No. 1 Campbellsville (Ky.) Bests No. 5 Xavier (La.), 59-55
Mar 21, 2014
FRANKFORT, Ky. – (Box Score) Campbellsville (Ky.) held off an upset bid by fifth-seed Xavier (La.), 59-55, Friday to become the second No. 1 seed to advance to the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships quarterfinals.
Campbellsville (32-3) will meet second-seed Oklahoma City (24-4) Saturday at 4 p.m. in the only No. 1 vs. No. 2 quarterfinal matchup of the tournament. The game will be a rematch of the 2010 national quarterfinals, which OCU won 86-77 in overtime, despite a CU school record 48-point performance by NAIA Player of the Year Whitney Ballinger.
CU held off an early nine-point deficit and went on to lead by as many as 15 in the second half before having to hold off a late charge by the Gold Nuggets in the final seconds.
Xavier (24-10) ran out to an 11-2 lead to start the game looking to pull off its second-straight upset after knocking out defending national champ Westmont (Calif.) in the opening round. The Gold Nuggets hit five-straight baskets during the run, including seven points from Whitney Gathright, who went on to lead all player with 19 points.
Campbellsville ended the drought with a basket by Kristen Jacob, sparking a 9-0 run to tie the game at 11 with 11:41 to play in the opening half. The Lady Tigers pushed ahead for the first time, 14-11, on a transition 3-pointer by Katie Allen. Two possessions later, CU began another run, this time scoring 10-straight to take its first double-digit lead, 26-16 with 3:44 remaining in the half. The Lady Tigers entered halftime up 31-20.
CU’s largest lead was 15 points, 37-22, five minutes into the second half, but Xavier worked the margin to six points, 39-33, with a combination of scoring from Whitney Gaston-Lloyd, Danielle Tucker and Gathright. Tucker finished with a career-high 17 points and eight rebounds to follow Gathright’s lead, while Gaston-Lloyd had 15 points.
CU managed to hold off the second-half push by Xavier, even as Gathright hit two baskets with less than 11 seconds to play to pull within four.
Senior guard Katie Allen led Campbellsville for the second-straight game, collecting 15 points, including four 3-pointers. Ellen Sholtes and Jacob each scored 10. Hayley Heyler (CU) and Gathright each had four assists to lead both teams.
CU extends its win streak to nine games heading into its eighth all-time national championship quarterfinals, while Xavier ends its season after building a seven-game win streak, including a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship. The Gold Nuggets were appearing in their 18th NAIA Championships.
Campbellsville (32-3) will meet second-seed Oklahoma City (24-4) Saturday at 4 p.m. in the only No. 1 vs. No. 2 quarterfinal matchup of the tournament. The game will be a rematch of the 2010 national quarterfinals, which OCU won 86-77 in overtime, despite a CU school record 48-point performance by NAIA Player of the Year Whitney Ballinger.
CU held off an early nine-point deficit and went on to lead by as many as 15 in the second half before having to hold off a late charge by the Gold Nuggets in the final seconds.
Xavier (24-10) ran out to an 11-2 lead to start the game looking to pull off its second-straight upset after knocking out defending national champ Westmont (Calif.) in the opening round. The Gold Nuggets hit five-straight baskets during the run, including seven points from Whitney Gathright, who went on to lead all player with 19 points.
Campbellsville ended the drought with a basket by Kristen Jacob, sparking a 9-0 run to tie the game at 11 with 11:41 to play in the opening half. The Lady Tigers pushed ahead for the first time, 14-11, on a transition 3-pointer by Katie Allen. Two possessions later, CU began another run, this time scoring 10-straight to take its first double-digit lead, 26-16 with 3:44 remaining in the half. The Lady Tigers entered halftime up 31-20.
CU’s largest lead was 15 points, 37-22, five minutes into the second half, but Xavier worked the margin to six points, 39-33, with a combination of scoring from Whitney Gaston-Lloyd, Danielle Tucker and Gathright. Tucker finished with a career-high 17 points and eight rebounds to follow Gathright’s lead, while Gaston-Lloyd had 15 points.
CU managed to hold off the second-half push by Xavier, even as Gathright hit two baskets with less than 11 seconds to play to pull within four.
Senior guard Katie Allen led Campbellsville for the second-straight game, collecting 15 points, including four 3-pointers. Ellen Sholtes and Jacob each scored 10. Hayley Heyler (CU) and Gathright each had four assists to lead both teams.
CU extends its win streak to nine games heading into its eighth all-time national championship quarterfinals, while Xavier ends its season after building a seven-game win streak, including a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship. The Gold Nuggets were appearing in their 18th NAIA Championships.
