Thursday, March 7
Macon, Ga.
6 p.m.
University of North Florida
vs
USC Upstate
No. 5 Women's Hoops Faces No. 4 USC Upstate in A-Sun Tourney First Round
3/6/2013 5:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Live Stats
WatchESPN
Game Notes
General Shale Atlantic Sun Women's Basketball Championships
MACON, Ga. – The postseason begins for the University of North Florida women's basketball team on Thursday night when the fifth-seeded Ospreys face No. 4 USC Upstate in the first round of the 2013 General Shale Atlantic Sun Women's Basketball Championships at Hawkins Arena. The game will be shown live on WatchESPN.
“It's my favorite time of the year,” said head coach Mary Tappmeyer. “Anything can happen. A single game can determine if you move on or if your season is over. There is a reason why it's called March Madness.
“There is a certain excitement in the atmosphere. This is what we've been working for all year,” added Tappmeyer.
It is the first time in UNF's four years of being eligible for the Atlantic Sun tournament that the Ospreys are the No. 5 seed. However, this is the third-straight year the Ospreys have played in the No. 4/5 game. The Ospreys were the No. 4 seed each of the last two years, but were the No. 7 seed in 2010. UNF is an all-time 2-3 in the tournament. The Ospreys' only wins in the tournament came in 2010 when UNF defeated Mercer and Jacksonville to advance to the championship game.
UNF finished the regular season with a 61-49 at Lipscomb last Saturday. The win snapped a seven-game losing skid. Ki Conner had a huge second-half for the Ospreys, scoring all 18 of her team-high points in the second half. Meanwhile, Jadhken Kerr got her 1,000th career point at Lipscomb with a three-pointer at 15:25 in the second half.
USC Upstate earned the No. 4 seed with a 60-57 win at ETSU last Saturday. However, in the Spartans' first trip to Macon this season, they fell to Mercer 72-55. This is the second year USC Upstate is eligible for the Atlantic Sun Tournament after going through the NCAA reclassification process. Tee'Ara Copney powers the Spartans with 13.1 ppg, while Brittany Starling adds 10.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg.
Thursday's game will feature two of the A-Sun's top three shooters during the 2012-13 season. Upstate's Starling is shooting a conference-best 53.1 percent (112-for-211) from the field on the year, while UNF's Raneisha Lamar enters the game ranked third shooting 50.0 percent (93-for-186). Additionally, Starling and Lamar ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in field goal percentage in A-Sun only games. Starling was 54.1 percent (79-for-146) against A-Sun opponents and Lamar shot 52.6 percent (70-for-133).
Although UNF leads the all-time series 12-10, USC Upstate has won the last five meetings, including both regular season games in 2012-13. The Spartans took a 64-52 win on Jan. 28 in Spartanburg, S.C., and then came back for a 61-57 win in Jacksonville on Feb. 23.
Tip-off for Thursday's game is at 6 p.m. Winner of the UNF-USC Upstate game advances to Friday's semifinals against top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast at Noon.
WatchESPN
Game Notes
General Shale Atlantic Sun Women's Basketball Championships
MACON, Ga. – The postseason begins for the University of North Florida women's basketball team on Thursday night when the fifth-seeded Ospreys face No. 4 USC Upstate in the first round of the 2013 General Shale Atlantic Sun Women's Basketball Championships at Hawkins Arena. The game will be shown live on WatchESPN.
“It's my favorite time of the year,” said head coach Mary Tappmeyer. “Anything can happen. A single game can determine if you move on or if your season is over. There is a reason why it's called March Madness.
“There is a certain excitement in the atmosphere. This is what we've been working for all year,” added Tappmeyer.
It is the first time in UNF's four years of being eligible for the Atlantic Sun tournament that the Ospreys are the No. 5 seed. However, this is the third-straight year the Ospreys have played in the No. 4/5 game. The Ospreys were the No. 4 seed each of the last two years, but were the No. 7 seed in 2010. UNF is an all-time 2-3 in the tournament. The Ospreys' only wins in the tournament came in 2010 when UNF defeated Mercer and Jacksonville to advance to the championship game.
UNF finished the regular season with a 61-49 at Lipscomb last Saturday. The win snapped a seven-game losing skid. Ki Conner had a huge second-half for the Ospreys, scoring all 18 of her team-high points in the second half. Meanwhile, Jadhken Kerr got her 1,000th career point at Lipscomb with a three-pointer at 15:25 in the second half.
USC Upstate earned the No. 4 seed with a 60-57 win at ETSU last Saturday. However, in the Spartans' first trip to Macon this season, they fell to Mercer 72-55. This is the second year USC Upstate is eligible for the Atlantic Sun Tournament after going through the NCAA reclassification process. Tee'Ara Copney powers the Spartans with 13.1 ppg, while Brittany Starling adds 10.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg.
Thursday's game will feature two of the A-Sun's top three shooters during the 2012-13 season. Upstate's Starling is shooting a conference-best 53.1 percent (112-for-211) from the field on the year, while UNF's Raneisha Lamar enters the game ranked third shooting 50.0 percent (93-for-186). Additionally, Starling and Lamar ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in field goal percentage in A-Sun only games. Starling was 54.1 percent (79-for-146) against A-Sun opponents and Lamar shot 52.6 percent (70-for-133).
Although UNF leads the all-time series 12-10, USC Upstate has won the last five meetings, including both regular season games in 2012-13. The Spartans took a 64-52 win on Jan. 28 in Spartanburg, S.C., and then came back for a 61-57 win in Jacksonville on Feb. 23.
Tip-off for Thursday's game is at 6 p.m. Winner of the UNF-USC Upstate game advances to Friday's semifinals against top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast at Noon.
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