CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The last two times Lee University has met the University of Tampa in the Division II Women's Basketball South Region, it has not been successful. The Spartans, a university with over 11,000 students, is always a challenge for most DII athletic programs. Friday's first round last action is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. EDT start.
The Lady Flames (24-6) hopes to turn Friday's challenge against the Spartans (26-6) inside Union University Fred DeLay Gymnasium in their f0avor. Lee Coach Marty Rowe says his team is very familiar with the Union gym. In fact, the Lady Flames are the only team to defeat the 29-3 Lady Bulldogs on their home floor this season. Since that time Union has posted 15 straight wins.
Lee's last loss to Tampa came two years ago when they hosted the South Region. They were also eliminated by the Spartans in the 2018-19 Region when the event was played at Lakeland, Fla. The Lady Flames have had one opportunity to host the South Region. At the end of the 2019-20 season, all the teams were in Cleveland and ready to play. Because COVID had gotten much worse the NCAA suddenly called in and cancelled the event.
Experience will not be a factor when Lee takes the playing court against Tampa. The top nine Lady Flames have been involved in at least two South Regionals. This will mark the fifth time that graduate student Addison Smith has been there. It will be Haylee Johnson's fourth trip while five others including Anna Muhonen, Mallory Hampton, Bailey Burgess, Mia Hurst, and Baylee Delbridge, will be in the battle for the third time.
Coach Rowe expects Hurst to draw a large number of fans to his team's games. She is from Henderson, Tenn, and played high school ball at Chester County, both are near Jackson. In past games against Union, the Henderson community has brought large numbers to the contests.
Hampton missed six games after suffering a knee injury. She slowly worked her way back and tallied 29 points in a late season win over Mississippi College. She enters the region averaging 17 points per game. A pure shooter, she knocks down 45% of her 3-point attempts and 90% of her free throws. Johnson had outstanding efforts while Hampton was away and moves into the Jackson event with a 12.7-point average and a team-leading 154 assists. Muhonen and Delbridge go to the glass for 4.6 boards per game.
Post players have given the Lady Flames problems in the last two meetings and that is something Coach Rowe and his staff will have to address when they face the Spartans again.
Zoe Piller is the young lady Lee is familiar with. She played at the University of West Florida for two years before transferring to Tampa. At 6-foot, Piller leads the Spartans in points (18) and rebounding (17). The senior plays beside a graduate student Sariana Rodriguez who also stands at 6-foot and averages 10 points per game. Coach Rowe says another senior, Kath Van Bennekom, is an excellent guard that directs the team.
It is a loaded field that has been assembled in Jackson. West Florida has a 20-10 record. Miles College stands at 22-6, Embry-Riddle 26-4, Nova Southeastern 25-6 and Alabama Huntsville 25-6. If the Lady Flames defeat Tampa and Union wins over Miles, the two rivals will clash again on Saturday in the semifinal round.
Coach Rowe's Thoughts
"We are very comfortable playing at Union. I think it being a familiar gym is something that could be in our favor. Hopefully, the entire Chester County and Henderson communities will be there in full force supporting Mia Hurst and our team. That community has been instrumental to our success in Jackson.
Tampa is very solid and efficient on both ends of the court, but that is what you expect this time of year. Good teams that execute on both ends. We are very familiar with Pillar inside, since she played two seasons at West Florida. We are excited about the opportunity to continue playing in the post season, but we will need great effort and focus."
All games will be streamed on Flo College. Fans can also listen to the broadcast locally on ESPN Cleveland 101.3
Ticket information is available online at www.uuathletics.com/tickets. Fans can purchase tickets at the Fred DeLay Gymnasium ticket office at the front (south) entrance one hour prior to the first game of each day. The prices for tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students (college or younger). Once tickets are purchased by the fans, Non-Union teams will be provided cards to pass out to up to 150 fans to be able to sit behind their team's bench for that game only. During games that do not involve your team, fans will need to move to another location in the gymnasium to make room for other fan bases to sit behind the bench.
