March 14, 2007

JACKSON, Tenn. - The 27th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship opened play at Oman Arena Wednesday, and six of the eight higher-seeded teams advanced to second-round matchups slated for Friday.

The eight remaining first-round games will be played Thursday, beginning with the day's first contest at 9 a.m.

Fourth-seeded Oklahoma City and fifth-seeded Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) opened the tournament with a double-overtime duel, and Oklahoma City ended up posting the 95-85 victory to move on to the second round for the tenth straight year. The Stars finished the game on a 10-2 run, with the final five points coming on free throws in the final minute. All five of Oklahoma City's starters tallied double-figures in scoring, with Alexandra Kotta leading the way with 25 points.

In the second game, third-seeded Carroll (Mont.) built up a 20-point lead early in the second half, but sixth-seeded Xavier (La.) spent the rest of the game clawing back, eventually closing to within five points with 13 seconds to play in overtime. Carroll rebounded a pair of its own missed free throws in the closing seconds to seal the 56-50 victory. Jolene Fusezy led Carroll with a game-high 19 points, while Amy Brooks added a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Top-seeded Vanguard (Calif.) held off a late rally from eighth-seeded Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) in the third game, using an 11-3 run after Harris-Stowe State got within a point at 59-58 with less than five minutes remaining. Rachel Besse scored 18 of her game-high 26 points in the second half for Vanguard, and Kelly Schmidt finished with 19 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the field and a game-high 16 rebounds.

In game four of the day, second-seeded Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) blew open a 27-27 halftime tie with seventh-seeded Westmont (Calif.), posting a 67-53 win over the Warriors. Kristin Archie led the way, scoring 11 of her 15 points in the second half, and Trevecca Nazarene posted a 40-26 edge in the second half to seal the victory.

Sixth-seeded Houston Baptist (Texas) pulled the first upset of the day, edging third-seeded Montana-Western, 64-63 in the fifth game. Dominique Thomas made the game-winner with 20 seconds to play, and Montana-Western's three-point attempt in the closing seconds fell short to give Houston Baptist its seventh consecutive NAIA Tournament first-round victory.

In the day's sixth game, fifth-seeded Oklahoma Christian knocked another higher seed out of the tournament with a 77-64 win over fourth-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.). Oklahoma Christian went on a 17-1 run over a four-minute stretch early in the first half to take a 21-5 lead, and the Lady Eagles maintained the lead throughout the game. Rachel Martin scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the second half for Oklahoma Christian, and Katie Farriss added a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double.

In the seventh game, top-seeded Union (Tenn.) got 48 of its 86 points from its bench, posting the day's largest margin of victory with an 86-55 victory over eighth-seeded The Master's (Calif.). Union scored 21 straight points midway through the second half to open up a 29-point margin at 67-38 with less than nine minutes to play. Kaitlin Dudley led all scorers with 24 points off the bench for Union, and D.J. Sissoko and Josephine Owoko also came off the bench to combine for 21 points and 17 rebounds.

Second-seeded Lubbock Christian overcame the largest deficit of the day's action, erasing a 15-point deficit early in the second half in less than six minutes, going back and forth with seventh-seeded McKendree (Ill.) before sinking six-of-eight free throws in the final minute to seal a 70-62 victory. Jordan Hampton finished with a game-high 22 points, including 17 in the second half, and Ashley Hunter added 21 points, 15 after halftime for Lubbock Christian.