No. 7 Tusculum advances to Elite Eight with 70-63 upset of top-seeded Lander
Gunn scores 30 for Pioneers; Named Southeast Region Tournament MVP
March 15, 2010
GREENWOOD - The seventh-seeded Tusculum Lady Pioneers outscored top seed Lander 62-39 over the last 30 minutes of the game and won the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship with a 70-63 victory over the Lady Bearcats Monday night in front of a packed house at Finis Horne Arena.
After Lander hit its first eight shots from the floor and built a 24-8 lead, Tusculum stormed back behind Regional Most Valuable Player Jasmine Gunn's 30 points.
Tusculum (23-9) advances to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight March 23-26 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo, and will play undefeated Atlantic Regional champion Gannon University in a national quarterfinal game March 23.
Gannon (35-0) defeated Millersville for the Atlantic title and has the nation's second-longest NCAA winning streak behind Division I powerhouse Connecticut.
Lander saw its best season in school history come to an end with a 27-4 record. Including in its season was its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance, the highest national ranking ever at No. 7 (they are currently No. 11) and a school-record 14-game winning streak.
Gunn, who scored 96 points in the Regional, made 11 of 20 shots from the floor and eight of eight free throws as Tusculum swept three Peach Belt Conference teams Clayton State, Francis Marion and the Lady Bearcats. --- [more]
Reserves lead No. 1 Lander to Sweet 16 with 94-67 win over No. 5 Carson-Newman
March 13, 2010
GREENWOOD - Top-seeded Lander showed off its depth with reserves Nardia Robbins, Brianna Webb and Kaylyn Small playing starring roles in leading the Lady Bearcats into the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional finals with a 94-67 victory over fifth seed Carson-Newman Saturday night at Horne Arena.
Lander (27-3) advanced to the national Sweet 16 and will play seventh seed Tusculum College for the Southeast Regional championship Monday night at 7 p.m. at Horne Arena.
Monday night's winner advances to the Elite Eight to be played in St. Joseph, Mo.
Carson-Newman ended its season at 24-7.
Non-starting sophomore guards Robbins and Webb sparked the Bearcats with 15 and 14 points, respectively, each making big baskets when the Bearcats needed them most. --- [more]
Gunn's 45 points leads No. 7 Tusculum to region final with 103-96 win over No. 3 Francis Marion
March 13, 2010
GREENWOOD - Almost two feet apart in height, 4-foot-11 guard Jasmine Gunn and 6-foot-8 center Catherine Hintz have led Tusculum into the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional finals with a 103-96 victory over Francis Marion Saturday night at Finis Horne Arena.
Gunn led the Pioneers (22-9) into the national Sweet 16 with a performance for the ages, setting an NCAA Division II Women's Tournament record with 23 made free throws and falling one point shy of the Tournament all-time scoring record with 45 points.
Hintz added a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds, added five blocked shots, and changed countless other Francis Marion shots with her towering presence inside.
Tusculum will face Saturday night's Lander versus Carson-Newman winner for the Southeast Regional championship Monday night at 7 p.m. at Horne Arena. Monday night's winner advances to the Elite Eight to be played in St. Joseph, Mo. Francis Marion ended its season at 27-5. --- [more]
No. 5 Carson-Newman holds off comeback attempt from No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne, 79-72
March 12, 2010
GREENWOOD - No. 5 seed Carson-Newman stormed out to a 37-7 lead and survived a remarkable Lenoir-Rhyne rally, outlasting the fourth-seeded Bears 79-72 Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional, avenging two earlier defeats to their South Atlantic Conference rivals.
The Eagles improved to 24-6 on the season and will face top seed Lander in a Southeast Regional semifinal Saturday night at 7:30 at Horne Arena. Francis Marion and Tusculum will meet in the other semifinal at 5 p.m.
Lenoir-Rhyne had beaten Carson-Newman 78-67 and 85-76 during the South Atlantic Conference regular season. But despite a valiant rally cutting a 30-point deficit to four, the Bears couldn't complete the season sweep and finished 21-8. --- [more]
McKever leads top seed Lander past No. 8 Anderson, 96-55
March 12, 2010
GREENWOOD - Lander post players Shannon McKever and Kaylyn Small scored a combined 32 points as the top seed and No. 9 ranked Lady Bearcats cruised past eighth-seeded Anderson University 96-55 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Friday night at Horne Arena.
Lander, which led by as many as 42 points, improved to 26-3 on the season and will play the winner of Friday night's Lenoir-Rhyne versus Carson-Newman game Saturday night at 7:30 in the Regional semifinals. Francis Marion and Tusculum meet in the other semifinal at 5 p.m.
Anderson, the Conference Carolinas Tournament champion, finished 20-11 after starting the season only 10-9. --- [more]
No. 7 Tusculum upsets No. 2 Clayton State, 69-63
March 12, 2010
GREENWOOD – Jasmine Gunn scored 21 points as the No. 7 seeded Tusculum Pioneers outscored No. 2 seed Clayton State 27-11 over the final 11 minutes, upsetting the Lakers 69-63 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Friday afternoon at Horne Arena.
Tusculum improved to 21-9 on the season and will face No. 3 seed Francis Marion Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. in the Southeast Regional semifinals at Horne Arena.
Clayton State, winners of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament over the weekend, saw its season end with a 24-7 record. The Lakers led 52-42 with 11:07 left, but couldn't hold on. --- [more]
No. 3 FMU holds off No. 6 Newberry in 103-96 thriller to open Southeast Region Tournament
March 12, 2010
GREENWOOD – No. 3 seed and 20th-ranked Francis Marion built a 28-point lead early in the second half and survived a stunning Newberry College comeback, beating the No. 6 seed 103-96 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Friday afternoon at Horne Arena.
Francis Marion improved to 27-4 on the season and will meet Friday afternoon's Clayton State vs. Tusculum winner Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Region semifinals at Horne Arena.
Newberry ended its season at 21-9. Newberry cut a 28-point deficit down to seven, using a 27-6 run early in the second half to turn a rout into a thriller. Newberry got as close as five in the final minute. --- [more]
Bearcats counting on Myrick in clutch
March 11, 2010 from the Index-Journal
After Lander University women’s basketball coach Kevin Pederson opted to go with Mukia Myrick over Ciara Lyons for most of the second half and overtime of the Bearcats’ narrow loss to Clayton State in the Peach Belt Conference tournament semifinals he said he was “keeping the five players who were playing the best at the time on the court.”
In Myrick’s case, she has been playing the best basketball of her two-year collegiate career entering Friday’s matchup at 6 p.m. with Anderson University in the first round of the NCAA Southeast Regional at Finis Horne Arena.. --- [more]
Intriguing rematches possible for Lander in NCAA Regional
March 10, 2010
GREENWOOD - Motivation won’t be a problem for the Lander women’s basketball team when the school hosts the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament Friday, Saturday and Monday at Horne Arena.
Of course, motivation should never be an issue in an NCAA Tournament. But from the Lady Bearcats’ perspective, the potential opponents offer plenty of intrigue.
The eight-team Southeast Regional field includes the only three teams that beat Lander this season (Lenoir-Rhyne, Francis Marion and Clayton State), the team that eliminated the Lady Bearcats from the NCAA Tournament last year (Tusculum), and the school where Lander coaches Kevin Pederson and Russ Gregg got their start (Anderson University). --- [more]
Anderson Women's Basketball Seeded 8th in Southeast Region
March 7, 2010
ANDERSON - The Trojans have been seeded eighth in the NCAA's Southeast Region and will face top-seed and host Lander on Friday in Greenwood, S.C. as announced by the NCAA selection Committee Sunday night.
Friday’s contest will mark the seventh consecutive appearance by Anderson in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship, and the Trojans will square off against the host Lady Bearcats, who posted a 25-3 record this season. --- [more]
Tusculum to face Clayton State to open NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament
March 7, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS - The Tusculum College women’s basketball team has punched its ticket for the 2010 NCAA Division II Tournament and will be the No. 7 seed in the Southeast Regional, hosted by Lander University in Greenwood, S.C.
The Pioneers (20-9), who are making their third straight NCAA postseason appearance, will open first round action this Friday at 2:30 p.m. against second-seeded Clayton State University (24-6). --- [more]
Newberry qualifies for NCAA National Tournament
March 7, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS - The Newberry College women’s basketball team clinched a berth to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament as announced by the NCAA on Sunday night. Newberry emerged as the No. 6 seed in the Southeast region and will play No. 3 Francis Marion in the opening round.
Newberry returns to the tournament for the first time since making the tournament for three consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2007.
Newberry (21-8) compiled a 19-7 in-region record to lock up the sixth seed despite falling in Sunday’s Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship game to Tusculum. The Pioneers’ SAC championship granted them an automatic bid to the tournament and the No. 7 seed. --- [more]
Lady Eagles Receive Bid To 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament
March 7, 2010
Carson-Newman, which earned the fifth seed, (23-6) will face a familiar opponent in the region quarterfinals in fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne (21-7). The Bears defeated the Lady Eagles in both regular season matchups this year. --- [more]
Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Basketball Earns A Berth In The 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament
March 7, 2010
Clayton State women draw Tusculum in NCAA Division II Southeast Regional
March 7, 2010
For the sixth straight season, the Lakers will advance to the "Big Dance," and this season Lander will be playing host to the Division II Southeast Regionals. 21st-ranked Clayton State (24-6) is seeded second in the regional and will play seventh-seeded and South Atlantic Conference Tournament champion Tusculum (19-9) in one of four quarterfinal games on Friday at Lander’s Horne Arena. --- [more]
Patriot Women earn NCAA Big Dance invitation
March 7, 2010
FLORENCE – The Francis Marion University women's basketball team learned Sunday night that it has earned a third straight invitation to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, and that the Patriots will be the third seed in the Southeast Regional to be played in Greenwood, S.C., on Friday, Saturday, and Monday (March 12, 13, 15). The three-day regional will be hosted by Lander University in its 2,500-seat Finis Horne Arena. --- [more]
Lander University to host NCAA Southeast Regional
GREENWOOD - The Lander women's basketball program will host the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament for the first time March 12-13 and 15 in Horne Arena. The Southeast Region is part of the NCAA's eight-region, 64-team national tournament.
The quarterfinal round will open on Friday with No. 3 Francis Marion (26-4) facing No. 6 Newberry (21-8) at noon. The other quarterfinal games are: No. 2 Clayton State (24-6) vs. No. 7 Tusculum (20-9) at 2:30 p.m.; No. 1 Lander (25-3) vs. No. 8 Anderson (20-10) at 6 p.m.; and No. 5 Carson-Newman (23-6) vs. No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne (21-7) at 8:30 p.m.
The semifinals are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, with the championship game set for 7 p.m., Monday.
The Southeast Regional winner will advance to the Elite Eight in St. Joseph, Mo., where it will play the Atlantic Region winner on March 23.