Nashville Standard

The Trevecca Nazarene University women's basketball team (21-8, 15-5 Great Midwest) traveled to Kates Gym at Ashland University for a 2023 Great Midwest Semifinal matchup against Kentucky Wesleyan College (23-6, 18-2 Great Midwest) and won 58-48.

With the win, the Trojans advance to the Great Midwest Championship Final on Saturday at 2:00 PM (CT), and they will take on Ashland University (30-0, 20-0 Great Midwest). The Eagles hold a 3-0 advantage in the series with Trevecca. Ashland won the only meeting this year 83-50 on December 19, 2022.

It is the third time for the Trojans to make the Great Midwest finals, but the first time the Trojans have done so with a chance to advance to the NCAA Midwest Regional. The winner of the Trevecca and Ashland game receives the conferences automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The top eigth region team advance to the NCAA Midwest Regional. Trevecca entered the Great Midwest tournament with the No. 6 ranking. KWC held the No. 5 ranking.

THE SERIES

Trevecca took two of three meetings with the Panthers this season, but KWC owns the all-time series lead 17-7. With their 63-55 win at Trojan Fieldhouse in the first meeting this year with Wesleyan, the Trojans snapped a 12-game Panther win streak in the series.

THE FLOW

The first quarter was a defensive battle as the two teams mixed in a few baskets between defensive stops. Neither team was able to hold the lead for long. Neither team pushed their lead beyond four points in the first half. Bayleigh Carmichel hit a three to knot it up at 7-7. Later in the quarter, Emma Palmer made a layup that tied it at 11-11. As time in the first quarter ran down, the Panthers pulled ahead by four (15-11) and led 15-13 edge at the break.

Lili Wilken began the second quarter with a three to give the Trojans back the lead. The Panthers later got another four-point lead (26-22) with 3:32 left in the half. It was then the Trojans used a 9-2 run to go up 31-28 with just over a minute left in the half. Keeley Carter scored seven of those points. Trevecca went into halftime up 32-31.

After Kentucky Wesleyan scored the first bucket of the second half to take a 33-32 lead, the Trojans took complete control of the game. Trevecca used a massive 18-2 run over about eight minutes of game time to go up 50-35 with :56 left in the third. Lili Wilken started the scoring with a three. Then Faith Wilken had a pair of buckets. Keeley Carter had four points during the run, and Kor Fornesa Liu scored three points. Emma Palmer and Keeley Carter added some insurance buckets in the fourth quarter as the Trojans coasted the rest of the way for the win.

THE PLAYERS

Keeley Carter led the Trojans with 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Lili Wilken had 13 points and six rebounds. Faith Wilken and Emma Palmer both added eight points.

THE TEAMS

The Trojans have dominated their opponents in the third quarter all year. They did it again on Friday outscoring the Panthers 18-4 in the third. On the year, the Trojans have outscored their opponents 552-405 in the third. The Trojans have been outscored in all of the other three quarters.

The Trojans shot 40.4% (21-52) from the floor, 29.4% (5-17) from three-point range, and 64.7% (11-17) from the free-throw line. The Trojans outrebounded the Panthers 44-37.

Original source can be found here