Two Friends Match Wits for a Title
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Coach Chris Nelson of Bethel and Coach Ginger Colvin of Campbellsville share several things in life. They share a passion for basketball, a love of their players and programs, a mutual respect for each other and each other's respective accomplishments. They also share a mutual deep friendship off the court.
The two coaches share the fact their squads will meet Tuesday night in the Mid-South Conference Championship game in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Studle Financial Arena.
The stage is set for an exciting matchup between two of the NAIA's premier women's basketball programs, as the #16 ranked Lady Wildcats (22-7) take on the #3 Lady Tigers (26-2).
Historical Rivalry: The all-time series heavily favors the Lady Tigers of Campbellsville, who lead 20 -3 in the head-to-head matchup. The most recent meeting between the two teams occurred on February 13 when Campbellsville won 80-62. Earlier in the year the Tigers beat the Cats 87-72 in McKenzie.
809 Wins: Both coaches have enjoyed immeasurable success. Coach Colvin has 410 wins while Coach Nelson is on the threshold of 400 victories with 398 career wins.
Among those victories, Coach Nelson quipped, "I gave Ginger her first career win and also gave her the win for her to reach her first Final Four." Nelson added, "She owes this one to me."
What to Expect: The game has the potential to be a classic. Campbellsville has the MSC Player of the Year in Lauren Lee. Bethel has the MSC Freshman of the Year in Micah Hart. Bethel's Madison Hart was named a 1st Team All-Conference performer. Campbellsville Whitney Hay was also named to the first team. Tyra Flowers of CU was named to the second team. Each squad has other impact players who on any given night can take over and lead their team to a title.
Coach Colvin was the MSC Coach of the Year. Campbellsville Assistant Miranda Denney was named the MSC Assistant Coach of the Year.
Stats: TBA
Stream: https://team1sports.com/midsouth/
MSC Women's Basketball Tournament Page: https://mid-southconference.org/documents/2025/2/22//MSC_WBB_Tournament_2025.pdf?id=468