For the third-straight season, the Southwestern College women's basketball team will make the 420 mile trip to Sioux City, Iowa to represent the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference in the 2013 NAIA Div. II Women's Basketball National Championship tournament. But this time, and for the first time in the program's history, they will be doing so as the KCAC Tournament Champions. The Lady Builders will take on the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers Thursday at 12 p.m. at the Tyson Events Center. Curt Caden will have the call on KSWC, 100.3 FM in Winfield, and online at www.moundbuilder.com

Southwestern (23-7) vs. Eastern Oregon (31-2)
Thursday, Mar. 7, 2013 //  12 p.m.  // Tyson Events Center (10,000) // Sioux City, Iowa

Live Video // Live Audio // Live Stats  // Southwestern Notes // Eastern Oregon Notes
Southwestern Twitter: @buildersports  //  Eastern Oregon Twitter: @eousports

About the Lady Builders…
After scoring 57 points in each of its first two KCAC playoff games, Southwestern put up 57 points in the second half alone, and won its first KCAC tournament championship with a 90-65 win over Kansas Wesleyan on Feb. 26 at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. Jana Reichenberger scored a team-best 16 points, and was one of six different Lady Builders to finish with nine-or-more points in the blowout win. Montana Rickey added 14 points behind a 60 percent shooting effort, while Annjelina Robinson and Jordan Hobbs finished with 10 points each. Zefiryn Bryan led Southwestern's rebounding efforts with 10 boards to go along with a nine-point effort on the night.

Underclassmen helped head coach Dave Denly secure his fourth-straight 20-win season. Freshman forward Jana Reichenberger paved the way with 11.6 points per game, and shot .508 from the floor on the season. Reichenberger also grabbed a team-high 6.9 rebounds per outing to lead the Lady Builders. Redshirt Freshman Jessica Hobbs lit up late in the season, averaging better than 12 points per game over Southwestern's final eight contests, and finishing the season with a 7.7 point-per-game average, while sophomore Montana Rickey finished at 7.0 points per game on the year.

But the Lady Builder upperclassmen held their own against the newcomers. Junior forward Zefiryn Bryan finished at 10.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while junior guard Kaitlin Tennyson added 7.5 points per game. After transferring to SC from Southwestern Christian College, Trinicia Shaffer turned heads in the KCAC. She was the only Lady Builder to post 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists on the season. The 5-2 guard also added 73 steals in her first season with the Lady Builders.

As a team, Southwestern is shooting 40.6 percent (750-1849) from the field this season, and 32.6 percent (203-623) from three-point range. The Lady Builders have converted 66.7 percent (487-730) of their free throws, and are out-rebounding their opponents, 42.2-40.3. Southwestern's defense is limiting opponents to a 35.9 percent shooting clip on the season.

Head Coach Dave Denly is in his 14^th season leading the Lady Builders. Denly owns a career record of 294-155. He ranks No. 18 on the NAIA Winningest Coaches list, but is 1-4 in the NAIA Div. II National Tournament.

Scouting Eastern Oregon…
The Eastern Oregon Mountaineers enter the NAIA Div. II Women's Basketball National Championship with all the confidence they need. After blitzing through the Cascade Conference with an 18-0 record, and winning the Cascade Conference regular season and tournament championships, the Mountaineers own a 31-2 record on the season, and are ranked No. 3 in the final top-25 poll of the season. EOU has won 25-straight games this season after dropping a 60-59 decision to Westminster College on Nov. 23 in Caldwell, Idaho. The Mountaineers defeated nationally-ranked College of Idaho three times this season, including a 69-68 win in the Cascade Conference Championship game, but that was the only nationally-ranked NAIA Div. II opponent the Mountaineers faced. Westminster was ranked No. 5 in NAIA Div. I when they defeated EOU. Eastern also owns a 72-66 road win over Webber International University, which won the Sun Conference Championship to qualify for this year's NAIA Div. II National Championship.

EOU touts a senior-laden starting line-up. Junior guard Nicole Redd is the only non-senior in the Mountaineers' starting five. Brooke Randall, a 5-7 senior guard from Wenatchee, Wash., via Spokane Falls Community College, leads the way with an average of 15.1 points per game, while Kelsea Hurliman, a 5-4 senior guard from Cloverdale, Ore., averages 13.1 points per contest. Korrie Bourn, a 5-10 senior combo player from Winthrop, Wash., who also attended Spokane Falls CC, is the team's leading rebounder at 6.4 boards per outing.

Eastern Oregon is shooting 43.7 percent (884-2024) as a team, and 37.2 percent (260-698) from three-point range on the season. The Mountaineers convert 66.4 percent (377-568) of their free throws, and out-rebound their opponents, 40.8-35.8.

The Mountaineers are coached by 13th-year head coach Anji Weissenfluh. With a 276-109 overall record, Weissenfluh ranks No. 19 on the NAIA list of winningest coaches. The Mountaineers are 3-6 at the NAIA Div. II Women's Basketball National Championship.

The Series…
Separated by 1,560 miles and two time zones, the Lady Builders have never faced the Mountaineers.

Random Tidbits…
-Southwestern Head Coach Dave Denly is in his 14^th season leading the Lady Builders. His overall record of 296-155 ranks him No. 18 on the NAIA list of winningest coaches. Denly's closest competition is Eastern Oregon Coach Anji Weissenfluh, who is No. 19 on the NAIA list of winningest coaches with a 276-109 overall record over 13 seasons.

-Both teams enter the national tournament coming off wins over Coyotes. Southwestern defeated the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes, 90-65, in the KCAC Tournament Championship game on Feb. 26 in Park City, Kan., to advance to the national tournament. A day earlier, and 1,500 miles to the northwest, Eastern Oregon defeated the College of Idaho Coyotes, 69-68 to win the Cascade Conference Championship.

-Offensively, fans in Sioux City should expect a high scoring game. Southwestern is averaging 73 points per game this season, while Eastern Oregon has averaged 72.9 points per contest this year.  

--#buildernation--