Alexandria, La. - The Central Methodist women's basketball program has earned the No. 4 overall seed in the Liston bracket of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament. The Eagles have landed in the Alexandria quadrant of the Opening Round as the No. 1 seed. CMU will square off against No. 13 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn) Friday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m. in Alexandria, La. 

Central earned an at-large berth to the dance after finishing the year with a 27-5 overall record and a 15-4 mark in conference play. The Lions also earned an at-large berth after posting a 20-12 overall mark and an 11-11 mark in the Mid-South Conference. 

CMU enters the dance after advancing all the way to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game. The Eagles will participate in the national tournament for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Central clinched an automatic berth in 2019-20 before the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The winner between the Eagles and Lions will meet the winner of Mid-America Christian (Okla.) and Briar Cliff (Iowa) in the Opening Round Championship Saturday, March 12. The winner of that matchup will advance to the Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa beginning March, 17. 

Fans may watch the game live on the LSU-Alexandria Sports Network and follow along with live stats here. Fans may also purchase tickets here. 

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