Two teams, two incredible seasons and now two chances to make a run on the national stage.
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at William Carey University are headed across the country to compete in the NAIA National Tournament this week after strong seasons in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC).
The Crusader men (27-4) earned the SSAC regular season championship and will enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Duer Quadrant, while the Lady Crusaders (24-5) captured the program’s first SSAC Tournament championship and are also a No. 5 seed in the Liston Quadrant.
The two teams will begin play Friday at separate sites across the country.
Lady Crusaders look to ride momentum and push through injury in national tournament
The Lady Crusaders are coming off one of the biggest moments in program history.
William Carey defeated University of Tennessee Southern 62-58 in the conference tournament championship game to secure the program’s first SSAC Tournament title.
Head coach Jessica Garriga said the championship run was fueled by resilience and team effort.
In the opening round of the tournament, the Lady Crusaders found themselves trailing Life by as many as 16 points before rallying to force overtime and eventually win.
“We were down 16 at one point and shooting about 16 percent from the field,” Garriga said. “I got into them a little bit at halftime and reminded them what it felt like losing to Blue Mountain the year before.”
The comeback helped jump-start a three-game run that ultimately ended with the championship.
“It didn’t have to be one person to make up that deficit,” Garriga said. “Everybody did a little bit more. Our bench was phenomenal — the energy and effort. These kids are gritty and they wanted to win.”
However, the Lady Crusaders did face some adversity when leading scorer Shaneal Corpuz suffered a season-ending knee injury during the tournament and will miss the NAIA tournament.
Corpuz had been a major contributor throughout the season, averaging around 16 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, making her absence a significant loss.
“We got really beat up at the conference tournament,” Garriga said. “Shaneal is out, but it’s next player up. I have a lot of confidence in all these kids and we play team basketball.”
Despite the injuries, Garriga pointed to the conference tournament experience as something that will help them compete without Corpuz.
“I could hear them in the huddles after we were through,” Garriga said. “They were talking about being relentless and being unwavering, not being denied and not letting other things control us. We would walk out of those huddles saying come on, let’s give the best five minutes. Whatever it takes in these five minutes, and they were awesome.”
Several players have previously appeared in the NAIA tournament, giving the team valuable postseason experience.
“Experience is huge,” Garriga said. “We have several kids who have played minutes in this tournament before, and that helps with the expectations and the pressure.”
Ultimately, Garriga said the identity of the team, built around toughness and unity, will determine how far the William Carey women will go.
“Our unity and unselfishness,” Garriga said. “These kids are gritty and relentless. It’s tough to beat a team that wants it more.”
Crusader men looking to build on dominant season with deep run in tournament
After winning the SSAC regular season title, the Crusaders came within one win of sweeping the conference championships before falling to Dalton State College 90-87 in the conference tournament final.
Head coach Steve Knight said the loss was disappointing, but the focus has quickly shifted to the national tournament.
“We lost the championship game by three to Dalton State. Very good team,” Knight said. “Our guys were disappointed about not making the sweep this year — regular season and conference tournament — but we're over that now and it's time to move forward and get ready for the NAIA opening round.”
William Carey will face No. 12 seed Xavier University of Louisiana (20-10) in the opening round Friday in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
The matchup will feature two programs that are familiar with each other from past battles in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
Knight said Xavier’s defensive style and tempo control will present a challenge.
“They really rely on defense and they like to control the pace of the game,” Knight said. “If we don’t run our offense with pace, we’ll have problems scoring. If we can get the ball off the glass and get up the floor, there might be opportunities in transition.”
Xavier’s defense will have a significant challenge trying to guard the high-scoring Crusader offense. William Carey averages more than 90 points per game, ranking second nationally in points per game and first in total points. The Crusaders also lead the nation in steals and forced turnovers, a relentless pressure system that often turns into easy transition baskets.
“We’re 27-4 for a reason,” Knight said. “We’re No. 1 in the country in steals and forced turnovers, second in points per game and first in total points. We’ve done a lot of good things this season, so we just need to go out and play our game.”
Several players have been key to the production on both ends of the floor.
First-team All-SSAC guard Malik Franklin has been one of the Crusaders’ top scoring threats all season, averaging 16.2 points per game and two assists per game. Makeem Roberts also earned first-team all-conference honors after a standout year that included setting a program record for steals in a season with 117. He averages 11.1 points per game and has registered a team-high 28 blocks this season.
Knight said tournament success often comes down to the same players who have carried the team all season continuing to perform at a high level.
“Those guys have got it done all year long,” Knight said. “They need to produce in tournament-type games. We need to get the ball to Malik and Makeem and let them do what they do.”
The Crusaders hope last year’s early exit in the national tournament will help better prepare this team for the toughness of the bracket. Knight believes the returning players now better understand the intensity and pressure required to win in postseason play.
“The players returning from last year got a sniff of what it’s like to play in the NAIA tournament,” Knight said. “I think that will help them. The seniors can help the younger guys understand the expectations and the pressure.”
Knight, entering his fifteenth appearance in the NAIA National Tournament, has seen a lot of basketball and has made deep runs before in the tournament, including a 2019 NAIA Fab Four run. He believes what separates great tournament teams is sticking to their identity.
“You have to play well, but you also have to have a little bit of luck,” Knight said. “You’re down to the top 64 teams in the country, so everybody is good. We just need to get the pace of the game going our way and create turnovers because that’s been the key for us all year.”
The men will tip off against Xavier (La.) at 5 p.m. Friday, March 13. The women will tip off at 7 p.m. Friday, March 13, against Shawnee State University.
