HARROGATE, Tenn. – Lees-McRae women's basketball faced the top seed and No. 13 in the nation, Lincoln Memorial, in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The Railsplitters advanced with the 68-53 win over the Bobcats.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 1 Lincoln Memorial –
68, No. 8 Lees-McRae – 53
LOCATION: Tex Turner Arena – Harrogate, Tennessee
RECORDS: No. 1 Lincoln Memorial (26-4/19-3); No. 8 Lees-McRae (23-8/15-5)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Nadiya Hairston connected on a three-pointer at the 8:57 mark of the first quarter. LMU went on a 7-0 scoring run to lead 10-3 and led 24-6 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
- Lincoln Memorial moved the margin to 21 points off a three-pointer from Rachel Early and held the 44-23 lead at the end of the first half.
- Lees-McRae battled in the second half and cut the deficit to 17 off a three-pointer from Sydney Gueterman. Layla Tillery connected on a three-point play at the end of the third period as Lees-McRae trailed by 18.
- Braelyn Stilwell moved the margin back to 17 points off two free throws, but the Bobcats fell to Lincoln Memorial on Friday, 68-53.
- Stilwell had a team-high 15 points on 3-6 shooting and 9-9 from the charity stripe. Hairston followed with 13 points and six rebounds. Tillery joined them in double-digit scoring with 11 points off the bench.
- Lees-McRae women's basketball will graduate one senior with Sandra Mason, but the Bobcats will return the majority of their lineup for the 2026-27 season.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae women's basketball wrapped its historic season today and finished the 2025-26 season with the most wins in program history and its first Conference Carolinas title.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
