HENDERSON, Tenn. | For the first time in program history, the Florida Memorial University Lions advanced to the second round of the NAIA Women's Basketball Tournament with a 85-76 victory over Indiana Northwest.

With the score tied 15-15 after one quarter of play, FMU outscored Indiana NW 24-12 in the second quarter and never relinquished the lead, making history with a crucial nine-point victory, taking the program to unseen territory behind first year head coach Kevin Herod, who was ultimately named 2024-25 SUN Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year.

"First of all, IU (NW) is a great team, said Herod. "They are very motivated, they play hard, so hats off to their season. We were over prepared, and we knew it was going to be a tough game. One of our good players today was senior Alyza Winston, who really came through for us in the second half. It was really a team effort from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. I'm really proud of the way we played."

FMU was led by Winston, who finished with a team-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including two 3-pointers. The Michigan State then Florida Gulf Coast transfer also grabbed five boards, produced one steal and one assist as she shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.

First-team All-SUN honoree Agar Farres Garcia generated a double-double, scoring 12 points while grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with two steals and two assists. Fellow Lion and former All-American Jada Johnson had her best game of the season, scoring 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out two assists.

For the Red Hawks, Jessica Carrothers was outstanding as she finished with a game high 38 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. She also added eight boards, five turnovers, four steals, three assists, and one block in the loss.

As a team, FMU's defense proved to be the difference in the contest, scoring 15 points on 20 IU NW turnovers. Furthermore, The Lions outrebounded the Red Hawks 35-32.

The Lions are set to face Freed-Hardeman in the second round of the NAIA Tournament on Saturday, March 15. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. (ET) at the Brewer Sports Center. Click here to view live stats; click here to watch the contest via live stream.

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