(Photo by Bradley Charles of Union Sports Communications)

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - The 2024 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Women's Basketball Tournament got underway with a pair of hotly-contested games as No. 8 seed Truett McConnell battled its way to an 11-point win while and No. 7 seed Tennessee Wesleyan needed a buzzer-beater to advance on Wednesday.

Truett McConnell outscored No. 9 seed Columbia 18-5 in the second quarter to take a 32-18 lead at the half. Columbia tried to rally in the second half, but Truett McConnell kept them at bay in scoring the 55-44 victory.

Mahalah Stewart paced the Lady Bears with 14 points, while Anaya Muhammad led the Koalas with 14. Kacie Williams nearly posted a double-double for Truett McConnell as she finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Tennessee Wesleyan and 10th-seeded Union went back and forth all night, and the game looked like it was on the verge of going into overtime as Madison Brady drained a 3-pointer to pull Union even at 63-all with 3.3 seconds to play. However, Jacelyn Stone got the ball, drove the lane, and hit a running, game-winning shot as time expired to send Tennessee Wesleyan to the quarterfinal round with the 65-63 outcome.

Stone finished with a team-high 22 points, while Union's McKenzi Himes led all scorers with 25. Brady finished with 16.

Truett McConnell moves on the face No. 1 seed Bryan on Thursday at 12 p.m., while Tennessee Wesleyan takes on No. 2 seed Reinhardt at 7:30 p.m.

Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 29
Game 1 - No. 8 Truett McConnell (12-17) def. No. 9 Columbia (12-17), 55-44 (box)
Game 2 - No. 7 Tennessee Wesleyan (13-12) def. No. 10 Union (8-21), 65-63 (box)
Thursday, Feb. 29
Game 3 - No. 1 Bryan (23-5) vs. No. 8 Truett McConnell (12-17), 12 p.m.
Game 4 - No. 4 Pikeville (21-7) vs. No. 5 Johnson (17-11), 1:45 p.m.
Game 5 - No. 2 Reinhardt (24-2) vs. No. 7 Tennessee Wesleyan (13-12), 7:30 p.m.
Game 6 - No. 3 Milligan (26-6) vs. No. 6 Montreat (16-12), 9:15 p.m.

Friday, March 1
Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 2
Game 9 - Championship Game - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3 p.m.