The Arlington Baptist University women’s basketball team entered the NCCAA Division II National Tournament as the #2 overall seed. After defeating #7 Toccoa Falls College (78-50) in the first round and #6 Simmons College of Kentucky (72-64) in the Final Four, the Lady Patriots would face #1 Champion Christian College for the fourth time this season.

After Champion scored the first 2 points of the game, the got hot and went on a 14-0 run to force the Tigers to call a timeout. The Tigers then stormed back and cut the gap down to 8 points going into the second quarter. The second quarter was low scoring for both teams, but the Lady Patriots remained solid and went into halftime with an 11-point lead.

However, the #1 seeded Tigers would not go down without a fight. The Lady Patriots had a rough third quarter with Champion outscoring them by 12 points. Despite a more competitive fourth quarter, Champion was able to gain and maintain the lead. The Lady Patriots fell to the Tigers by a final score of 73-78 to finish as National Runners-Up.

Da’Myia Derby and Jakayla Bradford led their team in scoring with 16 points each and also added 6 rebounds apiece. Heaven Scott and Jayla Johnson also scored in double figures with 14 points and 12 points respectively. Johnson also led the Lady Patriots in rebounds with 8. Jakayla Bradford, who was named a NCCAA 2nd Team All-American, was also named to the All-Tournament Team for her performance.

Congratulations to the Lady Patriots on an outstanding season. We look forward to seeing you all back on the court in October. It’s always a great day to be a PATRIOT!