SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No. 5 Lees-McRae women's basketball claimed its first Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball title in program history with the 67-60 win over Chowan in today's final.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 5 Lees-McRae –
67, No. 6 Chowan – 60
LOCATION: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, South Carolina
RECORDS: No. 5 Lees-McRae (23-7/15-5); No. 6 Chowan (19-9/14-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Nadiya Hairston evened the score after an opening basket from Chowan's Yasmine Brown. Sandra Mason knocked down the first of 10 three-pointers at the 8:37 mark of the first quarter for the 5-2 lead.
- Lees-McRae built its lead to seven points after a fastbreak layup from Kaylee Carson and held the 16-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
- Charlotte Torgerson regained the three-point lead for the Bobcats with a triple at the 6:03 mark of the second quarter. Torgerson drained another three-pointer at the 3:43 and her third basket from beyond-the-arc with 2:09 left in the first half. The Bobcats held the 27-24 lead at the halftime break.
- Chowan recorded the one-point lead with second-chance points from Nyeisha Savage. Mason answered with a three-pointer the following possession.
- Sydney Gueterman pushed the Bobcats back out in front with another three-pointer with 1:24 left in the third and Nadiya Hairston continued the hot shooting from three-point range for the 42-38 advantage. The Bobcats led by one heading into the final quarter of regulation.
- Chowan and Lees-McRae traded baskets throughout the final period. Chowan moved the margin to three with a made basket from Desiree Askew, but Gueterman tied the contest at 54-54 with a layup.
- The Bobcats used back-to-back layups from Kirsten Watt and Hairston to regain the 61-60 lead and finished the contest on a 10-0 scoring run for the 67-60 championship victory.
- Lees-McRae women's basketball earned its first conference title in program history and moved its wins record to 23 wins.
- Hairston, the tournament MVP, led the Bobcats with 23 points in 40 minutes of action and added 10 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Gueterman and Watt followed with 10 points apiece. Mason finished the game with seven points on 2-3 from three-point range. Torgerson collected nine points from three-point range.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae women's basketball earned the No. 8 seed in the 2026 NCAA Division II Southeast Region and will face No. 1 Lincoln Memorial in Harrogate, Tennessee on Friday, March 13.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
