By: Sam Knehans, Communications & Sports Information Intern

FRANKFORT, Ky.  – (Box Score) No. 1 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) ousted one of the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship Cinderella stories, defeating No. 7 Bethel (Tenn.), 66-48, in the first quarterfinal game Saturday morning at the Frankfort Convention Center.

The Lady Lions had beaten No. 8 Huston-Tillotson (Texas) and No. 4 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), while Bethel had defeated No. 2 The Master’s (Calif.) and No. 3 Baker (Kan.), to advance to the quarterfinals.

Freed-Hardeman never trailed after senior guard Cynthia Woodward hit the first field goal of the game, a 3-pointer off of an assist from junior forward Hayley Newby just 37 seconds into the contest. The Lady Lions built a 14 point lead at the half, despite American Midwest Conference Player of the Year Newby scoring just six points and spending six minutes on the bench with two fouls.

In the second half, Bethel cut the lead to six on a basket from senior forward Porsha Harris with 17:34 remaining, but that was as close as the Lady Wildcats would get. Freed-Hardeman would extend its lead to a game-high 24 with 3:37 remaining and ultimately win by 18.

After scoring 24 and 18 in the first two rounds, Newby was held to 11 points against Bethel. Junior guard Grace Alonso de Armino and American Midwest Conference Freshman of the Year, guard Taleeah Cross, each scored 14 to lead the Lady Lions. Newby and Alonso de Armino each recorded double-doubles in the contest, their 23rd and 20th of the season, respectively.

American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year, Dale Neal, commented on the tandem of Newby and Alonso de Armino, saying, “Hayley and Grace played really well together. Grace has got so many weapons and she’s a hard matchup for a lot of people. She can defend all five positions. She can play all five positions. She can attack the basket. She rebounds well. She defends everybody well. And you just know what you’re going to get from Hayley every night. She’s a workhorse.”

Junior forward Tayla Foster led all scorers with 17 points in the losing effort and was one of three Lady Wildcats to score in double-figures. Bethel had a rough outing, shooting just 25.0 percent from the field (17-of-68) and 12.0 percent from beyond the arc (3-of-25).

In comparison, the Lady Lions were 25-of-67 (37.3 percent) from the field and 9-of-23 from 3-point range (39.1 percent).

Freed-Hardeman also won the battle of the boards, 51-45, something Coach Neal said was a focus for the Lady Lions coming into the contest. “I have a lot of respect for what Coach Nelson does with his team and how he’s brought them around this year. They’re strong players and they’re brutal on the boards, we knew we had to try to keep them off the boards as much as we could…I was really pleased with what our players were able to do defensively,” said Neal.

Freed-Hardeman (35-1) continues to add to its school-record win total, advancing to its second-straight and fifth all-time (1999, 2008, 2011, 2013) Fab Four. The Lady Lions will face the winner of No. 3 Wiley (Texas) and No. 1 Westminster (Utah) on Monday at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Bethel is eliminated in its first-ever quarterfinal appearance. The Lady Wildcats end their season with a record of 23-11.