Ashley Norton 17 points, 3 treys

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
(540) 365-4306

February 23, 2007


Ferrum Women Advance to USA South Tournament Title Game

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Top-seeded Ferrum College defeated #4 Shenandoah University 71-64 in the semifinals of the 2007 USA South Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament this afternoon at the Freeman Center on the campus of Christopher Newport University.

       Official Box Score:  Ferrum 71, Shenandoah 64

Freshman guard Ashley Norton (Martinsville, Va./Magna Vista) led the way for the Panthers with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including three baskets from three-point land.

Senior guard Quanita Bennett (Virginia Beach, Va./Coastal Christian) had 14 points and was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.  Junior center Ali Davenport (Baton Rouge, La./Runnels) had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Ferrum led 30-24 at halftime and led by eight, 39-31, at the 15:03 mark.  Shenandoah went on a 17-9 run in the next five minutes to tie the ball game at 48-48 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.  The Hornets would tie the game once more at 51-51 before the Panthers took the lead for good on one of Norton's three-point baskets with 8:35 left.

Ferrum (21-6) will face #2 Christopher Newport in the championship Saturday at 2 p.m. at Christopher Newport.  The Captains defeated #3 Greensboro College 77-62 in today's other semifinal.  Ferrum and CNU split this season, both winning at home.  The winner of tomorrow's  game earns an automatic berth to the 2007 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.

This is Ferrum's fourth trip to the championship game of the USA South Tournament.  Ferrum lost to Methodist College in the finals of the 1992 tournament then beat Methodist in the finals in 1995 tournament, then known as the Dixie Conference.  The Panthers lost to Greensboro in finals of the 2006 USA South Tournament in Coach Bryan Harvey's first year at the helm of the Panther program.

Please visit the 2007 USA South Tournament web site for scores, live stats and webcasts.

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