NCAA Tournament At Limestone To Boost Local Economy

After sweeping the Conference Carolinas Regular Season and Tournament Championships and winning 29 consecutive games, the nationally third-ranked Limestone College women's basketball team earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament.

The road to the Elite Eight will come through Gaffney as the first three rounds of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship Tournament will be played in the Timken Center starting Friday, March 13. The No.1-seeded Saints will play No.8-seed Catawba (NC) on Friday at 5 p.m.

The second round is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, while the Southeast Regional Championship will be played at the Timken Center on Monday, March 16, at 7 p.m. The winner of the Southeast Regional will advance to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, SD.

With a win on Friday, Limestone would play Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

General admission tickets are $5 each day, and parking is $5 per vehicle.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for Limestone College to showcase what it has to offer," said Charles Wyatt, Director of Communications. "We expect thousands of fans from across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, and many of them will be stepping on the Limestone campus for the first time. We are confident that they will be very impressed with what they see here.

"At the same time, this will absolutely be a big boost to the Cherokee County economy," he continued. "The tournament will mean heads-in-beds at the local hotels, and added business for our restaurants, retail establishments, and gas stations. On a daily basis, Limestone has a tremendous -- but somewhat quiet -- impact on the area's economy. But this Southeast Regional will really bring that out into the light."

In a rematch of the South Atlantic Conference Championship Game, No.6-seed Newberry (SC) will play No.3-seed Anderson (SC) at noon this Friday. No.7-seed Carson-Newman (TN) will then face No.2-seeded Columbus State (GA) at 2:30 p.m. The Cougars are tied with Limestone for the most wins in the nation.

After Limestone's first round game against Catawba, No.4-seed Lander and No.5-seed Wingate battle on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Limestone and Catawba will meet for just the eighth time in the all-time series, the last contest coming during the 2011-12 season. The Saints won that meeting, but the Indians hold a 6-1 advantage in a series that dates back to the 1991-92 season. 

The Saints are the first Conference Carolinas member to host the NCAA Southeast Regionals on the women's side since Anderson accomplished the feat during the 2009-10 season, its final year in the league.

Limestone reached 30 wins this season for the first time in program history. The Saints' only loss this season came at the hands of Newberry in the second game of the season. Since then, Limestone has won 29 straight games, clinched its fourth straight Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship, and won its third conference tournament title in four years.

The Southeast Regional will get underway on Friday, March 13, with a 12 noon tipoff between Newberry and Anderson.