Newport News, VA – Christendom Crusader Women's Basketball traveled to Newport News, VA to compete in the New South Athletic Conference tournament on February 25^th and 26^th.

The Crusaders were the 3^rd seed and took on the 2^nd seed Apprentice School Builders in the semifinal matchup of the conference tournament. The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle between the Builders and the Crusaders, both scoring 11 to keep the game even going into the second. The Crusaders' offense picked up in the 2^nd quarter led by Catherine Thomas (Sophomore/Portland, TX) who hit a three early in the quarter to start off the scoring for the team.  Kate Walz (Senior/Baltimore, MD) came alive from the three and hit four of four from downtown in the second. The Crusaders grabbed the lead 37-23 going into halftime.

The team kept up their momentum in the 3^rd and extended their lead 40-25. The Builders responded by putting on a full court press however the Crusaders broke the pressure and extended the lead to 45-25 with another three-pointer from Walz. The Builders began to chip away at the Crusaders lead bringing it to 47-32 going into the 4^th quarter. The Crusaders settled down in the 4^th and handled the Builder's defensive pressure. Miranda Keller (Sophomore/Harrisburg, PA) and Thomas both recorded a double-doubles. Keller pulled in 16 boards and scored 16 points and Thomas had 19 rebounds and 21 points. Walz finished with 19 points of her own.

The final score was 67-44 and the Crusaders, with the win the team advanced to the New South Athletic Conference Championship to take on the Carolina Christian Centurions on Sunday, February 26^th.

In the Championship, the Crusaders started strong, taking the early lead 15-8. Thomas dominated the boards, as she pulled in 9 rebounds, while also scoring 10 points. The Centurions chipped away at the Crusaders lead in the 2^nd quarter, to make the score 31-30 going into the half.

The Centurions came out aggressively on defense in the 3^rd quarter, putting full court pressure on the Crusaders. Carolina Christian forced 7 turnovers in the 3^rd and took the lead 43-50 going into the 4^th. The Centurions defense did not let up and with under 5 minutes left the Crusaders were down 52-64. Although down, the team did not give up, a tough finish by Keller brought it to a 2-point game with just under a minute left. Although the ladies battled hard, they were unable to reclaim the lead, the final score being 67-70. Thomas and Keller both picked up double-doubles. Thomas finished with 29 points and pulled in 23 boards, Keller had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Up Next: The Crusaders await the final rankings for the USCAA tournament which will be announced on March 5^th, they were ranked 10^th on the last coaches' poll and hopefully will earn a chance to compete in the USCAA National Tournament.