2008 Woodie Awards
Women's team headed to MIAA tournament
Lady Bearcats take down Gorillas and Jennies in the same week
Ben Nielsen
Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
|
A resounding 75-52 win over the Jennies of the Univeristy of Central Missouri punched SBU's ticket to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournament for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.
University of Central Missouri, who now falls into a fifth place tie with SBU at 7-10 in the MIAA, had all kinds of problems controlling the Lady Bearcats' high-low game.
Senior Livia Brito dominated the paint, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Her inside presence opened up shots for freshman Rachel Graves who scored a career-high 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Senior Amber Wheeler came off the bench to score 15 points.
Head Coach Jim Middleton had the understatement of the evening: "This was a big win for us."
The win for the Lady 'Cats provides an intriguing scenario. A fifth-place finish would allow SBU to play Northwest Missouri State in the first round compared to nationally-ranked Emporia State. It also means SBU would likely play Missouri Western, a team SBU matches up well against, in the second round as opposed to Washburn, should SBU escape the first round.
At the time of print, tie-breaking scenarios had not been released.
Either way, Middleton was very excited about the way his team played.
"I don't know all the scenarios and what not, it's not for me to figure out," said Middleton. "But it is good to get a win here."
A huge key for SBU's large margin of victory was their ability to rebound. The Lady Bearcats beat the Jennies on the boards by a total of 34 to 32. This state was crucial to Middleton, who thought his team needed desperately to improve in that area.
"We out-rebounded our opponent, and that is crucial because we have not been out-reboundng our opponent all year," said Middleton.
The win in Warrensburg provides a huge opportunity for the Lady Bearcats.
SBU will play Emporia State on Saturday, Feb. 24 in a game that will be the last home games for both seniors Wheeler and Brito.
A win over Emporia could propel them into the coveted fifth seed, should UCM lose on the road to Washburn.
SBU lost at Emporia Dec. 30, 88-51. Sophomore Cortney Shewmaker led the team in scoring with 13 points.
In order to win, the Lady Bearcats will have to find a way to contain ESU's super-senior Michelle Stueve who had 28 points and 18 rebounds in the Dec. 30 matchup. Stueve is tied with Truman sophomore Georgia Mueller for the MIAA lead in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game. She leads the MIAA outright in rebounding averaging 9.5 per game.
Tip-off for the Lady 'Cats' Saturday game against the Emporia State University Hornets is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Hammons Court in the Meyer Wellness and Sports Center.
Be the first to comment on this story