PULASKI, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Southern women's basketball dropped their regular season finale 58-52 to Bethel on senior day today.

Mary Mackie led all scorers with 24 points capped by seven triples. Sydney Cooper added 10 points for the Firehawks.

The Firehawks would blaze out on a 7-0 run, but the Wildcats would creep back as UTS would lead after one stanza 16-14. Bethel would turn up the defense to limit the Firehawks to five points in the second quarter. BU would lead at the break 33-21.

The Firehawks would outs score the Wildcats in both the third and fourth quarters. UTS would trail by three points in the final 60 seconds, but couldn't reach the apex.

UTS would shoot 21 of 58 for 36% from the field. There would be one lead change and no ties.

SENIOR DAY

Senior Rachael Baker was honored today by the team for her accomplishments in her career as a Firehawk.

MSC CHAMPIONSHIP

Mid-South Conference officials released the 2023 MSC Women's Basketball Tournament bracket Saturday following the conclusion of the conference's regular season.

The 2023 tournament features opening-round games at on-campus sites with the winners of those games joining the top-four seeds in Bowling Green for the remainder of the tournament.

Opening-round games are slated for Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the higher-seeded team in the matchup. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23, and Friday, Feb. 24, the semifinals are slated for Sunday, Feb. 26, with the championship game on Monday, Feb. 27, all at Bowling Green Arena.

Campbellsville (Ky.) is the tournament's top seed after winning the regular season with a 21-1 conference record. As the MSC's regular-season champion, the Tigers earn one of the conference's two automatic bids into the NAIA National Tournament in March.

Thomas More (Ky.) (20-2 in the MSC) is the second seed, Pikeville (Ky.) (16-6) is the third seed, and Cumberlands (Ky.) (16-6) is the fourth seed.

Pikeville received the higher seed based on the conference's second tiebreaker. After the two teams split during the regular season -- with head-to-head competition being the first tiebreaker -- Pikeville defeated the higher-seeded team in the tournament. Cumberlands and Pikeville both had two losses to Campbellsville.  The Bears beat Thomas More during the regular season while Cumberlands suffered two losses to the Saints.

Fifth-seeded Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) (19-9, 13-9) hosts No. 12-seed Wilberforce (Ohio) (0-22) in the first of four opening-round games. Sixth-seeded Georgetown (Ky.) (12-10) hosts No. 11-seed Tennessee Southern (3-19) while No. 7-seed Shawnee State (Ohio) (10-12) hosts No. 10-seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (4-18).

Eighth-seeded Bethel (Tenn.) (10-12) hosts No. 9-seed Cumberland (Tenn.) (9-13) in the final opening-round game.

The four opening-round winners advance to the quarterfinals played over two days later next week.

The tournament champion receives one of the conference's two automatic bids into the NAIA National Tournament. If Campbellsville wins the tournament, the tournament's runner-up receives the second automatic bid.

NEXT UP

The Firehawks will travel to Georgetown, Ky. to face the sixth-seed Georgetown Tigers in the MSC opening round. The matchup will take place early next week and will be announced in the upcoming days.

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