ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum College Women's basketball team, which won the South Atlantic Conference championship, is the top seed for the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins Wednesday.

The Pioneers (24-3 overall, 13-1 SAC) won their first-ever SAC championship and will host eighth-seed Lincoln Memorial University (13-14 overall, 3-11 SAC) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tusculum swept the season series over the Lady Railsplitters and will mark the first time the Pioneers and LMU have met in the SAC Tournament.

Wingate University (20-7 overall, 12-2 SAC) is the second seed. The Bulldogs will host seventh-seed Catawba College (12-15 overall, 4-10 SAC) at 6 p.m.

Carson-Newman College and Newberry College tied for third with 7-7 conference records. The two teams split their regular-season meetings, and both teams were swept by top-seed Tusculum. Carson-Newman earned the third seed by splitting its series with second-seed Wingate, while Newberry lost both meetings against Wingate.

Carson-Newman (14-13, 7-7) will host sixth-seed Mars Hill College (15-12, 5-9) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Newberry (18-9, 7-7) is the two-time defending tournament champion. The Lady Indians will host fifth-seed Lenoir-Rhyne (15-12, 5-9) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill tied with 5-9 conference records. Lenoir-Rhyne earned the fifth seed by sweeping Mars Hill during their regular-season series.

Quarterfinal winners advance to the tournament semifinals, which will be held at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. on Saturday.

Tickets for all tournament games are $6 per day for adults, $3 per day for children, students and college students with ID.

The men's and women's winners of the tournament will earn automatic bids to the NCAA Division II playoffs.



- SAC -

Wednesday, March 5
Food Lion SAC Tournament, Quarterfinals, Home of Higher Seed
No. 8 Lincoln Memorial at No. 1 Tusculum, 7 pm
No. 7 Catawba at No. 2 Wingate, 6 pm
No. 6 Mars Hill at No. 3 Carson-Newman, 6 pm
No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne at No. 4 Newberry, 7 pm

Saturday, March 8
Food Lion SAC Tournament, Semifinals, CVCC Arena, Hickory, NC
Lincoln Memorial/Tusculum winner vs. Lenoir-Rhyne/Newberry winner, 3 pm
Catawba/Wingate winner vs. Mars Hill/Carson-Newman winner, 8 pm

Sunday, March 9
Food Lion SAC Tournament, Finals, CVCC Arena, Hickory, NC
Championship, 4 pm