Lady Barons Fall In NAIA National Championship First Round
Courtesy of BPC
ALEXANDRIA, La. – Brewton-Parker women’s basketball traveled to Alexandria, Louisiana, for the First Round of the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship with a matchup against fifthseeded Texas Wesleyan on Tuesday night.
The No. 12-seeded Lady Barons (22-8) battled in the Rapides Parish Coliseum against the Rams (26-5) in a 104-87 loss in the first NAIA National Championship Tournament appearance in 17 seasons.
“I’m so proud of our group,” Head Coach Steve Edwards said. “We fought hard tonight, and we lost to a better team. Our group stayed connected through a lot of adversity this season and I’m truly proud of them.”
The battle started early with both teams trading control of the lead, giving up just a one-possession game. After an opening pair of free throws, Madison Evans opened the game for the Lady Barons.
After falling to a 10-9 deficit with seven minutes to play, the Lady Barons responded with an 8-0 run capped by a layup from Daisha Terry to lead 17-10 with 5:05 on the clock. Terry then knocked in a trey at the 4:11 mark to move the BPC advantage to eight points.
After a four-point spurt from the Rams, the Lady Barons wrapped up the final three minutes of action on a 9-4 run to close out the opening quarter 29-20.
The second quarter opened slowly with the Rams scoring at the 8:12 mark with the Lady Barons answering with a lay from Evans and a jumper from Sy-Marieona Williams to give BPC a 33-22 lead. Texas Wesleyan responded with four points before Keaynna Tolbert put together three points to keep the Lady Barons at a doublefigure edge.
A trey from Terry at the 4:22 mark kept BPC at a double-digit advantage with a 40-29 lead. The Rams battled to return to a single-figure deficit in the final moments of the half cutting the Brewton-Parker lead to five at the end of the quarter, down 48-43 at the break.
The tide shifted in favor of the Rams as the Brewton-Parker offensive production came to a halt. Texas Wesleyan quickly wiped away the BPC lead and took control of the score early in the quarter before taking a commanding lead down the stretch.
The Rams bested the Lady Barons 37-13 in the quarter, holding Brewton-Parker to just six baskets from the floor, including one from beyond the arc. Texas Wesleyan shot for 60.7% from the floor (17of-28) to take control of the game.
Brewton-Parker’s offensive efforts improved in the final quarter of regulation, but the Rams continued to provide answers to keep the lead in their hands. Texas Wesleyan managed to extend their edge to a 21-point difference, but the Lady Barons continued to fight back by eventually cutting the deficit back to 11 points with 2:06 to play.
Unfortunately, Texas Wesleyan continued to make tough shots down the stretch to add enough cushion to win by 17 points. Terry came alive in the quarter with 18 points shooting 7-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the perimeter.
As a team, Brewton-Parker shot for 50.7% (36of-71) from the floor, 41.7% (10-of-24) from three, and 55.6% (5-of-9) from the foul line. Terry led the offensive production for BPC with 33 points followed by Evans’ 18 points and six assists. The Rams dominated off the glass, holding a 41-26 with Angel McRae leading BPC with seven boards. Four individuals scored in double figures for Texas Wesleyan as the team shot for 51.9% (41-of-79) from the floor, 33.3% (2-of-6) from three, and 80% (20of-25) from the charity stripe.
Brewton-Parker has now made a total of five appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. Terry’s 33 points and 13 buckets made marks a season- high for the Lady Barons while matching A’Aliyah Clay’s six-trey performance against William Carey (Miss.) back in November.
The Lady Barons finish their season with a 22-8 overall record and have a lot of positives to build upon for the future as the program's postseason success continues to grow.
