RALEIGH, NC – Wake Tech Women's Basketball advanced to the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Region 10 Division II Tournament on Monday evening, taking down Brunswick 79-52 in the first round. While the first round was hosted at campus sites, the remainder of the tournament will be played at Brunswick, continuing Thursday with the quarterfinal round. The #5-seed Eagles will meet #4-seed Southwest Virginia, who toppled #13-seed Central Carolina on Monday.
"I'm just really proud of the way we bounced back from Cape Fear," said head coach Taisha Murphy after Monday's game. "Our goal is to go get a ring. We have a lot more work to do and another game on Thursday, but I was proud of the way they came out and played."
When asked about the mindset she wants her team to take into the weekend knowing they could play as many as three games in three days, Murphy said, "To use our bench. I think we are really deep at times and when our bench is locked in it makes it a lot easier for the kids that play a lot. Just to get them more involved and make some shots."
The bench contributed in a big way on Monday, with 11 of the 12 players entering the game getting on the scoresheet. Journee Spencer was the Eagles' leading scorer with 15 points off the bench, the fourth time in five games that she has scored at least 15. Kayla Friend also had a productive night off the bench, adding 14 points, a new career-high for the freshman forward.
Aquarius Pettaway finished with 10 points in what was her final home game at Wake Tech. The sophomore forward received first-team All-Region 10 honors over the weekend and continues to sit towards the top of the conference and NJCAA leaderboards in points per game, field goal percentage, and rebounds per game.
"It's a bittersweet moment," said Pettaway after the victory. "I get to play at my home gym with my teammates that I love and adore, and then we got the win so it was really good."
Thursday's game against Southwest Virginia is scheduled to tipoff at 2:00pm. All remaining tournament games will be streamed here.
When asked what her goal was for the remainder of the tournament, Pettaway said, "To leave it all on the court, play my hardest—as a team as well, play our hardest and go all the way."
It's important to note that this tournament also serves as the NJCAA South Atlantic District Championship, meaning the winner receives an automatic bid to the NJCAA Tournament which takes place March 18-23 in Joplin, MO. The Eagles last reached the tournament in 2022 when it was held in Port Huron, MI.