By Dakota Caldwell
KINGSPORT, TN – Coach Smith’s team has their Cinderella story extend to overtime of the AAC Womens Basketball tournament. The women’s team finished second place after losing to Milligan in the final going to overtime.
Round 1 vs Union Commonwealth
A hard-fight first game for the Lady Bulldogs was enough to shake off the dust from not having played in a couple of days. Jaci Powell led the attack by putting 17 points and 5 rebounds. Right behind her in scoring was Anna Crowder with 15 points who stayed on the court for 38 minutes.
Quarter Finals vs Johnson
The lady bulldogs entered the matchup as huge underdogs being the 7 seed to face #2 Johnson. Thankfully, they lived up to their name of being bulldogs by standing tall and not backing down. After a close first half, TWU exploded their lead in the second half to win by 17. Anna Crowder and Jacelyn Stone were a dynamic duo putting up 14 points each. In a highly defensive game, the lady Bulldogs held Johnson to 35 points through 10 rebounds from Anna Crowder and Jayalya Lindsey.
Semi-Finals vs Reinhardt
This rivalry game didn’t go as most fans would’ve expected due to Abbey Barr stepping up. Her career high of 5 three-point shots made was too much for Reinhardt’s defense to handle. Players coming off the bench to help TWU continued with dropping 10 points and 5 assists. The Lady Bulldogs continued to turn heads at the tournament as they entered this matchup as underdogs well to #3 Lady Eagles.
Championship final vs Milligan
No one could’ve expected the Lady Bulldogs to claw their way into a Championship, but that’s exactly what happened. To begin, the offense was clicking for the Lady Bulldogs as they led at halftime against Milligan by 3. Everything was going their way until the Lady Buffaloes rallied hard in the fourth quarter to send it to overtime. 4 points of separation in overtime was enough to lift Milligan to the AAC title. Jacelyn Stone had a Caitlyn Clark level of performance by dropping 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. The only other Lady Bulldog that stepped up in scoring was Jalaya Lindsey with her 17-point contribution.
What’s Next for the Lady Bulldogs?
As they enter the off-season, the team will look to rebuild their roster coming off late-season greatness. They’ll be losing 7 seniors 4 of which are starters. Thankfully, Coach Smith will be returning to the team as well as Freshman phenom Jalaya Lindsey too.
Interview by Noah Lones
Editorial Assistance by Gabe Katz
The Bulldog Beat 