March 16, 2007

JACKSON, Tenn. - Second-seeded Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) broke a 55-55 tie with a pair of Mariska Reed free throws with 17 second left to edge third-seeded Carroll College (Mont.) to kick off the second round of the 27th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Oman Arena.

Reed's free throws capped a game filled with wide point swings, as Carroll opened the game with an early eight-point lead at 14-6 before Trevecca Nazarene closed out the final 10 minutes of the opening half with a 27-8 run to take a 33-22 lead into the break. Carroll scored the first nine points of the second half to cut the lead to just two points, then regained the lead at 43-42 on a Jolene Fuzesy three-pointer with 10:55 remaining in the game.

The lead changed hands five more times before Trevecca Nazarene's Abby Lawson converted a three-point play to give the Trojans a 55-53 lead with 1:56 to play. Sophi Forney answered with a basket on the ensuing Carroll possession, tying the game at 55-55 with 1:25 left. After Reed sank the free throws, Carroll took a three-pointer for the win, but Reed rebounded the miss and was fouled with six-tenths of a second remaining to seal the victory.

Lawson finished with a game-high 21 points off the bench for Trevecca Nazarene, while Reed posted 15 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Kristin Archie tallied five assists and three steals.

Sophi Forney led Carroll with 16 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the field, and Amy Brooks posted a double-double with totals of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Carroll was eight-of-29 (28 percent) from the field in the opening half, and the Fighting Saints misfired on six-of-10 first-half free throws. In the game, the Fighting Saints were four-of-32 (13 percent) from three-point range.

With the win, Trevecca Nazarene improves to 27-6 on the season and advances into the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season, where it will meet the Vanguard/Oklahoma City winner Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Carroll wraps up the season with a 30-5 record.