2008 Woodie Awards
Lady 'Cats win nail-biter over Riverhawks
Souza averaging 22.7 points through three games
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
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The Southwest Baptist Lady Bearcats won their season opener by beating Henderson State, 90-79, in the opening game of the Pittsburg Classic.
The Lady Cats had four players in double figures. Junior Courtney Creed led all scorers with 22 points. Senior Erika Souza added 19, and sophomore Rachel Graves grabbed 10 rebounds.
With an 18-point lead in the second half, the Bearcats tried some different schemes.
"We did some things differently because of the late lead," said Head Coach Jim Middleton. "Overall, I would call it a good first game. Today we had lots of different players score in lots of different ways. It was encouraging to see us in the flow offensively this early in the season. When [Henderson State] went to a man defense against us, we were pretty sharp with our cuts and passes. That was also encouraging."
SBU shot 46 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free throw line. They out-rebounded Henderson State 36-32.
After their season-opening win over Henderson State, the Bearcats took on Central Oklahoma in the second round of the Pittsburg State Classic. In a hard-fought battle, SBU fell to Central Oklahoma, 79-72.
The Lady Bearcats could not find an answer for Central Oklahomas Lizzie Brenner, who scored 30 points and pulled down 19 rebounds.
SBU fell behind by 10 points, but cut the lead to three with only one minute and 40 seconds remaining with some key three-point shooting. However, the Bearcats were unable to complete their comeback.
Souza had another strong effort and led SBUs offensive attack with 20 points. Junior Cortney Shewmaker, who was four of five from the three-point line, ended the game with 14 points.
For the game, SBU shot 38 percent from the field, 32 percent from behind the arc and 83 percent from the stripe. Central Oklahoma dominated SBU on the boards by a margin of 50-29.
In their third game of the year, the Bearcats faced off with Northeastern Oklahoma. For the third straight game, Souza provided a big spark for SBU. On the game, Souza poured in 29 points, including some clutch free throws and a key bank shot late in the game, and led the Lady Bearcats to a 78-75 win.
SBU trailed at the half, 28-36, but outscored the Riverhawks 50-39 in the 2nd half for the win.
Late in the game, the Lady Bearcats pressed the Riverhawks, forcing turnovers that led to scores. With 30 seconds remaining, SBU only up by two and the shot clock winding down, Souza launched a three-pointer that was blocked by her defender. Souza grabbed the rebound in mid-air and drilled a 12-foot bank shot that ignited the crowd.
"Tonight was the opposite of Saturday's game, when our shots didn't fall," said Middleton. "Tonight's game was the type of game you look back on and remember for 20-30 years. We beat a very good team under adversity. Erika had a great game. Rachel and Katelin had great second halves. This was a good Thanksgiving gift. Well take a couple days off we dont have a game for 11 days."
SBU is now 2-1 on the year and will take the floor again Saturday, Dec. 1 at home against Missouri Baptist at 6 p.m.
The Lady Cats had four players in double figures. Junior Courtney Creed led all scorers with 22 points. Senior Erika Souza added 19, and sophomore Rachel Graves grabbed 10 rebounds.
With an 18-point lead in the second half, the Bearcats tried some different schemes.
"We did some things differently because of the late lead," said Head Coach Jim Middleton. "Overall, I would call it a good first game. Today we had lots of different players score in lots of different ways. It was encouraging to see us in the flow offensively this early in the season. When [Henderson State] went to a man defense against us, we were pretty sharp with our cuts and passes. That was also encouraging."
SBU shot 46 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free throw line. They out-rebounded Henderson State 36-32.
After their season-opening win over Henderson State, the Bearcats took on Central Oklahoma in the second round of the Pittsburg State Classic. In a hard-fought battle, SBU fell to Central Oklahoma, 79-72.
The Lady Bearcats could not find an answer for Central Oklahomas Lizzie Brenner, who scored 30 points and pulled down 19 rebounds.
SBU fell behind by 10 points, but cut the lead to three with only one minute and 40 seconds remaining with some key three-point shooting. However, the Bearcats were unable to complete their comeback.
Souza had another strong effort and led SBUs offensive attack with 20 points. Junior Cortney Shewmaker, who was four of five from the three-point line, ended the game with 14 points.
For the game, SBU shot 38 percent from the field, 32 percent from behind the arc and 83 percent from the stripe. Central Oklahoma dominated SBU on the boards by a margin of 50-29.
In their third game of the year, the Bearcats faced off with Northeastern Oklahoma. For the third straight game, Souza provided a big spark for SBU. On the game, Souza poured in 29 points, including some clutch free throws and a key bank shot late in the game, and led the Lady Bearcats to a 78-75 win.
SBU trailed at the half, 28-36, but outscored the Riverhawks 50-39 in the 2nd half for the win.
Late in the game, the Lady Bearcats pressed the Riverhawks, forcing turnovers that led to scores. With 30 seconds remaining, SBU only up by two and the shot clock winding down, Souza launched a three-pointer that was blocked by her defender. Souza grabbed the rebound in mid-air and drilled a 12-foot bank shot that ignited the crowd.
"Tonight was the opposite of Saturday's game, when our shots didn't fall," said Middleton. "Tonight's game was the type of game you look back on and remember for 20-30 years. We beat a very good team under adversity. Erika had a great game. Rachel and Katelin had great second halves. This was a good Thanksgiving gift. Well take a couple days off we dont have a game for 11 days."
SBU is now 2-1 on the year and will take the floor again Saturday, Dec. 1 at home against Missouri Baptist at 6 p.m.
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