BILLINGS, Mont. — After a first round victory over Talladega on Wednesday, Lady Tiger basketball will now play on St. Patrick's Day versus Baker University in the Round of 16 of the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Tournament, presented by Wells Fargo.
Tipoff between the Lady Tigers and Wildcats is scheduled for Friday, March 17 at 2:30 p.m. ET/12:30 MT.
Fans can follow the action on the Campbellsville University Sports Network, 88.7 The Tiger, as
Matt Payton will have the radio call starting at 2:15 ET.
In addition, the NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast the first 30 games leading up to the championship final on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available at $29.95.
Campbellsville (26-6) vs. Baker (30-4) Scouting Report:
The Lady Tigers and Wildcats are meeting for the first time in program history. The Lady Tigers have now qualified for 25 NAIA Tournaments – the most by any team surpassing former NAIA program Union University. Baker is playing in its fourth national tournament and the second-straight it has played in the Round of 16. Overall, BU is 6-3 all-time at the event. CU is playing in its fourth-straight Round of 16 matchup and boasts an overall NAIA Tournament record of 27-24.
The Wildcats are coming off a championship appearance in last years finals vs. MidAmerica Nazarene, falling 49-35. The Wildcats won the Heart of America Athletic Conference with a 24-2 record. Baker leads the country in total blocks (164) and ranks No. 3 in by hitting 293 3-point baskets this season.
Kelsey Larson, the Heart of American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, leads the Wildcats in scoring at 12.5 points per clip. In addition, she is hitting 47.7 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point land. She is coming off a 26-point game vs. Mobile in the opening round.
Campbellsville is led by senior
Emily Fox who is scoring 14.6 points per game. Fox ranks No. 7 in the NAIA with 88 made 3-point baskets and No. 9 with 2.8 triples per game. As a team, the Lady Tigers make a 35 percent clip from deep.
The difference for CU is the Lady Tigers defense. With a total of 411 steals and forcing 13.2 steals per game, the Lady Tigers use their defense and turn it into offense.
How the teams got here:
The Lady Tigers defeated Talladega College on Wednesday in the opening round, 84-75.
Jordan Doram led CU with 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while lefty
Madison Stewart was a force in the paint by matching a season-high 17 points.
Emily Fox hit Campbellsville's lone 3s of the day with four and finished with 15 points.
Lauren Turner distributed the ball the best she has all year, dishing out a career-high 10 assists.
The Lady Tigers outshot Talladega by hitting 55.6 percent (31-of-56) from the floor compared to 45.7 percent (27-of-59) by the Tornados. CU also made 85 percent from the free throw line (18-of-21) compared to 57.8 percent for TC (11-of-19).
Two-seed Baker defeated No. 7-seed University of Mobile , 72-56, in the first round.
Baker trailed at the end of the third quarter, 45-41, then Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year Kelsey Larson caught fire, scoring 11-straight points, including three-straight three-point field goals.
The senior ended the day with 26 points on nearly perfect shooting, as she went 7-of-8 from the floor, 4-of-5 from three-point land a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Two other 'Cats scored in double figures, as fellow seniors MacKenzie Cook and Sydney Buchel went for 16 and 10 points respectively.
For complete information on Campbellsville's run through the NAIA National Tournament, check out the tournament page linked above.
