COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Benedict Lady Tigers will be going dancing this March!
The Tigers clawed their way to a 23-7 record this season and rallied back from a 10-point deficit to defeat Savannah State in the SIAC Championship, securing a spot in the NCAA Division Two Tournament.
Back in 2020, the Tigers were gearing up for the Tournament before it was canceled because of the Pandemic.
It was an emotional moment Senior Forward Ay'Anna Bey will never forget.
"It was a lot of tears, we cried the whole day," Bey says. "It was one of those moments where you didn't know if that was the last time you were going to play with your teammates."
Fast forward to this year, Benedict has a second chance at a National Championship, an opportunity Head Coach James Rice and his players have prepared for all season.
"I feel like we want it more," says Senior and Calhoun native Shanassia White. "We got another chance to go for it again so we here and we ready."
"It means a whole lot to the ladies just to get back and get a chance to play in the postseason," says Coach Rice. "We know what we need to do, we just got to be ourselves, if we be ourselves we'll be okay."
Benedict will face third-seed Lee University in the first round on Friday on the campus of Union University in Jackson, Tenn. The game time is noon Central Time (1 p.m. Eastern).