Fourth-ranked Westmont (25-4) received a number one seed in the second quadrant of the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament Bracket released today. The Warriors will take on eighth-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.) in the first round of the 32-team tournament at the Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Cumberlands posted an overall record of 18-12 this season. As members of the Mid-South Conference, the Patriots finished sixth with a record of 11-9. Westmont and Cumberlands have faced no common opponents this season.
The only prior meeting of the two teams came in March of 2004 when the Warriors posted a 69-45 first round win in the national tournament under then head coach Gregg Afman. That game resulted in the first national tournament victory in Westmont women’s basketball history.
Cumberlands has made 17 appearances in the national championship, posting a record of 5-12. Last year they suffered an 80-73 first round overtime loss to Rogers State (Okla.). The team’s best finish came in 2009 when they advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Patriots are led in scoring by Dace Bicane, a 6-0 senior forward who averages 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Junior wing Jill Herman, who also stands at 6-0, is averaging 11.4 points.
Cumberlands allows just 56.77 points per game, sixteenth best in the NAIA, and ranks eighth in the NAIA in free throw percentage at .726 (429 of 591). They allow opponents an average of just 30.70 rebounds per game, third best in the NAIA. As a team, the Patriots rank sixth in the NAIA in fouls committed at 20.47 per game.
If the Warriors are victorious in the first round, they will take on the winner of the game between fourth-seeded Rogers State (23-9) and fifth-seeded Our Lady of the Lake (30-3) of Texas in a second round game on Friday.
Our Lady of the Lake is the highest scoring team in the NAIA, averaging 85.94 points per game. The Saints rank third in the NAIA in scoring margin at plus 23.00. The Saints, who tied for the regular season Red River Conference championship with a 20-2 conference record, earned an automatic qualification to the national tournament as the runner-up in the conference tournament. Our Lady of the Lake’s program started in the 2009-10 season. They will be making their second national tournament appearance.
Rogers State, which placed third in the Sooner Athletic Conference, ranks eighteenth in the NAIA in scoring at 69.75 points per game. The #15 Hillcats are making their third appearance in the national championship. After defeating Cumberlands in the first round last season, Rogers State defeated Shorter (Ga.) in the second round by a score of 64-59. The Hillcats lost in the quarterfinals 70-63 to Georgetown (Ky.).
Westmont is making its eighth appearance in the national championship and sixth in the last seven year. Last year was the most successful for the Warriors. After defeating Lyon (Ark.) by a score of 59-57, Westmont recorded a second round win over Saint Xavier (Ill.) by a 70-56 margin. The Warriors lost 66-61 in the quarterfinals to Lubbock Christian (Texas).
