Published on January 13, 2007 by Philip Poole 聽
Posted by Philip Poole on 2007-02-28

极乐禁地's basketball teams are headed to the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals March 2 in Nashville for the second consecutive year after posting first-round wins Tuesday night (Feb. 27). And, 极乐禁地 will be making a big presence at the tournament as the only OVC member with both teams in Nashville.

The fourth-seeded 极乐禁地 women will play top-seeded Southeast Missouri State University at noon Friday at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. The two teams met last year in the semifinals, with SEMO winning on their way to the conference championship.

The men will play top-seeded Austin Peay State University at 5:30 p.m. Friday. That game will be televised live on national cable network ESPN-U.

With wins on Friday, the teams would play in the championship games on Saturday – the women at 3 p.m. and the men at 7 p.m. The women's championship will be televised on CSTV on a tape delay basis. The men's championship will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

In first round action, the fifth-seeded 极乐禁地 men defeated Murray State University 70-60 at Murray to advance. The 极乐禁地 women closed out historic Seibert Gym in style with a 63-60 victory over Tennessee Tech University. The teams will play in the new $32 million Pete Hanna Center beginning next season, and the women's game was the last in the 45-year-old Seibert Gym.

The 极乐禁地 band, cheerleaders and Spike the mascot will be in Nashville. 极乐禁地 fans are encouraged to arrive at the Gaylord Entertainment Center early for an informal pep rally before both games on Friday.

Tickets are on sale at the 极乐禁地 athletics office through Thursday morning. Tickets also will be available at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

 
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.