March 21, 2008

JACKSON, Tenn. - There will be a new champion for the 2008 season as the No. 3 seed and defending champion Lambuth (Tenn.) University fell to No. 2 seed Vanguard (Calif.) University.  The win for Vanguard puts them in the quarterfinals for the sixth straight season, while the loss for Lambuth ends their six-game national tournament winning streak.

 

In a game that featured four ties and five lead changes, Lambuth (24-10) jumped out to a 6-4 lead with 17:19 left in the half.  Vanguard (26-5) answered by posting a 14-0 run over the next six minutes.  The Lady Eagles of Lambuth finally snapped the six-minute drought with a basket from Donna Lavea.  That basket sparked Lambuth as the Lady Eagles slowly started to cut into the Vanguard lead.  Lambuth closed the half with a 13-4 run over the final four minutes to make the halftime deficit just one, 36-35. 

 

Vanguard opened the second half with a 12-3 run to take a 12-point lead, 50-38, with 14:02 left in the game.  But Lambuth did not let the game get out of hand as they mounted a rally that propelled the defending champs from 12 points down, to a four-point lead.  A 22-6 run over the span of seven minutes had the Lambuth team back in control of the game with a 62-58 lead.  However, Vanguard flexed their tournament muscle with a game-deciding 8-0 run to go back up by four points. 

 

The Lady Eagles were not finished yet, as a three pointer form Chytearra Kintchen gave the Lady Eagles life.  However, a field-goal by Vanguard's Melissa Cook put the Lady Lions up by three points again, 68-65.  Lambuth had the ball down by three when Kintchen was fouled on a three-point attempt with nine seconds left.  She missed the first free-throw but sank the final two.  After a Lambuth timeout, Vanguard broke the press before Lambuth could foul and a basket from Lauren Gregory sealed the 70-67 win.

 

Vanguard was led by Cook with 17 points on 2-of-4 from behind the arc.  Jessica Richter added 14 points and Gregory posted 11 points.  Vanguard used their size to out-score Lambuth 36-16 in the paint.

 

Lambuth was led by Kintchen with 26 a game-high 26 points.  Dee Pryor added 13 points in the game.  Lambuth was 11-of-29 (38%) from behind the arc, but only managed 13 two-point field goals as over half of their total attempts were three pointers.

 

Vanguard advances to the quarterfinals where they will face the Carroll (Mont.) at 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 22.

 

NAIA

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is the governing body for athletics programs at its nearly 300 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission of the NAIA is to promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics. The association offers equitable access and opportunities for participation in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country.

Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. NAIA Champions of Character is the association's innovative flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves.