FRANKFORT, Ky. – The No. 11 Raven women's basketball team become the first No. 3 seed in the 2013 NAIA Div. I Women's Basketball Championship to advance to the second round on Thursday night with a 81-74 win over No. 24 and sixth-seeded Bethel (Tenn.) University.
Benedictine (28-5) hit 47.6 percent from the floor en route to its first win in national-tournament play as a NAIA Div. I member.
The Ravens held Bethel to 39.7 percent, under their 40 percent season field goal percentage in the win.
After converting over 50 percent from the floor from the majority of the first half, Benedictine before settling to 48.3 by halftime.
Benedictine led by as much as 12 points in the first half and only trailed by three early before jumping ahead at the 18 minute and 43 second mark of the first half on a Kelsey Anselmi (Sr., Olathe) 3-pointer.
Bethel didn't back down, taking a brief lead, 20-19, with 11 minutes and nine seconds left in the first half.
A Katie Barr (Jr., Glendale, Ariz.) field goal pushed Benedictine back ahead on the next possession and they never looked back.
By the half, Benedictine led stood at 10 points, 42-32.
In the second half, Bethel closed within five points three times inside the first seven minutes of the half before Benedictine mounted a 9-0 run that pushed their lead back to 14 points with 13 minutes left in the game.
Bethel cut the lead down to single digits late but couldn't get any closer than seven.
The Ravens finished with 23 assists, a first-round high for the tournament. It was the second time this season Benedictine recorded 23 assists, matching their total against Graceland (Iowa) during the regular season in a win on Jan. 24.
Benedictine post Liz Stinson (Sr., Stilwell) led the Ravens with 17 points. Anselmi finished with 15 while Justice Payne (Jr., Stillwater, Okla.) added 12.
Bethel was led by the game high 21 points of Perica Glenn.
The win advances the Raven women to the second round of a national tournament for the third time under head coach Chad Folsom. The advanced the second round of the NAIA Div. II National Tournament in both the 2005-06 and 2007-08 season.
With their 28th win, the Ravens match their third most wins in program history with the 1997-98 team which was also a national tournament qualifier.
Benedictine will take on Cumberland (Tenn.) at 8:45 p.m. Friday night in the second round. Cumberland is the two seed in Benedictine's quadrant and finished the regular season ranked at No. 6.
Cumberland advanced to the second round with a 59-47 win over Coastal Georgia earlier Thursday night.
