Higher Seeds Advance in Women's Tournament

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - The 2023 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Women's Basketball Tournament got underway Wednesday with the higher seeds both winning.

In the opener, No. 8 Columbia International held off ninth-seeded Kentucky Christian 72-62. Meanwhile, No. 7 seed Bluefield used a big second half to outdistance 10th-seeded Columbia 82-67.

CIU 72, KCU 62

Kentucky Christian owned a 31-29 lead at the half, but Columbia International reeled off 23 points in the third to grab a 52-45 lead heading into the fourth. The Rams maintained their lead throughout the fourth on the way to the 10-point win.

Hannah Wilkerson led CIU with 18 points with Mariah Leinbach chipping in 17.

BLUEFIELD 82, COLUMBIA 65

The play was tight in the first half as the lead changed hands several times as Bluefield held a 36-35 lead at the break. The Rams cranked up their 3-point shooting in the second half and tallied 46 points en route to the 17-point win.

Abi Melton came off the bench to pace Bluefield with 17 points, while Destiny Long followed with 15.

Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Game 1 - No. 8 Columbia International (16-13) def. No. 9 Kentucky Christian (15-14), 72-62 (box)
Game 2 - No. 7 Bluefield (15-13) def. No. 10 Columbia (10-18), 82-67 (box)
Thursday, Feb. 23
Game 3 - No. 4 Reinhardt (18-10) vs. No. 5 Tennessee Wesleyan (18-8), 8:30 am
Game 4 - No. 1 Bryan (25-3) vs. No. 8 Columbia International (16-13), 10:15 am
Game 5 - No. 2 Point (20-8) vs. No. 7 Bluefield (15-13), 3:30 pm
Game 6 - No. 3 Milligan (19-9) vs. No. 6 Montreat (19-9), 5:15 pm

Friday, Feb. 24
Game 7 - Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 2 pm
Game 8 - Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 4 pm

Saturday, Feb. 25
Game 9 - Championship Game - Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 1 pm

All games will be live-streamed on the AAC Digital Network for free. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students each day. To purchase tickets, click here.