OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 8 Dallas Christian College women's basketball team knocked off the fifth seed Barclay College, 62-48, on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II Southwest Regional. The fourth seed DCC team defeated the Bears consecutive years in the first round, but this time were not underdogs.
The way the game began for the higher seeded and top 10 nationally ranked Crusaders was not ideal, as Barclay roared to a 10-point lead of 13-3 in the first five minutes. Thankfully, DCC held the Bears scoreless the remainder of the quarter and were down a pair of points at the first break. The Crusaders would outscore Barclay in the next three quarters and outscored the opposition by 10 in the second half.
DCC had its key players in
Keiarra Rivers,
Amber Covington, and
Faith Salinas step up with nice games. Rivers in the entire 40 minutes notched her third consecutive double-double with team-highs in points (18) and rebounds (10). She was 10-for14 at the free throw line and added three assists and steals.
Salinas and Covington each were a rebound shy of a double-double. The starting post tandem each had 14 points. Salinas recorded a season-high four three-pointers and made all of the Crusaders attempts from long range. The senior forward was also able to swipe a game-high four steals. Covington was the third and final player to eclipse 30 minutes and did foul out in the closing minutes of the contest. She matched
Taylor Brokenberry with the most made field goals with six. Brokenberry came off the bench with 13 points. Other big stat contributors off the bench included
Courtnee Locke with a game-high seven assists, and
Journie Hilliard with four blocks.
"Having four players in double-digits for scoring is nice, but also a testimony to a depth with Taylor Brokenberry coming off the bench with a double-digit scoring outing," Head Coach Larry Tidwell praised.
The Crusaders ended up 32.8 percent from the field in the game, but that was thanks to a 50 percent (9-18) fourth quarter. DCC struggled from downtown, but did get 14 free throws made compared to six by the Bears.
Reading deeper into the stats, the Crusaders up 11-5 on second chance points, 13-2 on bench points, and 30-22 on points in the paint. While none seem like huge disparities, the Bears had all-but one first quarter paint inside. DCC tallied an 18-6 advantage in the fourth quarter. All the bench points in the game came in the second half by both sides. Brokenberry had the only points for the Crusaders bench in this game.
DCC's second chance points in the first was what kept the game from being out of hand quickly.
Barclay shot 30.5 percent from the field and made six trifectas. Jamia Jackson posted a game-high 19 points and made five treys. She also had seven rebounds. Mauri Scales was the other player for the Bears in double-digits with 12 and garnered 16 boards for a double-double.
We mentioned above the slow start to the game by the Crusaders, but Salinas had a trifecta to nip the score to seven at the 4:42 mark. Rivers hit a quick basket after and Salinas nailed another triple at the two and a half minute mark to conclude the low-scoring quarter on both sides. It is important to note that second-year head coach with the program,
Larry Tidwell, made some substitution adjustments that included Locke and Hilliard that shutdown the Bears.
After Rivers knotted the score to start the second, the Bears got consecutive threes to open up a six-point lead. Rivers had the first six DCC points of the third and after a Covington make would tie the game at 21 with two free throws. The native of Manor, Texas, had the go-ahead free throws with 55 seconds left and Salinas ended the scoring of the frame with a two to make it 25-21.
Over the first minute and a half in the third quarter, the Crusaders changed the complexion of the game with five players that could share the ball and be effective inside. Brokenberry opened a 10-point lead with a steal and fastbreak basket. Barclay did not go quietly as Jackson made two treys in a row and have the score knotted at 31. It was all Crusaders down the stretch of the quarter, as the final 4:23 minutes saw them score 10 of the 12 points. Half of the 10 DCC points were at the free throw line, but it was a Salinas three and two Rivers' free throws to send the higher seed up eight points into the final 10 minutes (41-38).
Covington made it a double-digit lead again a minute into the fourth quarter. The team's largest lead at the time was 13 points (48-35) with 6:47 on a free throw by
Mckayla Washington. A couple of trifectas by Jackson sliced the DCC lead in half with six to go. After a Crusaders timeout, Covington stretched the lead to nine and the Bears closest margin was eight points. DCC would notch its largest lead of the game at 14 and were up double-digits in the under five-minute span. Brokenberry was responsible for eight of the Crusaders 13 points in that closing stretch.
"It was a slow start, but the team stuck together and communicated on sharing the ball and limiting turnovers," Head Coach Larry Tidwell stated. "The defense really stepped up forcing 20 and the offense only gave up 10."
Following this game, which was the first of a triple-header on the women's basketball quarterfinals, the NCCAA Division II Southwest Region was announced. Rivers and Covington were tabbed for the All-Region Second Team. This is the second year that Rivers has been named an All-Region Selection.
DCC improved to 23-9 overall, while Barclay fell to 14-11.
The Crusaders now move onto the hardest part of the tournament with the three remaining teams they were winless against in six tries and currently are ranked higher. The semifinals will be against No. 1 Seed Ozark Christian College at 12 p.m. The Ambassadors won twice these season with scores of
70-63 and
68-57. In the home game, Rivers struggled with 15 missed shots, but still had 11 rebounds. In the game at Ozark Christian, she went off for a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Covington has a combined 32 points and Brokenberry notched a 7-for-9 shooting effort for 15 points and nine boards.
The winner of Friday's game will advance to play the winner on the other side of the bracket, which will be either Champion Christian College or Arlington Baptist University. A year ago, the Crusaders stunned Champion Christian with an overtime win, 80-76. DCC would fall in the championship game the next two days.
"Dallas Christian educates and mentors students to be people of influence engaging in their calling to the work of Christ in the church and in the world."
