Lyon College Women Make 19th Straight National Tourney Appearance

 

 

Scots receive No. 5-seed, open play at 10:45 a.m. on March 19

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 17th-ranked Lyon College will face the team it met in the Scots’ first trip to the national tournament back in 2012 when they take on 16th-ranked Westmont College on Thursday, March 19, in the first round of the 35th Annual NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship.

The Scots (27-6) are the No. 5 seed in the eight-team quadrant of the 32-team tournament. Westmont (24-6), from Santa Barbara, Calif., is the No. 4-seed. The teams will square off in the Independence Events Center in Independence, Mo. at 10:45 a.m.

Other teams from the quadrant include No. 3-seed Our Lady of the Lake University (26-6) battling No. 6 Martin Methodist University (25-7) at 9 a.m.; No. 7 Baker University (21-9) battling No. 2-seed Oklahoma Baptist University (25-5) at 12:30 p.m.; and top-seeded Westminster College (25-2) squaring off against No. 8 Cumberland University (16-12) at 2:15 p.m. All four games will be played on Thursday.

The winner of the Lyon/Westmont contest will advance to the second round on Friday, March 20, to take on the survivor of the Westminster/Cumberland first-round contest. The second round game will be played at 6:15 p.m.

Of the teams in the quadrant, Lyon and Our Lady of the Lake are tied for the fifth-most trips to the national tournament with four. Oklahoma Baptist leads all teams with 17. 

Four qualifiers are at-large recipients (Westmont, Baker, Cumberland, Martin Methodist), while one is a regular season champion (Our Lady of the Lake – Red River Athletic Conference), one is a tournament champion (Westminster – Frontier Tournament) and Lyon (AMC) and Oklahoma Baptist (Sooner Athletic Tournament) are tournament runner-ups.

In the final NAIA DI Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll released earlier Tuesday, Westminster leads quadrant teams in the rankings, sitting at No. 3. Oklahoma Baptist sits at No. 6, Our lady of the Lake is ranked 11th, followed by Westmont (16th), Lyon (17th) and Martin Methodist (24th). Baker and Cumberland were both receiving votes for the Top 25.

The Scots enter the game having won five of its last 6 games and 16 of its past 18. Westmont has claimed wins in seven of its last eight. Of the teams in the quadrant, Westminster is the hottest squad, riding a 15-game winning streak. Oklahoma Baptist has won 10 of its last 11 and Baker has claimed victories in nine of its last 12 games.

COMPLETE BRACKET SUMMARY
For the first time in NAIA history, the event will be held at the Independence Events Center, taking place from March 18-24.

The field consists of 15 automatic berths, 16 at-large selections and championship host William Woods (Mo.). Automatic qualification is given to conference regular-season champions, tournament champions or tournament runners-up, depending on the league. At-large teams were determined using the final regular-season Coaches’ Top 25 Poll released earlier Wednesday.

Top-ranked Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) headlines the field, as the only one-loss team entering the national championship. The Lady Lions boast a NAIA-best 32-game winning streak coming into the event. Freed-Hardeman’s only loss was a 2-0 forfeit in its season opener against Martin Methodist (Tenn.) on Nov. 4. The program earned an automatic berth by winning the AMC regular-season and tournament championships for the second-straight season.

The Lady Lions are making their 19th-straight appearance in the national championship – the longest active streak among the qualifiers – and own a 28-18 (.609) all-time record. Last season, Freed-Hardeman reached the championship final for the first time in program history.

Defending national champion Oklahoma City returns to the field for the 18th-consecutive season. The Stars won the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament to claim an automatic berth. Oklahoma City, which has claimed the coveted red banner two out of the last three seasons, looks to make noise again this year.

With last year’s title, the Stars now own more national championships (7) and the most championship victories (61) among active NAIA programs. Additionally, Oklahoma City’s 21 all-time appearances is third among the qualifiers, trailing Campbellsville (Ky.) (23) and Wayland Baptist (Texas) (22).

Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) members Vanguard (Calif.) and Westmont (Calif.) join Oklahoma City as the only teams among the field with a national title. The Lions took home the banner in 2008, while Westmont cut down the nets in 2013.

Three of the four semifinalists from a year ago are back in 2015 – Freed-Hardeman, Oklahoma City and Wiley. Wiley, which was arguably the Cinderella story of the 2014 event, received the fifth at-large into the championship field. The Wildcats are 22-4 on the year. Wiley owns a 4-3 all-time record at the championship, with three of those victories coming in last year’s run.

Four conferences – the Frontier Conference, GSAC, Mid-South Conference and Red River Athletic Conference – placed at least four teams in the field of 32.

Eleven of the 32 qualifiers have made at least 10 appearances at the national championship, led by previously mentioned Campbellsville (23). Outside of the Tigers, Wayland Baptist (22), Oklahoma City (21), Freed-Hardeman (19), Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (18), Oklahoma Baptist (17), Vanguard (17), Langston (Okla.) (12), Montana State-Northern (12), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (10) and Westmont (10) have made 10-or-more trips.

Great Falls (Mont.) and Martin Methodist (Tenn.) are making their first-ever national championship. Both programs received at-large spots.

Fifteen programs will also have representation at the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship – Benedictine (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.), Campbellsville, Cal State San Marcos, Concordia (Calif.), Freed-Hardeman, Lewis-Clark State, LSU Shreveport (La.), Martin Methodist, Oklahoma City, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), Pikeville (Ky.), Wayland Baptist, Westmont and Wiley. The men’s championship runs congruently to the women’s at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

Twenty-two teams return from the 2014 field.

The first 30 games of the national championship will be video-streamed live on www.NAIANetwork.com, the NAIA’s official video-streaming platform powered by Stretch Internet. For more information, CLICK HERE. The championship final will air on ESPN3 for the second-straight year.

For more information on the 2015 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship, CLICK HERE.

FOR A PDF OF THE 32ND ANNUAL NAIA DI WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET – CLICK HERE

LYON’S QUADRANT FIRST ROUND GAMES

Thursday, March 19

#3 Our Lady of the Lake vs. #6 Martin Methodist, 9 a.m.

#5 Lyon vs. #4 Westmont, 10:45 a.m.

#7 Baker vs. #2 Oklahoma Baptist, 12:30 p.m.

#1 Westminster vs. #8 Cumberland, 2:15 p.m.

 

SECOND ROUND MATCHUPS
Friday, March 20

#1 Westminster / #8 Cumberland vs. #5 Lyon / #4 Westmont, 6:15 p.m.

#3 Our Lady of the Lake / #6 Martin Methodist vs. #7 Baker / #2 Oklahoma Baptist, 4:30 p.m.

 

QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 21

Winners play at 6 p.m.

 

TIDBITS ON 8 TEAMS IN LYON QUADRANT
#1 Westminster College (Calif.)

From Salt Lake City, Utah… Record is 25-2… Got in by winning the Frontier Tournament championship… Final national ranking is #3… This will be its ninth appearance in the national tournament… The last time was in 2014… Record at national tournament is 10-8… School’s enrollment is 3,200… Mascot is the Griffins.

 

#2 Oklahoma Baptist University

From Shawnee, Okla…. Record is 25-5… Got in by being the Sooner Athletic Tournament runner-up… Final national ranking is #6… This will be its 17thappearance in the national tournament… The last time was in 2014… Record at the national tournament is 14-16… School’s enrollment is 2,000… Mascot is the Lady Bison.

 

#3 Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas)

From San Antonio, Texas… Record is 26-6… Got in by winning the Red Driver Athletic Conference regular season championship… Final national ranking is #11… This will be its fourth appearance in the national tournament… The last time was in 2014… Record at the national tournament is 1-3… School’s enrollment is 3,173… Mascot is the Saints.

 

#4 Westmont College (Calif.)

From Santa Barbara, Calif…. Record is 24-6… Got in as the At-Large No. 6 team… Final national ranking is #16… This will be the 10th appearance in the national tournament… The last time was 2014… Record at the national tournament is 8-8… School’s enrollment is 1,200… Westmont is one of only two teams in the tournament with a national championship, doing it in 2013… Mascot is the Warriors

 

#5 Lyon College

From Batesville, Ark…. Record is 27-6… Got in as the American Midwest Conference Tournament runner-up… Final national ranking is #17… This will be its fourth appearance in the national tournament… The last time was 2014… Record at the national tournament is 0-3… School’s enrollment is 695… Mascot is the Scots… Lyon was eliminated by Westmont in the Scots’ first trip to the national tournament back in 2012, 59-57.

 

#6 Martin Methodist University (Tenn.)

From Pulaski, Tenn…. Record is 25-7… Got in the At-Large No. 11 team… Final national ranking is 24th… This will be its first appearance in the national tournament… School’s enrollment is 1,127… Mascot is the RedHawks.

 

#7 Baker University (Kansas)

From Baldwin City, Kansas… Record is 21-9… Got in as the At-Large No. 13 team… Final national ranking was receiving votes… This will be its second appearance in the national tournament… The last time was 2014… Record at the national tournament is 1-1… School’s enrollment is 920… Mascot is the Wildcats.

 

#8 Cumberland University (Tenn.)

From Lebanon, Tenn…. Record is 16-12… Got in as At-Large No. 15 team… Final national ranking was receiving votes… This will be its sixth appearance in the national tournament… The last time was 2013… Record at the national tournament is 8-5… School’s enrollment is 1,491… Mascot is the Bulldogs.

Lyon College Womens Basketball to the NAIA tourney

 

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