17th-Ranked Lyon Women Open NAIA Tournament Title Run

All Access, Basketball | March 20, 2014 by Sporting Life Arkansas | 0 Comments

NAIA Tournament Features Opening Round Battle Between Lyon College and John Brown University

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Lyon College Scots, ranked No. 17 in the nation in the NAIA Division I Coaches’ Poll, have earned the No. 6 at-large bid and No. 4-seed and will take on 19^th-ranked and 5^th-seeded John Brown University on Thursday at 7 p.m. CDT in the Round of 32 at the 2014 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championships. All games will be played in the Frankfort Convention Center.

Lyon College Scots (24-8) vs. John Brown Golden Eagles (25-7)

Thursday, March 19, 2014 – 7 p.m. CDT

National Championships History

The Scots (24-8), earning the No. 6 at-large bid, are making its third-consecutive appearance, and third overall, at the NAIA’s elite tournament. Lyon is currently 0-2 at the National Championships, having fallen in the Round of 32 the past two seasons. In 2011-12, the eighth-seeded Scots battled top-seeded Westmont (Calif.) to a 59-57 score before returning the next season as the fifth-seeded team, only to drop a 66-55 matchup with fourth-seeded Georgetown (Ky.).

John Brown is also looking for its first victory in National Championships history, compiling an 0-3 all-time record at the tournament. JBU appeared in the 2004, 2006 and 2011 editions of the tournament and fell in the Round of 32 on each occasion. In 2003-2004, fifth-seeded John Brown lost 60-48 to fourth-seeded Georgetown in the opening round. Just two years later in 2005-06, the seventh-seeded Golden Eagles dropped a 76-57 contest to second-seeded Union (Tenn.). Just three years ago in 2010-11, eighth-seeded JBU earned one of the final at-large berths and fell to top-seeded Campbellsville (Ky.), 76-51.

Season Overviews

Lyon completed the regular season at 23-7 and finished third in the American Midwest Conference with a 19-3 mark in league play. The Scots compiled a 2-4 record against Top 25 competition which included victories over then-No. 25 William Woods (Mo.) on Jan. 9 and a win over then-No. 2 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) on Feb. 15. LC went 2-1 against Sooner Athletic Conference competition, picking up wins over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) and St. Gregory’s (Okla.) but fell to then-No. 23 Oklahoma Baptist, 68-56, on Nov. 19. In the AMC tournament, the Scots dispatched Williams Baptist (Ark.), 62-53, in the quarterfinals before losing to No. 11 Columbia (Mo.) for the third time in 2013-14, 83-66, in the semifinals. The Scots compiled two lengthy winning streaks, including an eight-game high from Jan. 14 through Feb. 6, and after its second loss of the season to Columbia, rattled off nine consecutive victories, piecing together a 17-1 stretch in the second semester.

John Brown notched a program-record 23-6 mark in the regular season, surpassing the previous team record of 21 wins in a season (2003-04). The Golden Eagles compiled a 15-5 mark in conference play, also setting program single-season records in league victories and league winning percentage (.750), and finished fourth overall in the SAC. JBU strung together nine-straight wins from Nov. 15 through Jan. 4, tying a program best streak, which included wins over Kansas Wesleyan and Tabor (Kan.) in the John Brown University Classic. The Golden Eagles turned in a marquee win over Oklahoma Wesleyan on Dec. 14 as JBU set a new program record in triples made in a single game with 20, which stood through the entire season as the highest total of any team in the nation in a single game. JBU finished 2-5 against Top 25 competitors, but was able to sink then-No. 4 Oklahoma Baptist, 67-57, on Feb. 22 before breaking a 13-year winless streak against then-No. 5 Oklahoma City on March 7 in the SAC tournament semifinals. The Golden Eagles played only one game against AMC competition and posted a 74-61 win over Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) at Bill George Arena on Nov. 25. Before ending its drought to OCU in the SAC tournament semifinals, JBU marched past Mid-America Christian (Okla.) in the quarterfinals, 72-60, but lost a heart-breaking tournament title game, in its first-ever appearance, to then-No. 6 Oklahoma Baptist, 60-57.

Series History

Thursday’s matchup will mark the 26th time Lyon and John Brown have faced each other in the two programs’ histories. The Scots won both games last season, recording a 68-65 win in Siloam Springs, Ark., and a 57-56 victory in Batesville, and currently hold a 19-6 advantage over the Golden Eagles, having won five of the last six contests, dating back to 2004-05. The two teams first met in 1987-88 as JBU recorded a 2-0 forfeit win over Lyon. After that, the Scots notched 12-straight wins through the 2000-01 season. JBU finally picked up its first non-forfeit win, 78-56, in the 00-01 campaign, launching the team to four wins over Lyon in the next six meetings.

Individual Leaders

Lyon sophomore Carina Jackson leads the Scots in scoring, pouring in 14.9 points per game. Sophomore Taylor Gaedtke is second on the team at 10.3 points per night while freshman Elliot Taylor is averaging 9.3 points per contest. Gaedtke is the leading rebounder for Lyon, pulling down an average of 6.2.

The Scots will enter the national tournament having won nine of their last 10 games and 17 of their last 19. Lyon currently ranks sixth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.361), 10th in points allowed per game (59.63), 11th in three-point field goals made (219), 14th in total assists (486) and 17th in turnover margin (3.1) and total steals (318).

The Golden Eagles are led by senior guard Sierra Shipley, who ranks No. 9 nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.442) and 10th in both total three-pointers made (84) and free throw percentage (.839). Shipley leads the team in average scoring (16.2) and average rebounding (6.7) while pacing the squad in points (518), rebounds (169), triples (84), field goals (152) and steals (53).

Joining Shipley in double-figure scoring is senior Kortni Barenberg, who averages 11.2 per night. Barenberg finished in double digits on 19 occasions this season and raised her scoring average from 7.6 last season a full 3.6 points per game this year.

John Brown has won five of its last six and eight of its past 10 games. JBU leads the nation in both three-point field goals made per game (9.4) and total three-pointers (300). The Golden Eagles are also No. 4 in points allowed per game (56.3) and No. 6 in both field goal percentage defense (.348) and free throw percentage (.749).

COMPLETE SCHEDULE AND UPDATED RESULTS/STATS will be available here:

34^TH ANNUAL NAIA DIVISION I

WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

FIRST ROUND

at Frankfort, Ky.

Thursday, March 20 (All times CDT)

No. 3 Our Lady of the Lake (Tex.) (26-4) vs. No. 6 Talladega (Ala.) (26-4), 3:30 p.m.

No. 7 Loyola (La.) (21-11) vs. No. 2 Georgetown (Ky.) (21-8), 5:15 p.m.

No. 5 John Brown (Ark.) (25-7) vs. No. 4 Lyon College (24-8), 7 p.m.

No. 1 Vanguard (Calif.) (26-1) vs. No. 8 Cal State San Marcos (Calif.) (15-17), 8:45 p.m.

SECOND ROUND

Friday, March 21 (All times CDT)