Bearkats open NCAA's strong
4/12/2013 12:42:00 AM | Women's Bowling
CANTON, Mich -- The Sam Houston State bowling team had a strong opening day of the NCAA bowling championship finishing the day 5-2, tied for the best record of the day and will be the No. 3 seed in Friday's elimination bracket play.
The Bearkats, Fairliegh Dickinson and Nebraska all tied in the standings and were 1-1 against each other. The tie breaker went to Nebraska on total pinfall eanring the Cornhuskers the No. 1 seed. FDU will be seeded second.
“Overall it was a really good day,” said head coach Brad Hagen. “For the most part we made the shots when we needed to have them. Collectively the team did a great job at controlling their emotions.”
The Bearkats got off to a strong start on the day, winning their first three matches and closed out the opening session at 3-1 and third overall in total pinfall. They opened the day with a six-pin victory over No. 3 Nebraska.
“I think getting that first win was huge for us,” Hagen said. “That settled us down and I felt pretty good about our day after that.”
They followed the Nebraska win with victories over No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater (171 pin victory) and No. 4 Arkansas State (68 pins). They dropped their first of the day in the final game of the early session with a 92 pin loss to Fairleigh Dickinson.
“Against FDU we just got into a hole early,” Hagen said. “I thought we were making much better shots, but they just got hot for a stretch and we couldn't come back.”
After a big loss to Maryland Eastern Shore to start the evening session, the Bearkats responded with a thrilling victory against the No. 1 team, Central Missouri. Trailing by 23 heading into the final frame the Kats rallied to win by 13, getting a big boost from Kimi Davidson who hit three straight strikes to finish.
“That was huge. We caught some good breaks at the end of he match and were able to capitalize on them,” Hagen said. “This time of the year it is important to do so to keep the momentum in our corner.”
Davidson led the Kats on Thursday with an average of 192 in the seven matches with a high of 210 and stands 17th overall. Michelle Secours is 21st with a 187 average and Neishka Cardona is one back at 22 with a 185.9 average. Anna Groce is 25th overall with an average of 181.7 and Erin Brown is 26th with a 180 average. The top game of the day belonged to Secours with a 223.
The Kats will open bracket play on Friday against Arkansas State. FDU and Vanderbilt are also on the Kats half of the double elimination bracket.
Individual Game recaps:
NCAA Bowling Championships
Super Bowl
Canton, Michigan
Morning session qualifying rounds
Game 1 No. 6 SHSU vs. No. 3 Nebraska
The Bearkats opened the day with a 961-955 win over Nebraska. The Kats started strong with Neishka Cardona and Kimi Davidson hitting strikes in their first two frames. Michelle Secours hit four strikes in a row between the third and sixth frames as the Kats hit six straight as a team in the fifth and sixth. Erin Brown closed strong with a turkey in the seventh-ninth as the Kats held off a late charge by the Cornhuskers. Brown led the way with a team-high 204.
Game 2 vs. No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater
The Kats moved to 2-0 on the day with a 1002-831 win over No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater. Once again, Cardona started strong with a pair of strikes on her way to a team-high 216. Davidson hit a turkey in the fourth to sixth frames and closed with four straight for a 204. Brown also had a turkey and was the third Kat with a game 200 game hitting the number on the mark.
Game 3 vs. No. 4 Arkansas State
With a 68 pin win over No. 4 seed Arkansas State, the Kats stand as the only unbeaten team left on the opening day of qualifying, knocking off the Red Wolves 994-926. Michelle Secours led the way for the Kats with a game of 223 that included a stretch of four straight strikes from the sixth to the ninth frames. Davidson closed with a four bagger for a 210, and Cardona also topped the 200 mark with a score of 208.
Game 4 vs. No. 8 Fairleigh Dickinson
The Kats got off to a slow start and couldn't recover, suffering their first loss of the day, 1018-926 to FDU. Early on the Kats were in a 100-pin hole, but a good sixth frame got them back within 31. FDU answered with 11 straight strikes and never looked back. Secours was strong early with strikes in six of her first seven frames and finished with a 201.
Evening session qualifying rounds 5:25 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
Game 5 vs. No. 2 Maryland Eastern Shore
In their worst game of the day so far, the Bearkats fell for the second time, losing to No. 2 UMES 1038-796. The 242-pin loss was the biggest of the tournament so far by any team. Cardona led the Kats with a 182.
Game 6 vs. No. 1 Central Missouri
For nine frames the Kats (4-2) trailed the No. 1 team in the tournament before a rally in the 10th to win 892-879 over Central Missouri. The game was tight through five, with just two pins separating the two and heading to the 10th UCM led by 23. But a few misses by UCM left the door open and the Kats took advantage. Davidson hit a turkey in the 10th and Secours followed with a strike to seal the win.
Game 7 vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt
The Bearkats held off a late charge by Vanderbilt in the final game of the day with a 915-895 win. Cardona got the Kats off to a good start with a four bagger from the second to the fifth frame. Anna Groce led the Kats with a 203.
