Lady Cougar basketball played Dyersburg State on Saturday February 19 and used a 20-point start to both the first half and second half to win 70-63 as they ready themselves for the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Tournament scheduled to be played at Dyersburg, February 25-March1.

Cleveland State used double digit scoring from Nicky Jones with 21, Emma Harig's 19 and Michaela Bennefield's 17 winning both halves of the game.  Coach Thompson said: "We knew we had to be prepared for a battle.  We don't have the luxury of taking anyone in this conference for granted and our game against Dyersburg was no exception. It was a good end to the regular season and a positive springboard into the conference tournament."

Currently, Cleveland State is percentage points out of second place with an overall record of 16-5 and a conference mark of 12-4.  The games double digit scorers of Bennefield, Harig and Jones rank in the leagues top 10 of rebounding and steals.

Brackets for the tournament will be published on Tuesday February 22 as Coach Thompson's Lady Cougars prepare for the trip back to Dyersburg State for tournament competition with the eventual winner going to the National Tournament.