McNeese State Dominates Texas State in 76-46 Semifinal Win
ESPN3 REPLAY
By Brandon C. Williams
Southland.org
KATY, Texas -- McNeese delivered a near-perfect storm on Thursday,
trapping Texas State in the middle of a 20-minute deluge that swept the
Cowgirls into Friday's championship game and the Bobcats heading back to San
Marcos.
The defending tournament champions opened the game with a 17-0 run
and followed with a 23-0 spurt on their way to a dominating 76-46 victory,
putting them in position to win a second consecutive title against the winner
Thursday's second semifinal between Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls State.
McNeese (25-7), which defeated Texas State (17-14) by 31 on
January 14, wasted no time in putting the game away as they held the Bobcats
scoreless for the first 5:09 of the contest before a pair of Kaylan Martin free
throws put an end to the Cowgirls' initial spurt.
"It rattled them early," said McNeese guard Caitlyn Baggett, who
scored 11 points and had five assists, of the opening run.
After moving within 23-7, Texas State's brief rally was halted by
an avalanche of offense from McNeese, whose 23-0 run was capped off by a Kendra
Wells' basket at the 1:46 mark, putting the Cowgirls up 46-7 en route to a 48-9
cushion at intermission.
"I thought they gave unbelievable defensive effort," said McNeese
coach Brooks Donald-Williams, whose team became the first in school history to
hold an opponent under double digits in one half. "We were really worried going
in that the matchup was going to be tough for us."
The Bobcats shot just 3 for 22 in the opening 20 minutes,
committing as many turnovers as they had points. The Cowgirls were all too
willing to make the most of the extra possessions, scoring 19 points off the
miscues.
McNeese shot 59 percent in the first half, including six 3-pointers,
as six players scored in double figures for the Cowgirls. Candace LaCombe led
the way with 16 points, while Markita Hull added 13 points to go along with a
career-high 17 rebounds.
To its credit, Texas State refused to roll over into the history
books as part of the biggest blowout in tournament annals. Trailing by 43 with
13:04 left, the Bobcats -- the league's highest-scoring team in the regular
season -- found its offensive stride and outscored the Cowgirls 21-5 during a
six-minute span to close the deficit to 62-35 with 7:42 remaining.
The Bobcats outscored the Cowgirls 37-28 in the second half, as
Ashley Ezeh led them with 14 points and Diamond Ford added 11 for Texas State.
"We have a ton of heart," said Bobcats coach Zenarae Antoine, who completed
her first year at the helm by leading the school back to the tournament for the
first time since 2008 and capturing the program's first victory in tourney play
since 2003.
Postgame Quotes
McNeese head coach Brooks Donald-Williams
Opening statement...
"I am extremely proud of our girls
today. I thought they gave just an unbelievable defensive effort. Texas State
is a really good team they have some really good scorers. We were really
worried going in that the matchup was going to be really tough for us, and I
thought it was but our kids stepped up to the challenge. Our post players
played really well defensively in the paint and just a tremendous job on their
bigs. It was huge team win."
On Martika Hull's 17 rebounds...
"She stepped up big. She did a great
job getting some huge rebounds and getting a lot of them early. She really did
her work early on so that they could never really get deep in the point."
On defense...
"I thought we played as good of
defense that we have played all year. There is no question about it. I thought
we defended extremely well. We had an attack mode on both ends, and we ran the
floor well in transition. And we did a great job defensively, our best of the
year."
McNeese State junior guard Caitlyn Baggett
On McNeese State's defense...
"It rattled them early because they
weren't getting any good looks early in the first half, and it set the pace for
the rest of the game. They were really able to get good looks, and they were
ready to shoot when they had good looks."
McNeese State senior guard Candace LaCombe
On
McNeese State's fast pace...
"I think we ran the floor well. We
went on a 17-0 run. Coach told us to run the floor, and it worked."
On her 16 points...
"There was no doubt at all [in my
shooting]. My teammates had my back, telling me to shoot the ball whenever I
got a shot. So I did, and they went in, so I kept shooting."
Texas State head coach Zenarae Antoine
Opening statement...
"The game today was a tough one. I
knew that McNeese was going to provide us challenges from the defensive
standpoint. Our ability to defend was going to be huge for us. I knew it was
going to be a tough matchup, but I did have a good belief in our game plan and
I still have a good belief in our plan. But for whatever reason, we weren't
disciplined enough defensively initially. Unfortunately, we got behind and we
just ran out of time, especially against a really good team like McNeese State.
A lot of credit goes to McNeese."