Belmont Abbey sophomore forward Paula Regalado came off the bench to score a game-high 27 points, setting a career-high, as the sixth-seeded Crusaders moved to 19-0 all-time in Gaffney with a 75-67 win at third-seeded Limestone this evening in the first round of the Conference Carolinas tournament. The Abbey moves to 18-10, while Limestone ends its season with a record of 17-11. With the win, the Crusaders will face the second-seeded Anderson University Trojans Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. in Anderson.

Regalado, whose previous high scoring effort was 18 points, totaled 27 in 29 minutes on nine of 15 shooting from the field, including her only three-pointer of the year, and an eight for 12 effort from the free throw line. She also had eight rebounds and two assists. Senior guard Courtney Naquin posted 15 points and Shayla Jackson had 14 and two blocked shots. Asha Hardaway and Amanda McDonald both finished with eight rebounds as the Crusaders dominated the boards by a 44-31 count. The Abbey shot 43.3 percent and 42.9 percent from three point range.

Limestone which shot 41.5 percent from the field, was led by Maria Young's 22 points, while Lauren Pace and Tia Williams both finished with 11.

The Abbey never trailed and led by as many as 15 points at 29-14. It took a 35-23 lead into the break and was outscored 44-40 in the second half, but the cushion never dipped below five points. Up ten with 3:03 left, the Lady Saints embarked on a 5-0 run to close the lead to five at 66-61 with 1:51 left, but the Crusaders hit nine free throws in the final 56 seconds to seal the win.

Belmont Abbey is now 19-0 all-time against Limestone in Gaffney.