JACKSON, Miss. – A stout defensive effort was enough for the No. 6 nationally ranked and top-seeded Millsaps women's basketball team to secure an electric 58-42 win in the SAA Tournament Semifinals over No. 4 seed Centre in the Hangar Dome on Friday.

Millsaps (12-1, 10-1 SAA) advanced to face No. 3 seed Rhodes (9-3, 8-3 SAA) in the championship game slated for a 3 p.m. tip on Saturday. Rhodes upset No. 5-nationally ranked and No. 2 seed Oglethorpe, 72-58 in the second semifinal.

The Majors were led by their stellar offensive and defensive trio of Taelor Manning, Dia Fortenberry and Briasha King.

Manning finished with a game-high 22 points and added five rebounds. Fortenberry tallied 17 points and grabbed a team-best eight boards, while King chipped in 12 points and four rebounds.

Millsaps dominated Centre (4-7, 4-6 SAA) on the glass (44-29 boards) and outshot the Colonels 43.1 percent to 27.8 percent from the floor.

Centre held an early 13-12 advantage after a back-and-forth first quarter as both teams got their tournament legs under them.

The Majors responded with an 8-2 run in the second bookended by a King trey and fastbreak bucket in the paint. Millsaps owned the second quarter, 20-10 and outscored the Colonels, 13-2 over the final six minutes of the third.

Saturday's championship game will be the second in three seasons hosted by Millsaps. The Majors will look to win their first conference tournament in program history after recently winning its sixth regular season title.

Millsaps faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend the championship, but no outside fans or spectators will be permitted. Live video and live stats will be provided on gomajors.com and on the women's basketball schedule page.


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