Sixth seed Bryan wins AAC women’s title over Wesleyan

Sixth-seeded Bryan College pulled away from fifth seed Tennessee Wesleyan late in the second quarter and rolled to a 72-47 victory in the Appalachian Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament championship game Saturday at Kingsport, Tenn.

The Lady Lions (18-14) will join regular-season representative Milligan in the NAIA Division II national tournament that begins March 8 in Sioux City, Iowa. Milligan and Reinhardt tied for first in the AAC season standings but lost Friday to Wesleyan and Bryan.

While TWU (18-14) held Bryan’s late-season leader, Amber Levi, to six points on 2-of-10 shooting Saturday, the Lady Lions got 16 points and 14 rebounds from Erisha Talley, 16 points and nine rebounds from Megan Billingsby and 16 points and four steals from Tristan McClellan. Those three outscored the entire Wesleyan team, which shot 29 percent from the field but did have the game’s top scorer in Hunter Simpson, with 17 points.

Brandi Whitted added 12 points for Bryan. Gina Dick had 10 for TWU and made the all-tournament team along with Simpson and the Bryan trio of Talley, Levi and most valuable player Billingsby.

› Valdosta State 83, Lee 72: At Valdosta, Ga., the Flames ended their season with an 11-17 record, 7-15 in the Gulf South Conference, but Rico Overall, Keevin Tyus and Parker Suedekum each scored 15 points —

Suedekum making four of five 3-point tries, Overall and Tyus grabbing seven rebounds apice and Overall adding three steals aganst the 24-4 Blazers.

› Valdosta State (w) 86, Lee 81, OT: The Lady Flames will take a 19-9 overall record into the GSC tournament after winding up 14-8 in league play in the loss to VSU (19-9, 16-6). For Lee, Shelby Brown had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Abby Bertram had 18 points and three steals and Carrie Cheeks, Erin Walsh and Taylor Boggess scored 15, 12 and 10. Walsh hit four 3s.

› Dalton State 88, Coastal Georgia 62: At Brunswick, Ga., Sayvon Wilson scored 18 points, Carnilious Simmons had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Mike Harden added 16 points and eight rebounds as NAIA Division I’s fifth-ranked Roadrunners ended their regular season with a Southern States Athletic Conference romp. Reed Dungan had 12 points for DSC (24-4, 16-4).

› Rhodes 98, Sewanee 81: At Memphis, the Tigers’ season ended at 15-12 in the Southern Athletic Association semifinal against the tournament host. Adrian Thomas had 21 points and eight rebounds, Brody Stone had 20 points, 16 rebounds and five assists and brothers Leo and Clay Born scored 14 and 13 points for Sewanee.