Top-Seed McNeese State Rides Strong Second Half to Win over Lions
By Brandon C. Williams
Southland.org
KATY, Texas - Holding just a three-point lead against an upset-minded eighth seed, McNeese State sophomore guard Ashlyn Baggett went with a mindset that has been one of the calling cards for the regular season champions.
"We just have a sense of urgency when there's 20 minutes left," said Baggett, whose 3-pointer ushered in a 12-2 run in the opening 5:20 of the second half en route to a 65-55 victory that allowed the top-seeded Cowgirls (24-6) to advance to Thursday afternoon's semifinal game against either UTSA or Sam Houston State.
Baggett finished with 18 points, six assists and four rebounds as the Cowgirls built up a 15-point lead against a Lady Lions (13-16) squad that shot 50 percent from the field, but hampered their chances at a shocker by committing 21 turnovers.
Leading 29-26 at the start of the second half, Baggett started the decisive run with a trey on McNeese's opening possession. She then capped off the spurt with another long-range strike that extended the Cowgirls' lead to 41-28.
Baggett then provided one of the highlights of the contest when her NBA-caliber ball fake while driving to the basket resulted in a field goal that gave McNeese a 45-30 advantage with 12:45 remaining.
The Cowgirls also got a solid effort from Catilyn Baggett; Ashlyn's sister contributed 14 points, six assists and four rebounds while playing a harassing level of perimeter defense that helped throw the Lady Lions off balance.
"You have to give McNeese credit," said Southeastern Louisiana coach Lori Davis-Jones. "That's why they're the No. 1 team."
Still, the Lady Lions refused to go quietly, cutting the margin to nine points before Kiara Johnson's basket with 1:15 left finally sealed the deal.
McNeese also translated their aggressive style into a 20-5 edge at the free throw line, where the Cowgirls were able to get Lady Lions post threats Rashima Jenkins and Rachel Mackie into foul trouble.
The Cowgirls led by an 18-8 edge in the first half, but the Lady Lions worked their way back into the contest despite turning the ball over 13 times in the first 20 minutes. Latoria Holder's 3-pointer was the key to a 12-3 run by Southeastern Louisiana which cut the gap to 21-20 with 3:05 left in the first half.
The Lady Lions moved within a point three more times before intermission, but were never able to get the basket to overtake the Cowgirls.
McNeese received a huge contribution from junior college transfer Martika Hull, who came off the bench to record eight points and six rebounds while filling in for both Johnson and Kendra Wells, who each found themselves in foul trouble.
"Martika really stepped up," said Cowgirls coach Brooks Donald Williams. "When she goes in, she does a lot of positive things. She had an excellent opportunity to show how great she is."
McNeese State, Quotes
Brooks Donald Williams
Opening Statement: "I thought we did a lot better in the second half. We came out a lot stronger. I thought we defended better in full court and we started playing better together more so than we did in the first half. It's a big win. It's been a long time since McNeese has advanced to the next round, and we're just really excited. The kids did today what they've done all year long which is kept fighting and they found a way to win. They found a way to gut it out, to pull ahead and we learned some things that we can do differently for our next opponent. But overall, I'm really proud of this win."
On second half performance: "I wish I knew why we have been a better second half team all season, because I'd much rather play better in the first and pull away in the second. But I think since it's been such a long time since some these kids have been here in a tournament atmosphere and I think it's a little bit different. But we settled in as the game went along we got more comfortable and were able to open up more offensively. But that is something we have got to get better at. We have got to come out of the gate ready to play."
On contribution of bench players: "Kendra Wells I thought played a great game. It hurt when Kendra left the game but then Martika Hull really stepped up for us and continued to play well when we got in some foul trouble. And all season long, whenever Martika has gone in for us she's always finished strong."
Ashlyn Baggett
On second half adjustments: "I think as it gets closer and closer to the next game we all feel a sense of urgency that we need to pick it up. We just did not want to go home yet."
Kiara Johnson
On McNeese State tournament win: "It was great. It didn't start out that way but I have confidence in my team. When we first came out we knew it was our first tournament game and after working out our first half jitters we were able to pull together."
Southeastern Louisiana, Quotes
Lori Davis Jones
Opening Statement: "I thought it was a hard fought and very physical game. I feel like we had too many lost opportunities and too many turnovers. Give credit to McNeese State, they forced the turnovers. There's no doubt about it, they're a very good team and they showed tonight why they're the number one team in the league."
On second half performance: "I think we had too many turnovers. We had 13 at half and were very pleased to be down only three points with 13 turnovers. I thought we did a decent job defensively. But the first 10 minutes we didn't get the same looks we turned the ball over too many times."
Rashima Jenkins
On second half performance: "We knew what we had to do both offensively and defensively, but McNeese is a good team and when you don't execute and turn the ball over as many times as we did, you won't come out on top