Greenville, SC — Junior Jessica Boyd became only the third Lady Eagle to reach the 1,000 point plateau during the team's 68-47 victory over Bob Jones University. She finished the game with 14 points and 6 rebounds to lead her team to a program best 3rd place finish in this year's NCCAA DII Women's Basketball National Tournament.

"I love to see our players hitting milestones," Head Coach Jared Sellars said after the team's historic victory. "Jessica works so hard and is such a great person. She has put so much into this program, and I'm glad to see her get some well-deserved recognition."

In the 1st quarter of today's third place game, Marlee Moore opened the scoring for the Lady Eagles. Her consecutive layups gave the team an early 4-0 advantage. With their usual suspects struggling to score early on the games, the Lady Eagles would rely on the strong play of their bench. Hannah Sailors and Emma Hardy stepped up early in the contest to help steady the team's leaky offense.

With 1:15 remaining on the clock, the play that everyone had been waiting for took place. Jessica Boyd buried an open three-pointer from the corner to reach the 1,000 mark in her 3-year Lady Eagles career. Head Coach Jared Sellars called a quick timeout to give Jessica Boyd a chance to celebrate with her teammates.

"It was really special that Coach called the time-out after I hit that three-pointer to get me over 1,000 points," junior guard Jessica Boyd said after the game. "Having my teammates rally around me after reaching that milestone was amazing!"

Heading into the 2nd quarter, the Lady Eagles held a 19-9 over the Bob Jones University Bruins. Three-pointers by Emma Hardy and Haley Sailors coupled with the play of senior guard Lauren Battle helped the team widen their lead in the waning moments of the quarter. The team would head into the half holding a commanding 30-17 lead over the Lady Bruins.

"We defended well and executed our game plan to perfection in the 1st half," Head Coach Jared Sellars said after the game. "We didn't shoot the ball well in the half, but these girls found a way to play hard."

The 2nd half of play saw the Lady Eagles widen their lead over the Bob Jones University Bruins. Jessica Boyd and Lauren Battle added a combined 19 points down the stretch. With two minutes remaining on the clock, senior Lauren Battle would head to the bench for the final time as a Lady Eagle. She exited to some loud cheers from friends and family in attendenace and the warm hugs of her teammates. After the game, Lauren Battle took a moment to reflect on her career. She said, "It was somewhat bittersweet coming off the court for the last time, but I was happy to end my career with a win. I'm super excited about this team's chances next year. I really believe we are going to have a good chance at playing for a National Championship next year."

After the game, Head Coach Jared Sellars was asked what his senior point guard has meant to this year's team and the program. He said, "Lauren is the perfect example of a player who works hard to get the time on the court that she wants." He went on to say, "She is such a hard worker. Her leadership from the point guard position has been a major factor in the success that we have had over the past several years."

With today's victory, the Lady Eagles finish their season with a record of 20-11. The 3rd place finish in this year's National Tournament marks the best finish in program history. The team now heads into the offseason with future championship aspirations in mind and a hunger in their eyes. "Last night was a tough loss for us after working so hard this year." Jessica Boyd would go on to say, "Being so close has given us a hunger to work even harder next year. We want to make it to that final game and win it!" The Lady Eagles will return all but one of their players–Lauren Battle–for next season and hope to add several key pieces in this year's recruiting class.  

"The girl's showed a lot of heart and maturity today." Head Coach Jared Sellars said after the game, "Coming back after a tough lose and then being ready to play showed me a lot about this team. It definitely makes it a lot easier to game plan as we head into the offseason."