Chattanooga State coach Jay Price has a chance today to get both of the school's basketball teams to Kansas for national tournaments. His top-seeded Lady Tigers beat Cleveland State 72-56 and his Tigers defeated Columbia State 82-72 in NJCAA Region VII tournament semifinals Saturday at Dyersburg State.
The Lady Tigers (21-6) play four-time defending region champion Walters State, which beat Roane State 67-57. The Tigers (24-5) face top-seeded Motlow.
April Woodard scored 29 points and Jasmain Carey added 14 in the Lady Tigers' victory, and Chasity Welch had nine rebounds. Down 15-13, they scored the next 12 points and never trailed again. They hit 10 of 11 free throws down the stretch.
Takeya Day closed out her Cleveland State career with 25 points, six assists and five steals, while Kierra Johnson had 10 rebounds with 10 points. Day, a 5-foot-1 former Red Bank star, scored 16 first-half points.
Alex Wells scored 20 points, Telvin James added 14 and Philip Jurick had 13 rebounds and nine blocks for the Chattanooga State men. Devonte James scored 27 points and Maceo Harmon had 20 for Columbia.
• Birmingham-Southern 69, Covenant 60: At Steubenville, Ohio, in the NCAA Division III provisional teams' tournament final, Birmingham-Southern improved to 23-4 by holding off the Scots (6-21). Covenant's Callum Sears had 17 points after scoring 13 in Friday's win over Berry and was all-tournament, and Sam Bowman added 12 points and seven rebounds.
• Georgia Northwestern 69, Southern Crescent 64: At Tennessee Temple, Jesse Moore scored 21 points and Kyle Wilson added 16 and both were all-tournament after the Bobcats finished third in the TCSGAA tournament.
Men's Games
D-III provisionals final at Steubenville, Ohio
BIRM.-SOUTHERN 69, COVENANT 60
Covenant (6-21)
McGaughey 2, Lakey 1, Sears 17, Bowman 12, DeVries 6, Mutcherson 6, Chambers 6, Foster 4, Dahms, Johnson 4, Werkema 2.
Birmingham-Southern (23-4)
Jonus 13, White 1, Price 13, Ahumaba 3, Richard 13, Holland 4, Murphy 3, Augarise 6, Lee 7, Rogers 4, Henry 2.
Halftime: Birmingham-Southern, 39-29.
NJCAA Region VII tournament at Dyersburg
CHATTANOOGA STATE 82, COLUMBIA 72
Columbia State (17-11)
James 27, Magee 2, Allen 10, Harmon 20, Perry 10, Little 3.
Chattanooga State (24-5)
Moore 3, Dean 6, Cook 4, Wells 20, Jurick 8, James 14, Mosley 9, Cooper 16, Robertson 2.
Halftime: Chattanooga State, 39-34.
TCSGAA tournament at Tennessee Temple
GA. NORTHWESTERN 69, SOU. CRESCENT 64
Georgia Northwestern
Wilson 16, Woods 7, Moore 21, Bonds 6, Patton 12, Ware 4, Jackson 3.
Southern Crescent
Bird 20, Gilbert 19, Cortez, McKibben, Hardy 19, Thomas 6, Jackson, Adeoye.
Halftime: 30-30.
Women's Game
NJCAA Region VII tournament at Dyersburg
CHATTANOOGA STATE 72, CLEVELAND 56
Cleveland State (21-6)
Lawrence 3, Day 25, Johnson 10, Tears 8, Champion 2, Davis 8.
Chattanooga State (21-6)
Woodard 29, Manning 8, Williams 9, Welch 7, Carey 14, McKenzie 2, Clay 3.
Halftime: Chattanooga State, 27-22.