ATLANTA, Ga. (February 24, 2023) – All four top-seeds advanced out of the SAA Tournament quarterfinal round and the squads next head Danville, Kentucky Feb. 25-26 to decide the 2023 conference championship.
SAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Centre was the regular season champion and cruised in its opening round to earn semifinal and final hosting honors. The Colonels will take on Berry in the first semifinal on Saturday. Second-seed Rhodes and three-seed Millsaps both had convincing wins and will meet in the second semifinal on Saturday. The championship game is slated for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 26 with the winner earning the SAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Semifinal 1 – No. 1 Centre vs. No. 4 Berry – Saturday, February 25 at 3 p.m.
The Colonels and Vikings split two low-scoring regular season matchups with each winning on the road.
Centre won the first match-up 48-42 behind 11 points each from Bailey Rucker and Payton Herold. The Colonel’s defense held the Vikings in check with Kenadie Lee’s nine points leading the way. In the rematch, Elly Callihan went off for 21 points and six rebounds and led Berry to a 58-53 win. Sydney Blankenship added 14 points for the Vikings. Rucker scored 14 and Herold 11 for Centre.
In the quarterfinals, Centre jumped ahead of Sewanee early and held a comfortable lead all afternoon, winning 59-47. Rucker was the top scorer with 17 points. Makya Grinter added 13 points and Natalie Duggins hauled in 13 rebounds. On the season, Rucker averages 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Duggins is putting up 9.9 points and 8.4 rebounds a game.
Berry trailed nearly entire day against Oglethorpe in the quarters and leaned on clutch free throw shooting to pull out a 64-63 victory. Silvia Kahoro led the way with 22 points off the bench. Blankenship added 12 points. Lee tops the Vikings season box score with 13 points a game behind 44 made three-pointers. Blankenship is scoring 11.8 a game to go along with 4.1 rebounds a night.
Semifinal 2 – No. 2 Rhodes vs. No. 3 Millsaps – Saturday, February 25 at 5 p.m.
Rhodes and Millsaps split the season series with both successfully defending their home arenas.
Rhodes posted a 70-51 win in Memphis, using a 22-point fourth quarter to put the Majors away. Alexys Mathangani and Avery Marsh both netted 20 points to lead the Lynx while Kearstyn Seay grabbed 12 rebounds. Haley Franklin topped Millsaps with 17 points and seven rebounds. A few weeks later in Jackson, the Majors posted a 64-49 win. Franklin pumped in 26 points and added 11 rebounds while Elise Warren tallied 16 points and 10 boards. Mathangani scored 16 and Marsh 15 for Rhodes.
In its quarterfinal, Rhodes went up 23-6 after the first and never looked back, downing Hendrix 76-59. Marsh’s 18 points led four Lynx in double-figures. Giana Vlahakos tallied 12 points and 16 rebounds. Mathangani is averaging 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds this season to lead the Lynx offense. Avery adds 13 points and 5.4 rebounds a night.
Millsaps handled Birmingham-Southern 84-67 in its quarterfinal to advance to championship weekend. Warren led the way with 23 points and 14 rebounds while DeZarae Stewart netted 15. Franklin added 10 points and 11 rebounds with Helena Roe scoring 12. Franklin tops Millsaps and the entire SAA with 19.2 points a game. She is second in the league in shooting, hitting 51 percent from the field, and fourth with three assists a game. Warren is putting up 7.9 points and 5.9 rebounds a game with Stewart chipping in 7.8 points a night.
Fans can follow the SAA women’s basketball tournament with live links on the Tournament Central page at SAA-Sports.com.