HENDERSON, Tenn. - For the eighth time in 14 years, the Union University Lady Bulldogs and Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions will face off for the TranSouth Conference championship banner.
No. 1 Union (31-1) is playing for its fourth straight conference title while No. 13 Freed-Hardeman (25-6) is looking to take home its first TSAC banner since 2006. Union holds a 5-2 series lead when the two teams have played for the conference championship with the home team prevailing each time.
WHERE: Union's Fred Delay Gymnasium; Jackson, Tenn.; 7:00 PM tip-off
ON THE AIR: WFHU, 91.5 FM. Pregame begins at 6:45. Bradley Field on play-by-play, Thomas Vick on color.
SERIES: Union leads 58-12
THIS YEAR'S RESULTS: Union def. FHU, 87-63 (Jan. 16 at FHU); Union def. FHU, 68-59 (Feb. 13 at Union).
ABOUT TONIGHT'S GAME* Union and Freed-Hardeman are the only two teams to win the TranSouth Conference titles in the 14-year history of the conference. Union has 10 titles while FHU has three (2004, 2005, 2006). Union has plated in the championship every year except for 2006.
* Tonight marks FHU's ninth trip to the championship game, the second-best number in the conference. Trevecca is third with five appearances while Lipscomb (now NCAA Division I) has one appearance.
* The Lady Bulldogs have won 60 straight games at home, dating back to the 2006-07 season when Lambuth handed them their last loss in Fred Delay Gymnasium. This season, Union has won its home games by an average margin of 28.3 points. FHU is one of only two teams that has lost at Union by single digits.
* Union has been ranked No. 1 in the NAIA for 36 consecutive polls. The Lady Bulldogs are also the defending NAIA National Champions and have won three of the last five national titles.
LADY LION LOWDOWN*
Meribeth Boehler needs six points to reach 1000 for her career. The junior is averaging a career-best 14.5 points per game this season and leads the team in field goal percentage.
* FHU ranks fifth in the NAIA in team free throw percentage, shooting 76.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Jana Cross (80.1),
Hannah Parsley (81.4),
Jessica Light (82.8) and
Tara Deatheridge (81.5) are all shooting 80 percent or better at the line.
* Parsley and Deatheridge need a combined three 3-pointers to become the first tandem to make 160 3-pointers in a season for the Lady Lions. Heather Walling and Melody Saxon combined for 159 3-pointers in 2001-02; Megan Thompson and
Kristal Edney matched that number in 2007-08.
*
Tara Deatheridge recently became the only player in program history to record 200 career steals and make 200 career 3-pointers. She has 207 steals in her career and has knocked down 229 3-pointers.
