BUENA VISTA, Va. - Tournament season is officially underway in Buena Vista as the Southern Virginia University women's basketball played host to Methodist in the first round of the USA South Tournament

Winners of their last six tournament games, the Knights defeated the Monarchs, 71-44, to punch their ticket to the next round.

With perhaps a touch of conference tournament nerves in the opening few minutes, both teams struggled to score in the early going.

A pair of free throws from Abigail Snyder at the end of the first gave Southern Virginia an 11-9 lead after ten minutes, but there was work to be done for the second-seeded Knights.

In the second, the scoring picked up. Maria Savvun and Lily Delarosa hit back-to-back threes to vault Southern Virginia to a double digit advantage. Anna Kimball was making her presence felt on the glass, securing seven rebounds to help her team establish a 35-22 lead by halftime.

The lead would only extend the rest of the way as the Knights used size to their advantage. They won the battle on the boards 18-8 in the third quarter to lead 53-30 heading into the final quarter. 

Lynette's Schroeder's squad was on cruise control in the final frame and successfully protected their lead to propel themselves into the USA South semifinals.

Savvun led the team with 18 points and Kimball corralled 10 rebounds in the effort.

Looking Ahead 

The Knights will host their semifinal on Thursday, February 26th. They'll face the winner between North Carolina Wesleyan and Greensboro. 

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wbb on Instagram.