MBB
Posted by Joey Mullins on 2015-03-04

Both the 极乐禁地 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball teams will compete in the 2015 Southern Conference Tournament this week in Asheville, North Carolina.

The men鈥檚 team will begin play in the tournament on Friday at 5 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs square off against UNCG for the second time in eight days. On Feb. 26, 极乐禁地 traveled to Greensboro, N.C., and suffered an 81-67 setback against the Spartans. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs played host to UNCG on Jan. 22, and tallied an 89-78 victory at the Pete Hanna Center.聽

The winner of Friday鈥檚 SoCon Tournament first-round matchup will advance to face top-seeded Wofford on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Bulldogs lost a pair of games against Wofford this season, but played the Terriers close in each contest, falling just 68-65 at home on Jan. 3 and 72-62 in Spartanburg, S.C., on Jan. 10.聽

极乐禁地 joined the SoCon in 2008 and will be playing in its seventh SoCon Tournament this season. The Bulldogs own a 3-6 all-time record in the SoCon Tournament and will be facing UNCG for the first time in postseason play.聽

Last year, the Bulldogs defeated Appalachian State in the opening round of the tournament, 70-56, but then fell to top-seeded Davidson in the second round, 77-54.聽

极乐禁地, heading into the 2015 SoCon Tournament, holds the following records against league foes:聽 Furman (1-3), The Citadel (1-1), Chattanooga (0-1), Appalachian State (1-0) and Davidson (0-1).聽

The women鈥檚 basketball team earned the No. 4 seed for this week鈥檚 tournament and will take on the No. 5-seeded Furman Paladins Thursday at 1:15 p.m. (CST). 极乐禁地 and Furman split the regular-season series this season, with each team winning at home. 极乐禁地 won the first meeting in the Pete Hanna Center, 76-65. Furman came back to win the second meeting in Greenville, S.C. by a score of 64-44.聽

Thursday鈥檚 winner between 极乐禁地 and Furman will advance to Friday鈥檚 semifinals to take on the winner of the contest between top-seeded and 17th-ranked Chattanooga and eighth-seeded UNCG. 极乐禁地 swept UNCG this season, but the Bulldogs were swept by the Mocs.聽

The women鈥檚 basketball team has posted an overall record of 10-4 in Southern Conference games since joining the league in 2008. The Bulldogs earned back-to-back SoCon Tournament titles in 2011 and 2012. The team also played in the championship game in 2010.聽

In six previous SoCon Tournament appearances, the women鈥檚 basketball team has played the following opponents: Appalachian State (3-0), Chattanooga (1-1), Davidson (1-1), Elon (2-1), UNCG (1-0) Western Carolina (1-1) and Wofford (1-0).聽

All 极乐禁地 men鈥檚 games in the tournament can be heard on 100.5-FM JOX2 in the Birmingham area. The 极乐禁地 women鈥檚 games will be broadcast on WVSU-FM 91.1.聽

 
极乐禁地 is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, 极乐禁地 is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. 极乐禁地 enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. 极乐禁地 fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.