JACKSON, Tenn. - Sixth-seeded Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) University extended its deepest national tournament run all the way to the program's first-ever NAIA title game with a 69-59 victory over TranSouth Athletic Conference rival Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University in the semifinals of the 28^th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship.

 

"Before the season I said this might be our most talented team," said Trevecca Nazarene head coach Gary Van Atta. "Not many people believed me and maybe not even the team. They do now because this team has worked hard and overcome some tough losses against good teams early in the season. We have played our best defense of the season this week and it has made a difference."

 

Two sets of back-to-back three-pointers helped lift the Trojans of Trevecca Nazarene to the victory. Freshman forward K.C. Van Atta and sophomore guard Christian Gibson hit from long distance on consecutive possessions, part of a 16-0 run that spanned less than four minutes to give the Trojans a 26-10 lead with 9:42 to play. Freed-Hardeman battled back to within seven points at halftime, trailing just 36-29 at the break, and the Lady Lions scored the first two baskets of the second half to cut the lead to 36-33 with 17:22 to play in the game.

 

Six minutes later, with Freed-Hardeman trailing by just four points at 44-40, Van Atta hit another pair of three-pointers on back-to-back Trojan possessions in the midst of a 10-2 run that pushed the lead back to double-digits at 54-42 with 9:35 remaining. Senior guard Mariska Reed sank a three-pointer with 4:45 left after Freed-Hardeman cut the lead to 55-48 with 5:23 left, and Van Atta's fifth trey of the contest gave Trevecca Nazarene its largest lead of the second half at 64-50 with 2:08 to play.

 

Van Atta finished with a team-high 16 points, going five-of-nine from three-point range, and the Trojans shot 45 percent (nine-for-20) from beyond the arc for the game. Reed added 14 points with a pair of three-pointers, and senior guard Kristin Archie added 12 points and a game-high five assists. Sophomore guard Abby Lawson came off the bench for nine points, five rebounds and four assists.

 

Freed-Hardeman was led by sophomore forward Jana Cross, who tallied team-highs of 17 points and nine rebounds, and she and senior forward Meredith McLemore combined to shoot 16-of-27 from the field for the Lady Lions. McLemore finished with 16 points, and senior guard Megan Thompson added 10 points, eight rebounds and a team-high four assists, as well as the game-high in steals with two. Freed-Hardeman made its 12^th consecutive NAIA Tournament appearance with this year's Final Four run, and the semifinal defeat drops the Lady Lions to a final 29-8 overall mark.

 

Trevecca Nazarene, which had never before been a Final Four participant but had been to each of the past three quarterfinals, improves to 23-11 on the season heading into Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. title game, where the Trojans will take on the winner of the second semifinal contest between Union (Tenn.) University and Vanguard (Calif.) University.

 

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.