Preview: Dallas enters 2013 SCAC Women's Basketball Championship as No. 5 seed

Story courtesy of the SCAC office: 

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Austin College hosts the 2013 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) women's basketball championship tournament at the Hughey Gymnasium on the campus of Austin College, Feb. 22-24.

** WOMEN'S BRACKET **

For the first time since 2007, each SCAC women's basketball team will compete at the SCAC tournament. The tournament winner will also receive the SCAC's automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.

Trinity University (21-4, 15-0 SCAC) earned the top overall seed and a first-round bye thanks to its undefeated conference record. It marks the second time in school history that the Tigers have been the tournament's overall top seed (2003). Trinity was the top seed from the West division twice (2008 and 2009) in the divisional format era (2008-2012). The Tigers will be looking for their first SCAC championship since 2005.

Trinity holds a 14-8 all-time record in the SCAC tournament. In their first five SCAC tournament appearances, the Tigers posted a 10-3 record with two championships. In their last five SCAC tournament appearances, Trinity is just 4-5 with one SCAC championship game appearance.

The Tigers became the first SCAC women's basketball team to go undefeated in league play since DePauw University went 14-0 in SCAC play in 2007-08. Trinity enters the tournament riding a 15 game winning streak. The only longer winning streak in school history was a 17 game winning streak that stretched from the end of the 2002-03 national championship season to the beginning of the 2003-04 season.

Trinity is led by junior guard/forward Murphy Burns, who is averaging a team-best 18.8 points per game (second in the SCAC) and scored her 1,000th career point on Feb. 6 in a 78-66 victory over Southwestern. They play the winner of the Centenary/Dallas quarterfinal.

Southwestern University (18-7, 12-3 SCAC) earned the No. 2 seed. The Pirates enter the SCAC tournament for the fourth-consecutive year and will look to win the program's second SCAC championship. Southwestern won the 1997-98 SCAC championship.

As a result of its No. 2 seed, Southwestern earned a first-round bye and will await the winner of the Austin College/Colorado College quarterfinal.

The Pirates are making their 10th all-time appearance in 11 years in the SCAC tournament and hold an all-time record of 2-9 in the SCAC tournament. Southwestern enters the tournament having won two straight games and seven of their past 10 games.

Southwestern will be led by the trio of sophomore forwards Jordan Owens and Annie Bourne as well as junior guard/forward Chelsea Leeder. Owens averages a team-best 17.2 points/game (third in SCAC). Leeder tied for fifth in the league with 14.6 points/game while Bourne was 14th in the SCAC in scoring at 10.4 points/game.

Tournament host Austin College (11-14, 5-10 SCAC) earned the No. 3 seed in this year's tournament and serves as host of the event for the first time. The Kangaroos are back in the SCAC tournament for the third time and holds a 1-2 all-time record in the SCAC tournament.

As the No. 3 seed, Austin College will play No. 6 seed Colorado College in the quarterfinals. The Kangaroos dropped two of three meetings (both in Colorado) with Colorado College during the regular season but Austin College beat the Tigers 61-49 at home on Jan. 20.

The Kangaroos enter the tournament with a two game winning streak and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Austin College will be led by junior guard/forward Erin Riley (12.2 ppg – eighth in SCAC,) and first-year forward Brittany Stepanski (9.3 ppg - 16th in SCAC, 6.0 rpg - 14th in SCAC).

Centenary College of Louisiana (6-18, 5-10 SCAC) makes its first-ever appearance in the SCAC tournament in its first year as a member of the SCAC. The Ladies earned the No. 4 seed and will be competing for their first Division III conference championship since reclassifying from Division I.

Centenary will play No. 5 Seed the University of Dallas in the opening game of the tournament. Centenary won the regular season series two games to one. The Ladies won the first two meetings (65-64 in OT on Dec. 15 & 76-74 on Dec. 17) before missing out on the chance to sweep the Crusaders.

The Ladies will be led by senior guard Vashni Sharp-Moore who averaged a league-best 19.8 points per game during the regular season. She also averaged 6.9 rebounds per game (7th in SCAC) as well as 4.8 assists per game (2nd in SCAC). She will be joined by teammate Dionecia Warr. Warr, a sophomore guard/forward, averaged 15.3 points per game during the regualr season while averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.

The University of Dallas (11-14, 4-11 SCAC) enters its first-ever SCAC tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Crusaders will play No. 4 seed Centenary in the first quarterfinal of the tournament.

Dallas and Centenary met three times during the regular season with the Ladies winning the first two games (65-64 in OT on Dec. 15 & 76-74 on Dec. 17) before staving off a series sweep with an 86-83 win on Jan. 19.

Dallas will be led by senior guard Kylie Yoshimura. During the regular season, Yoshimura averaged 14.6 points per game (5th in the SCAC) while also leading the league with 6.6 assists per game. She was a two-time SCAC Player of the Week honoree during the season.

The Crusaders will also look to junior forward Christy Allen and sophomore guard Brooke Hagemann. The duo each averaged double-figures in scoring (Allen - 11.8 ppg) (Hagemann - 10.9 ppg).

Colorado College (4-21, 4-11 SCAC) is in the SCAC tournament for the third straight year and the fifth time in the last six years. The Tigers earned the No. 6 seed and will square off against No. 3 seed and tournament host Austin College. Colorado College holds a 1-4 all-time record in the SCAC tournament.

Though the Tigers won just four conference games during the regular season, two of those wins came against Austin College. Colorado College won both games in Colorado (67-58 and 53-45) on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, respectively while Austin College beat the Tigers 61-49 at home on Jan. 20.

Colorado College is led by senior guard Kalli Kemling who averages 11.2 points per game (11th in SCAC). Kemling actually does slightly better in conference competition as she averaged 13.1 points per game against SCAC teams.

The Tigers will also look to sophomore guard Courtney Tyus (10.6 points/game, 11.4 points/game in SCAC games) and senior forward Marissa Gradoz (10.3 points).