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

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Top seed Tusculum pulled out a close game, defeating Anderson 62-61 in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference women's basketball tournament on Wednesday. Second seed Wingate defeated seventh seed Catawba, sixth seed Carson-Newman upset third seed Lenoir-Rhyne 77-67, and fourth seed Newberry defeated fifth seed Mars Hill 80-64.

Saturday's semifinal matchups will have Tusculum facing Newberry in a rematch of last year's tournament championship game at Noon. Wingate and Carson-Newman will play at 2:30 p.m.

The semifinals and championship will be played at the Catawba Valley Community College Multipurpose Facility in Hickory, N.C.

No. 1 Tusculum 62, No. 8 Anderson 61

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Jasmine Parker scored a season-high 20 points and Catherine Hintz led all players with 25 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots as Tusculum College held off Anderson University 62-61 in a Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena.

The Pioneers (19-8), the top seed in the tournament and defending champions, advance to play Newberry in the semifinals on Saturday at noon at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. The fourth-seeded Wolves defeated fifth-seeded Mars Hill 80-64 in a quarterfinal game Wednesday evening.

Parker shot 10-for-14 from the field to surpass her previous season high of 17 points set against Lewis on November 26, while Hintz went 12-for-16 from the floor and 1-for-3 from the line en route to her seventh double-double of the season. Linda Aughburns also reached double figures for the Pioneers with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Breonda Shannon led the eighth-seeded Trojans (11-16) with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Alissa Diaz added 12 points. However, the Trojans allowed the Pioneers to convert 20 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points.

The game featured 10 ties and eight lead changes, with the Pioneers taking the lead for good at 50-48 on a layup by Hintz with 6:38 remaining. Tusculum led 60-51 with 1:43 left, but Anderson trimmed the deficit to two at 60-58 on a three-pointer by Diaz with 23.2 seconds left.

After a pair of missed free throws by the Pioneers, the Trojans went for the win but misfired on a three-point attempt with 13 seconds left. Brittni Oliver sank two foul shots with 10.2 seconds left to give the Pioneers a 62-58 lead, but Diaz responded with a three-pointer to pull the Trojans within 62-61 with 1.9 seconds left. Tusculum quickly inbounded the ball and time ran out before Anderson could commit a foul.

The Pioneers sprinted out to a 17-6 lead after eight minutes of play, but the Trojans reeled off 13 straight points to take their first lead of the night at 19-17 on a three-pointer by Alexa Neal with 8:38 left in the first half.

Back-to-back layups by Hintz in the final minute of the first half sent the Pioneers to the locker room with a 29-25 advantage. Hintz led all players with 14 points and six rebounds in the first half, while Neal paced the Trojans with eight points, four rebounds and four assists in the opening half.

Neither team led by more than four points in the second half until the Pioneers pulled out to their nine-point lead in the final two minutes. The Pioneers shot 7-for-13 from the foul line in the second half and 10-for-18 for the game, while the Trojans finished 4-for-5 at the stripe, all in the second half.

Overall, Anderson shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field while the Pioneers finished at 41.3 percent on 26-for-63 shooting. The Trojans shot 5-for-15 from three-point range and held the Pioneers without a three-pointer on eight attempts.

Saturday's semifinal game against Newberry will be a rematch of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference championship game, which saw the Pioneers earn a 67-55 victory and capture the first SAC tournament title in program history. The teams split their regular-season meetings, with the Wolves winning 62-55 at home on December 4 and the Pioneers capturing a 71-57 victory in Greeneville on January 29.

TUSCULUM 62, ANDERSON (S.C.) 61
ANDERSON (S.C.) (11-16)
Breonda Shannon 5-10 3-4 13; Alissa Diaz 5-11 0-0 12; Alexa Neal 3-6 0-0 8; Amanda Parris 3-4 0-0 7; Maci Siniard 3-9 1-1 7; Tilde Ahlin 3-7 0-0 6; Kimberly Major 2-3 0-0 4; Ashley Abed 2-5 0-0 4; Emily Willoughby 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-57 4-5 61.
TUSCULUM (19-8)
Hintz, Catherine 12-16 1-3 25; Parker, Jasmine 10-14 0-2 20; Aughburns, Linda 3-8 7-8 13; Oliver, Brittni 0-0 2-4 2; Baxter, Kendal 1-8 0-0 2; Hicks, Staci 0-6 0-0 0; Anderson, Nequoiah 0-1 0-0 0; Gunn, Jasmine 0-8 0-0 0; Moise, Fayola 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 26-63 10-18 62.
Anderson (S.C.)............... 25 36 - 61
Tusculum...................... 29 33 - 62
3-point goals--Anderson (S.C.) 5-15 (Alissa Diaz 2-4; Alexa Neal 2-5; Amanda Parris 1-1; Ashley Abed 0-2; Emily Willoughby 0-2; Tilde Ahlin 0-1), Tusculum 0-8 (; Parker, Jasmine 0-1; Aughburns, Linda 0-1; Baxter, Kendal 0-5; Gunn, Jasmine 0-1). Fouled out--Anderson (S.C.)-Alexa Neal, Tusculum-None. Rebounds--Anderson (S.C.) 34 (Breonda Shannon 9), Tusculum 41 (Hintz, Catherine 13). Assists--Anderson (S.C.) 12 (Alexa Neal 7), Tusculum 8 (Parker, Jasmine 5). Total fouls--Anderson (S.C.) 18, Tusculum 10. Technical fouls--Anderson (S.C.)-None, Tusculum-None. A-541

No. 2 Wingate 68, No. 7 Catawba 62

WINGATE, N.C. - Wingate University sophomore guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) had 21 points, knocking down four-of-five shots from three-point range, as the second-seeded Bulldogs defeated the seventh seeded Catawba College Indians 68-62 in quarterfinal action of the 2011 Food Lion SAC Tournament Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 18-9 overall, and advances to the semifinals Saturday. Catawba ends its season at 15-14 overall.

Wollett hit six-of-seven shots on the night, while handing out four assists. Junior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) scored all 10 of her points in the second half, while junior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) had nine points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs. Wingate will take on Carson-Newman College Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the CVCC Multipurpose Complex in Hickory, N.C.

Senior guard Milica Ivanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) led Catawba with 18 points to go along with five rebounds. Junior center Dana Hicks (York, S.C.) added 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Indians, while junior guard Jolysa Connor (Charlotte, N.C.) added eight points on four-of-five shooting.

The 'Dogs used an 8-0 run to take a 20-11 lead nine minutes into the first half. Rutledge started the spurt with a triple, while a three from Wollett capped the flurry. The Indians scored eight of the next 10 points to trim the lead to three, getting buckets from Ivanovic and Hicks to finish the flurry. Wingate pushed the lead back to five, but Catawba finished the half on a 6-0 run, taking a one-point lead at halftime thanks to a jumper from sophomore center Elizabeth Merritt (Lexington, N.C.) with five seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 10-0 run, taking a 34-25 lead on a three from Washington, who had five points in the opening flurry. After Catawba cut it to seven, Wingate scored six straight points to take a 13-point lead, sparked by a Wollett triple and layup from freshman forward Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.).

A three from Ivanovic, followed by a bucket from Hicks cut Wingate's advantage to eight with 4:03 remaining. Ivanovic drained a pair of free throws to get the Indians within six at the 2:39 mark. Wollett knocked down three free throws for the Bulldogs to push the lead back to nine with 34 seconds to go. Back-to-back triples from sophomore guard Johnna Foster (Huntersville, N.C.) cut the lead back to four with 19 seconds remaining, but Wollett knocked down two more free throws to secure the win for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs shot 39.3 percent on the night, shooting 51.6 percent in the second half. Wingate hit eight-of-15 shots from three-point range (53.3 percent), while holding a 45-34 rebounding advantage. Catawba shot 35.6 percent from the field, hitting five-of-22 from beyond the arc (22.7 percent).

WINGATE WOMEN 68, CATAWBA 62
CATAWBA (15-14 overall)
Ivanovic, Milica 6-17 4-4 18; Hicks, Dana 5-12 7-8 17; Connor, Jolysa 4-5 0-0 8; Foster, Johnna 2-3 0-0 6; Long, Kisha 1-9 2-2 5; May, Taylor 2-2 0-0 4; Merritt, Elizabeth 1-1 0-0 2; Lewis, Lauren 0-6 2-2 2; Mull, Courtney 0-1 0-0 0; Dellapenta, Anna 0-3 0-0 0; Coleman, Quaneasia 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 15-16 62.
WINGATE (18-9 overall)
Wollett, Sarah 6-7 5-6 21; Washington, Kurie 4-8 1-1 10; Rutledge, Simone 3-7 2-2 9; Dunbar, Chantal 3-7 0-1 6; Logan, Tish 3-4 0-2 6; Brown, Tiffany 2-7 0-0 5; Brooks, CC 2-8 1-2 5; Brown, Shey 0-3 3-4 3; Williams, Janitsha 1-10 0-0 3; Anderson, Jecia 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-61 12-18 68.
Catawba....................... 25 37 - 62
Wingate....................... 24 44 - 68
3-point goals--Catawba 5-22 (Foster, Johnna 2-3; Ivanovic, Milica 2-8; Long, Kisha 1-6; Lewis, Lauren 0-5), Wingate 8-15 (Wollett, Sarah 4-5; Brown, Tiffany 1-3; Rutledge, Simone 1-1; Williams, Janitsha 1-4; Washington, Kurie 1-1; Brooks, CC 0-1). Fouled out--Catawba-None, Wingate-None. Rebounds--Catawba 34 (Hicks, Dana 16), Wingate 45 (Rutledge, Simone 8). Assists--Catawba 11 (Long, Kisha 3), Wingate 12 (Wollett, Sarah 4). Total fouls--Catawba 16, Wingate 18. Technical fouls--Catawba-None, Wingate-None. A-304

No. 6 Carson-Newman 77, No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne 67

HICKORY, N.C. - The Carson-Newman College women's basketball team (14-15) defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University (14-13), 77-67, in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2011 Food Lion SAC Tournament Wednesday at Shuford Gymnasium.

Carson-Newman, led by Mandy Mendenhall's (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) 15 points, will now face second-seeded Wingate in the semifinal round of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Saturday at CVCC beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Sophomore guard Caroline Laughter (Hickory, N.C.), freshman guard Krystal Patton (Chilhowie, Va.) and freshman forward Alexis Katt (Euharlee, Ga.) all scored 11 points for the Bears, who ended the year with their fifth straight winning season.

Laughter added a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double while Patton hit three treys and finished with a career-high in points.

The Eagles, who beat the Bears on their home court for the second time this season, used a 23-3 run early in the second half to build a 22-point advantage (69-47) with 8:43 left then held on at the end to win.

Lenoir-Rhyne cut the margin to eight points at 75-67 with 33 seconds left on a lay-up by Laughter but the deficit was too great to overcome.

Courdne Miles (Burlington, N.C.) added a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) off the bench for the Lady Eagles, who hit nine three-pointers in the contest.

The Bears also failed to advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time in three seasons.

CARSON-NEWMAN 77, LENOIR-RHYNE 67
CARSON-NEWMAN (14-15)
Mendenhall, Mandy 6-17 0-0 15; Miles, Courdne 4-7 4-4 12; Blackwell, Amber 3-5 1-2 9; Dye, Rechelle 3-5 2-3 8; Depew, Shannon 2-6 3-4 8; Williams, Zoriah 4-8 0-0 8; Clear, Candis 3-6 0-0 8; Moore, Katlin 3-5 0-0 7; Moody, Whitney 1-4 0-0 2; Hunter, Megan 0-0 0-0 0; Bates, Cassie 0-0 0-0 0; Howard, Lundyn 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 29-63 10-14 77.
LENOIR-RHYNE (14-13)
Patton, Krystal 4-7 0-0 11; Katt, Alexis 5-8 1-2 11; Laughter, Caroline 4-10 3-4 11; Bongiorno, Danielle 2-6 4-5 9; Sealey, Cameron 2-8 5-5 9; Culler, Whitley 4-11 0-1 8; Brinkley, Whitney 2-6 0-0 4; Barrino, Quay 2-3 0-0 4; Pearson, Ashley 0-1 0-0 0; Johnson, Taylor 0-2 0-0 0; Whitmire, Joanna 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-62 13-17 67.
Carson-Newman................. 39 38 - 77
Lenoir-Rhyne.................. 36 31 - 67
3-point goals--Carson-Newman 9-23 (Mendenhall, Mandy 3-6; Blackwell, Amber 2-3; Clear, Candis 2-4; Moore, Katlin 1-3; Depew, Shannon 1-3; Moody, Whitney 0-3; Dye, Rechelle 0-1), Lenoir-Rhyne 4-15 (Patton, Krystal 3-3; Bongiorno, Danielle 1-3; Laughter, Caroline 0-3; Sealey, Cameron 0-4; Culler, Whitley 0-1; Katt, Alexis 0-1). Fouled out-Carson-Newman-None, Lenoir-Rhyne-None. Rebounds--Carson-Newman 34 (Miles, Courdne 10), Lenoir-Rhyne 42 (Laughter, Caroline 12). Assists--Carson-Newman 18 (Moore, Katlin 6), Lenoir-Rhyne 16 (Bongiorno, Danielle 5). Total fouls--Carson-Newman 19, Lenoir-Rhyne 17. Technical fouls--Carson-Newman-None, Lenoir-Rhyne-None. A-370

No. 4 Newberry 80, No. 5 Mars Hill 64

NEWBERRY, S.C. - With double-digit performances by four Wolves, the Newberry College women's basketball team eased its way past Mars Hill, 80-64, and is headed to Hickory, N.C., for a Food Lion South Atlantic Conference semifinal match.

Newberry (17-10) picked up a quick 10 point lead on Mars Hill (17-10) after senior Jessica Bearzatto (Melbourne, Australia) put in six of the Wolves first 12 points to make it 12-2 after just four and a half minutes of play in Eleazer Arena.

With 13:42 to go in the first half, Mars Hill forward Jessica Jones (Chattanooga, Tenn.) put in a layup to make it 16-7 in favor of the Wolves. Then with a Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) basket just seconds later, the Wolves would lead by a double-digit margin for the remainder of the game.

"Well I'm obviously pleased with the performance, especially for these seniors," said Newberry head coach Sean Page. "We had four players in double-digit points and one with nine. We did a great job on defense with holding the conference's top offense to just 64. This is definitely one of our better 40 minute performances of the year."

After pulling out to a 43-29 halftime lead, the Wolves then saw the lead grow to 27 points early on in the second half after a Briana Johnson (Irmo, S.C.) free throw shot. Leanne Watson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) then made it 29 with a layup as the Wolves cruised past the Lions for the second time this season.

Bearzatto shot a game high 18 points, one shy of tying her career record, and was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. McKinney, who scored 33 against the Lions earlier in the season, was good for 14 while Leeara Creet (Brisbane, Australia) finished with 13 and Watson had 12. Creet was also 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.

"The biggest stat of the game is our 27-for-31 from the line," said Page of the Wolves stellar free throw shooting. "If you can get a lead quickly the way we did and make your free throws it's almost impossible to lose the game."

Newberry picked up nine steals during the ballgame, forcing 17 Lion turnovers that they then turned into 18 points.

The scarlet and gray also outrebounded Mars Hill 44-32 and were led by Watson's nine. Johnson, McKinney and Creet each finished with seven.

All 13 players that were able to dress received playing time for coach Page's squad with underclassmen Ayan Ward (Buford, Ga.), Amanda Darnell (Marietta, S.C.), Ruta Valiulyte (Lietuva, Lithuania) and Amelia Dozier (Columbia, S.C.) all picking up minutes on the court.

Newberry will take on Tusculum in semifinal action this Saturday, March 5, at noon in Hickory, N.C.

NEWBERRY 80, MARS HILL 64
MARS HILL (17-9)
Harvey, Margaret 5-9 3-4 13; Metcalf, Kristen 4-9 0-0 12; Williams, Jocelyn 5-7 1-2 11; Carlson, Tyler 3-6 2-2 9; Young, Brittini 2-12 5-7 9; Jones, Jessica 1-1 1-3 3; Simon, Jackie 0-2 2-2 2; Assif, Sky 1-1 0-0 2; Miller, Beth 0-1 2-4 2; Deal, Taylor 0-4 1-2 1; Buckner, Katie 0-0 0-0 0; Poplos, Alexis 0-0 0-0 0; Warren, Erica 0-0 0-0 0; Ward, Autumn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 17-26 64.
NEWBERRY (16-10)
Bearzatto, Jessica 4-10 9-10 18; McKinney, Helen 6-14 0-0 14; Creet, Leeara 1-8 11-11 13; Watson, Leanne 5-9 2-2 12; Johnson, Briana 2-5 5-6 9; Brown, Brittany 3-8 0-0 6; Taylor, Devanee 3-4 0-0 6; Henderson, Keisha 1-1 0-2 2; Gleeson, Ellie 0-1 0-0 0; Dozier, Amelia 0-0 0-0 0; Valiulyte, Ruta 0-0 0-0 0; Darnell, Amanda 0-1 0-0 0; Ward, Ayana 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 27-31 80.
Mars Hill..................... 29 35 - 64
Newberry...................... 43 37 - 80
3-point goals--Mars Hill 5-16 (Metcalf, Kristen 4-8; Carlson, Tyler 1-3; Young, Brittini 0-4; Harvey, Margaret 0-1), Newberry 3-9 (McKinney, Helen 2-7; Bearzatto, Jessica 1-2). Fouled out--Mars Hill-Deal, Taylor, Newberry-Watson, Leanne. Rebounds--Mars Hill 32 (Williams, Jocelyn 7), Newberry 44 (Watson, Leanne 9). Assists--Mars Hill 14 (Young, Brittini 7), Newberry 10 (McKinney, Helen 2; Gleeson, Ellie 2; Henderson, Keisha 2; Bearzatto, Jessica 2). Total fouls--Mars Hill 21, Newberry 25. Technical fouls--Mars Hill-TEAM, Newberry-None.