SAVANNAH, Ga. – The SCAD women's bowling team won their third consecutive Southern States Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, earning an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship.
 
TOURNAMENT FORMAT: The two-day tournament consisted of a double-elimination bracket. Each match started with five individual games and then four baker games, with the total pinfall of each determining a winner. If both teams were tied after the first two games, then a third tie-breaker in the form of best-of-five baker games determined the match winner.
 
Once a team drops a match, they will compete in a best-of-seven baker game match for a chance to continue in the tournament.
 
Each team competing was seeded based on RPI rankings heading into the tournament.
1: Milligan
2: SCAD Savannah
3: SCAD Atlanta
4: Mobile
 
MATCH PLAY: The women began match play facing SCAD Atlanta. Paris Mendones, Caylin Campbell, and Kendal Craig all saw a pinfall of 184. A tie in the first set of baker games set off a Best of Five round between the opposing Bees. After a close round, SCAD Savannah won 2-1.

Facing Milligan in the next round, SCAD's highest pinfall came from the SSAC Player of the Year, Elizabeth Weeks, who dropped 193 pins.  The Milligan women claimed the individual round point but SCAD forced their hand in a Best of Five round of baker games which SCAD secured two points for. With a final score of 2-1, SCAD had secured a spot in finals and sent to Milligan play a round in the loser's bracket, but the Buffalos didn't stay there long.
 
After defeating SCAD Atlanta in a baker game shootout going Best of Seven, Milligan was back up against the Savannah Bees in the SSAC final round. The Bees secured the individual round point with Weeks securing two clutch strikes in the final frame, totaling a pinfall of 201. Although the four baker games were close, with a final pinfall totaling to 734-730, Savannah secured their third consecutive SSAC Championship win.
 
WHAT'S NEXT? The Bees will be on the road to compete in the USBC Sectionals in Smyrna, Tenn. on March 13^th-15^th.