PULASKI, Tenn. – History will be made on a number of fronts when the Martin Methodist Women's Basketball team hosts Blue Mountain (Miss.) in the TranSouth Conference Tournament semifinals Friday night.
In addition to hosting the school's first-ever Women's Basketball TranSouth Tournament second-round home game, the RedHawks (15-15, 4-4 TranSouth) will also have the chance to advance to school's first-ever conference championship game with a win over the Lady Toppers (17-11, 4-4).
The two teams in Friday's tilt should be pretty familiar with one another after the RedHawks claimed a 78-53 win in the respective squad's regular season finale on Feb. 23. As a result of the victory, the RedHawks finished in a three-way tie with the Lady Toppers and Bethel (Tenn.) for second place and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. As a result, the RedHawks were awarded their first-ever postseason home game.
The RedHawks used an in-and-out approach to defeat the Lady Toppers in the last meeting, accounting for 31 combined points from guards Becca Smithson and Jessy Christopher to go along with 31 interior points from the trio of Rachel Brown, Keri O'Neal and Kyra Knight.
On the year, the RedHawks averaged 72.5 points per game, good enough to rank third in the conference and 16th in the NAIA.
Leading the offensive charge for the RedHawks will be Jessy Christopher, who enters Friday's showdown as the team's leading scorer at 12.6 points per game. Fellow senior Becca Smithson narrowly trails, averaging 12.5 points a night. The duo combined for a total of seven of the RedHawks eight 3-pointers in last Saturday's win over the Lady Toppers, with Smithson scoring 18 and Christopher adding 13.
Erika Bullock has also been a factor for the RedHawks against the Lady Toppers this season, averaging 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the last two meetings between the two squads.
The RedHawks could struggle, however, against a Lady Topper scoring defense that allows just 62.6 points per contest – good enough to rank third in the league this season. In the two meetings this season, the Lady Toppers have forced a combined 32 turnovers.
TranSouth leading scorer Anna Brook Page (18.1 ppg) has been a major thorn in the RedHawks side as of late, scoring 24 points in both of the two regular-season meetings between the two clubs this year. In her last visit to Pulaski, the junior finished 11-of-15 from the floor in a victory on Martin Methodist's Homecoming.
Friday's game will mark the second-ever postseason meeting between the RedHawks and Lady Toppers, with the RedHawks claiming the only win in the postseason series. Ironically, the meeting occurred in the last postseason home game for the RedHawks, who claimed a 94-69 win over the Lady Toppers during the 2007-08 season.
Tipoff in Friday's game is set for 7 p.m. in the Curry Christian Life Center. Live video and live stats of Friday's contest will be made available at the links below.
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LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
