"JAMESTOWN, N.C. — The Guilford Technical
Community College women’s basketball team made history on Saturday.
The
No. 1 seed GTCC Titans won the NJCAA Division II Region X Tournament, defeating
No. 2 seed Cape Fear Community College 82-65 on Saturday (March 7) at Brunswick
Community College.
GTCC
will advance to the NJCAA Division II National Championship March 17-21 in
Overland Park, Kansas, where they will compete against 15 other teams. This is
the first time that the GTCC women’s basketball team will play in the national
championship. They’re also the first
team in the history of GTCC’s athletics to compete in a national championship.
This is Head Coach Bobby Allison’s sixth time in his career coaching a team to
a national tournament.
“I
am happy for this group of kids that they are going to get a chance to play on
the national stage. I have been there
previously and it is something that you cannot explain until you are
there. We have a great group of kids who
work hard and play not for themselves but, for each other.
The
seeding of the 16 teams will be announced on Tuesday. A link to the 16
competing teams can be found here:
This
has been a strong year for the Titans, finishing the season with an overall
record of 27-3 and a Region X record of 17-1.
Last
week, the Titans also racked up accolades. Forward Nyla Allen of Greensboro was
named NJCAA Region X Player of the Year and Head Coach Allison was named Coach
of the Year. In addition, Allen and the Titans’ best low post scorer, Selena Lozada
of Greensboro, made the 2015 All-Region X Team. Forward and Team Captain Priscilla
Nobles of Jamestown also made the Region X All- Academic Team.
In
Saturday’s championship game against Cape Fear, the Titans
trailed early as Cape Fear raced out to an early 12-point lead. GTCC
fought back to cut the halftime lead to five points (38-33). By the second
half, the Titans’ depth and pressure wore down the Sea Devils. The Titans
behind clutch free-throw shooting and a great defensive effort outscored Cape Fear
49-27 in the second half to secure the victory.
Several Titans demonstrated key performances in Saturday’s championship
game:
·
Leading the Titans in scoring was JaLisa Davis with 18 points,
including four three-point shots.
·
Nyla Allen, the Titans’ leading scorer for the year, scored 10
points but also dominated the glass, collecting 23 rebounds.
·
Selena Lozada scored 8 points and 12 rebounds, while holding Cape
Fear's leading scorer to just four points.
·
Kiana Davis had a huge performance in the first half, coming off
the bench to score 10 points to keep the Titans close when they were
struggling.
·
Not to be lost was the ball-handling and free-throw shooting
of the Titans’ two point guards: Letricia Smith and Anissa Linder. The two
combined to play 40 minutes, gained eight assists and four
steals. More impressive was the fact that in 40 minutes neither player
committed a turnover against the Cape Fear pressure. Down the stretch they
sealed the victory combining to shoot 19 for 20 from the free-throw line.
Guilford Technical
Community College is the third largest of 58 institutions in the North Carolina
Community College System. GTCC serves more than 40,000 students annually from five
campuses and a Small Business Center. Learn more at www.gtcc.edu."
- A Press Release
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