That would also be the score as the two teams headed to the locker room at intermission.

Tusculum held Lander to 28.2 percent shooting in the first half, including 1-of-11 from beyond the three-point arc. Lander finished the game at 34.2 percent, 4-of-20 on three-point attempts, while Tusculum hit 50.8 percent from the floor (54.8 percent in the final half). The Pioneers also held a 49-34 rebounding advantage.

TUSCULUM 87, LANDER 70
LANDER (20-11)
McKever, Shannon 6-8 4-5 16; Butler, TaSheba 4-8 6-6 14; Myrick, Mukia 3-14 4-4 12; Lyons, Ciara 4-12 2-2 10; Robbins, Nardia 3-7 0-0 7; Judge, Jasmine 1-6 0-0 3; Webb, Brianna 1-6 0-0 2; Johnson, Brittni 1-6 0-0 2; Barnes, Keondra 1-3 0-0 2; Small, Kaylyn 1-3 0-0 2; Hupp, Katie 0-0 0-0 0; Young, Tierra 0-0 0-0 0; Butler, Andrea 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-73 16-17 70.
TUSCULUM (26-5)
Gunn,Jasmine 7-15 5-6 19; Neptune,Stephany 6-16 4-6 16; Spears,Kat 7-10 1-2 15; Shank,Shantae 4-4 5-6 13; Van Dine,Nikki 4-8 0-0 12; Hintz,Catherine 2-3 3-4 7; Oliver,Ashli 2-6 0-0 5; Oliver,Brittni 0-1 0-0 0; Parker,Jasmine 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-63 18-24 87.
Lander........................ 27 43 - 70
Tusculum...................... 38 49 - 873-point goals--Lander 4-20 (Myrick, Mukia 2-7; Judge, Jasmine 1-6; Robbins, Nardia 1-2; Webb, Brianna 0-4; Johnson, Brittni 0-1), Tusculum 5-13 (Van Dine,Nikki 4-7; Oliver,Ashli 1-4; Oliver,Brittni 0-1; Gunn,Jasmine 0-1). Fouled out--Lander-None, Tusculum-None. Rebounds--Lander 34 (McKever, Shannon 7; Small, Kaylyn 7), Tusculum 49 (Spears,Kat 10; Neptune,Stephany 10). Assists--Lander 13 (Judge, Jasmine 4), Tusculum 17 (Neptune,Stephany 7). Total fouls--Lander 18, Tusculum 12. Technical fouls--Lander-None, Tusculum-None. A-335
2009 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Southeast Region Tournament
No. 2 Tusculum vs. No. 7 Lander - Quarterfinals

No. 3 Clayton State 68, No. 6 Carson-Newman 66

HICKORY, NC - Senior guard Marie St. Fort scored 17 points and sparked a key first-half run, and third-seeded Clayton State University would hold on for a 68-66 win over sixth-seeded Carson-Newman College, Friday afternoon (March 13) in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional women's basketball tournament.

Clayton State (24-6) advances to face second-seeded and 16th-ranked Tusculum College in Saturday's first semifinal at 6 p.m. Carson-Newman finishes its season at 19-11. It was the third time the two programs have met in the NCAA Tournament over the past five years, and Clayton State has captured the last two meetings (2007 and 2009).

St. Fort scored 15 of her 17 points in the opening half, and in the process became the fifth Lady Laker to surpass 1,000 career points. Brittany Hall added 11 points on 4-fo-4 shooting, while Lisa Jackson and Lesheria Stevens chipped in 10 points apiece. Jackson, 5-11 senior forward, hauled down a game-high 14 rebounds.

Senior guard Angela Volentine led Carson-Newman with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Lindsey Eggleston came off the Lady Eagles' bench to tally 11 points and eight rebounds. Ashley Tipson added 10 points.

Carson-Newman held a 24-18 lead after Eggleston scored on a follow shot at the 8:00 mark. Clayton State answered with three straight baskets to tie the score at 24-24. The Lady Eagles would go back up 29-26 as Ashley Kyle scored on a driving layup.

St Fort ignited a 13-0 Lady Laker run with seven straight points as Clayton State flowed ahead 39-29 with less than a minute remaining in the half. The two teams traded buckets in the final 26 seconds for a 41-31 Clayton State advantage at intermission.

The margin was still 10 points (48-38) early in the second stanza. A stick-back basket by Eggleston capped a 9-2 Carson-Newman spurt that brought the Lady Eagles to within 50-47 with 16:01 remaining in the contest.

The Lady Lakers would surge back up by double digits, 60-49 and later 66-55 with 7:26 left on an offensive rebound and bucket by Jackson. However, Clayton State would score only two points over the final seven minutes, those on a baseline jumper by Nikkisha Pritchett with 3:43 left that put the Lady Lakers up 68-63.

Two free throws by Tipton with 1:17 left pulled Carson-Newman to within 68-65. The Lady Eagles' Shari Buford then hit one of two free throws with 20.2 ticks remaining to cut the margin to one point. Following a 1-and-1 miss by Clayton State's Dominique Jennings with 11.5 seconds on the clock, Carson-Newman had one final opportunity to win or force overtime.

Following a timeout, the in-bounds pass was mishandled and a 40-foot heave by Mandy Mendenhall at the final buzzer was off the mark.

Carson-Newman came into the contest ranked second nationally in team field goal percentage at 47.4 percent, but the Lady Lakers' defense held the Lady Eagles to 41.8 percent shooting while also forcing 24 turnovers.

CLAYTON STATE 68, CARSON-NEWMAN 66
CARSON-NEWMAN (19-11)
Volentine, Angela 4-8 4-4 12; Eggleston, Lindsey 4-7 3-4 11; Tipton, Ashley 3-9 2-3 10; Williams, Zoriah 4-7 0-0 8; Buford, Shari 3-5 2-5 8; Mendenhall, Mandy 3-8 0-0 7; Kyle, Ashley 3-10 0-0 6; Howard, Lundyn 1-1 0-0 2; McDaniel, Tykira 1-4 0-1 2. Totals 26-59 11-17 66.
CLAYTON STATE (24-6)
St. Fort, Marie 6-17 2-4 17; Hall, Brittany 4-4 0-0 11; Jackson, Lisa 5-9 0-0 10; Stevens, Lesheria 4-9 2-2 10; Woodard, Tanisha 3-7 0-2 7; Jennings, Dominique 3-8 0-2 6; Pritchett, Nikkisha 2-7 0-0 5; Hardeman, Shanrika 1-5 0-0 2; Jemison, Jene'e 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-67 4-10 68.
Carson-Newman................. 31 35 - 66
Clayton State................. 41 27 - 68
3-point goals--Carson-Newman 3-10 (Tipton, Ashley 2-7; Mendenhall, Mandy 1-2; Volentine, Angela 0-1), Clayton State 8-21 (Hall, Brittany 3-3; St. Fort, Marie 3-6; Pritchett, Nikkisha 1-3; Woodard, Tanisha 1-2; Hardeman, Shanrika 0-2; Jennings, Dominique 0-4; Stevens, Lesheria 0-1). Fouled out--Carson-Newman-None, Clayton State-None. Rebounds--Carson-Newman 37 (Eggleston, Lindsey 8), Clayton State 43 (Jackson, Lisa 14). Assists--Carson-Newman 17 (Mendenhall, Mandy 4; Volentine, Angela 4; Kyle, Ashley 4), Clayton State 15 (Stevens, Lesheria 7). Total fouls--Carson-Newman 15, Clayton State 16. Technical fouls--Carson-Newman-None, Clayton State-None. A-285
2009 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Southeast Region Tournament
No. 3 Clayton State vs. No. 6 Carson-Newman - Quarterfinals