Women lose in quarterfinals; still hopeful for NCAA
Maria Schmitt
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Sports
The women's basketball team suffered a tough tournament defeat last Saturday against Wayne State University, bringing their season record to 23-4. The Chargers now wait for NCAA rankings to be announced Sunday night to find out if their season will continue.
Saturday the Warriors beat the Chargers 67-64 in the first round of GLIAC play.
"It was a surprise to everybody," head coach Claudette Charney said.
The Chargers played Wayne State for the third time this season.
"It's the same game we played a month and a week ago," Charney said. "It was the same score just reversed. This time it just didn't happen."
Charney said the team did not do a good job of holding onto their short leads in the second half, and the peripheral players did not shoot very well.
Despite this, Charney said the team played well overall.
"I'm proud of our team for the way we executed," she said.
The close loss is viewed as both a success and a setback to the players as well.
"We didn't shut down their guard drives," sophomore Brooke Knight said. "We didn't take the initiative on defense."
Junior Katie Cezat said the Chargers usually do a better job of pulling ahead with a wider margin when they're behind.
"We just took a little too long to get going and never really went on a run to put them away," Cezat said.
Twice in the second half the Chargers pulled ahead, though only by one point each time.
Cezat said the Warriors played better than they did the in their first two games against the Chargers though they were just as aggressive. Freshman Kara McCormick suffered a bloody knee midway through the second half.
Knight said she noticed an especially large crowd cheering for the Chargers Saturday.
"As soon as we went ahead [of Wayne State] you could hear the crowd," she said. "It was definitely nice. I hadn't heard a crowd like that for a while."
Fans cheered but also hurled insults at the Warriors throughout the game.
"It's exciting to know you've got some good crowd support behind you," Knight said.
Cezat said it was disappointing to lose in front of such a large crowd.
The team will continue to practice and await NCAA rankings this weekend.
"We can't do anything but work on ourselves this week," Charney said.
Cezat said the Chargers plan on perfecting their game in order to be at their best if they make it to NCAA play.
Charney said the Chargers are hoping for an at-large bid. She plans to watch the announcements with her team Sunday night.
The loss to Wayne State, while disappointing, will not hold the Chargers back.
"I think this game is going to fuel our fire," Charney said. "We have to forget that game. If it was me, I'd be in the gym shooting until my arm fell off."
Saturday the Warriors beat the Chargers 67-64 in the first round of GLIAC play.
"It was a surprise to everybody," head coach Claudette Charney said.
The Chargers played Wayne State for the third time this season.
"It's the same game we played a month and a week ago," Charney said. "It was the same score just reversed. This time it just didn't happen."
Charney said the team did not do a good job of holding onto their short leads in the second half, and the peripheral players did not shoot very well.
Despite this, Charney said the team played well overall.
"I'm proud of our team for the way we executed," she said.
The close loss is viewed as both a success and a setback to the players as well.
"We didn't shut down their guard drives," sophomore Brooke Knight said. "We didn't take the initiative on defense."
Junior Katie Cezat said the Chargers usually do a better job of pulling ahead with a wider margin when they're behind.
"We just took a little too long to get going and never really went on a run to put them away," Cezat said.
Twice in the second half the Chargers pulled ahead, though only by one point each time.
Cezat said the Warriors played better than they did the in their first two games against the Chargers though they were just as aggressive. Freshman Kara McCormick suffered a bloody knee midway through the second half.
Knight said she noticed an especially large crowd cheering for the Chargers Saturday.
"As soon as we went ahead [of Wayne State] you could hear the crowd," she said. "It was definitely nice. I hadn't heard a crowd like that for a while."
Fans cheered but also hurled insults at the Warriors throughout the game.
"It's exciting to know you've got some good crowd support behind you," Knight said.
Cezat said it was disappointing to lose in front of such a large crowd.
The team will continue to practice and await NCAA rankings this weekend.
"We can't do anything but work on ourselves this week," Charney said.
Cezat said the Chargers plan on perfecting their game in order to be at their best if they make it to NCAA play.
Charney said the Chargers are hoping for an at-large bid. She plans to watch the announcements with her team Sunday night.
The loss to Wayne State, while disappointing, will not hold the Chargers back.
"I think this game is going to fuel our fire," Charney said. "We have to forget that game. If it was me, I'd be in the gym shooting until my arm fell off."
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