An undefeated run in regular-season Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play had not occurred for a women's basketball team since the 2010-11 season when Tennessee Wesleyan University (then Tennessee Wesleyan College) pulled off a 14-0 mark. That remarkable feat was accomplished in even more convincing fashion when the 13th-ranked Bryan College Lady Lions became the first squad since league expansion to achieve the perfect record.
On Saturday evening, Bryan traveled to fellow AAC opponent Columbia College for their regular-season finale and outlasted the home side 73-53, making it a spotless 26-0 in conference play while improving to 28-1 overall.
The Lions' historic season has been nothing short of record shattering, as the team has constructed an extraordinary 27-game winning streak that includes a pair of wins over a top-25 team. A new winning streak record accompanies the new program record for the most successful regular-season in history. Their 28-1 overall record not only outshines every other AAC school but also every other NAIA women's basketball team in both Division I and II in the entire country.
Bryan's dominating play allowed the team to clinch their second consecutive AAC regular-season championship when the team had three games left to play on their schedule. The Lions have now claimed the regular-season crown three out of the past four years and are currently in search of their third straight conference tournament title after capturing it in both the 2017-18 and 2016-17 seasons.
The AAC Tournament is taking place in Kingsport, Tn. at the Meadow View Conference Resort & Convention Center, with the Lions owning the top seed. Because of their efforts, Bryan is guaranteed to keep playing even after the conference tournament, as the Lions punched their ticket for the third consecutive year to the NAIA Div. II Women's Basketball National Championship in Sioux City, Iowa. The event runs Mar. 6-12, 2019 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.
The Lions took on the Reinhardt University Eagles in the AAC Championship Semifinals today (Friday).