Women's Basketball takes on Dillard in GCAC Quarterfinals
JACKSON, Miss. – The Wiley College women's basketball team begins its quest for a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title against Dillard University at 5 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women's Basketball Championship at Kroger Gymnasium on the campus of Tougaloo College.
The games will be streamed on HBCU League Pass Plus. It can be watched online at https://watch.hbculpp.com/ or the free app can be downloaded on your device's or smart TV's app store. Tickets are $15 for a two-game session pass, $25 for a four-game session pass and $75 tournament pass. Student tickets are $10 for a two-game session pass, $25 for a four-game session pass and $50 for a tournament pass.
The Lady Wildcats (16-9) enter the tournament winning three of their last four games. Their only blemish was a 90-84 loss to third-seed Philander Smith College in the regular season finale on February 15. Kaitlyn Davis has led the team in scoring in three of the four games, including a career-high 28 points against Philander Smith. Alaeh Pressley also put up career-highs with 26 points off six 3-pointers. Tamia Dolls has also increased her offensive production – scoring double figures in three of the last four – including a career-high 19 points against Tougaloo College on February 12. She has three or more assists in three of the last four games.
Defensively, Minnie Miller has led the team in rebounds in the last three games with double-digit rebounding performances against Oakwood University on February 11 and Tougaloo College on February 12. Davis has three or more steals in three of her last four games, including a career-high five against Philander Smith. Diamond Hawthorne has 13 steals in her last three games.
Wiley College split its regular season meetings with Dillard University. It won 52-48 on the road on January 15 and fell 71-56 at Tougaloo College on February 3. In the first meeting, the Lady Wildcats held the Lady Bleu Devils to a 26.6 shooting percentage and didn't allow them to hit a 3-pointer in 13 attempts.
In the second meeting, the shooting fortunes were reversed. The Lady Wildcats only hit 30 percent of their shots and hit three of 18 three-point attempts. Dillard drained six three 3-pointers. Wiley College went on a six-minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter.
Offensively, Miller and Hawthorne led the team on January 15 with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Davis put up 15 points in the February 3 game. Hawthorne followed with a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Dillard (10-17) enters the tournament losing three of their last four. Its only victory was 71-44 against last-place Southern University at New Orleans on February 15. Ariana Hart put up 20 points, eight steals and five rebounds. In the February 3 game against Wiley College, Diniaa McZeal and Taylor Dewitt tallied 15 points.
This will be the first time the Lady Wildcats and Bleu Devils have met in the postseason. Wiley College leads the overall series 9-5. The winner will face the winner of top seed Rust College and eighth seed Southern-New Orleans in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Saturday.
For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index
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