The Lady Vikings also made sure of a berth in the NAIA National Tournament with the victory. The SSAC received two bid to the event in Jackson, Tenn, On Saturday; Berry will face top-seeded Lee in the tournament final at 4 p.m.
While Bryant was leading the scoring, Briana Caldwell turned in an outstanding double-double effort (11 points, 16 rebounds). Mickey Duncan gave the Lady Vikings a pair of players with double-doubles as she scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards. Berry out-rebounded the third-seeded Lady Lions, 50-43.
Emmanuel had a chance to tie the game after a timeout with 16 seconds remaining and Berry up 50-48. Chakena Hill took the basketball into the paint and put up a seven-footer that missed. The Lady Vikings claimed the rebound and forced the Lady Lions to foul with just over four seconds left. Nikki Jackson stepped to the line and nailed two charity tosses to ice the win.
The victory gives Berry an impressive 26-6 record heading into the championship match. Emmanuel heads for the NCCAA National Tournament with a 23-8 mark.
Only RaShuna Laster scored in double figures for the Lady Lions. She had 11 points and eight rebounds. Ashley Jackson also had eight boards, while Felecia Towler produced six points and seven rebounds. The losers were able to shot just 24 percent (17-of-72) from the field.
Berry shot 39 percent from the field (19-of-49), but allowed Emmanuel to stay close by making just 10-of-21 free throws. Berry also made 23 turnovers against the rugged Lady Lion defense. Emmanuel was guilty of only 11 floor mistakes.