UC Headed to Elite Eight
Eagles’ Lee Named Tourney MVP
March 15, 2005

By Dan Scott
For The Charleston Gazette

ANDERSON, S.C. — The University of Charleston’s postseason tour will hit the road again next week. With Anderson now firmly in its rear-view mirror, the Golden Eagles’ next stop is Hot Springs, Ark.

Destination? The Elite Eight.

For the second straight game, Charleston built a double-digit lead in the second half, almost gave it away, then regained its footing for an 88-71 victory over No. 1 seed and host Anderson College in the NCAA Division II Women’s East Regional finals.

Most of the estimated 900 in attendance Monday night sat in disbelief as time ran out. Only the small but rowdy contingent from Charleston (29-4) kept going at a fever pitch, serenading its team loud and long as the post-game festivities got underway.

Afterward, a wide-eyed Sherry Winn met the media looking not unlike the proverbial deer in the headlights.

"I’m in shock," the Charleston coach said. "I don’t know if I can find the words to show how I feel tonight."

On the floor, it didn’t take much in the way of verbal communication.

Winn, excitable type that she is, turned down the chance for handshakes and hugs with her team in the game’s final seconds, as she had done following the semifinal victory over defending national champion California (Pa.).

This time, it was full-contact chest bumps all the way down the line.

Later, after allowing the moment to settle just a bit, Winn said the key to Monday’s win was her team’s defense. Anderson came into the game shooting nearly 45 percent from the floor for the season. Monday, Charleston limited the Lady Trojans (33-3) to just 31 percent (26-of-83).

"That was one big difference," said Winn. "We knew if we didn’t give them easy shots off the fast break, if we didn’t give them easy shots off transition, if we forced them to play us more in the half-court, then we had a chance to beat them."

Leading 45-37 at halftime, Charleston opened the second half with an 11-6 run as Courtney Thomas put her team up 56-43 with a layup at 15:14.

But Anderson, with its 23-game win streak on the line, scored 10 straight points to narrow the lead to 56-53. Deanna Thompson capped the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

But Winn, who used two timeouts trying to stop the bleeding, called on her two best players to bail out the Golden Eagles. And, as usual, Lisa Lee and Thomas delivered.

On Charleston’s next possession, Lee — with the shot clock winding down — dribbled out of traffic and fired a skip-pass across the Anderson zone to a wide-open Thomas, who let fly a 3-pointer from the left wing with just three seconds to shoot. It connected, halting the run and giving her team a six-point lead with 11:30 remaining.

"I knew the clock was winding down," said Thomas. "I knew that was a crucial shot."

Anderson drew within three again moments later at 65-62, but again Thomas came to the rescue. The sophomore guard hit another long 3-pointer, this time with 7:37 left, to push the UC lead back to six points.

That was as close as the Trojans got the rest of the way. Charleston outscored Anderson 20-9 down the stretch to win going away.

"I felt we were the two best teams in this tournament," Anderson coach Kevin Pederson said. "But Charleston was clearly better than we were tonight. We panicked down the stretch."

Thomas finished with a team-high 26 points, and Lee — voted the East Region MVP — added 23. Jones, and Rachel Pike also reached double figures, scoring 13 and 11, respectively.

LaShonda Chiles topped Anderson with 27 points. Thompson finished with 12 and Stephanie Ponds 10.

Charleston gets a bit of a break before opening the Elite Eight March 23-26, in Hot Springs. The Golden Eagles will face the winner of the South Central Region.

And after knocking off the defending Division II national champs (California, Pa.) and the No. 1 seed in the East Region (Anderson) on consecutive nights, Winn doesn’t see any reason why the momentum has to stop.

"The East Region is maybe the toughest in the nation," she said. "If we can beat these teams, we have a chance going forward."

Charleston is 29-0 when scoring at least 67 points. ... Thomas’ 26 points was her second-best output of the season. She scored 27 in a win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Jan. 31. ... The Golden Eagles are the second West Virginia Conference team ever to advance to the Elite Eight. Glenville State reached that level in 2002.