March 21, 2008

JACKSON, Tenn. - Second-seeded Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons with a 75-68 second-round victory over sixth-seeded Wiley (Texas) College at the 28^th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship.

 

Wiley's pressure defense caused 19 Freed-Hardeman turnovers, but the Lady Lions got a 31-26 halftime lead and then made 12-of-19 (63 percent) second-half field goal attempts to hold on for the victory. Sophomore forward Jana Cross led the way with team-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore guard Tara Deatheridge provided an outside complement to Cross with a trio of three-pointers in a 17-point performance.

 

Wiley held three brief two-point leads in the first half, but all lasted under a minute. Senior forward Linda Emeghebo, who tallied game-highs of 19 points and 16 rebounds, put back a Wildcat miss to tie the game at 14-14, but Cross made a pair of free throws to put Freed-Hardeman in front for good with 8:30 to play in the first half. Cross made another pair from the charity stripe in the closing seconds of the period to give the Lady Lions their five-point halftime margin.

 

Freed-Hardeman scored the second half's opening basket to take a 33-26 lead, and it took Wiley over 13 minutes to pull to within four points despite never trailing by more than 11. Sophomore guard LaToya Murray scored off an Emeghebo steal with 6:48 to play, cutting the margin to 55-51. Cross answered with a basket, and the teams traded two-point swings to a 59-55 Freed-Hardeman advantage with 4:39 to play. The Lady Lions made four-of-four free throws on consecutive trips down the floor, and senior guard Kori Bledsoe's basket made it six straight points for a 65-55 lead with three minutes remaining. Freed-Hardeman maintained at least a five-point lead in the final minutes to seal the win.

 

Freed-Hardeman took 29 fewer shots than Wiley, but converted 22-of-46 (48 percent) from the field for the game, 13 percentage points higher than Wiley's 26-for-75 (35 percent) effort. In addition, the Lady Lions sank 25-of-31 free throw attempts, an 81 percent rate. Bledsoe joined Cross and Deatheridge in double figures with 11 points and a game-high four assists.

 

Freed-Hardeman's victory gave head coach Dale Neal his 599^th career coaching victory heading into Saturday's quarterfinals, where the Lady Lions, now 28-7, will take on Lubbock Christian at 6 p.m. Wiley's first-ever national tournament appearance ends with a defeat that drops the Wildcats' final overall record to 29-7.

 

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.