Texas State Beats Sam Houston State for First Tourney Win Since 2003
By Brandon C. Williams
Southland.org
KATY, Texas -- Having made their first trip to the Southland
Conference tournament since 2008, Texas State didn't look like a team
interested in sticking around long. Down 11 to a Sam Houston State team that
handed them a 68-54 pasting last Saturday, a long, frustrating trip back to San
Marcos appeared to be in order.
That is, until Ashley Ezeh awoke from her early second half
slumber.
Ezeh scored 13 of her 24 points as Texas State outscored Sam Houston
State 34-15 in the final 15:59 to capture a 74-66 victory in Tuesday's
quarterfinal round game at Merrell Center, the school's first tournament win
since 2003.
"They're fighters," said Bobcats coach Zenarae Antoine, whose
sixth-seeded team (17-13) will face second-seed and defending champion McNeese
State on Thursday.
No one showed more fight than Ezeh, who had just eight points and
four rebounds in last week's loss at Sam Houston State (17-11). With the
Bobcats down 51-40 early in the second half, it was Ezeh, the team's leading
scorer, who helped get the conference's highest-scoring team back on track,
scoring three straight baskets in a 90-secord flurry that gave Texas State the
lead for good with 6:26 left.
"Even though we were down, we knew the game wasn't over," said
Ezeh. "We kept on fighting and came out with a victory."
A defense that had struggled all season rose up to preserve the
victory, limiting Sam Houston State to just two field goals in the final 4:41.
"That's what I'm most proud of," said Antoine of the Bobcats'
defensive effort. "I always knew that was an area that we had to get better at
to advance."
The Bearkats lit up the scoreboard in the opening 20 minutes, as
they shot a blistering .615 from 3-point range to take a 44-40 lead into
intermission. It was that torrid stretch from long distance that left Sam
Houston State coach Brenda Welch-Nichols concerned as her team fired away at
will.
"My fear was that the ball was going to fall again," she said.
Her biggest fears were answered as the Bearkats went frigid from
beyond the stripe, shooting just 1 of 14 from 3-point range in the second half.
Sam Houston State connected on only 9 of their 41 attempts after intermission
(.220), which offset a mammoth performance from forward Sequeena Thomas.
Thomas, who entered Tuesday as the nation's second-leading
rebounded, pulled down 17 boards to go along with 25 points and six blocked
shots. Yet while Thomas was able to establish her presence in the paint, the
effort of Ezeh (11 rebounds) proved to be an effective counter.
Antoine said the Bobcats' game plan was to contain the shooting of
Britni Martin, a plan that worked as Martin, who had 20 points and 11 assists
in last Saturday's win, was held to just one assist while missing 15 of her 21
shots.
Diamond Ford added 20 points and six assists while playing all 40
minutes for the Bobcats.
While the loss was a disappointing end to the season for Sam
Houston State, Nichols pointed to a bright future that includes the return of
four starters next season, with Martin and Thomas at the forefront of a
Bearkats program that has won 34 games over the last two years.
"We're just going to get better," said Nichols. "We've got a lot
of guns that will be coming back that have not really matured yet. You're going
to see a lot of what's going to happen with our program."
Postgame Quotes
Texas State head coach Zenarae Antoine
Opening statement...
"This team is fighters. We put them in
a lot of situations in practice where they have to fight, get a stop and get a
big play. Our Achilles heel has always been defense. We are first in scoring but
last in defense. I always knew that was an area that we needed to get better in
order to advance in the postseason. I am very proud of this team for this
victory, and I am looking forward to our next matchup."
On the first half intensity...
"I think we were just ready to play.
We just got done with a game two days ago playing the same opponent and a
little bit of a bitter taste was in our mouth. This team believes in each other
and they are willing to fight for one another. I am just there to get them started,
but the players are the ones that have to carry it out on the court."
On 3-point defense in the second half...
"Our 3-point game plan from the
beginning was to surround [Sam Houston State guard] Britni Martin, a phenomenal
player, a big-time scorer and a kid who is just tough. We really challenged
certain players to be able to defend her. A majority of the plan was to
surround Martin and get defensive stops by rebounding and keeping [Sam Houston
State forward Sequeena] Thomas off the boards."
On Texas State women's basketball...
"This team has come a long way, and I
still don't think we are playing our best yet. For this team in this moment,
this [win] is something special, and it is something that I have always wanted
for them. Of course, I have always wanted the seniors to get to Katy, but for
this team, I always wanted them to compete for championships. This is huge for
Texas State. I am really proud for Texas State and this group of young women."
Texas State junior guard Diamond Ford
On the Southland tournament experience...
"It has been a good experience for me.
This is my third year at Texas State and first year in Katy, and being here is
a really good experience. With the team that we have this year, we have a
chance to do something special."
Texas State sophomore forward Ashley Ezeh
On second half adjustments....
"We knew that coming into the second
half that we would have to keep fighting. We have come back from being down
before, so we knew that the game wasn't over and there was a whole other 20 minutes
to play. We had to keep fighting, and we did that to come out with the
victory."
Sam Houston State head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols
Opening statement...
"This season that these Lady 'Kats
have had at Sam Houston is amazing. These players have taken this program to
another level and they will continue to take this program to another level. As
for the game, it was like a roller coaster. We had a great first half and we
shot the ball 50 percent. I was scared to death at halftime that the ball
wasn't going to fall again. In the second half, we just couldn't put the ball
in the hole. The shots just didn't fall for us."
On the state of the Sam Houston State basketball program...
"We just have to keep taking steps and
moving forward. We are talking about a program that hasn't done anything since
the 80s, and we have already rebuilt this program in less than six years. These
young ladies have done an outstanding job, and the ladies before and the ladies
that will come afterwards. We are going to keep battling and we are going to
give you a game every time we play you."
Sam Houston State junior forward Britni Martin
On the shooting in the second half...
"I guess it can be attributed to just
focus and setting our feet. We started just throwing the ball up. I think if we
were going to change anything, we needed to get to the line more. We probably
should have attacked more instead of shooting from the outside."
Sam Houston State junior forward Sequeena Thomas
On shooting 22 percent as a team in the second half...
"We definitely noticed that we weren't
putting points on the board. In those situations, we just have to buckle down
defensively and get stops. If we can't score, then they can't score too. We
just have to get that mentality."