March 16, 2007

JACKSON, Tenn. - Fifth-seeded Lambuth University (Tenn.) advanced to its first-ever quarterfinals after bringing down the second number one seed of the tournament in a 77-61 win over Saint Xavier University (Ill.) in the second round of the 27th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Oman Arena.

Saint Xavier completely erased a 15-point first-half deficit and twice took one-point leads midway through the second half, the last after Erin Hannemann's bucket gave Saint Xavier a 53-52 lead with 9:49 remaining. Dee Preyer returned the lead to Lambuth for good with a pair of free throws after the Eagles grabbed the offensive boards on two missed three-pointers with 9:17 to play. That was the start of a 25-6 run that gave Lambuth a commanding 77-59 lead with just 1:39 remaining in the game.

Meghan Fuqua scored 16 of her game-high 26 points in the first half, helping Lambuth to a 40-28 halftime lead. Fuqua also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, and Tara Robinson provided all 10 of her points off the bench in the opening period. Preyer added 16 points, including eight-of-nine from the free throw line. Lambuth had 20 second-chance points to Saint Xavier's six, thanks to 21 offensive boards and a 42-26 rebounding edge.

Saint Xavier was led by Candis Jackson's 17 points, while Angie Bush and Sarah Wilson each contributed nine points off the bench.

Lambuth improves to 24-9 on the season and advances to a quarterfinal matchup with the Southern Nazarene/Westminster winner Saturday night at 8 p.m. Saint Xavier's season-long winning streak is snapped at 14 games and drops the Cougars' final season record to 29-3.