Belmont Abbey, UNC Pembroke Advance to 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship Final
Belmont Abbey-Chowan Box Score | Francis Marion-UNC Pembroke Box Score
Belmont Abbey Postgame Interview | UNC Pembroke Postgame Interview
Bracket | Tournament Homepage | Tournament Program
Final Site Live Video | Final Site Tickets | Final Site Live Stats
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship semifinals saw top-seed Belmont Abbey and third seed UNC Pembroke advance to the championship final on Sunday, March 5 at 1 p.m.
In the first semifinal, Taylor Stelley led the top-seeded Crusaders of Belmont Abbey to the championship final with a game-high 19 points in a 72-45 win over fifth-seeded Chowan. Stelley set the tone early as she scored five of The Abbey’s first seven unanswered points. Chowan responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead and the teams traded baskets until the 1:59 mark. Tied at 17, Cate Schieber drilled a 3-pointer for the Crusaders that sparked a 9-2 run to close the first quarter up 26-19 and Belmont Abbey never trailed again. The Crusaders, who rank in the top five in NCAA Division II in scoring defense, allowed 19 points in the first 10 minutes but then limited the Hawks to 26 points the rest of the way. Abigail Crain scored 16 points for the Crusaders and Schieber finished with 15 while Peyton Nation grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Destiny Robinson paced the Hawks with 12 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
The second semifinal was an overtime thriller that saw UNC Pembroke come from behind to upset No. 2 Francis Marion, 72-68. The Patriots of Francis Marion dominated the first half as they led by as many as 12 points and had an 11-point, 39-28, lead at the half. The tide turned in the third quarter as the Braves outscored FMU 16-6 in the stanza and took their first lead of the game on a pair of Kalaya Hall free throws with 52 seconds left in the quarter. The teams traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter and it was Francis Marion who led 57-55 before Hall drove the lane and converted a layup with three seconds left to send the game to overtime tied at 57.
In the extra period, Aniyah Oliver converted an and-1 to take a three point lead, but Hall got hot as she knocked down a 3-pointer, converted two free throws, then recorded a steal which she turned into two points on the fast break to give UNCP the 64-60 edge. The Patriots were able to cut the lead to one, 69-68, with 15 seconds to play, but Zaria Clark converted 3-for-4 free throws in the final 14 seconds to seal the win. Hall finished with a game-high 17 points while Aniah McManus and Clark each added 16 and Lillian Flantos had 12. Lauryn Taylor and Kiana Lee paced the Patriots with 15 points each while Jasmine Stanley (12) and Oliver (11) also finished in double figures.
Belmont Abbey and UNC Pembroke will meet in the finals of the 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 5 at 1 p.m. at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium are available
here.
2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 26
#10 North Greenville def. #7 Southern Wesleyan, 68-58, at Mount Olive (Box Score)
#9 King def. #8 Barton, 76-73, at Chowan (Box Score)
Second Round – Monday, February 27
#6 Mount Olive def. #10 North Greenville, 72-69 (Box Score)
#5 Chowan def. #9 King, 94-73 (Box Score)
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 3 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#5 Chowan def. #4 Emmanuel, 65-63 (Box Score)
#3 UNC Pembroke def. #6 Mount Olive, 69-49 (Box Score)
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#1 Belmont Abbey def. #5 Chowan, 72-45 (Box Score)
#3 UNC Pembroke def. #2 Francis Marion, 72-68 (OT) (Box Score)
Final – Sunday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#1 Belmont Abbey vs. #3 UNC Pembroke, 1 p.m.