SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Sixteen is a such a sweet number, but eight would be great.
Campbellsville's pursuit of a national title continues on Friday when The Lady Tigers meet Lewis-Clark State in the Round of 16 at the NAIA Women's National Basketball Championship at Tyson Events Center.
The 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT matchup between the Lady Tigers and the Warriors is the first between the two schools. More than 2,000 miles separates the campuses, but the Lady Tigers and Warriors will be up in each other's grills when the ball tips in the fifth game of the championship.
Lewis-Clark arrives in Sioux City fresh off a 76-67 upset win over No. 6 Carroll College in Pool A of the Lewiston, Idaho bracket. They also beat William Jessup 73-44 to earn the spot opposite Carroll in the finals.
CU defeated Bryan College 90-57 in Pool B of the Lakeland, Fla. bracket.
As per the latest NAIA protocols, there will be 20 percent spectator (about 1,600 people maximum) attendance allowed at the games. Tickets for Friday's game are available now at
https://siouxcitylive.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=21NAIABB&linkID=siouxcity-multi&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode
BROADCAST INFORMATION
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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.
*The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all 15 games live at the 2021 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. 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-championship tournament package is available at $34.95. For more information and to pre-register,
CLICK HERE
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY
- Through 21 games, the Lady Tigers continue to put the ball through the hoop, currently averaging 83 points per game while shooting over 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range.
- In their 90-57 victory over Bryan, the Lady Tigers used a balanced attack, getting 12-point performances from Sarah Sutton and Lexy Lake and 11-point games from Savannah Gregory and Lauren Lee (a career high). Bailey Pedigo and Lee combined for 8 assists and Lexy Lake added to her steal total with four for the game. Eleven Lady Tigers reached the scoring column.
- Along with the NAIA's 36th-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 shares per game while also not turning it over too much with the NAIA's eighth best assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.278 and the fourth-best turnover margin at 8.524.
- Individually, Gregory and Sammy Rogers find themselves in various NAIA stat rankings as Gregory is 12th in steals per game (3.095) 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 (75) 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 LEWIS-CLARK
- The Warriors hold a 14-5 record, the most wins in the Cascade Athletic Conference, in this pandemic-shortened season.
- The Warriors have three players averaging double figures in scoring and two others within two points of double-digit averages. Led by Kiara Burlage's 17.2 points per game, Lewis-Clark also relies on 13 points per game from Abbi Johnson and Jansen Edmiston's 11 points per game.
- In their win over Carroll, Burlage scored 27, 10 above her average, and Edmiston and Johnson had 15 apiece.
- As a team Lewis-Clark shoots it at a 41 percent clip, 32 percent from 3 and hits 74 percent of their free throws.
- Burlage's 7 rebounds per game leads the team and Peyton Souvenir's 4.74 assists ranks 22nd in the nation.
- The Warriors can go big across the front line if they choose to play Sara Muehlhausen (6-3), Johnson (6-2) and Burlage (6-0) at the same time.
MOVING FORWARD
- Should CU women's basketball win tomorrow they will advance to the NAIA Quarterfinals and a matchup against the winner of the Southeastern-Indiana Wesleyan game.
