Tusculum, Newberry, Wingate, Carson-Newman Women Advance To Tournament Semfinals

Seventh-seeded Tusculum upset second-seed Catawba 81-61 in the quarterfinals of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night, setting up a rematch of last year's tournament championship game with Newberry in Saturday's semifinals. Top-seed Wingate and fourth-seed Carson-Newman will meet in the other semifinal game.

No. 7 Tusculum 81, No. 2 Catawba 61

SALISBURY, NC -- Tusculum point guard Brooke Underwood (Knoxville, TN) nearly recorded a triple-double and helped lead the seventh-seeded Pioneers to an 81-61 win over #2-seed Catawba in quarterfinal action of the 2007 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night at Goodman Gym. The Pioneers improve to 16-12 and advance to face third-seeded Newberry on Saturday at the Catawba Valley Community College Arena in Hickory, NC. Catawba falls to 20-9.

Underwood finished the contest with 13 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Ashli Oliver (Kokomo, IN) led the Pioneers in scoring, pouring in 25 points on her seven 3-pointers, while Chassity Martin (Salem, VA) accounted for 21 points. NeKeithia Howard (Macon, GA) led Catawba with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Hillary Hampton (Salisbury, NC) tallied seven points in the loss.

Catawba jumped out to a seven-point lead early at 15-8 following a jumper by Ingrid Easter (Cana, VA) at the 14:38 mark, but Tusculum responded with a 21-5 spurt, including 11 straight points as the Pioneers led 29-20 halfway through the opening period. Oliver gave TC its biggest lead of the first half with her fifth 3-pointer in the period as the Pioneers went up 37-26 before settling for a 39-31 at intermission.

In the second period, Tusculum went on a 23-7 spurt, capped off by Martin's three-pointer with 8:56 remaining to put the game away. Tusculum shot 48 percent from the floor, including 52 percent in the first half, while Catawba shot 38 percent, including 32 percent in the final period.

At Salisbury,NC (Goodman Gym)
TUSCULUM 81, CATAWBA 61
TUSCULUM (16-12)
Oliver, Ashli 8-15 2-2 25; Martin, Chassity 7-11 4-5 21; Underwood, Brooke 5-8 3-3 13; Barta, Lindsay 4-10 0-0 8; Shank, Shantae 3-6 0-0 6; Lakey, Carlie 3-9 0-2 6; Neves, Diana 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 31-65 9-12 81.
CATAWBA (20-9)
Howard, NeKeithia 9-14 3-4 21; Hampton, Hillary 2-7 2-2 7; Foster, Tamekia 3-11 0-0 6; Easter, Ingrid 2-7 2-3 6; Muldrow, Corin 3-9 0-0 6; Clark, Cameron 1-5 1-2 4; Higgins, Brittany 1-1 1-2 3; Childs, Salita 1-1 0-0 2; Bartlett, Cristi 0-1 2-2 2; Baxter, Andrell 1-2 0-1 2; Colombo, Gia 1-4 0-0 2; LoSauro, Sicilia 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-64 11-16 61.
Tusculum...................... 39 42 - 81
Catawba....................... 31 30 - 61
3-point goals-Tusculum 10-26 (Oliver, Ashli 7-14; Martin, Chassity 3-7; Shank, Shantae 0-2; Neves, Diana 0-3), Catawba 2-13 (Clark, Cameron 1-1; Hampton, Hillary 1-5; Easter, Ingrid 0-2; Baxter, Andrell 0-1; Colombo, Gia 0-2; LoSauro, Sicilia 0-1; Foster, Tamekia 0-1). Fouled out--Tusculum-None, Catawba-Colombo, Gia. Rebounds-Tusculum 40 (Lakey, Carlie 9; Underwood, Brooke 9; Barta, Lindsay 9), Catawba 39 (Howard, NeKeithia 8). Assists-Tusculum 21 (Underwood, Brooke 11), Catawba 12 (Colombo, Gia 7). Total fouls-Tusculum 17, Catawba 15.
2007 Food Lion SAC Women's Tournament - Quarterfinals
#7-seed Tusculum advances to Saturday's semifinals at CVCC in Hickory, NC

No. 3 Newberry 64, No. 6 Mars Hill 60

NEWBERRY, S.C. - Excellent free throw shooting down the stretch proved to be the difference for the Newberry College women's basketball team Wednesday night, as the Lady Indians claimed a 64-60 victory over the Mars Hill College Lions in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Newberry head coach Jason Brink claimed his 100th career head coaching victory with the win.

The third-seeded Lady Indians (22-6) now advance to the tournament semifinals on Saturday. Their semifinal will be a rematch of last year's tournament final, as Newberry will play seventh-seed Tusculum College.

Mars Hill's season ends at 14-14 overall.

Ashlee Wright (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) led all scorers with 23 points, going a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe, as the Lady Indians were 31-of-35 (88.6 percent) on free throws in the win. All-SAC first teamer Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.) earned her 11th double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Abby DeBusk led Mars Hill with 20 points, while Allison Schafer earned a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.

The game was a tight affair throughout, as neither team could pull away early. But Newberry was able to jump ahead on a 6-0 run over a 1:10 span to take a 20-14 lead with 8:05 until the half. Mars Hill came as close as one point with just over five minutes to play, but Newberry took a 26-22 lead into the locker rooms.

DeBusk brought the Lions back into the game early in the second half, as the first team all-conference guard nailed two triples to give Mars Hill a 28-26 lead with 17:36 to go.

But the Lady Indians answered back with a 13-2 run of their own to take the lead for good. The run was capped on a Frasier fastbreak layup on an assist from second-team all-conference guard Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.), giving Newberry a 39-30 lead with 11:47 to play. Alexander led the team with four assists and also scored eight points.

Mars Hill came within three points with 8:43 left, when a Schafer jumper capped a 6-0 surge to bring the game to 41-38. But the Lions came no closer, as the Lady Indians went 17-of-20 at the charity stripe from that point to end the game.

The Lions shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the field, while Newberry shot only 32.0 percent (16-of-50) from the floor. But Newberry's 88.6 percent rate from the charity stripe as well as a 42-32 rebounding margin gave the Lady Indians the win, and the pass to Hickory.

The Lady Indians will now embark on their third consecutive trip to the tournament semifinals. Tipoff at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. is scheduled for 6 p.m.

NEWBERRY 64, MARS HILL 60
MARS HILL
DeBusk, Abby 9-12 0-0 20; Schafer, Allison 7-13 0-2 14; Okonowo, Ariel 3-9 1-2 8; Roberts, Lindsay 4-11 0-1 8; Blanford, Jessica 3-9 1-2 7; Lee, Shannon 1-2 1-2 3; Terry, Shamia 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-58 3-9 60.
NEWBERRY
Ashlee Wright 7-15 9-9 23; Tonique Frasier 4-15 10-12 18; Monica Alexander 1-5 6-6 8; Bulcher, Anita 1-3 2-2 4; Marine, Ashley 1-5 0-0 3; Tosha Goodman 1-2 0-0 2; Jenkins, Cicely 0-2 2-2 2; Laura Marquardt 1-2 0-0 2; Smalls, Tiffany 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-50 31-35 64.
Mars Hill........... 22 38 - 60
Newberry............ 26 38 - 64
3-point goals-Mars Hill 3-7 (DeBusk, Abby 2-2; Okonowo, Ariel 1-2; Blanford, Jessica 0-1; Schafer, Allison 0-2), Newberry 1-8 (Marine, Ashley 1-5; Monica Alexander 0-1; Jenkins, Cicely 0-2). Fouled out--Mars Hill-Schafer, Allison; Roberts, Lindsay; Lee, Shannon; Okonowo, Ariel; Terry, Shamia; Blanford, Jessica; DeBusk, Abby; Snider, Laura; Francis, Danielle;
Newberry-Smith, Angela; Monica Alexander; Ashlee Wright; Tonique Frasier; Tosha Goodman; Jenkins, Cicely; Tygress Hope; Laura Marquardt;TEAM; Smalls, Tiffany; Gilliard, Dezzire; Gray, Brandi; Bulcher, Anita; Marine, Ashley. Rebounds-Mars Hill 32 (Schafer, Allison 10), Newberry 42 (Tonique Frasier 12). Assists-Mars Hill 13 (Roberts, Lindsay 3; Okonowo, Ariel 3), Newberry 8 (Monica Alexander 4). Total fouls-Mars Hill 24, Newberry 12. A-300

No. 4 Carson-Newman 76, No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne 49

JEFFERSON CITY, TN-- Shari Buford scored 24 points and Dean Walsh earned his 100th win as Lady Eagle head coach as Carson-Newman defeated Lenoir-Rhyne, 76-49 in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament.

C-N (20-8) put together a solid defensive effort in holding L-R to an 0-for-15 showing from three-point range and 31% from the field. The Lady Eagles held All-SAC performer and Freshman of the Year Amber Holt to just six points on 2-of-9 shooting. The Lady Eagles shot 43% from the field for the first half and led 32-27 at the break. Buford, who was named to the SAC All-Freshman team this week, scored 15 of her 24 points in the first half.

In the second half, L-R got to within three points on a Denise Moore jumper, but that's as close as L-R would get. The Lady Eagles went on a 16-6 run capped by a Tashea LedBetter jumper with 10:08 to go and lead 50-37. C-N shot 54% from the field in the second half and were 50% from three-point range.

Stefanie Holbrook hit three of the Lady Eagles four treys and finished with 16 points while Ashley Kyle added nine points. LedBetter led the Lady Eagles with eight rebounds as C-N held the rebounding edge, 44-25. SAC All-Freshman team member Casha Foster dished nine assists while Buford led C-N with three steals.

Denise Moore was the only L-R player in double figures, leading the Lady Bears with 13 points while Jami Safrit added nine points.

The Lady Eagles advances the SAC Tournament semifinals against top seeded Wingate. The game will be played in Hickory, North Carolina on Saturday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m.

At Jefferson City, TN Holt Fieldhouse
CARSON-NEWMAN 76, LENOIR-RHYNE 49
LENOIR-RHYNE (16-12)
Moore, Denise 6-9 1-1 13; Safrit, Jami 1-5 7-7 9; Holt, Amber 2-9 2-2 6; Helton, Ashlei 2-8 2-2 6; Kremer, Jacquelyn 2-3 0-0 4; Casey, Lauren 1-6 2-2 4; Wilson, Kalah 1-2 2-3 4; Womack, Maggie 0-3 2-2 2; Williams, Jackie 0-1 1-2 1; Fulmer, Kristen 0-2 0-0 0; Duffy, Danielle 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-49 19-21 49.
CARSON-NEWMAN (20-8)
Shari Buford 10-16 4-6 24; Stefanie Holbrook 4-7 5-7 16; Ashley Kyle 3-6 2-4 9; Ashley Tipton 2-4 2-2 6; Tashea LedBetter 2-6 1-2 5; Casha Foster 2-9 0-0 4; Cassie Burks 1-2 2-2 4; Tykira McDaniel 1-2 0-0 2; Angela Volentine 1-3 0-0 2; Catelyn Dake 1-1 0-0 2; Lindsey Eggleston 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 28-58 16-24 76.
Lenoir-Rhyne.................. 27 22 - 49
Carson-Newman................. 32 44 - 76
3-point goals-Lenoir-Rhyne 0-15 (; Safrit, Jami 0-3; Holt, Amber 0-5; Helton, Ashlei 0-1; Casey, Lauren 0-4; Womack, Maggie 0-2), Carson-Newman 4-8 (Stefanie Holbrook 3-5; Ashley Kyle 1-1; Casha Foster 0-1; Ashley Tipton 0-1). Fouled out--Lenoir-Rhyne-Helton, Ashlei, Carson-Newman-None. Rebounds-Lenoir-Rhyne 25 (Moore, Denise 6), Carson-Newman 44 (Tashea LedBetter 8). Assists-Lenoir-Rhyne 10 (Safrit, Jami 4), Carson-Newman 22 (Casha Foster 9). Total fouls-Lenoir-Rhyne 22, Carson-Newman 21. A-500
C-N advances to semifinals of SAC Tournament

No. 1 Wingate 91, No. 8 Lincoln Memorial 54

Wingate, N.C.----The number 24 Wingate University women's basketball defeated Lincoln Memorial University 91-54 in a quarterfinal match-up in the 2007 Food Lion SAC tournament. The game was hosted by the top-seeded Bulldogs Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena on the Wingate campus.

Wingate improves to 23-5 overall with the victory and will advance to Hickory and the semifinals of the Food Lion SAC tourney. The Bulldogs will take on the victor of a quarterfinal game between number four seed Carson-Newman College and number five seed Lenoir-Rhyne College. Lincoln Memorial finishes the 2007 season 14-15 overall.

Wingate senior guard Tanetra Barrett (Marshville, N.C.) led all scorers with 20 points. Senior forward Lakin Byer (Bassett, Va.) added 17 points and junior guard Kate Edwards (Laurinburg, N.C.) 16 points, both off the bench for the Bulldogs. All 14 players to dress for Wingate recorded a field goal in the contest.

LMU junior forward Heather Benton (Wooten, Ky.) and freshman post player Andi Winney (Yorktown, Ind.) had 12 points apiece to lead the Railsplitter offense. Winney also pulled down five rebounds.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL (14-15 overall)
Benton, Heather 5-9 2-2 12; Winney, Andi 6-7 0-0 12; Richards, Madeline 3-9 0-0 8; Johnson, Latoya 3-8 1-2 7; Fane, Kate 2-3 0-1 5; Johnson, Sidney 1-1 0-0 2; Bowser, Betsy 1-7 0-0 2; Harrison, Sarah 0-2 2-2 2; Salas, Kelsi 1-3 0-2 2; Vannoy, Whitney 1-2 0-0 2; Alcema, Wisemane 0-3 0-0 0; Youhas, Kelly 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-54 5-9 54.
#24 WINGATE (23-5 overall) Barrett, Tanetra 8-15 4-6 20; Byer, Lakin 6-8 5-5 17; Edwards, Kate 6-6 1-2 16; Atkinson, Anna 3-3 2-2 9; Gillis, Kasey 1-1 2-2 4; Rhodes, Stacie 2-3 0-0 4; West, Brittany 2-2 0-0 4; Paffrath, Emily 2-5 0-0 4; Mincey, Paige 1-1 1-2 3; Payne, Autumn 1-1 0-0 2; Tucker, Leslie 1-2 0-1 2; Metzker, Kerri 1-5 0-0 2; Nagy, Petra 1-3 0-0 2; Rosser, Sarah 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 36-57 15-21 91.
Lincoln Memorial.............. 23 31 - 54
#24 Wingate................... 37 54 - 91
3-point goals-Lincoln Memorial 3-10 (Richards, Madeline 2-4; Fane, Kate 1-2; Bowser, Betsy 0-1; Salas, Kelsi 0-1; Alcema, Wisemane 0-2), Wingate 4-6 (Edwards, Kate 3-3; Atkinson, Anna 1-1; Nagy, Petra 0-1; Rosser, Sarah 0-1). Fouled out--Lincoln Memorial-Winney, Andi; Benton, Heather, Wingate-None. Rebounds-Lincoln Memorial 24 (Alcema, Wisemane 5; Winney, Andi 5), Wingate 32 (Barrett, Tanetra 6; Paffrath, Emily 6). Assists-Lincoln Memorial 10 (Fane, Kate 3; Bowser, Betsy 3), Wingate 19 (Barrett, Tanetra 5; West, Brittany 5). Total fouls-Lincoln Memorial 19, Wingate 12. A-501
2006 Food Lion SAC women's basketball tournament, quarter-finals
Wingate is the #24 team in the NCAA Division II top 25 poll