Focused on the Southland Tournament
3/6/2012 7:07:00 AM | Women's Basketball
This time, the Bearkats aren't happy just to be at the Southland Conference tournament.
Coach Brenda Nichols and her West Division champions from Sam Houston State believe they can win the conference tourney and earn the Southland's automatic berth in the NCAA Women's Tournament.
Chapter one of a three-game mission tips off today at 2:30 p.m. as the Bearkats battle longtime rival Texas State at the Merrell Center in Katy.
"I feel really good about our chances," Nichols said Monday afternoon before the Bearkats hit the floor for a shootaround at the Merrell Center. "I feel like right now our team is doing what teams should be doing at this point in the season. We're peaking when it really matters.
"I feel like our teams in the past peaked a little too early, but we're exactly where we need to be right now. We're hungry, we're having a good time and we're serious about what we're doing."
Going into the tournament, the Bearkats (17-10 overall, 12-4 in Southland play) have ripped off seven wins in their last eight games, including a convincing 68-54 thumping of Texas State in the regular-season finale Saturday at Johnson Coliseum.
Juniors Sequeena Thomas and Britni Martin have been solid all season, but the Bearkats are getting production from sophomore guard Jasmine Johnson, freshman post Angela Beadle, junior guard Chanice Smith and freshman guard Jazmin Wiley.
"On any given night, we've got six kids who can come in and score for us," Nichols said. "That's big because we've got people we can count on when somebody is having an off-night. No matter what, we've got somebody who can step up and do whatever it takes for us to win."
Nichols said her players are "very unselfish," a rare trait and one she thinks has made a huge difference in the Bearkats' impressive run through the Southland Conference portion of the season.
"We matured a lot as a team," the coach said. "Early on we had some stuff where people were trying to be the stars, but now the girls all see what we're doing is working, they've accepted their roles and we're playing very well.
"We've got an opportunity this week," Nichols added. "This is not like in the past when we wanted just to get into the tournament," Nichols said. "When we left this building last year, we set a goal to come back and win this thing.
"We put these girls through all kinds of heck playing teams like Kentucky, Missouri and TCU early this season. They played those big-time teams and battled. At that time they were not seasoned, but I think our kids now have really matured and developed."
Four women's quarterfinal games will be played today beginning at noon with semifinal games Thursday afternoon. The championship game will be played Friday at 7 p.m.
The semifinals and championship game will be broadcast by the Southland Conference Television Network, SLC NOW, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.
Coach Brenda Nichols and her West Division champions from Sam Houston State believe they can win the conference tourney and earn the Southland's automatic berth in the NCAA Women's Tournament.
Chapter one of a three-game mission tips off today at 2:30 p.m. as the Bearkats battle longtime rival Texas State at the Merrell Center in Katy.
"I feel really good about our chances," Nichols said Monday afternoon before the Bearkats hit the floor for a shootaround at the Merrell Center. "I feel like right now our team is doing what teams should be doing at this point in the season. We're peaking when it really matters.
"I feel like our teams in the past peaked a little too early, but we're exactly where we need to be right now. We're hungry, we're having a good time and we're serious about what we're doing."
Going into the tournament, the Bearkats (17-10 overall, 12-4 in Southland play) have ripped off seven wins in their last eight games, including a convincing 68-54 thumping of Texas State in the regular-season finale Saturday at Johnson Coliseum.
Juniors Sequeena Thomas and Britni Martin have been solid all season, but the Bearkats are getting production from sophomore guard Jasmine Johnson, freshman post Angela Beadle, junior guard Chanice Smith and freshman guard Jazmin Wiley.
"On any given night, we've got six kids who can come in and score for us," Nichols said. "That's big because we've got people we can count on when somebody is having an off-night. No matter what, we've got somebody who can step up and do whatever it takes for us to win."
Nichols said her players are "very unselfish," a rare trait and one she thinks has made a huge difference in the Bearkats' impressive run through the Southland Conference portion of the season.
"We matured a lot as a team," the coach said. "Early on we had some stuff where people were trying to be the stars, but now the girls all see what we're doing is working, they've accepted their roles and we're playing very well.
"We've got an opportunity this week," Nichols added. "This is not like in the past when we wanted just to get into the tournament," Nichols said. "When we left this building last year, we set a goal to come back and win this thing.
"We put these girls through all kinds of heck playing teams like Kentucky, Missouri and TCU early this season. They played those big-time teams and battled. At that time they were not seasoned, but I think our kids now have really matured and developed."
Four women's quarterfinal games will be played today beginning at noon with semifinal games Thursday afternoon. The championship game will be played Friday at 7 p.m.
The semifinals and championship game will be broadcast by the Southland Conference Television Network, SLC NOW, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.
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