FRANKFORT, KY --- (
COMPLETE GAME NOTES) The Biola University's women's basketball team (21-10) makes its program-best fourth-straight trip to the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship this week at the Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Eagles, who finished the season ranked just outside of the Top 25 in the final NAIA Coaches Poll, opens the tournament against #7 Lee University of Tennessee (30-3). The game is scheduled as one of the final games of the first round, tipping off Thursday night at 6:15 p.m. ET.
Biola is making its fourth-straight tournament appearance and its seventh trip overall. The Eagles are 1-6 in its previous six trips with the lone win coming during the 2009 tournament. That year, the Eagles were knocked out of the tournament by Lee University, 96-75.
The winner of Thursday's game faces either #23 Columbia College (Mo.) or #10 Langston University (Okla.) game on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. How they got here: The Eagles reached the NAIA Tournament by earning the 11th of 15 at-large berths. Biola finished the year with an overall record of 21-10 and was 11-7 in GSAC play.
Biola's 20 victories marked the first time in program history the Eagles have had four-straight 20-win seasons. Over the last four seasons, Biola is 86-41, the best record in a four-year stretch in program history.
DEFENSE CARRIES EAGLES: Biola's finished the season ranked No. 8 in scoring defense, allowing an average of 54 points per game. The Eagles have allowed 50 or more points in just seven games this season. Biola also ranked 27th in steals (310), 32nd in blocks (94) and 39th in turnover margin (1.48).
LIVE STATS AND VIDEO: The NAIA is providing live stats and video for all 31 tournament games. For video, visit http://www.watchnaia.com to order and watch the pay-per-view broadcast.
Fans can also follow the game with live stats, which are available through the NAIA website at http://www.naia.org or by following the link on the Biola Athletics website http://athletics.biola.edu.
SCOUTING LEE UNIVERSITY: The Lady Flames enter the NAIA tournament with a 30-3 overall record, earning an at-large berth after finishing second to Bellhaven University in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament championship. The loss was just the third or the year for Lee, but the second in the last four games.
Lee has been ranked in the NAIA Top 10 throughout the season, opening the year ranked No. 15 and remaining in the top five through much of the middle of the year. The two late losses dropped the team to No. 7 in the final poll.
Over the last two years, Lee has graduated two 2,000+ point scorers over the last two years. But despite that, the Lady Flames put together one of the best seasons in program history, winning 28 of the first 29 games including opening SSAC play with a perfect 19-0.
Head Coach Marty Rowe was recently named the SSAC Coach of the Year. In seven seasons with the Lady Flames, he has gone 226-47 and have won seven-straight SSAC regular-season championships.
Lee has won 30-plus games in each of the last four seasons after finishing below .500 just seven years ago.
The Lady Flames lead the NAIA in scoring defense, allowing just 49.7 points per game. Lee ranks in the top 30 in the NAIA in 24 offensive categories including being second in three-point field goals made and third in scoring margin.
Lee placed two players on the All-SSAC team. Sophomore guard Hollie German was named the SSAC Co-Division Players of the Year after averaging 15.9 points per game this season and finishing fifth in the NAIA in three-pointers made (75) and three-pointers percentage (42.4%).
Senior guard Angela Spann averaged 13.1 points per game and also landed on the All-SSAC team.
This will be the second meeting between the two schools. Lee won the first one which came during the 2009 NAIA National Tournament. The Lady Flames just missed a tournament record by hitting 13 three-pointers in a 96-75 second-round victory.
REECE EARNS ALL-GSAC RECOGNITION: Senior guard Charrise Reece (#23) represented Biola on the All-GSAC squad this season after leading the team to a fourth-place conference finish.
Reece led the GSAC and ranked 10th in the NAIA in steals with a career-best 87, moving her into second on Biola's all-time steal list with 293. Reece also distributed the ball well, ranking fourth in the GSAC and 16th in the NAIA in assists with 135. She either scored or assisted on one-third of Biola's field goals this season.
Reece also ranked fourth in the conference with a 1.8 assist to turnover ratio, was 26th in scoring, averaging 8.6 points per game and even added 4.2 rebounds per contest.
BIOLA AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Thanks in large part to solid defense, the Eagles rank among the NAIA's leaders in numerous categories. Biola ranks eighth in the NAIA in scoring defense, allowing just 54 points per game this season. The Eagles are also 11th in defensive rebounds (33.7 per game) and 12th in rebounding margin (+7.5) and are pulling down 16.4 offensive rebounds per contest--15th in the NAIA.
REECE NEARING MILESTONES: Senior guard Charrise Reece (#23) is nearing three separate career milestones of note. The senior is just 15 points away from being the 17th player in program history to score 1,000 points and also needs four assists for 500 for her career and seven steals for 300.
SENIOR MEMORIES: Biola's three seniors are leaving the program as one of the most successful in the history of Biola women's basketball. The trio of Emily Drews (#21), Lauren Gustafson (#21) and Charrise Reece (#23) are the first players in program history to appear in four-straight NAIA Tournaments and have compiled an 86-41 record–the best record in a four-year span in program history.
HEAD OF THE CLASS: Senior guard Emily Drews (#21) was honored in February as a Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 selection after maintaining a 3.40 GPA in her pursuit of a degree in English at Biola. She also averaged 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on the court to help the Eagles reach the NAIA tournament.
