LEWISTON, Idaho – Postseason play in the NAIA National Tournament begins on Friday in Lewiston, Idaho as 13th-seeded Brewton-Parker take on the 4th-seed and No. 11-ranked Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship First Round, presented by Ballogy.
The Lady Barons (19-12, 9-9 SSAC) take on the Warriors (25-5, 19-3 CCC) in the P1FCU Activity Center on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET to open the National Tournament in the Naismith Quadrant, making their second straight appearance and sixth overall visit to the national tournament.
"Our group is excited to be back in the national tournament," Head Coach
Steve Edwards said. "It is difficult to make the tournament and this group has done it two years in a row."
BPC earned an at-large berth into the tournament after finishing the season with a 19-12 overall record and a 9-9 record in Southern States Athletic Conference play. The Lady Barons last competed as the No. 7 seed in the SSAC Tournament Semifinal versus Mobile (Ala.). Brewton-Parker's tournament run was highlighted by a quarterfinal win over No. 25 William Carey (Miss.).
Three-time First-Team All-SSAC selection
Madison Evans and three-time Second-Team All-SSAC member
Angel McRae leads the Lady Barons this season. Evans averages 16.4 points per contest and shoots for 42.2% from the field with a team-leading 104 assists and a second-best 48 steals on the defensive end.
As for McRae, she leads the Lady Barons with an average of 10.9 rebounds per game and leads the defensive efforts with 52 steals. She also scores an average of 9.5 points per contest while shooting 41.7% from the floor.
Brewton-Parker will also be looking to keep some momentum moving from the conference tournament with
A'Aliyah Clay scoring an average of 11.6 points per contest alongside
Cori Keats who scored an average 11.3 points per game in the last three contests.
"We battled all types of adversity this season, but we found a way to get it done," Edwards mentioned. "Our group has some experience, and we truly expect to play well."
A Look at Lewis-Clark
The Warriors play host for the first and second rounds in Lewiston this weekend, entering the national tournament with a 25-5 overall record and a solid 19-3 slate in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. LC State earned an automatic bid after advancing to the CCC Championship game, falling to No. 18-ranked Southern Oregon.
Lewis-Clark will be making the program's sixth straight appearance in the national tournament and the 26th overall trip to the dance. Brewton-Parker and Lewis-Clark faced each other just once all-time in the 2006 installment of the national tournament where the Warriors defeated the Lady Barons 80-63.
LC State has been led by three-time Cascade Conference Player of the Year Callie Stevens who has been the leading scorer for the Warriors, amassing over 1,500 points in three seasons. She averages 17.4 points per contest and makes an average of 46.3% of her shots from the floor. Stevens is also a deep threat, scoring a total of 84 treys this season.
The Warriors are also led by Ellie Sander, a First-Team All-CCC selection who has dished out a whopping 114 assists while also being the second-best scorer on the team with an average of 13 points per game.
Other Side of the Bracket
The P1FCU Activity Center will also be the host venue of the matchup between No. 5-seeded The Master's (Calif.) and 12th seed Jamestown (N.D.) in the nightcap on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET. The winners from Friday's contests will meet on Saturday for the NAIA Second Round for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup.
Game Details
Tip-off for the Lady Barons is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday with the winner advancing to Saturday night in Lewiston, Idaho for the second round. The game will be streamed on
lcwarriors.com/watch and there will be
live stats available as well.
