Women's Basketball
Golden Eagles Seek Trifecta Against Pioneers
March 13, 2006
By Jacob Messer
Sportswriter, The Charleston Daily Mail
Coaches say it is tough to beat the same team three times in the same season.
The difficulty level rises dramatically when that team happens to be a great one, much less a perennial power.
Such is the case with Glenville State College, the University of Charleston's opponent in tonight's NCAA Division II East Regional final.
Tipoff for the women's basketball game between the second-seeded and sixth-ranked GSC Pioneers (30-2) and the top-seeded and No. 3 Golden Eagles (30-2) is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Eddie King Gym.
The Golden Eagles have won eight games in a row on their home court.
"It's hard to beat a good team once, and it's certainly hard to beat them twice, and it's even harder to beat them three times," said UC Coach Sherry Winn, whose team advanced to the round of 16 with a 90-88 come-from-behind win over Wheeling Jesuit University on Saturday in an overtime game that featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes.
"And Glenville State isn't just a good team; they are a great team. They have a great program, they have a phenomenal coach, and they have two All-America candidates. That makes it even tougher."
The Golden Eagles own two victories over the Pioneers this year 85-77 in the regular season and 81-59 in the conference tournament. In fact, the Golden Eagles are responsible for both of the Pioneers' losses.
GSU Coach Steve Harold hopes the roles are reversed in the rivals' rematch.
"The committee has done a good job," said Harold, whose team advanced to the regional final with a 94-76 win over Anderson (S.C.) University. "Both teams have been one-two all season in the regional rankings. This is going to be Round 3. They got us in the first two rounds. Hopefully, it will be better for us in round three."
It will mark the first time two West Virginia Conference teams have played each other for the regional championship, according to associate commissioner Will Prewitt.
"It really speaks highly of our conference that we have such tremendous teams," Winn said. "I can't say enough about Wheeling Jesuit. It was a shame that somebody had to lose that game (between UC and WSU).
"They played the game of their lives. They were so magnificent. That team on that night was one of the best teams in the nation. We were just fortunate that we had the last shot."
The Golden Eagles not only beat the Cardinals in that back-and-forth battle (Prewitt called it "without a doubt" the best game in WVC history) but also did it without fouled-out senior forward Lisa Lee on the court during the clutch situations in which she almost always thrives.
Lee (10 points and eight rebounds) committed her fifth and final foul with 1:33 remaining in regulation and her team trailing by three points at 74-71.
The Cardinals missed 4-of-6 free throws in the final 90 seconds, and UC rallied to win.
"When you win a game like that," Winn said, "it builds confidence. It makes you believe in yourself. It makes you believe in miracles. It makes you believe anything is possible. It's great to have a victory that provide such a feeling, a feeling that anything is possible for you to own, to grab, to touch."
The Golden Eagles will need that confidence when they face the Pioneers, who undoubtedly will be more motivated and more focused than they have been all year.
Junior guard Rachel Redick and senior forward Denae Dobbins pace GSU, which is playing in its fifth consecutive regional tournament. Like Lee, Redick and Dobbins are All-America candidates.
Redick averages 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game for the Pioneers, who score 68.1 points on offense and allow 54.1 points on defense. Dobbins contributes 14.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals.
Lee averages 18.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks, all team highs, for the Golden Eagles, who score 80.8 points on offense and allow 61.4 points on defense. Thomas contributes 13.5 points and 4.1 assists.
"Just executing," UC junior forward Rachel Pike said, referring to the key to the game. "We can't really worry about the rivalry or the big game. It just has to be, ‘This is what needs to get done, and we need to do it.' That's the bottom line."