NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT UPDATE

NOTE: Teams in conferences covered by D-II South Sports are marked in BOLD type.

The Clayton College & State University women's basketball team made good in its first-ever NCAA tournament game, as the second seeded Lakers defeated seventh seeded Newberry 79-54 in the first round of the South Atlantic regional Friday at Raleigh, N.C. The Lakers (25-6) will face Carson-Newman in Saturday's regional semifinal. The Lady Eagles defeated Fayetteville State 79-67.

The news was not as good for the other Peach Belt Conference teams in the NCAA tournament, however, as eighth seeded USC Aiken (19-13) saw its season end with a 77-48 loss to top seeded Shaw, while fourth seeded Columbus State (20-11) fell to fifth seeded Wingate (21-10) 82-71.

In the South regionals at Conway, Ark., top seeded Central Arkansas (25-6) rolled past eighth seeded Rollins 88-58, fifth seeded Fort Valley State (22-9) crushed fourth seeded Tuskegee (19-11) 77-53, third seeded Henderson State (24-9) got by sixth seeded Paine (18-12) 80-72, and second seeded Valdosta State defeated seventh seeded Florida Tech (21-10) 67-49.

Saturday's games:

SOUTH REGIONAL--at Conway, Ark.

Central Arkansas (25-6) vs. Fort Valley State (22-9)

Valdosta State (24-6) vs. Henderson State (24-9)

SOUTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL--at Raleigh, N.C.

Clayton State (25-6) vs. Carson-Newman (24-7)