The No.2-seeded Lady Lions (25-8) advanced via a 73-59 win over Wayland Baptist University on Thursday night. University of the Cumberlands, a No. 3 seed, advanced to the sweet 16 with a 76-54 win over Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). This is the third appearance in the sweet 16 for the Patriots, in 2001 they advanced to the second round before losing to Lewis-Clark State and in 2006 they lost to Vanguard (Calif.) University in the round of 16.

Cumberlands received an automatic bid to the national tournament by winning the Mid-South Conference tournament. The Patriots are led by 6-foot freshman Lauren Wombles, who averages 15.4 points per game on 55 percent shooting. Wombles also leads the Patriots in rebounding, pulling down 8.6 per game. 6-foot junior Amber Neace (14.4 ppg) and 5-foot-8 senior Madison Flowers (11.7 ppg) average double-digit scoring as well. The Patriots rank fifth nationally in scoring margin (+16.5) and third in rebound defense (30.2).

In its win over Lewis-Clark State, Cumberlands opened the game with a 23-6 run. Lewis-Clark State was able to mount a bit of a rally late in the first half to trail by eight at the break (38-30), but that was as close as the game would get. The Patriots were led by Neace who was 5-of-11 from 3-point range en route to a game-high 24 points. Madison Flowers contributed a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sonia Thompson came off the bench to score 15 for the Patriots.

This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. The Lady Lions lost to the Patriots 76-68 in the Nationwide Classic at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn., on Nov. 28.

"When you reach this point in the season, there are no bad teams," said FHU head coach Dale Neal. "Cumberlands is a very talented ball club that rebounds very well and can knock down open shots from all over the court. With their size, I anticipate a very physical game in the paint. We're looking forward to a great game Friday night."

Back at it: Jana Cross's 23 point performance was the seventh-highest point total of the first round. Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) guard Amanda Franz was the top scorer with 28 points. Last year, Cross was the tournament's ninth-leading scorer in points per game and was second in total points.

First shot: Two Lady Lions took their first career shots in the national tournament in last night's game, and both made the most of it. Hannah Parsley nailed a 3-pointer in the first half on her first shot of the tournament, while Nicole Duncan dropped in a layup in the second half.

TranSouth out early: After two straight years of placing three teams in the NAIA Fab Four, the TranSouth Conference only saw two teams survive the first round: FHU and Union (Tenn.), the tournament's top overall seed. Bethel (Tenn.) led much of the game against Oklahoma City before losing 74-72, while Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) lost to Biola (Calif.) in the biggest upset of the first round. It will be the first time since 2004 that the conference has not had three teams in the quarterfinals.