LAKELAND, Fla. – Campbellsville's pursuit of a national title begins Saturday, with a 5:00 ET matchup in the 2021 Women's Basketball NAIA Opening Round against Bryan at the Furnace on the campus of Southeastern University.
The Lady Tigers finished the regular season and MSC Tournament play with an 18-2 slate and No. 3 national ranking — losing in the finals of the Mid-South Conference tournament to No. 1 Thomas More.
Bryan comes into the game at 19-2 after a 67-64 win, after leading by 16 at intermission, in an Opening Round game Friday evening. The Lady Lions outscored Webber 19-7 in the second quarter and held on to win.
CU overcame three Covid pauses during the season and comes into tournament play well rested.
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two programs with Campbellsville coming away with an 88-63 win on Dec. 12, 2020 in the Powell Athletic Center.
As per the latest Southeastern Athletics protocol, there will be 20 percent spectator (about 230 people maximum) attendance allowed at the games. Tickets for Saturday's game will be made available on Southeastern's athletic site (www.fire.seu.edu) from March 12th at 10 p.m. through March 13th at 9 a.m. Details on how to purchase tickets will be emailed to each student-athlete and coach. Deadlines are firm.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
* Matt Payton, the voice of Tiger basketball, will be on the call for the broadcast as he will be joined with color commentary by CU's second all-time leading scorer and Campbellsville Hall of Famer Benji Kelly. WLCU radio will cover the game, broadcast on 88.7 FM The Tiger or can be heard through the athletic website portal at www.campbellsvilltigers.com.
* Pay-per-view live video will be available as well at SEUFire.com/watch should anyone want to purchase it.
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY
- Through 20 games, the Lady Tigers have been strong in their ability to put the ball through the hoop, currently averaging 82 points per game while shooting over 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range.
- Along with the NAIA's 48th-ranked scoring average and strong shooting percentages, CU has been able to move the ball well, leading to the nation's third-best assist average at 19.7 dimes per game while also not turning it over too much with the NAIA's eighth best assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.279 and the fourth-best turnover margin at 8.650.
- Individually, Savannah Gregory and Sammy Rogers find themselves in various NAIA stat rankings as Gregory is 11th in steals per game (3.250) and total steals (65) while Rogers is 44th among NAIA players in 3-point field goal percentage (.410). Rogers leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game and Gregory drops in at 13 per game.
- Not to be forgotten are the Lady Tigers' point guards, sophomore Bailey Pedigo and freshman Lauren Lee who combine for seven assists per game. Courtney Pritchett, who operates in the post, is second on the team in assists (73) and second in rebounds among the starters at 4.2 per game.
- Campbellsville is turning their opponents over at a 24 per game clip, fourth in the nation.
SCOUTING BRYAN
- The Lions hold a 18-2 record, having won both the regular season (14-0) and tournament titles in the 15-team Appalachian Athletic Conference.
- Bryan has four players averaging double figures in scoring and four others within two points of double-digit averages. Led by freshman guard Gracee Dishman's 15 points per game, the Lady Lions sport a 48 percent field goal average, 38 from 3 and 73 percent from the foul line for an 86.5 points per game average.
- Kaitlynn Hennessee leads the team in four statistical categories: Rebounds (6.3), assists (3.4), steals (2.20 and blocks (2.6).
MOVING FORWARD
- Should CU women's basketball win tomorrow tonight they will advance to a 16-team finals bracket in Sioux City, Iowa to be played March 18-23. That bracket will be announced following the completion of all 16 Opening Round games.
