No. 5 UIW Completes Championship Run in Thrilling Win Over No. 3 Southeastern
Courtesy of Brandon Williams, Southland Conference
Box Score | Photos
KATY, Texas – UIW redefined the phrase “Survive and Advance.” In the process, the Cardinals are off to its first trip to the Big Dance.
Tournament MVP Tiana Gardner scored 22 points to allow the fifth-seed Cardinals outlast third-seed Southeastern 56-52 in overtime to win the 2022 Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“One of the things we talked about before we went on the floor is that you’re going to remember this for the rest of your,” said UIW (12-17) head coach Jeff Dow. “Having this experience, you’re never going to forget this.”
Myra Bell opened overtime with a jumper to put UIW up 52-50 early in overtime, but Caitlyn Williams’ basket tied the score with :47 left. The Cardinals then came downcourt and scored on a jumper from All-SLC first team guard Jaaucklyn Moore with just :27 on the clock.
Destiny Jenkins then swiped the ball from All-SLC third team guard Hailey Giaratano, yet Bell missed both free throws to give the Lady Lions a chance. Breonca Ducksworth missed a layup before Gardner (12-of-13 from the line) put the game away with two more free throws.
“These games are devastating,” said Lady Lions (16-11) head coach Ayla Guzzardo, who brought the program to its first tournament title game. “You put so much preparation to these games, and for it to end like that, it’s tough.”
On the other side of things, the Cardinals were obviously thrilled about what lies ahead for them.
“I’m proud to represent (the Southland Conference),” said Moore. “I don’t think many people thought we would come in and win it and get the chance to go, but with how we played, we were the best team, so now we’re going to give the Southland Conference the best representation in the tournament.”
Both defenses were display in the first quarter, with the teams combining to hit just three of the game’s first 10 field goal attempts. The score was just 4-3 heading into the back end of the first quarter as the Cardinals and Lady Lions produced a combined 11 turnovers during the defensive-heavy opening 10 minutes of play.
“There were obviously a lot of jitters,” said Dow of the first quarter, “but we guarded.”
UIW and Southeastern ended the first quarter tied at 5-5. The defenses one-upped each other as the teams combined for four baskets in 21 attempts.
However, the Lady Lions found its offense early in the second quarter, quickly scoring eight points, capped off by an and-1 from Breonca Ducksworth to give them a 13-5 advantage before Chloe Storer snapped the run with a basket with 6:05 left before halftime.
Storer’s basket led to a 7-0 blitz for UIW over the next 1:17, cutting the margin to 13-12 at the 4:50 mark. The Cardinals tied the score with 3:52 left when Jenkins nailed a three-pointer to complete a 10-2 run that saw them connect on four of its five shots during that span.
Morgan Davis’ basket off a Giaratano miss gave the Lady Lions the lead, one that Taylor Bell extended when her three-pointer beat the halftime horn to boost Southeastern to a 25-20 margin at intermission.
The Cardinals forged another tie when Jamie Means’ basket with 6:32 in the third quarter evened matters. Southeastern had the lead but without a field goal over the last 4:55 of the third quarter, a deficit UIW erased in the closing seconds of the third to leave them tied at 32-32 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals again took control and lead when Gardner’s basket put UIW up 40-39, UIW tied the score at 42, but UIW received a huge boost in the form of a Jenkins three-pointer to give them a 45-42 edge with only 61 seconds left in the regular season.
Following a pair of Giaratano free throws, Terrell converted 1-for-2 from the line, making it 46-44 with :31 remaining. Bennett responded with two more from the charity strip to extending the Cardinals’ advantage to 48-44 with a mere :19.9 on the clock. There was still life in the Lady Lions, though, as Giaratano knocked down a trey to whittle the margin to 48-47 with :11.5 ticking.
However, on the ensuing possession, UIW guard Kamryn Gibson lost the basketball. Chrissy Brown scooped up the loose ball and found an open Horne, who scored to give the Lady Lions the lead. After Horne missed the and-1 attempt, All-Conference first team forward Caitlyn Williams pulled down the offensive rebound and converted one of two free throws to make it 50-48 with just :03.7 left.
Gardner’s drive to force overtime fell short, but she calmly hit both free throws to force an extra session.
“One of the things I was thinking was that Myra (Bell) told me that ‘you’re rushing your first free throw,’” said Gardner. “I really made sure to take my time and take a deep breath before I stepped to the line.”
“What a memorable game it was,” said Dow.
2022 Southland Women’s Basketball All-Tournament Team
Tiana Gardner, UIW (MVP)
Jaaucklyn Moore, UIW
Hailey Giaratano, Southeastern
Alexius Horne, Southeastern
Makinna Serrata, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
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