Lady Hawks hope to add to season’s success in first trip to NCAA Tournament

ATLANTA – The accomplishments have been plentiful this season for the Huntingdon women's basketball team.

The Lady Hawks won their 18th game to set a new program record for wins in a season. With 13 wins in the last 14 games, the Lady Hawks (18-9) tied their NCAA-era mark for longest winning streak with seven wins in January and early February. Coming off their first Great South Athletic Conference championship and entering their first NCAA Tournament, the Lady Hawks are currently riding a six-game winning streak.

Huntingdon hopes to add to the streak on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Emory University. The Lady Hawks open against 24th-ranked Ferrum College at 3 p.m. Central. Ferrum was ranked 19th in Division III before losing in the USA South Tournament championship.

"We're going in with a lot of confidence," Huntingdon senior Morgan Crawford said. "Our team came together this season and we've developed a good chemistry. We've accomplished a lot this season. We've put together two pretty good winning streaks and we've been playing well. We just want to go out and keep playing well together."

This will be the first meeting between Huntingdon and Ferrum. While Huntingdon is making its first NCAA appearance, this is the second straight appearance for Ferrum and the third in program history. Although Huntingdon and Ferrum may not be familiar with each other now, the two will become conference rivals next season when Huntingdon joins the USA South.

"We saw them play two games here in our Coaches vs. Cancer tournament and they have a really good team. They're a team we need to get used to seeing because they will be a conference rival next season," Huntingdon head coach Buzz Phillips said. "Christopher Newport beat them in the conference championship and Maryville split with them this season, so we know the caliber of team we're going to see."

Phillips said this has been a good week for his program. From the thrill of making the NCAA Tournament to having another good week of practice, Phillips said the Lady Hawks are ready to play.

"This has been a special week for all of us, players and coaches," Phillips said. "These girls set goals at the end of last season and they've worked hard to make this happen. We've prepared for this game just like we prepare for every game and we're continuing to do the things that have helped us get this far. We have a tough opponent and it's going to be a tough game, but that's what you expect when you make it to the NCAA Tournament."

Friday's winner advances to the second round and will play the winner of 15th-ranked Emory (22-3) and Whitworth University (21-6) at 5:30 p.m. Central on Saturday.

General admission for the tournament is $6. Admission is $3 for students with ID, senior citizens and children (ages 3-12). Children under two will be admitted free.

Live Stats for the game will be available at http://www.go.emory.edu/LiveStats/WBB/xlive.htm 

A live webcast of the game will be broadcast at http://go.emory.edu/Webcasts/WBBWebcast.html