Jackson, Tenn (March 22, 2008) – A 25-6 run to open the second half by #2 seeded and #7 nationally ranked Freed-Hardeman University rallied them to a 76-70 victory over #5 seeded and #17 ranked Lubbock Christian University Saturday night in quarterfinal play of the NAIA Division I National Championship Tournament at Oman Arena.

A trio of three-point field goals sparked the scoring span for the Lady Lions, started by Jana Cross hitting her first three-point field goal of the season.  Cross, ranked fourth in the NAIA in average points per game, closed the game with 27 points.  FHU was 5 of 7 from behind the arch in the second half with three of the field goals coming from Tara Deartheridge, who scored all 11 of her points in the second half.  LCU, trailing 62-48 with 5:41 remaining, attempted a late comeback by going on a 20-9 run, but could never cut the deficit under three within the last minute of play, as the Lady Lions made the most of their chances from the free throw line.   The Lady Lions were 22 of 26 from the free throw line in the game and 18 of 22 in the second half, with Cross successful on all 12 attempts in the game.

The first half of the game was mostly controlled by the Lady Chaps.  After trailing early 7-2, LCU eventually took the lead amidst a 17-4 run and had their largest lead at 30-18 with 6:19 remaining in the opening half.  That is when things started to go downhill for the Lady Chaps.  The Lady Chaps hit just one field goal in their following six shots of the first half.  After a field goal by Sierra Wilcox-Lovorn on their first shot attempt of the second half, the Lady Chaps missed eight consecutive field goal attempts.  Bailey St. Clair ended the Lady Chaps dry spell with a field goal with 12:08 remaining, but the Lady Chaps would hit another spell making one of their next six shot attempts. Despite going from the 6:19 remaining mark of the first half to the 8:46 remaining mark of the second half 4 of 22 from the field (18.2%), the Lady Chaps still shot 47.5% in the game (28 of 59). Through quarterfinal play, LCU leaves Jackson as the tournament’s best shooting team, as they shot 50.6% during their stay.

LCU was led in scoring by Jordan Hampton, who had 18 points in the game and 11 in the second half.  Carolyn Manning, coming in following a 33-point performance, registered a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.  Wilcox-Lovorn (17) and St. Clair (10) also finished with double-digits in points.  LCU limited their turnovers in the game with only eight giveaways. 

 The game was a historic game for Freed-Hardeman, who is making their 12^th consecutive tournament appearance.  The win placed them into the semifinals for the first time in school history and it was Head Coach Dale Neal’s 600^th career victory.  LCU’s season comes to end with a 25-10 record and they depart Jackson with the second longest tournament stay in program history.  Five Sooner Athletic Conference teams made it to Jackson and LCU was the only program to advance past the first round.  The Lady Chaps were underdogs in all three of their games and their 2-1 tournament record this season places their all-time tournament record at 7-5. The game was the final game for three seniors on the Lady Chaps squad, as Jennifer Hughes, Kim Lloyd and Manning each participated in their final game.