HENDERSON — The No. 2 seed Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions led the 15th-seeded Johnson (Tenn.) University Royals by as many as 46 points to collect a statement win to advance to the second round of the 2025 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Presented by Ballogy.

It was a close start with Kaylee Odom getting the scoring started the Lady Lions (26-5) but Rachel Satterly's seven points across two minutes helped to turn what was a 5-4 deficit into a 22-7 lead. Brooklyn Crouch added back-to-back layups to end the first quarter with FHU leading 24-10.

Though Johnson (24-6) started the second quarter with a 3-pointer, Jenna Satterly's jumper at 8:37 opened another push by the Lady Lions with J. Satterly's 3-pointer and fast-break layup putting FHU on top by 20. the Satterly sisters closed out the half to see FHU go to the break with a 38-17 lead.

Freed-Hardeman exited the locker room as strong as they entered it, opening the second half with a 10-0 run to jump to a 31-point lead. Crouch and Odom recorded back-to-back field goals before R. Satterly connected for back-to-back 3-pointers. Lilly Kee's jumper at 1:09 helped FHU to a 40-point lead before a four-point run by the Royals to move to the final period leading 66-28.

Utilizing her bench all of the fourth quarter, Julieth Rivera Morales, Lucy Curry, and Elli Chumley all added layups in the fourth quarter with Curry's jumper at 4:23 giving FHU a 46-point lead. A late spark by the Royals saw them score 10 unanswered points, but FHU still came out victorious 79-43.

The Lady Lions dominated nearly every statistic, shooting 55% from the floor while grabbing 47 rebounds to Johnson's 29. FHU scored 50 of their points in the paint while the Royals had just 14.

Rachel Satterly led the offense with a 18-point night with sister Jenna Satterly just behind her with 15 points. Lilly Kee had a big day with a tournament double-double: recording 14 ponits while grabbing 10 rebounds. Kaylee Odom helped out with 10 points. 
 

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FHU will fight for the right to advance to the round of 16 and a trip to Sioux City, Iowa against the No. 7 seed Florida Memorial Lions. Tipoff to close the festivities in Henderson is 4:00 p.m. on March 15 Read Full Article