Lenoir-Rhyne, Newberry, Carson-Newman, Tusculum Advance In Food Lion SAC Women’s Basketball Tournament

The top four seeds all advanced in the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament in quarterfinal action on Wednesday night.

Top seed Lenoir-Rhyne University will face fourth-seed Tusculum at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday in the tournament semifinals, while second seed Newberry will face third seed Carson-Newman at 8 p.m.

Printable bracket

No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne 69, No. 8 Brevard 48

HICKORY, N.C. - The No. 1-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University Women's Basketball Team (21-6) easily beat eighth-seeded Brevard College (9-19), 69-48, Wednesday in the Quarterfinals of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium. L-R will next take on fourth-seeded Tusculum in the semifinals on Saturday at CVCC at 5:30 p.m.

L-R, ranked No. 24 in NCAA Division II, was led by senior guard Brittany Mitch's (McLean, Va.) game-high 15 points and seven rebounds while senior guard Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) added 14 points as the Bears won their eighth straight game.

Lenoir-Rhyne, which asserted itself early, raced to a 37-18 halftime advantage and led by as many as 35 points (65-30) on a three-pointer by senior guard Jami Safrit (Hickory, N.C.) with 7:07 left in the game.

Safrit finished with nine points, six assists and five rebounds as Lenoir-Rhyne increased its home record on the year to 11-0.

Lindsay Brendle (High Point, N.C.) led the Tornados with 13 points while Samantha Winn (Candler, N.C.) added a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) but Brevard was held to just 25 percent shooting (14-of-56) for the contest.

Lenoir-Rhyne hit eight three-pointers on the night as well in defeating Brevard for the third time this year.

At Hickory, N.C.
LENOIR-RHYNE 69, BREVARD 48
BREVARD
Brendle,Lindsay 2-10 9-9 13; Worley,Brianna 4-6 0-0 11; Winn,Samantha 3-13 3-4 10; Schlobohm,Anna 1-7 4-4 6; Whitaker,Amanda 3-5 0-0 6; Wharton,Millie 1-2 0-0 2; Hudler, Kelly 0-1 0-0 0; Roberts,Amber 0-2 0-0 0; Watkins,Asheley 0-3 0-0 0; Flippo,Holli 0-6 0-2 0; LaJoie, Micah 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-56 16-19 48.
LENOIR-RHYNE
Mitch, Brittany 5-8 2-3 15; Holt, Amber 5-9 3-4 14; Safrit, Jami 3-5 0-0 9; Sealey, Cameron 3-10 2-2 8; Moore, Denise 2-7 2-4 6; Elkins, Precious 2-3 1-4 5; Fulmer, Kristen 2-2 0-0 5; Rann, LaCourtney 1-2 2-2 4; Kremer, Jacquelyn 1-1 1-2 3; Simmons, Gina 0-2 0-0 0; Webster, Meredith 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 24-53 13-21 69.
Brevard............. 18 30 - 48
Lenoir-Rhyne........ 37 32 - 69
3-point goals--Brevard 4-18 (Worley, Brianna 3-4; Winn, Samantha 1-2; Wharton, Millie 0-1; Roberts, Amber 0-2; Watkins, Asheley 0-1; Flippo, Holli 0-5; Schlobohm, Anna 0-1; Brendle, Lindsay 0-2), Lenoir-Rhyne 8-23 (Safrit, Jami 3-4; Mitch, Brittany 3-5; Holt, Amber 1-3; Fulmer, Kristen 1-1; Rann, LaCourtney 0-1; Simmons, Gina 0-2; Webster, Meredith 0-4; Sealey, Cameron 0-3). Fouled out--Brevard-None, Lenoir-Rhyne-None. Rebounds--Brevard 33 (Winn, Samantha 10), Lenoir-Rhyne 43 (Sealey, Cameron 8). Assists--Brevard 8 (Whitaker, Amanda 3), Lenoir-Rhyne 18 (Safrit, Jami 6). Total fouls--Brevard 14, Lenoir-Rhyne 15. Technical fouls--Brevard-None, Lenoir-Rhyne-None. A-495

No. 2 Newberry 78, No. 7 Lincoln Memorial 56

NEWBERRY, S.C. - The second-seeded Newberry College women's basketball team took off on a 15-point run in the first half and never looked back in a dominant 78-56 win over seventh-seeded Lincoln Memorial University in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament quarterfinals in Eleazer Arena on Wednesday night.

Newberry (20-7) will move on to the tournament semifinals to take on third-seeded Carson-Newman at the CVCC Arena in Hickory, N.C., at 8 p.m. Saturday. LMU ends its season at 9-19 overall.

Newberry set a South Atlantic Conference Tournament record for single-game free throw percentage, connecting on 25-of-26 (96.2 percent) free throw attempts. The record was previously held by Mars Hill, which made 95.8 percent (23-of-24) of its free throws in a 2005 quarterfinal win over Lenoir-Rhyne.

Newberry was led offensively by Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.), who scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. The post duo of Anita Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) and LeAnne Watson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) each recorded double-doubles for the scarlet and gray. Bulcher scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Watson scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Newberry outrebounded LMU by a 55-34 margin in the game.

Lincoln Memorial was paced by 19 points from Dayshalee Salaman (Carolina, Puerto Rico) and 10 points from Amberly O'Dell (Argos, Ind.). Whitney Holmes (Oklahoma City, Okla.) grabbed 13 rebounds.

Newberry scored the first four points of the game and held a four-point lead for most of the first four minutes of the game until the Lady Railsplitters' Cena Nasiloski (Hammond, Ind.) scored four straight points to tie the game at 8-all with 15:40 to play in the first half. But the scarlet and gray went on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes, capped by a three-point play from Keisha Henderson (Columbia, S.C.). LMU was 0-for-6 from the field grabbed no offensive rebounds and turned the ball over three times during the Newberry surge.

The Lady Railsplitters cut the lead down to eight points with just over a minute to play in the half, but Newberry scored the final four points of the half to take a 42-30 lead into the locker room. Newberry was 14-of-31 (45.2 percent) from the field in the half, while LMU connected on 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) of its shots. Newberry outrebounded LMU 27-12 in the period and was a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line.

Newberry opened the second half with a 10-4 run over the first 3:30 to take an 18-point lead on a pair of Watson free throws. LMU attempted to cut into the lead with long-distance shots, but Newberry kept the Lady Railsplitters at arm's length, never allowing the visitors to get within 15 points from there on out. A Bulcher layup with 8;14 to play gave Newberry its first 20-point lead of the night at 64-44 and Newberry would lead by as many as 24 points before it was all said and done. The 22-point victory is Newberry's third against LMU this season and eighth straight in the all-time series.

The scarlet and gray move on to the Food Lion SAC Tournament Semifinals for the sixth consecutive season and will face off against third-seeded Carson-Newman, which was a 70-66 winner over sixth-seeded Wingate on Wednesday. The two teams split the season series with each team winning at home. The Lady Eagles won, 86-73, on January 2 in Jefferson City, Tenn., but Newberry won in Eleazer Arena, 67-64, on February 1. The two teams' last postseason meeting was a 67-62 Newberry win in the 2007 Food Lion SAC Tournament Championship game.

At Newberry, S.C.
NEWBERRY 78, LINCOLN MEMORIAL 56
LINCOLN MEMORIAL (9-19)
Salaman,Dayshalee 8-20 0-1 19; O'Dell,Amberly 3-9 2-2 10; Kikwiki-Mamuku,Dean 1-7 4-4 6; Mills,Carolyn 2-10 1-2 6; Holmes,Whitney 2-7 1-2 5; Nasiloski,Cena 1-4 2-4 4; Williams,Destiny 1-5 2-4 4; Hyatt,LaChelle 1-2 0-0 2; Richardson,Mariah 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-64 12-19 56.
NEWBERRY (20-7)
McKinney,Helen 8-16 8-8 24; Watson,LeAnne 4-8 6-6 14; Bulcher,Anita 4-11 2-2 10; Browne,Amy 4-14 1-2 9; Henderson,Keisha 2-2 2-2 6; Bearzatto,Jessica 1-3 2-2 5; Ward,Janine 2-2 0-0 4; Creet,Leeara 1-2 2-2 4; Johnson,Briana 0-5 2-2 2; Hudson,Shonquilla 0-2 0-0 0; Darnell,Amanda 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-65 25-26 78.
Lincoln Memorial.............. 30 26 - 56
Newberry...................... 42 36 - 78
3-point goals--Lincoln Memorial 6-20 (Salaman,Dayshalee 3-7; O'Dell,Amberly 2-7; Mills,Carolyn 1-5; Williams,Destiny 0-1), Newberry 1-7 (Bearzatto,Jessica 1-1; Browne,Amy 0-2; Hudson,Shonquilla 0-1; McKinney,Helen 0-3). Fouled out--Lincoln Memorial-None, Newberry-None. Rebounds--Lincoln Memorial 34 (Holmes,Whitney 13), Newberry 55 (Watson,LeAnne 14). Assists--Lincoln Memorial 11 (Williams,Destiny 5), Newberry 17 (Bearzatto,Jessica 5). Total fouls--Lincoln Memorial 19, Newberry 16. Technical fouls--Lincoln Memorial-None, Newberry-None.

No. 3 Carson-Newman 70, No. 6 Wingate 66

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The third-seeded Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (23-5) got a career-high 15 points from junior guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C.) as they came back from a nine-point second half deficit to defeat No. 6 Wingate (14-14) by a 70-66 score Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

"It wasn't pretty but it doesn't have to be," said Head Coach Dean Walsh after the game. "Wingate came in here with a great game plan, they did a good job shutting down our inside game with their zone. Our kids persevered and that's what you have to do at this time of the year to advance."

The two teams battled back and forth for the majority of the first half with the largest lead being six points after a 5-0 run by Wingate to make the score 23-17. C-N responded with a 8-2 run to tie the contest at 25 with 4:29 to go before the break. The Bulldogs would carry a one-point advantage (33-32) into the break.

In the second half, Wingate stretched their lead to nine at the 14:00 minute mark when they went on a 9-1 run that covered 3:04. Down by eight with 9:35 to go in the contest, the Lady Eagles outscored the Bulldogs 17-6 to take a 61-58 advantage, a lead they would not surrender. Wingate would cut the lead to one point twice within the last two minutes, but a pair of threes by Moore sealed the victory for C-N.

"Our energy was better in the second half by the way we rebounded," continued Walsh. "That was an emphasis at halftime. We did a lot better job keeping them off the offensive boards tonight than we did at their place on Saturday.

"The press was big for us in how it affected them. Not only from the aspect of getting steals, but also causing them to start running an offense with just 10 or 12 seconds left on the shot clock."

The Lady Eagles got the win despite being outshot 46.3 percent (25-for-54) to 35.7 percent (25-for-70) by the Bulldogs. Carson-Newman forced 19 turnovers, 11 of them coming as steals, compared to just 10 miscues of its own.

"When you shoot 36 percent from the floor and 63 from the line, you better hope that something is working, so going 10-for-28 from the three and only having 10 turnovers made the difference for us," said Walsh.

Moore finished the night with a team-high 15 points going 5-for-7 from behind the arc while senior guard Ashley Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn.) had 13 point and eight assists. C-N junior guard Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) added 11 points and freshman guard Candis Clear (Memphis, Tenn.) registered nine points and five assists as well for the Lady Eagles.

Sophomore forward Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) had six points and nine rebounds while senior forward Shari Buford (Hampton, Ga.) put up seven points and grabbed eight boards for the Lady Eagles.

"Our perimeter did a great job stepping up, Candis and Katlin along with Ashley played a great game. They were all tremendous tonight," continued Walsh.

"Katlin hit some big threes down the stretch for us. She's starting to play with a lot more confidence; her last few games have been pretty good. I'm proud of what she did tonight. She stepped up when some of the others didn't have their best going for them."

Wingate was led by Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) with 18 points and seven rebounds while Erica Crumlin (Irmo, S.C.) tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Stacie Rhodes (Knightdale, N.C.) and Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) had 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bulldogs.

"We have a challenge ahead of us in Newberry Saturday," concluded Walsh. "They are a well coached team with a great inside game. We've had two battles this year and now it's tme for round three."

Carson-Newman will advance to the semifinals of the Food Lion SAC Tournament on Saturday at 8:00 p.m., to take on second-seeded Newberry, which defeated Lincoln Memorial this evening, 78-56.

At Jefferson City, Tenn. (Holt Fieldhouse)
CARSON-NEWMAN 70, WINGATE 66
WINGATE (14-14, 7-9 SAC)
Washington, Kurie 6-12 5-5 18; Rhodes, Stacie 5-7 2-2 12; Wollett, Sarah 3-6 2-3 10; Crumlin, Erica 4-8 2-2 10; Brown, Gladney 2-5 0-0 6; Shuey, Stefani 2-5 0-0 4; Anderson, Jecia 1-3 0-0 2; Logan, Tish 1-3 0-0 2; Mitchell, Britney 1-2 0-0 2; Rosser, Sarah 0-0 0-0 0; Brooks, CC 0-0 0-0 0; Parrish, Emily 0-1 0-0 0; Whitenack, Stephanie 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 11-12 66.
CARSON-NEWMAN (23-5, 11-5 SAC)
Moore, Katlin 5-8 0-0 15; Kyle, Ashley 5-12 2-2 13; Mendenhall, Mandy 5-18 0-2 11; Clear, Candis 3-10 0-0 9; Buford, Shari 3-7 1-2 7; Williams, Zoriah 2-3 2-4 6; Phillips, Tasha 2-6 0-0 4; Jackson, Dominique 0-1 3-4 3; Miles, Courdne 0-2 2-2 2; Bates, Cassie 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 25-70 10-16 70.
Wingate....................... 33 33 - 66
Carson-Newman................. 32 38 - 70
3-point goals--Wingate 5-11 (Wollett, Sarah 2-4; Brown, Gladney 2-4; Washington, Kurie 1-2; Whitenack, Stephanie 0-1), Carson-Newman 10-28 (Moore, Katlin 5-7; Clear, Candis 3-8; Mendenhall, Mandy 1-8; Kyle, Ashley 1-2; Bates, Cassie 0-2; Phillips, Tasha 0-1). Fouled out--Wingate-None, Carson-Newman-None. Rebounds--Wingate 38 (Crumlin, Erica 8), Carson-Newman 38 (Williams, Zoriah 9). Assists--Wingate 13 (Wollett, Sarah 4), Carson-Newman 18 (Kyle, Ashley 8). Total fouls--Wingate 17, Carson-Newman 14. Technical fouls--Wingate-None, Carson-Newman-None. A-427

No. 4 Tusculum 96, No. 5 Catawba 87

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Jasmine Gunn poured in a game-high 32 points, turning in her third 30-point performance in the last four contests, to lead the fourth-seeded Tusculum College women's basketball team to a 96-87 win over fifth-seeded Catawba College in the quarterfinal round of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Wednesday night in Pioneer Arena.

Tusculum (18-9) connected on at least 50 percent of its attempts from the field for the fourth time this season, going 32-of-62 from the floor to post a 51.6 percent clip on the night. Catawba (15-13) shot 46.5 percent from the floor, including a 52.5 percent clip in the second half, while edging the Pioneers on the glass by a 41-to-40 margin. The Pioneers took tremendous care of the ball, committing a season-low seven turnovers while forcing 15 Catawba miscues.

Gunn set a pair of SAC Tournament records for free throws made and attempted, going 15-for-20 at the charity stripe while knocking down 8-of-13 attempts from the floor to post her third 30-point game of the season. The 4-11 All-American also recorded game-highs of six assists and three steals while pulling down six rebounds.

Kat Spears and Catherine Hintz joined Gunn in double figures with 17 points each, as both connected on 7-of-10 attempts from the floor. Hintz pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, while Jasmine Parker and Spears recorded eight and seven boards, respectively. Kendal Baxter also scored in double figures for the Pioneers, pouring in 14 points on a trio of three-pointers to push her season total to 83 triples, one trey shy of Ashli Oliver's freshman record of 84 trifectas.

Milica Ivanovic and Dana Hicks each turned in 20-point efforts for the Catawba Indians, pouring in 23 and 22 markers, respectively, while Hicks posted a double-double with a game-high 16 rebounds. Brooke Whitley and Kisha Long joined Ivanovic and Hicks in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, as Long tied Anna Dellapenta for the team high in assists with five helpers.

Tusculum never trailed in the contest, opening the game with a 7-2 run that was capped by a three-pointer by Gunn at the 17:33 mark. Kisha Long answered with a three-pointer of her own to cut the margin to 7-5 before the Pioneers launched an 11-4 run, taking an 18-9 lead on Baxter's first triple of the night with 13:50 to go in the half.

Catawba would close the gap to 18-14 with a quick 5-0 spurt before the Pioneers countered with a 22-11 run over the next 10 minutes, pushing the margin to 40-25 on a layup by Hintz with 3:42 remaining in the period. Tusculum would then close out the half with a 9-4 spurt to take a 49-30 lead into the intermission, as Gunn knocked down a jumper with less than five ticks left in the period.

The Pioneers continued to push the tempo early in the second half, opening their largest lead of the game at 62-39 when Hintz banked in a layup at the 14:57 mark. Catawba would respond with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 62-50 before the Pioneers countered with a 12-4 spurt of their own to push the lead back out to 74-54 on a free throw by Gunn with 7:08 to play.

Catawba would slowly chip away at the lead again over the next seven minutes, pulling within nine points when Ivanovic knocked down her fifth three-pointer of the game to cut the margin to 92-83 with 51 seconds left. The Pioneers would hold on for there, as Gunn converted four free throws down the stretch to set a pair of SAC Tournament records and propel TC into the semifinal round with Tusculum's third win of the season over Catawba.

Tusculum returns to the court on Saturday when the Pioneers travel to Hickory, N.C. to take on top-seeded No. 24 Lenoir-Rhyne University in the semifinal round of the SAC Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in CVCC Arena.

At Greeneville, Tenn.
TUSCULUM 96, CATAWBA 87
CATAWBA (15-13)
Ivanovic, Milica 8-16 2-4 23; Hicks, Dana 9-16 4-5 22; Whitley, Brooke 3-8 4-4 11; Long, Kisha 4-13 0-0 10; Dellapenta, Anna 3-6 0-0 8; Long, Nisha 3-6 1-1 7; Merritt, Elizabeth 1-2 0-0 2; Welfare, Renee 1-1 0-1 2; Sullivan, Maggie 1-3 0-0 2; Foster, Johnna 0-0 0-0 0; Coleman, Quaneashia 0-0 0-0 0; Connor, Jolysa 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-71 11-15 87.TUSCULUM (18-9)
Gunn,Jasmine 8-13 15-20 32; Hintz,Catherine 7-10 3-3 17; Spears,Kat 7-10 3-6 17; Baxter,Kendal 5-14 1-6 14; Hicks,Staci 4-5 0-0 8; Parker,Jasmine 1-5 5-10 7; Moise,Fayola 0-0 1-2 1; Shephard,Brenica 0-1 0-0 0; Oliver,Brittni 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 32-62 28-47 96.
Catawba....................... 30 57 - 87
Tusculum...................... 49 47 - 96
3-point goals--Catawba 10-24 (Ivanovic, Milica 5-10; Long, Kisha 2-8; Dellapenta, Anna 2-3; Whitley, Brooke 1-3), Tusculum 4-16 (Baxter,Kendal 3-11; Gunn,Jasmine 1-1; Parker,Jasmine 0-1; Oliver,Brittni 0-3). Fouled out--Catawba-Whitley, Brooke; Dellapenta, Anna, Tusculum-None. Rebounds--Catawba 41 (Hicks, Dana 16), Tusculum 40 (Hintz,Catherine 9). Assists--Catawba 17 (Long, Kisha 5; Dellapenta, Anna 5), Tusculum 18 (Gunn,Jasmine 6). Total fouls--Catawba 29, Tusculum 12. Technical fouls--Catawba-None, Tusculum-None. A-347