Lady Cats Face Georgetown in MSC Quarterfinals
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MCKENZIE, Tenn. -The 2022 Mid-South Conference Women's Basketball Tournament opened Monday with three higher seeds winning and an upset in the opening round at host sites across the conference.
No. 9-seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is the lone lower seed to advance to Bowling Green to the quarterfinals. Joining the Blue Raiders with wins Monday were fifth-seeded Bethel (Tenn.), No. 6-seed Pikeville (Ky.), and seventh-seeded Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.).
The quarterfinals begin with two games on Thursday, Feb. 24, and two more on Friday, Feb. 25 at Bowling Green Arena.
5) Bethel 64 - 12) Life 56
Bethel used an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter to break away from Life in a 64-56 win at home in McKenzie, Tennessee.
Trailing 46-45 with 9:20 remaining in regulation play, four different Wildcats scored 11 straight points to give Bethel a 56-46 lead with 6:26 left in the game. The Wildcat spurt ended a back-and-forth game that featured six ties and 16 lead changes.
Millie Bryant led the Wildcats with 22 points while Keely Morrow added 21. Life's Tanit Calsapeu led the Running Eagles with 17 points.
Bethel advanced to quarterfinals to play fourth-seeded Georgetown (Ky.) at 8 p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 24. Both squads received votes in the final NAIA Division I Top 25 Women's Coaches Poll.
The Cats and the Tigers split their two regular season games. On December 2, the Tigers prevailed in Georgetown, beating the Cats 69-52.
Senior Millie Bryant tossed in 11 first quarter points which enabled Bethel to lead 15-13 after the first ten minutes. The Tigers outscored the Cats 16-6 in the second and grabbed a 29-21 margin at halftime. Georgetown continued their momentum in the third and led 53-32 at the end of the three.
Bethel was 21-of-53 from the floor at 39 percent. The Cats hit only four three-pointers on 18 attempts. GC was 28-of-64 from the field at 43 percent. The Tigers struggled from outside hitting just four treys on 19 attempts. GC had a 36-32 rebound advantage.
Bryant had a career high 32 points and collected eight rebounds. Mickey Head had eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Izzy Lamparty led the Tigers with 18 points.
Bethel played the game without starting guard and leading scorer Ryann Roberts who was out with an injury.
On January 22, Bethel won73-59 in McKenzie. Bethel shot 46 percent from the field. The Lady Cats knocked down six three-pointers but did most of their damage with an 36-22 margin on points in the paint. Bethel forced GC into 16 turnovers and had a 16-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Georgetown entered the game with a 13 plus margin in rebounds per game. The Cats matched them with a 17-10 margin in the second half as both squads finished with 30 each in the game.
Roberts led Bethel with 22 points. Head finished with 19 points, six rebounds and five blocks. Morrow came off the bench with 17 points and six rebounds.
Jazzmyn Elston led GC with 16 points. Callie Jackson had 12 tallies while Izzy Lamparty had 11 for the Tigers.
Bethel is 19-12 and has won eight of their last ten games. The Cats are 1-1 in neutral site games this season. The Tigers are 20-10 and have won seven of their last ten outings.
Bethel's Bryant enters the quarterfinals with 1,406 career points and 637 career rebounds. She is 8th in program history in scoring and 9th in career rebounds. Earlier this season she became just the 10th Lady Cat to score 1,000 points or more and collect 500 rebounds or more.
Bethel's Head enters the quarterfinals with 897 career rebounds and 283 career blocks. She has 1, 285 career points with 802 of those as a Lady Wildcat.
Trends & Numbers:
Bethel is 17-1 when they outshoot their opponents.
The Cats are 17-4 when they hit more three-pointers.
The Lady Cats are 15-0 when they outrebound their opponents.
Bethel is 14-1 when leading at the half.
The Cats are 11-8 when they have less turnovers.
Bethel is 9 -2 when they score 70 or more points in a game.
It will be the fifth meeting between the two programs with the series tied at two each.
Bethel's Chris Nelson is in his 16th year as head coach of the Wildcats. He has a record of 348-167 at the school. He is 15th in wins among active coaches in the NAIA.
After a successful stint at Shawnee State, Jeff Nickel is in his first season with the Tigers.
Live Radio: The Countdown to Tip-off Show begins at 7:30 p.m. on WEIO, 100.9 and at www.thefarmradio.com.
Dave McCulley and Austin Childress will call the action.
Live video:
Live stats:
https://naiastats.prestosports.com/composite
Tickets:
https://www.mid-southconference.org/hometown-ticketing
All tickets must be purchased in advance.
6) Pikeville 76 - 11) Shawnee State 60
Pikeville scored the game's first six points and 12 of the first 14, never trailing en route to a 76-60 over visiting Shawnee State in Pikeville.
Pikeville out-rebounded Shawnee State 45-28 and held a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points in the win. The host Bears built as much as a 30-point lead on their way to punching a ticket into the quarterfinals.
Four Pikeville players recorded double-digits, led by Mary Englert's 19 points. Bailey Frazier scored 13 points, Leeanna McNulty added 12, and Moran Stamper produced a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Shawnee State's Kam Elzy finished with a game-high 21 points.
Pikeville advanced to play No. 3-seed Cumberlands (Ky.) at 8 p.m. CT on Friday, Feb. 25.
7) Freed-Hardeman 63 - 10) Cumberland 58
Freed-Hardeman took its first lead of the game in the final 30 seconds to complete the comeback in a 63-58 win over visiting Cumberland tonight in Henderson, Tenn.
The Lions overcame a 10-point deficit, including being down seven points in the fourth quarter to survive and advance to the quarterfinals. Freed-Hardeman scored the final eight points of the game, limiting the Phoenix to just one shot and forcing two turnovers in the final minute of the game.
The game proved to be a contrast of styles as the Lions held a 32-16 advantage in the paint and the Phoenix outscored their host 24-3 beyond the 3-point arc.
Caroline Chambers led Freed-Hardeman with 34 points on 9-of-13 shooting. She connected on all six of her free throws. Cumberland's Tyra Johnson scored a game-high 27 points in the loss.
Freed-Hardeman advanced to play No. 2-seed Campbellsville at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Feb. 25.
8) Tennessee Southern 57 - 9) Lindsey Wilson 72
Lindsey Wilson outscored host Tennessee Southern 24-8 in the final quarter to avenge two regular-season losses to the Firehawks in a 72-57 win in Pulaski, Tenn.
The Blue Raiders shot nearly 57 percent (26-of-46) from the field while five players scored double figures in the win. Hailey Ison scored a team-high 18 points while Bree Glover added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Tennessee Southern ended the game shooting just 31.1 percent (19-of-61) from the field. Faith Sherrow finished with a game-high 22 points.
Lindsey Wilson advanced to the quarterfinals to play top-seeded Thomas More at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 24.
The Mid-South Conference Tournament semifinals are slated for Sunday, Feb. 27 with the finals scheduled