Program wins first conference title in more than a decade
The women’s basketball program picked up a 73-63 victory over Texas Women’s University on Feb. 27 to close out its regular season on a high-note, but the victory played second-fiddle to a more important game.
Abilene Christian University, who held a one-game lead over MSU, played The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio the same night in what would determine the women’s Lone Star Conference champion.
ACU would lose the game to Incarnate Word 63-58, meaning that the women’s basketball program had captured its first LSC Championship in over a decade – the last conference championship being won in 2001.
“It was a very exciting night for us and the kids were pumped when they heard the final score of the ACU and Incarnate Word game,” Head Women’s Basketball Coach Noel Johnson said. “You could see them kick it into high gear when they found out during the game. It felt so rewarding to see those young ladies, who have worked so hard, cut down the nets on Wednesday. They deserve the championship and they represent this program with class.”
ACU still had one game left to play in their season on March 2, hosting Texas A&M-Kingsville. A loss in Abilene would result in the women’s basketball program being the sole owners of the championship. Unfortunately, ACU took a commanding 82-53 victory over Kingsville, leaving both ACU and MSU tied for first with an identical LSC record of 16-4, and an overall record of 21-5.
Johnson said the tie did not change the team’s mindset over the victory or the upcoming post-season tournament in Allen, Texas. The team won a tiebreaker due to sweeping Tarleton State University and West Texas A&M, two teams that ACU split the season series with.
“I think it’s a good thing to be the No. 1 seed,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a target on our back all year long, so the kids are ready to defend that position.”
One advantage the team holds with the first seed in the tournament is facing lowest-ranked Eastern New Mexico University today at 6 p.m at the Allen Event Center.
Although comparing the team’s season to Eastern New Mexico’s (7-21) dismal 6-14 LSC record, Johnson said the team is ready for any and every surprise, stating that the team has been working against ENM’s different defensive sets for the past week.
If the team makes it past the first round, they’ll have the task of taking on the winner of Tarleton State vs. Incarnate Word, the two teams that played a hand in MSU’s capturing of the LSC title, at 6 p.m. on March 8. A victory there culminates in the championship game set for 6 p.m. the next day.
No matter where the women’s basketball program ends up after March 9, there is no denying the success of their season. The team not only captured its first LSC title in 12 years, but also posted its best regular season record of the last six seasons despite its relative youth. Johnson said while key players Kirsti Degelia and Andrea Carter really stepped up this year in scoring and rebounding, the overall depth of the team has proven to be the real success story this season.
“Our lone senior Ashley Rush is a great source of leadership for this team, and she keeps things rolling for us,” Johnson said. “Shatoia Gober and Diana Jones are very hard to guard and are also our defensive stoppers. Shambreka Jones has brought great rebounding and energy to our team this year as a sophomore newcomer and Skyler Warrick has been a spark off the bench all season with what I think are the best post moves in the LSC. Each player on this team contributes tremendously every day in practice. They are such a special group of young ladies that is growing and learning together as a team.”
With Rush being the only senior to move on from the team after this season, Johnson said she believes that more great things are to be expected from this group of talented players in years to come.
“The ownership that I’ve seen develop over these past two seasons has been fun to watch, and the experience from the past two years will continue to harvest the natural skill set of this team,” Johnson said. “The future is bright for our program, and we hope to be contenders every year for a conference championship.”