CLINTON, S.C. – The fifth-seeded Presbyterian College women's basketball team begins the Big South Conference Championship with a visit to Boiling Springs, N.C., to take on fourth-seeded Gardner-Webb in a quarterfinal contest on Monday evening.
Matchup: No. 5 Presbyterian (11-9, 10-8) at No. 4 Gardner-Webb (10-12, 10-7)
Date: Monday, March 8, 2021
Time: 7:00 pm
Site: Paul Porter Arena (Boiling Springs, N.C.)
Live Video: ESPN3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @bluehosewbb
Notes
Opening Tip...
After a regular season which saw Presbyterian finish fifth in the standings, its highest finish since the 2016-17 campaign, the Blue Hose begin their run for a Big South Conference Championship with a quarterfinal matchup at four seed Gardner-Webb.
Last Time Out...
The Blue Hose closed out the regular season with a pair of wins at Winthrop last week to secure the five seed and a first-round bye in the Big South Championship. In the opener, an 8-0 run early in the second half helped the Blue Hose stretch the margin to double-digits, and they were able to cruise to victory from there. In the finale, Presbyterian found itself trailing by two midway through the quarter, but used a 24-4 surge over the remainder of the third and into the fourth quarter to put the Eagles away. Tionna Carter netted a season-high 24 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds in the finale to collect her third double-double of the season.
Raising the Bar...
With its two wins over Winthrop last week, PC got to 10 Big South wins for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. The fifth-place finish is the highest for the Blue Hose since going 9-9 and placing fifth in 2017-18. At 11-9 overall, Presbyterian has a chance to finish over .500 for the first time since turning in an 18-13 mark during the 2015-16 season.
Scouting the Runnin' Bulldogs...
Gardner-Webb ended the regular season with three straight wins, including a road sweep of UNC Asheville late last month. GWU had been scheduled to face Radford during the final week of the regular season, but the Highlanders had to bow out due to COVID-19 concerns, leaving the 'Dogs as the fourth seed for the Big South Championship. Like PC, Gardner-Webb boasts three scorers who're averaging double-digits, led by Lauren Bevis, who is eighth in the Big South at 12.7 ppg. Bevis was selected Second Team All-Conference, Jhessyka Williams (12.2 ppg) earned an Honorable Mention nod, and Alasia Smith (11.4 ppg) was named the Big South's Freshman of the Year.
Back to Where We Started...
PC and GWU are set to meet for the third time this season on Monday. The two split the first conference series of the season in Clinton back on Dec. 16-17. The Blue Hose tied a program record with 32 points in the third quarter to pull away 69-60 in the opener, but the Runnin' Bulldogs got the best of a defensive struggle the next night, coming out on top, 47-44.
PC's Tournament Record...
The Blue Hose are making their ninth appearance in the Big South Championship and have reached at least the quarterfinal stage all nine times. PC owns a 6-7 all-time record in the tournament, and has gone as far as the semifinals on two occasions (2016, 2017). PC is 6-2 in its opening games of the tournament, and won its first contest in each of the last two seasons under head coach Alaura Sharp, who is 2-1 in the Big South Championship. PC and Gardner-Webb have met only one other time in the tournament, with the fifth-seeded Blue Hose ousting the fourth-seeded Runnin' Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the 2016 edition in Asheville, N.C.
Trio Earns All-Conference Honors...
The Presbyterian trio of Tionna Carter, Jade Compton and Trinity Johnson all earned spots on the Big South's Honorable Mention All-Conference Team, it was announced late last week. An All-Freshman Team member last season, Carter is PC's leading scorer and ranks ninth in the conference at 12.7 ppg. Carter is also in the top-10 in the league in rebounding (6.7, 8th), blocks (1.1 bpg, 3rd), field goal percentage (.508, 3rd) and free throw percentage (.815, 5th). Compton is second on the Blue Hose in scoring and 13th in the Big South (12.0 ppg) and leads PC at 8.0 rebounds per game (4th BS). The Garland, Texas, native posted a team-high five double-doubles and is shooting 50.5 percent from the field, fourth-highest in the conference. In a team-high 32.5 minutes per game, eighth-highest in the league, Johnson is averaging 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists (3rd BS) and 1.5 steals per game this season. The junior ranks second in the Big South in free throw attempts (103), fifth in made free throws (79) and eighth in free throw percentage (.767). It is the second straight year Johnson has been selected Honorable Mention All-Conference.
Blue Hose Sweep Weekly Awards
PC took home both Big South weekly awards following the final games of the regular season last week, as Tionna Carter won her second Big South Player of the Week award of the season, and Maleia Bracone collected the Freshman of the Week for the first time in her career. Carter averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, shot 12-of-18 (.667) from the floor and made all 12 of her free throws in the sweep of Winthrop. In the finale, Carter scored a season-best 24 points and added a career-high 17 rebounds for her third double-double of the year. The 17 rebounds were also the second-most by a Blue Hose in a single game in the program's DI era (since 2007). Bracone scored in double-figures in both wins over the Eagles, averaging 11.5 points and 3.0 rebounds over the two contests. The freshman earned the first start of her collegiate career in the finale of the series, and netted 11 points.
Cleaning the Glass...
Presbyterian has won the rebounding battle in 15 of its 20 games this season, including 14 of 18 in Big South Conference play. The Blue Hose are tied with Campbell for the top overall rebounding margin in the Big South (+4.8/game), and own the best rebounding margin in conference play (+5.8/game). PC also boasts two of the top-8 rebounders in the conference in Jade Compton (4th, 8.0) and Tionna Carter (8th, 6.7). Compton's 8.2 rebounds in conference games are also third-best in the league.
Defense is the Key...
PC enters the tournament as the second-best scoring defense in the Big South, yielding 58.3 points per game, and just 57.6 in league play. The Blue Hose are also limiting their opponents 37.3 percent from the field, third-best in the conference. PC is 9-2 when holding its opponent under 60 points this year.
Century Club...
Senior forward Tess Santos hit a trio of three-pointers on Jan. 29 at Longwood to surpass 100 made threes for her collegiate career, making her the eighth Blue Hose to do so in the program's DI era. Karlee Taylor owns the DI era career record for PC, having made 264 from 2010-14. Santos also played her 100th game as a Blue Hose on Jan. 16 against Campbell.
