Ibbotson to Face Louisiana in NCAA Championships

After working hard all season to end with a record of 22-5, the Chapman University Women's Basketball team is playing in the 2011 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships which they will also be hosting.

The Chapman Panthers dominated their season with the help of senior Simone Ibbotson, who averages 10.8 points per game and has been on the forefront of Chapman's road to the upcoming championship match against Louisiana College. Ibbotson has led her team by scoring 19 points against La Verne, 18 points against Linfield College, 16 points against University of Redlands, and more. She has reached double digits in scoring 13 times this season.

Now she is preparing her jump shot against Louisiana College ASC East Player of the Year Tillisha Givens.

Givens has earned the award in the Eastern Division for three seasons in a row, and shoots 52.6 percent from the field with an average of 16 points. Givens has led her team to the NCAA Championships with her high shooting average and their offensive game. Ibbotson is going to have to shoot above her average against Louisiana if she has any hopes of leading her team to victory over the Wildcats, and will need to lean on assistance from teammates Brandi Hood and Mary Petrie, who both have high shooting averages and score in double digits too.

Both Louisiana and Chapman teams have a tendency to press and force turnovers, with Chapman averaging 14 steals per game and Louisiana averaging 15 steals per game. Simone Ibbotson was named "Student Athlete of The Week" this past January at Chapman University for her consistency and reliability, which fans hope will help Chapman win against Louisiana this weekend.

The first and second round of the Division III Championships are being held this weekend, March 4-5, 2011, at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., and the Chapman Panthers face the Louisiana Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Friday in The Hutton Center.

The winner of the Louisiana College vs. Chapman game will face the winner of the George Fox vs. Occidental game at game 3 on Saturday, March 5, at 7 p.m..

Sources:
Women's basketball hosts NCAA playoffs beginning Friday at 7 p.m. against Louisiana College
Women's basketball goes 1-2 on season-opening road trip
Givens earns third straight ASC East Player of the Year Honor
Follow the Lady Cats at the NCAA Tournament