LCSC women are seeded ninth and draw McKendree in opener

3-12-08

The Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team earned the No. 9 seed overall at the NAIA Division I Women’s National Championship, which runs March 19-25 at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn. Whether that is a good seed or not, only time will tell. 

The Warriors, 27-4 overall, open against the fourth hottest team in the country in McKendree University of Lebanon, Ill., on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m., in the 32-team tournament’s opening round. 

After starting the season 0-3 and standing 6-7 on Jan. 3, McKendree responded by winning 18 of its final 19 games, including the last 13 straight, to stand 24-8 on the season. The Bearcats rolled through the Midwest Conference with a 13-1 mark and then won the conference tournament. 

Those marks are practically identical to what LCSC did this season. Although the Warriors got off to a much better start and stood 9-3 on Dec. 7, LCSC also won 18 of its final 19 games, posted a 13-1 league record, and won three games to also claim the Frontier Conference tournament title. 

At the national tournament, however, these two are very different. This is McKendree’s eighth trip to the national tournament and the Bearcats are looking for their first win. In the seven previous tournaments, the Bearcats haven’t made it out of the first round. 

LCSC is 17-16 all-time in the tournament and is making its 12th trip to nationals in the last 13 years. 

The Bearcats dominated the AMC awards. Coach Melissa Ringhausen was selected the conference’s Coach of the Year for the first time in her 11-year career at McKendree, and the Bearcats placed both senior forward Heather Elders and junior forward Emily Best on the all-conference team, while guard Ashley Agee was the Freshman of the Year.  

Best, at 6-foot-1, leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game and in field goal percentage at 49.4 percent. Agee, at 5-6, averaged 12.2 points per game, while Elders, at 6-0, averaged 11.9 points.  Elders became the ninth player in school history to score 1,000 points in her McKendree career this season. 

McKendree is No. 20 in the country in assist/turnover ratio and is No. 22 in both 3-point shooting, 35 percent, and field goal percentage defense, 38.6 percent. The team is averaging 70.9 points per game and allowing 62.5. 

The Bearcats, who had their seventh consecutive 20-plus win season, will have their hands full with LCSC’s defense. The Warriors rank second in the NAIA in turnover margin, forcing 9.2 more turnovers than they commit. LCSC also is third in the country in points allowed at 55.1, and sixth in both steals and assists/turnover ratio. 

LCSC guard Jade Fulbright, who was named to the all-FC first team for the second straight season, needs two steals to surpass Amanda Campbell as the program’s all-time steals leader. Campbell has 345 and Fulbright has 344. 

Sadie Short also was a first-team selection for the Warriors as well as being named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year. 

The LCSC-McKendree winner will play on Friday, March, 21, at 6:45 p.m. against the winner of Lindsey Wilson (21-11) and No. 8 seed Oklahoma Baptist (29-4). Those two teams meet on Wednesday at 1 p.m. 

The Warriors will leave on Monday from Lewiston for the national tournament.