BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Birmingham-Southern College is playing host site to the 2012 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's semifinal basketball games. Official Tournament Website | Live Video

SCAC Semifinal Game One Recap

Centre College senior guard Maggie Prewitt scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Colonels' 67-56 SCAC semifinal win over Eastern Division rival Rhodes College on Saturday evening. The win sends Centre to their second SCAC championship game appearance in three years. Box Score

Prewitt scored her 19 points on only 5 of 14 shooting but was helped out by classmate Lauren Huter who tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Jane Goatley added nine points as the Colonels improved to 23-3 on the season.

Centre raced out to a 44-22 halftime lead thanks in large part to a 19-5 in the game's opening minutes. Rhodes could not seem to get things going in the first half as the Lynx shot just 26.9 percent (7 of 26) in the first half compared to the Colonels' 57.7 percent shooting (15 of 26).

The second half half proved to be an entirely new half for the Lynx as Rhodes started forcing turnovers and limited Centre to just seven total field goals and 28 percent shooting in the second stanza.

The Lynx were led by senior guard Sharwil Bell's 16 points. Bell also added six rebounds and was 5 of 14 shooting. Sarah Womack and Sarah Johnson each scored 10 points to round out Rhodes' double-digit scorers.

Rhodes (18-8) forced 19 Centre turnovers and the Lynx started converting those turnovers into 22 points. Centre led by as much as 24 at the beginning of the second half before Rhodes methodically chipped the lead to 11 points with just over six minutes left thanks to a Womack 3-pointer.

The Lynx would not get any closer after Womack's 3-pointer. Centre withstood the rally thanks to making 17 of 21 free throws down the stretch to seal their SCAC championship game appearance.

Centre will look for its first SCAC championship since the 2000-01 season when the Colonels shared the league title with DePauw University and Sewanee: University of the South. Centre will take on the winner of the second semifinal between Millsaps College and Southwestern University.

The championship game will be played Sunday, February 26 at 2:30 p.m. CT at Bill Battle Coliseum on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College.

Lauren Huter (CEN) interview | Wendie Austin-Robinson (CEN) interview | Matt Dean
(RC) interview

Millsaps went into halftime with a seven point lead after closing the period with an 8-0 run and never trailed the rest of the way capturing a 63-55 win over Southwestern in the second Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal game. Box Score

With its 3rd straight win, Millsaps improved to 22-5 and faces 23-3 Centre in Sunday's 2:30 p.m. championship game. The Colonels earlier advanced to their second title game in the last three years with a 67-56 win over Rhodes. Southwestern ended its season at 15-12.

Millsaps scored the game's first seven points in a contest that saw eight lead changes and two ties.

Trailing by seven points in the second half, the SU Pirates put together an 11-4 run capped off by a jumper from freshman Annie Bourne with 9:38 left in the game to knot the score at 45 all. However the Majors responded with a huge three-point field goal from Velvet Johnson and Millsaps never looked back.

Shante Morton paced Millsaps with 19 points including 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the SCAC Tournament. Senior Janice Okeke followed up her SCAC Tournament record 21 rebounds with 14 more tonight to compliment nine points.

Jordan Owens led Southwestern with 15 points and four rebounds, while Chelsea Leeder totaled 12 and Bourne grabbed 11 rebounds.

Millsaps shot 42.9 percent for the game to Southwestern's 32.8 percent holding the conference's second leading offense to just over 15 points under its season average.

Janice Okeke (MC) Interview | Chuck Winkelman (MC) Interview | Kerri Brinkoeter (SU) Interview