COLUMBIA, Ky. – The Mid-South Conference women's basketball tournament opens on Friday, March 1 at Studle Financial Arena in Bowling Green, and the first game of the postseason pins (RV) Lindsey Wilson against (RV) Freed-Hardeman.
The Blue Raiders and Lions experienced two vastly different playoff runs in 2023. Freed-Hardeman surprised everyone for its first-ever conference tournament title, while Lindsey Wilson bowed out in the opening round.
Friday's quarterfinal meeting will be the first all-time between the two sides in Mid-South postseason history. They previously jousted in the second round of the NAIA National Tournament on March 15, 2019, in Billings, Montana. Since then, the Blue Raiders have won six of their last eight games against the Lions, including their two most recent regular season contests on January 18 and February 24.
In both of those regular season games, Freed-Hardeman was ranked inside the top 25 of the NAIA Coaches Poll, but that did not bother Lindsey Wilson. The Blue Raiders won both match-ups by an average of 8.0 points while outshooting the Lions 0.438 to 0.386.
Lucy Patterson recorded 13 points and eight rebounds in the first outing before notching a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double in the second. She, along with Mid-South Freshman of the Year
Taylor Guess and
Amelia Hodges all averaged in double figures against Freed-Hardeman this season. Guess also added 6.0 rebounds a game and shot 11-of-12 from the foul line.
As for the Lions, first-team all-conference honoree Rachel Satterly posted 20-plus points in both games, and her Defensive Player of the Year teammate KJ White contributed 9.0 points a game plus a team-high five total steals and 14 total rebounds.
Friday's game tips off at 2:30 p.m. CST and will be broadcast live on the Mid-South Conference Sports Network. Live audio will also be available through the Lindsey Wilson Sports Network. Tickets can be purchased from the Mid-South Conference website.
The winner of Friday's game advances to the semifinal round at 12 p.m. CST on Sunday, March 3 versus top-seeded Campbellsville (Ky.).
