This time, Belmont Abbey women’s basketball leaves no doubt about NCAA Tournament berth

Two 23-victory seasons weren’t enough.

It took a game-winning basket in the final six seconds and a whole lot of grit and perseverance, and Belmont Abbey finally is back in the women’s NCAA basketball tournament.

The Crusaders, who missed at-large bids to the tournament the past two years despite stellar regular-season records, will open play in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at 2:30 p.m. Friday against second-seeded Coker College of the Peach Belt Conference. Belmont Abbey is the seventh seed.

The eight-team regional will be played Friday, Saturday and Monday at the site of the region’s top seed, North Georgia.

Kim Lusk took over as Belmont Abbey’s coach prior to the 2022-23 season and guided the Crusaders to a 23-5 record. But her team lost to UNC Pembroke in the Conference Carolinas tournament and wasn’t picked for an at-large berth.

It was the same story last season — a 23-8 record, but a loss to UNC Pembroke in the conference tournament.

“I think those losses helped motivate us,” Lusk said. “We learned from that.”

The Crusaders toughened their schedule this season and take a 25-5 record to the regional. But they also eliminated the drama by winning the conference tournament, beating Francis Marion 63-62 on a basket by sophomore Leigha Dennison.

This year, the tournament selection committee picked three Conference Carolina teams to play in the regional, with UNC Pembroke and Francis Marion joining the Crusaders.

Experienced leaders

While the Belmont Abbey roster is loaded with freshmen and sophomores, many of them from the Charlotte area, the core of the team is experienced. And that starts with the coach.

Her first head coaching gig was nearly 25 years ago, when she took New Jersey Institute of Technology to the postseason four times and helped the school transition to Division 1. Lusk then took time off to raise her four children but returned to coaching a few years later at Division II St. Thomas Aquinas College in Orangeburg, N.Y. She took the program to a pair of NCAA appearances and won several coaching awards.

She and her husband Jim moved with their four children to North Carolina in 2021. After a year as athletics director at Lincoln Charter, Lusk took over the Belmont Abbey coaching position prior to the 2022-23 season.

A couple of the players on the team at the time were the nucleus of this year’s squad.

Peyton Nation, a 5-11 forward, led the team in scoring with 15.2 points a game. And 5-9 forward Abigail Crain was second, at 12.8 points a game.

“The biggest breakthrough for Peyton was being healthy for a whole season,” Lusk said. “She battled injuries the last two years, but she was healthy this season and has been outstanding.”

Crain, according to Lusk, has “one of the best mid-range shots I’ve ever seen. She’s such a hard-worker.”

Crain also is a spectator in the postseason, having suffered a season-ending injury during a mid-February game.

“We’ve had to battle some adversity,” Lusk said.

No. 1 in defense

A quick look at the statistics will show you how Belmont Abbey got to be 25-5.

Take a look at the points-allowed category. There are the Crusaders, ranked No. 1 in the nation, allowing an average of 49.0 points a contest.

“We’ve succeeded with our defense because our players have bought in to what we’re trying to do,” Lusk said. “It’s about conditioning and keeping focus.”

If the shots aren’t falling, Lusk said, Belmont Abbey’s defense will keep the team in the game.

In her three seasons at the helm, Lusk has worked to make the roster deeper. She’s done it, in large part, with players from the Charlotte region.

Among the local players are two of Lusk’s daughters, Madison and Kallie. Each was a standout at Lincoln Charter.

“Ultimately, it’s a blessing,” Lusk said of coaching her daughters. “I get to be with them every day. The hardest part is not getting to enjoy their achievements the same way other parents might. I’m also the coach.”

The Crusaders’ roster also includes local products Reagan Iovino (Cuthbertson); Dearia Page (North Mecklenburg); and Valeria Batista and Janiah Shuler (Victory Christian).

“We haven’t really set out to recruit all-local,” Lusk said. “We try to build a strong team. But having local players also builds support for our team, and I think that’s important.”

Unlike her players, Lusk has NCAA tournament experience. She said she told the players to stay the course.

“Keep doing what we’ve been doing,” she said. “We’ll play solid defense, play our game. That’s the best way to avoid getting caught up in the surroundings.”

Division II picture

The NCAA Division II Southeast Regional will be played Friday, Saturday and Monday at North Georgia, in Dahlonega.

Friday’s first-round schedule:

No. 3 Anderson (24-9) vs. No. 6 Carson-Newman (22-8), noon

No. 2 Coker (26-6) vs. No. 7 Belmont Abbey (25-5), 2:30 p.m.

No. 1 North Georgia (29-2) vs. No. 8 UNC Pembroke (22-8), 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, the men’s Division II Southeast Regional will be played Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday at Columbus, Georgia, with Columbus State as top seed.

The field includes Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba, and four local players are on the Catawba squad — Solomon Tucker, a 6-7 junior forward from Northside Christian; Zion McDuffie, a 6-5 sophomore forward from Butler; and twins Carson and Chase Daniels, 6-1 guards who were part of Central Cabarrus’ state championship teams.

Tucker has averaged 7.1 points a game, while McDuffie averaged 6.6.

The first-round men’s schedule Saturday:

No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne (26-5) vs. No. 6 Augusta (19-10), noon

No. 2 USC Aiken (22-8) vs. No. 7 Catawba (18-12), 2:30 p.m.

No. 1 Columbus State (26-4) vs. No. 8 Carson-Newman (21-11), 5 p.m.

No. 4 Lincoln Memorial (25-5) vs. No. 5 UNC Pembroke (23-6), 7:30 p.m.

Editor’s note: Nation scored 15 points to surpass 1,000 for her career but Belmont Abbey women’s team fell to Coker, 58-50, on Friday.

This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 5:30 AM.