PC Advances to Play Top Seed Gamecocks After Historic First Ever March Madness Win

The Presbyterian College Blue Hose women’s basketball team (21-14) won the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament game on Wednesday night over the Sacred Heart Pioneers (24-9) behind 24 points in the paint while holding SHU to just 25.4 percent from the field.

COACH SHARP’S THOUGHTS
“It’s such a great feeling and I’m so proud of our players and I’m so proud of our community for really rallying around us. The Blue Hose Nation was deep up there, and that means so much to your program. When you create a vision when you take over a program and start seeing it come to life, it’s the most rewarding feeling. I’m forever grateful for this moment and this memory that will be etched in us forever.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter – In the opening quarter, Bryanna Brady kicked off the action with the first basket of the night, swiftly followed by Tilda Sjökvist’s own contribution that nudged Presbyterian ahead 4-0. Sacred Heart narrowed the gap with a score, reducing the lead to two points, until Mara Neira added her first two points of the game. The Pioneers then took the next five points before Brady halted their momentum with a layup. With two more points exchanged between the teams, the first media timeout arrived, leaving the Blue Hose in front with a score of 10-9 and 2:43 remaining in the quarter. Following a brief scoreless stretch, Sjökvist made another layup, expanding the team’s lead to three points. Neira then drew a crucial foul with just over two seconds left on the clock, sinking both free throws and elevating Presby’s lead to 14-9 as the first quarter concluded.

Second Quarter – Neira came out firing in the second quarter, notching the first two points and extending PC’s lead to seven points. The Pioneers quickly responded with a basket of their own, but the Blue Hose surged ahead with the next three points, setting the score at 19-11. Following a stretch of over two minutes without any scoring, the quarter’s first media timeout was called with 4:46 remaining in the half. After a minute marked by solid defensive plays from both teams, Neira capitalized on a three-point opportunity for the Blue Hose, giving them an 11-point advantage. Neira’s hot streak continued as she sank the team’s first three-pointer of the night, pushing the lead to 14 points with a score of 25-11. SHU managed to score the next four points, but Christina Kline halted their momentum with a mid-range jumper. Sonia Sato then added a last-second layup, sending the Blue Hose into halftime with a 12-point lead and a score of 29-17.

Third Quarter – Sacred Heart emerged from halftime scoring the first four points to narrow Presby’s lead to eight points. Paige Kindseth swiftly responded by notching the next four points for herself before a timeout was called by the Pioneers, with the Blue and Garnet holding a 33-21 lead. The Pioneers then went on another five-point surge before the next media timeout at 3:35 remaining in the quarter. SHU managed to add four more points to trim Presbyterian’s lead to just three points. As the clock winded down, Sjökvist drew a shooting foul and converted two crucial free throws, bringing the score to 35-30 by the end of the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter – The final 10 minutes kicked off with the opponents scoring the first two points, but Brady swiftly responded after drawing a foul and sinking both free throws. Brady then added another two points for PC with a smooth jumper in the paint, extending Presby’s lead to 39-32. SHU managed to make another layup, but Brady continued her impressive performance, adding another two points for the Blue Hose. Both teams exchanged baskets, bringing the score to 43-37 as they headed into a media timeout with 4:46 left on the clock. The Pioneers scored the next three points, but with 1:16 remaining, Sjökvist nailed a critical jumper to give the Blue Hose a five-point lead. SHU responded by sinking two free throws, making the score 45-42 with 27.8 seconds left on the clock. Forced to foul, Sacred Heart gave Neira the opportunity to secure two more points, widening the gap to five points with 26.1 seconds remaining. Kindseth iced the game, with two free throws to give the Blue Hose their first ever NCAA Tournament win with a score of 49-42.

NOTABLES
– First ever NCAA Tournament win in program history.
– Fourth time a Big South Conference team has won an NCAA Tournament game.
– The team improves to 21 wins on the season, increasing what will be in the record book for most wins in Division I history.
– PC ended Sacred Hearts 15-game win streak.

UP NEXT
The Blue Hose move on to the round of 64 with a match on Friday against the No. 1 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks on their home court in Columbia, S.C. at 2:00 pm. Tickets for this game go on sale Thursday at 10:00 am on the Scotsman Club website. Click HERE to access.

PC fans were in the stands to cheer the team on to victory. Click images below to view the excitement they experienced. Photos in the gallery courtesy of Susan Tallman.