INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Texas Lutheran University, the 2013-14 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball champions, will travel to Crestview Hills, Ky., for the first round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship. Interactive Bracket | Printable Bracket
Texas Lutheran (23-5) will take on John Carroll University (21-4) of University Heights, Ohio, an at-large entry from the Ohio Athletic Conference, on Friday, March 7 at a time to be determined.
Texas Lutheran beat Trinity University 54-52 in yesterday's SCAC championship game to earn the SCAC automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Bulldogs' Kristen Lye tied the game with a layup with :09 seconds remaining after a walking call on Trinity, TLU had the ball with a chance to win. Cantu took the inbounds pass the length of the floor and her jumper just outside the lane with 2.3 seconds remaining (Watch the shot) gave Texas Lutheran their first conference title in women's basketball since 1984-85 (Big State Conference).
The winner of the TLU/John Carroll game will take on the winner of the Thomas More College (28-0) vs. Salem (21-4) College game.
Thomas More, the automatic qualifier from the Presidents' Athletic Conference, is one of three remaining undefeated teams in Division III and is serving as host of the four-team pod. Salem won the Great South Athletic Conference tournament.
This is Texas Lutheran's first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs are currently riding a school-record 14 game winning streak.
In all-time NCAA tournament play involving SCAC teams, the conference is 1-1 against schools from the Ohio Athletic Conference.
SCAC women's teams have been sent to Crestview Hills for NCAA tournament play three times. In 2004, Thomas More defeated SCAC champion DePauw University, 68-63, in second round play. In 2008, Oglethorpe University, as an at-large recipient, went to Crestview Hills and won two games - defeating Piedmont, 91-78, and handing a then undefeated Thomas More team its only blemish of the season in a 65-55 victory over the Saints - as the Petrels made it all the way to the Final Four. The following year (2009), the Oglethorpe women were once again sent to Crestview Hills but fell in the third round to George Fox, 71-56.
