Holding just a five-point lead at intermission, Hendrix College, the top seed from the West Division, outscored the East four-seed Oglethorpe University 38-22 in the second half and cruised to a 73-52 quarterfinal victory Friday evening at Belhaven University.
The victory advances the Warriors to Saturday's semifinal round where they will play the winner of the Centre College and Trinity University.
Hendrix moves to 20-4 with the victory - earning the program its first 20+ winning season since the 1999-2000 campaign.
First-year head coach That McCraken got contributions up and down the lineup - with Christina Byler leading the way with a game-high 13 points and right rebounds. Amanda Morris added 12 points and seven assists and Avery Roller finished with 11 points off the bench for the Warriors. Anna Roane had 10 points.
Oglethorpe, which ends it season at 10-16, was paced by Katie Weeks who had11 points and Chelsea MacDonald, who finished with 10 points.
The two teams combined to shoot 58 free throws on the evening, with Oglethorpe nailing 22-of-27 and Hendrix 22-of-31 from the charity stripe.
The game marked the second time in three years Oglethorpe and Hendrix have faced off in the first round of the SCAC Tournament. The Petrels won a nail-biter over the Warriors, 73-70, in overtime in 2008.
Director of communications Russell Kramer had a chance to catch up with both head coaches and senior forward Christina Byler of Hendrix after the contest.
To listen to Oglethorpe head coach Ron Sattele, click here.
To listen to Hendrix head coach Thad McCracken, click here.
To listen to Hendrix senior forward Christina Byler, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment