March 15, 2007

JACKSON, Tenn. - Fifth-seeded Lambuth (Tenn.) scored 14 straight points near the end of the first half and led by double-digits the rest of the way in a 68-46 win over fourth-seeded Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) in first-round action at the 27th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Oman Arena.

With just over nine minutes remaining in the opening half, Lambuth turned a 20-18 lead into a 16-point margin at 34-18, scoring 14 straight while holding Auburn Montgomery scoreless for over seven minutes. Lambuth led by at least 10 points the rest of the game, and with just over seven minutes remaining in the game, pushed the lead over 20 points for the first time on a Kelly Forrest three-pointer that put the Eagles on top by a 61-40 margin.

Meghan Fuqua led all scorers with 18 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field, and Reggie Maddox added 16 points on eight-of-12 shooting for Lambuth, which shot 67 percent (16-for-24) from the field in the second half. Forrest finished with 13 points, including three three-pointers.

Auburn Montgomery was led by Brittany Moore, who scored 10 points and was the only Lady Senator to finish with double figures in scoring. Laurin Coleman pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

With the win, Lambuth improves to 23-9 overall and will face Saint Xavier in a second-round matchup tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Auburn Montgomery wraps up the year with a 28-6 overall record.