March 10, 2007

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Brittany Smart of Cedarville (Ohio) continued to rewrite the record book and Indiana Wesleyan's quest for a perfect season continued during the quarterfinals of the 16^th annual NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa.

Cedarville (27-6) had to rally after trailing by nine at the break. The Lady Jackets struggled from the floor in the first half (26.7 percent), but picked up the offensive pace in the second frame, going on a 15-0 run to erase an eight-point deficit and take a 48-41 advantage. During the run the Lady Jackets hit three long-range field goals.

Smart scored 17 of her game-high 29 points in the second half to lead the Lady Jackets to compliment 12 rebounds. Smart tied her own record for free throws made in a game, going an amazing 16-of-16 from the charity stripe. She also eclipsed the marks for most field goals and free throws on a career. She currently has 128 field goals and 95 free throws.

In the opening game of the day Indiana Wesleyan remained undefeated and denied defending national champion Hastings College (Neb.) a chance at repeating with a 61-52 win. It took over three minutes for either team to get on the scoreboard as Hastings (28-7) struck first on a three by Kay Broekemeier.

The Wildcats (36-0) took over the lead and extended it to eight before. Hastings came back to pull within a bucket (21-19) with 2:37 remaining in the half, but the Wildcats closed out the frame on an 11-1 run to take a 10 point advantage at the break. Liz Howerth was on of four players in double digits for Indian Wesleyan with a game-high 19 points.

MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) will be the only non-top seed in the semifinals with a 79-71 win over Saint Francis (Ind.). The two squads traded the lead three times and were tied on four in the first half. MidAmerica (33-3) was able to separate from Saint Francis going on an 11-4 spurt over a three-minute span.

The Lady Pioneers opened up an advantage of as many as 16 during the second half. The Cougars cut the lead to single digits on multiple occasions, but each time MidAmerica answered, pushing the lead back to the 10-13 point mark. Nine different players scored for MidAmerica in the game, including a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds by Jena Matson.

In the final game of the day College of the Ozarks (Mo.) led from start to finish, defeating Bethel College (Ind.), 87-75. The Bobcats hit 13 three-point field goals in the contest and out-rebounded Bethel by a margin of 38-23. Seven players saw the court for Ozarks, six of them scoring - five in double figures. Kayli Combs led the way with 23 points, going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.

For statistical leaders along with more information on the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship log on to www.naia.org. The 32-team, single elimination tournament continues with the semifinals on Monday, March 12. The tournament concludes Tuesday, March 13 with the championship game at 6:30 p.m.

First Round, Wednesday, March 7

No. 4 Tabor (Kan.) def. No. 5 Cardinal Stritch (Wisc.), 46-41

No. 3 William Jewell (Mo.) def. No. 6 Cornerstone (Mich.), 73-64

No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan vs. No. 8 Saint Joseph (Vt.), 69-25

No. 1 Cedarville (Ohio) def. No. 8 Union (Ky.), 86-63

No. 2 Hastings (Neb.) def. No. 7 Eastern Oregon, 74-47

No. 6 Taylor (Ind.) def. No. 3 Dakota State (S.D.) , 67-56

No. 4 Morningside (Iowa) def. No. 5 Davenport (Mich.), 79-69

No. 7 Iowa Wesleyan def. No. 2 Menlo (Calif.), 63-50

First Round, Thursday, March 8

No. 3 Ottawa (Kan.) def. No. 6 Saint Ambrose (Iowa), 67-57

No. 2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) def. No. 7 Geneva (Pa.), 86-64

No. 1 Saint Francis (Ind.) def. No. 8 Trinity Christian (Ill.), 75-51

No. 5 Mount Marty (S.D.) def. No. 4 Bryan (Tenn.), 63-49

No. 1 Ozarks (Mo.) def. No. 8 Edward Waters (Fla.), 74-55

No. 2 Bethel (Ind.) def. No. 7 Berea (Ky.), 98-86

No. 4 Northwestern (Iowa) def. No. 5 Daemen (N.Y.), 98-69

No. 3 Sterling (Kan.) def. No. 6 Corban (Ore.), 80-70

Second Round, Friday, March 9

No. 2 Hastings (Neb.) def. No. 3 William Jewell (Mo.), 57-46

No. 2 MidAmerica Nazarene def. No. 3 Ottawa (Kan.), 82-78

No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan def. No. 4 Tabor (Kan.), 61-44

No. 1 Saint Francis (Ind.) def. No. 5 Mount Marty (S.D.), 63-46

No. 6 Taylor (Ind.) def. No. 7 Iowa Wesleyan, 67-61

No. 1 Ozarks (Mo.) def. No. 4 Northwestern (Iowa), 88-82 (OT)

No. 1 Cedarville (Ohio) def. No. 4 Morningside (Iowa), 95-79

No. 2 Bethel (Ind.) def. No. 3 Sterling (Kan.), 89-58

Quarterfinals, Saturday, March 10

No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan def. No. 2 Hastings (Neb.), 61-52

No. 2 MidAmerica Nazarene def. No. 1 Saint Francis (Ind.), 79-71

No. 1 Cedarville (Ohio) def. No. 6 Taylor (Ind.), 64-55.

No. 1 Ozarks (Mo.) def. No. 2 Bethel (Ind.), 87-75

Semifinals, Monday, March 12

No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan vs. No. 1 Cedarville (Ohio), 6:00 p.m.

No. 2 MidAmerica Nazarene vs. No. 1 Ozarks (Mo.), 8:00 p.m.

Championship (CSTV), Tuesday, March 13

Game 31, 6:30 p.m.