Southern Oregon women remain undefeated in NAIA tournament

Southern Oregon's women's basketball team continues its winning streak, remaining undefeated with a 67-60 victory over Xavier in the NAIA tournament. The Raiders, seeded No. 2 in the tournament, have a record of 34-0. Morgan Baird was the standout player, scoring 23 points. The game took place in Sioux City, Iowa. Southern Oregon fell behind at halftime, trailing 32-22. However, they rallied in the second half, with Bridgette McIntyre and Emma Schmerbach contributing 14 points each. The Raiders will face the Bethel Wildcats from Tennessee in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Bethel advanced by defeating Hastings 78-70 in their round-of-16 matchup. The winner of Saturday's game will move on to the national semifinals next Monday, with the championship game set for Wednesday. Southern Oregon's strong shooting helped secure their win. They made 7 of 14 three-point attempts, while Xavier struggled with just 1 of 13. From the free-throw line, the Raiders were also more successful, hitting 82% of their shots compared to 64% for Xavier. The Raiders took control of the game in the third quarter, turning a 36-22 deficit into a 51-45 lead by the end of that period. Although Xavier tied the game at 57-57 late in the fourth quarter, Southern Oregon maintained their composure to pull off the win. Joy Campbell, Janiya Reed, and Patricia Sosa Lora each scored 11 points for Xavier, with Sosa Lora also grabbing 12 rebounds.