Bryan Set to Tipoff in Round of 16 at NAIA National Championship

DAYTON, Tenn. - It took some extra work, but Bryan is set to face No. 1 seed Thomas More (Ky.) in the round of 16 of the 2022 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament.

The Lady Lions will face the Saints on Thursday at 7 p.m. EDT at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Bryan advanced by winning the opening round pod it hosted over the weekend. Bryan started off by defeating Webber International (Fla.) 81-65, but the Lady Lions needed overtime to win the opening round.

On Saturday, Bryan led Pikeville 45-32 at the half, but the Bears rallied and tied the game at 58-all by the end of the third. In the fourth, Pikeville owned a 73-70 lead with 49 seconds to play. Karli Combs scored to make it a one-point game, and Mary Englert hit 1-of-2 free throws to give Pikeville a 74-72 lead with 26 seconds to play. Gracee Dishman then scored with eight seconds to play to tie the game and send it into overtime tied at 74-all.

Pikeville held the early advantage in overtime, owning an 82-79 lead with 2:34 to go. Bryan, though, fought back. Down 86-84, Deandra Luna drained a 3-pointer to give the Lady Lions a one-point lead with 55 seconds to play. Luna hit 3-for-4 free throws down the stretch to secure the 90-86 victory to send Bryan to Sioux City.

Follow Bryan as it takes on Thomas More by following the live stats and watching the live stream.