BABSON PARK, Fla. (March 5, 2021) – The Webber International University women's basketball team is heading to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round after being placed in the Lakeland B Bracket as the No. 3 seed. The Warriors will square off first against No. 2 seeded Bryan College (Tenn.) at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, March 12, on the campus of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.

The seeding for the Lakeland B Bracket, hosted by Southeastern University, is as follows:
1. Campbellsville (Ky.)
2. Bryan (Tenn.)
3. Webber International (Fla.)

The winner of the matchup between Webber and Bryan will advance to take on the number one seed in the bracket, Campbellsville University (Ky.), in the championship game on Saturday, March 13, at 5 p.m. EST. The winner of the pod will be one of 16 teams to advance to the final site at Sioux City, Iowa.

This is the first Opening Round in the history of NAIA basketball after NAIA Division-I and Division-II basketball combined into only one division starting this season.

Webber will enter the Opening Round as an automatic bid from The Sun Conference. The Warriors are currently 17-10 overall after advancing to The Sun Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed and falling in the semifinals against St. Thomas University.

Individually, senior guard Paris Copeland leads the Warriors averaging 12.8 points per game while junior forward Amaya Small averages 12.1 points per game and senior guard Eletra Graham is at 11.9 points per contest. Additionally, senior point guard LeAndra Franklin is first in all of the NAIA in total steals (113), and is second in steals per game (4.1), fifth in total assists (125) and is 27th in assists per game (4.6). Small, meanwhile, is ranked 30th in the NAIA in offensive rebounds per game (3.8), and is 39th in total rebounds (195) and 48th in total blocks (28).

It will be Webber's second national championship appearance under Head Coach Grady Morrell, and will be its first since the 2012-13 season when the Warriors won the TSC Tournament Championship in what was Morrell's second season leading the team. In that season, Webber lost 92-43 against Morningside College (Iowa) in the first round of the NAIA Division-II National Championship.

This year will also represent the fifth appearance in the national tournament in the history of the Warrior women's basketball program.

Bryan (17-2) will enter the Opening Round after winning the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament. The Lady Lions are making their 10th national championship appearance overall and their fourth appearance in a row, and are one of 32 teams in this year's field that also qualified for the 2020 championship.

Should the Warriors defeat Bryan, they would then face top-seeded Campbellsville at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, with a trip to the NAIA National Championship final site on the line.

Campbellsville (18-2) is currently ranked No. 3 in all of the NAIA, and earned its spot in the Opening Round after finishing as the Mid-South Conference Tournament Runners-up. Campbellsville, like Bryan, qualified for the national championship last year, however the Lady Tigers are also one of only nine teams in the championship field that have 20 or more tournament appearances, and they lead the field with the most appearances at 29.

Limited fan attendance will be allowed for the games. Tickets will go on sale for the Friday games on Wednesday, March 10, at 10 a.m. Tickets for the championship games will go on sale the morning of the 13th at 10 a.m. Tickets will become available for purchase HERE.