JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The No. 9 seed Presbyterian College women's basketball team begins postseason play on Wednesday evening (March 4), opening the first round of the Big South Tournament against No. 8 seed USC Upstate at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN+ at the Freedom Hall Civic Center.
GAME INFO
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
Site: Johnson City, Tenn. (Freedom Hall Civic Center)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoBlueHose.com
PRESBYTERIAN
Record: 3-26, 1-15 Big South
Last Game: February 28, 2026 – Longwood 89, Presbyterian 57
Head Coach: Tiffany Sardin (Virginia, 2006)
Record at PC: 9-50 (2nd Season)
USC UPSTATE
Record: 11-19, 6-10 Big South
Last Game: February 28, 2026 – USC Upstate 55, High Point 50
Head Coach: Jason Williams
Record at USC Upstate: 47-76 (4th Season)
LAST TIME OUT
Presbyterian suffered an 89-57 defeat to Longwood at the Templeton Center in the regular season finale on Saturday.
Daniella Velez continued her hot stretch offensively for the Blue Hose, leading the team with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Krystal Haddock and Yolanda Floyd also scored in double figures for Presbyterian, scoring 12 apiece. Defensively, the Blue Hose forced 20 Longwood turnovers and recorded 10 steals.
BLUE HOSE BY THE NUMBERS
Senior Ja'Cia Cunningham powers the Presbyterian offense going into the postseason, averaging 10.7 points per game (ranks 15th in the Big South). She has scored at least 20 points four times this season and has reached double figures 15 times. Aminata Tal is the second-leading scorer for the Blue Hose, averaging 8.6 points per contest coming into the postseason. She is also second in the team in made field goals (97) and in steals (41). She was named to the Big South All-Academic Team on Tuesday.
Junior Ore Ogunwolere leads the Blue Hose in several different categories. She leads the team in assists (70), steals (56), and minutes per game (30.5). She is fifth in the league in steals per game (2.0) and ranks tenth in assists. Sophomore Daniella Velez is second on the team in assists (40). Velez has been on a tear on both ends of the floor to finish the season, scoring in double figures in four of her last seven games. She shot 36.0 percent from three in conference play (best on the team).
Freshman Allie Sykes has paced PC from three-point land and the free throw line all year. She has connected on 28 treys coming into Wednesday night, also making 21 of her 23 total free throw attempts (91.3 percent).
Sophomore Krystal Haddock has been very productive in conference play for the Blue Hose. She leads PC in rebounding on the season, grabbing 5.7 boards per game. In the Big South, she is averaging 10.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.
BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Blue Hose hold a 10-11 all-time record in the Big South Tournament. Presbyterian won the Big South Championship for the first time in program history in 2024, reaching the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Blue Hose faced UNC Asheville in the first round of the tournament, falling 69-63.
CAREER-HIGHS
Several Blue Hose players have had career-highs in conference play this year. Daniella Velez delivered the best performance of her career against Longwood on Saturday. She posted a career-high 17 points on a career-best seven made field goals. She also tied her career-high with two blocked shots. Against the Lancers, Yolanda Floyd also set a new career-high with 12 points. Amani Williams tied her career-high in points (10) and set a new-career high in rebounds (10) against Winthrop on Feb. 18. In Presbyterian's 50-46 Big South victory over Gardner-Webb on Jan. 21, Aminata Tal tied her career-high with nine made field goals. Ore Ogunwolere recorded a career-high eight rebounds for the Blue Hose against the Runnin' Bulldogs. She also tied her career-high in assists with six.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Krystal Haddock and Amani Williams have both recorded double-doubles for the Blue Hose this season. Haddock has posted three on the year with her most recent coming on Feb. 18 against Winthrop (11 points, 13 rebounds). Williams logged the first of her career against the Eagles as well, recording 10 points and 10 boards. The Winthrop game was the first time two PC players have posted a double-double since Dec. 31, 2024 against Newberry.
NEW PROGRAM RECORD
Krystal Haddock delivered a record-breaking performance against Charleston Southern on Jan. 23. She grabbed a single-game program record 12 offensive rebounds against the Buccaneers, shattering the previous record of nine. For her efforts, she was named PC Student-Athlete of the Week on Jan. 27.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
USC Upstate enters the postseason with an 11-19 overall record, finishing 6-10 in the Big South. The Spartans concluded the regular season on a high note, winning three of their last four games. In their last outing, the Spartans upset High Point 55-50 on the road. Cassie Gallagher powers USC Upstate offensively, averaging 15.7 points per game. She was named to the Big South Second Team. Aubrie Kierscht leads the conference in three-point shooting, making 42.6 percent of her shots from distance this season. She earned Honorable Mention honors in the Big South. Head coach Jason Williams is in his fourth season as the leader of the Spartans.
PRESBYTERIAN – USC UPSTATE ALL-TIME SERIES
The Blue Hose and Spartans are deadlocked at 28 wins apiece in the all-time series, dating back to 1978. USC Upstate won both meetings this season, including the most recent matchup in Clinton on Feb. 4 (70-63). This will be the first ever Big South postseason matchup between the two teams.
BLUE HOSE ROSTER
Joining the Blue Hose this season are nine newcomers (four transfers and five freshmen). The transfers for Coach Sardin are Ore Ogunwolere (Union College), Ja'Cia Cunningham (Chicago State), and Krystal Haddock (Tennessee State).
Freshmen Aretha Linger, Yolanda Floyd, Allie Sykes, Samantha Mullock, and Amani Williams also join the Blue Hose. This is the most freshmen the Blue Hose have had on the roster since the 2022-23 season (also five).
The Blue Hose also return four from last year's roster. Seniors Shelby Fiddler and Aminata Tal lead the returners for PC. Sophomores Morgan Boyd and Daniella Velez also are back for the Blue Hose this season.
TICKETS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
For season and single-game tickets, go to BlueHosetix.com. For the latest news on Presbyterian women's basketball, follow the Blue Hose on social media at @BlueHoseWBB.
UP NEXT
The winner of the game will face the No. 1 seed High Point in the quarterfinals of the Big South Tournament at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday morning (March 5) on ESPN+.
