Fire women's basketball takes off to New Orleans, La. this Friday for a rematch against Loyola (La.), this time it is in the NAIA National Tournament.
The Fire and the Wolf Pack have already collided once this season on neutral ground and will meet on Loyola's home floor for the first time. Southeastern seeks revenge after coming up two points short in a 55-53 loss in its second game of the season.
A Sun Conference Tournament win was what it took for the Fire to get to where they are now. They come into this tournament seeded 11th in its quadrant, and will look to upset the sixth seeded Loyola Wolf Pack. Offensively the Fire are guided by graduate student
Bekki Kalaydjiev who has been the focal point of the Fire offense all season, Kalaydjiev averaged 15 points on 49.7 percent shooting and also won Sun Conference Player of the Year.
Southeastern will also look to fellow grad student
Kiki Britzmann, Britzmann took over the Sun Conference Tournament scoring 27 in the first round and 30 in the championship, earning the MVP rights. Consistent results and 48 percent shooting and 74 percent on free throws leads Britzmann to average 12.4 points per game, she also grabs 5.4 rebounds per game.
Sun Conference Freshman of the Year
Mya Herman, guard
Anja Knoflach,
Kassidy Jones, and
Anaya Coleman will also be in the mix. Herman averages 9.8 on 46 percent shooting, Knoflach scores 8.2 per game, Jones adds 5.6, and Coleman shoots 41.7 percent from three.
As a whole the offensive attack from the Fire scores 72 points per game, assisting 15.6 times per game.
The Fire boast one of the top defenses in the NAIA to complement their offense, holding teams to 59 points, 36 percent shooting and just 29 percent from three. The Fire force 18 turnovers, with 10 of the forced turnovers being steals, and score 19 points per game off of these forced turnovers. Kalaydjiev and Herman lead the team in steals with 2.5 and 1.9, Coleman and
Rebecca Cook come away with 1.5 and 1.3 steals per contest helping to aid the Fire defense.
Loyola (La.) is no stranger to the NAIA National Tournament, having made it every year since the 2013-14 season, with their longest stay in the tournament being a Round of 16 run in 2013-14.
The sixth seeded Wolf Pack are 2-3 all time versus the Fire with the sixth meeting right around the corner. Loyola comes into this game 24-4, and fresh off a Southern States Athletic Conference Championship. The offense is mainly handled by Sandra Cannady and Taylor Thomas. Cannady nearly averages a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. Thomas scores 14.6 and also cashes in 4.6 assists per game.
Loyola holds teams to 63 while scoring 75 points per game. Cannady and Thomas run the floor leading in most of the statistical categories, on defense as well, leading the team in steals and Alissa O'Dell is second on the team at 5.2 rebounds per game behind Cannady. Like the Fire, the Wolf Pack hold teams to 36 percent shooting and 29 percent from three, to add they out-rebound opponents by five per game 42-37 and force 17 turnovers.
The winner of this 6-11 matchup in the First Round will see the victor of the 3-14 contest between #3 Georgetown (Ky.) and #14 Milligan (Tenn.) in the Cramer Quadrant.
The Fire tip off 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
