GREENWOOD, S.C. - The eighth-seeded Anderson women's basketball team is set to face top-seed and 11th-ranked Lander in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional that gets underway Friday at the Bearcats' Horne Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Trojans are looking to leave their mark in a perhaps the toughest of the eight regions nationally. The Lander regional is packed with powerhouse teams, featuring five of the eight squads that are ranked in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll (Lander 11th, Clayton State 19th, Francis Marion 20th, Carson-Newman 23rd and Lenoir-Rhyne 25th). Despite the lofty rankings, don't expect Anderson (20-10) to be awe-struck, as the Trojans won their last five contests and 10 of their last 11 with Anderson earning its seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament by claiming its second straight Conference Carolinas tournament title.
The Trojans feature a balanced offensive attack that features four players averaging at least nine points per game, led by first-team all-conference guard Alexa Neal's 11.8 ppg. average. Coach Jim Brunelli starting quintet includes two true freshmen, Maci Siniard and Amanda Parris. Neal was named to the all-conference after starting all 27 regular-season contests and leads the team in scoring and ranks 14th in the conference, eighth in assists and 13th in steals. The 5-foot-8 guard also leads AU in assists, steals and blocked shots and ranks second on the team in rebounding.
Junior Ashley Abed reached double figures in the scoring column 17 times this season and averages 9.3 points while collecting a team-best five rebounds a game. Siniard, a center from Rome, Ga., nets nine points and over four boards a contest, with Parris providing the outside accuracy. The long-range sharpshooter connected on 36.7 percent of her 3-point attempts this season and drained 8-of-15 from beyond the arc in the first two rounds of the conference tournament.
Lander (25-3) is hosting a regional for the first time in school history and despite suffering a tough, 79-77, last-second setback to Clayton State in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals, the Lady Bearcats have already notched school-record 25 wins, including a 14-game winning streak that also set a new school record. The Lady Bearcats are an impressive 11-0 on their home floor this season. Junior center Shannon McKever, a first-team All Peach Belt selection, leads the Lady Bearcats by averaging nearly a double-double with 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She leads the Peach Belt with 3.1 blocked shots per game and has posted 14 double-doubles. Sophomore guard Brittni Johnson earned All- PBC second team honors, while sophomore guard Ciara Lyons was named to the third team. Johnson is averaging 9.7 points and 3.6 assists per game while Lyons is averaging 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game.
The quarterfinal round starts on Friday with No. 3 Francis Marion (26-4) facing No. 6 Newberry (21-8) at noon. No. 2 Clayton State (24-6) meets No. 7 Tusculum (20-9) at 2:30 p.m.; No. 1 Lander (25-3) takes on No. 8 Anderson (20-10) at 6 p.m.; and No. 5 Carson-Newman (23-6) battles No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne (21-7) at 8:30 p.m. The Anderson-Lander winner faces a South Atlantic Conference team, either Carson-Newman or Lenoir-Rhyne, in the semifinals.
The Trojans dropped their season-opener, 68-57, to the Lady Eagles on Nov. 15 and also have a brief history with Lenoir-Rhyne, as the Lady Bears eliminated AU, 69-58, in the first round of the Southeast Regional a year ago. The semifinals are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and the regional championship game is set for 7 p.m., Monday. The Southeast Region is part of the NCAA's eight-region, 64-team national tournament. The Southeast Regional winner will advance to the Elite Eight in St. Joseph, Mo., where it will play the Atlantic Region winner on March 23.
Anderson Tournament Media Guide Tournament Web Site
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