KATY, Texas – For a majority of 40 minutes on Sunday afternoon, the Sam Houston State women's basketball program, entering as the No. 7 seed, pushed top-seeded Central Arkansas to the brink in the Southland Conference Tournament championship game.
With the Bearkats trailing by one with 3:01 remaining, the Sugar Bears (28-3) began to slowly pull away, ending Sam Houston's improbable run with a 69-62 victory. The Kats became the first No. 7 seed to reach the title game and only second team seeded seven or higher to do so.
“I want to thank my team, they did a tremendous job,” head coach Brenda Nichols said. “This was an awesome run and I just praise them. We have been through a lot of ups and downs. I feel like we have been on a rollercoaster. In the last four weeks, we've had a lot of highs. I love these girls.”
Sam Houston center Angela Beadle, who finished her career with 1,025 rebounds, added 25 points and 12 rebounds, in route to being named Southland Tournament Most Valuable Player. The senior notched her 10th straight double-double and 22nd of the season.
“I think the first game was really the one that hit us,” Beadle said. “When we came out hard, we had a couple teammates that huddled us together and say 'let's get this.' You're going against teams you lost against during the season. It's a whole new ball game.”
With three wins in the league tournament, the Kats (13-19) posted a program best, doubling their total entering the weekend. Uniquely enough, the wins all came against teams – Nicholls, Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State – that the Bearkats lost to during the regular season.
“I've seen the leadership step up and seen the upperclassmen become more vocal,” Welch-Nichols said. “The younger ones understand now what this is all about. The freshmen are hurting real bad because they wanted to win for the seniors. They are champions. They played their heart out and are fighters.”
The Kats, who lost two straight to the Sugar Bears in the regular season, surged in the second quarter, outscoring UCA 20-15 in the frame. Sam Houston, which finished 41.3 percent from the field, was an impressive 7-of-10 in the quarter including a three-pointer from Kamry Orr with four seconds left to enter halftime down one at 36-35.
Despite steady defense at stretches and an offense that held its own, Sam Houston was unable to slow down the Sugar Bears on the boards, being outrebounded 46-27. Central Arkansas also held a 12-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
"I think the biggest thing that hurt us was rebounds,” Welch-Nichols said. “I think our defense stuck hard at it but I think our rebounds hurt us. I think for four games the way we have played, playing out of their minds for three games, we knew fatigue would be a little bit of a factor. We're going out and playing hard, we just didn't get the ball to bounce our way.”
Orr finished with 14 points for her third double-digit performance of the tournament while Jasmine McCants added 12 points, her second-highest point total of the season. As a team, the Kats logged a season-low seven turnovers and forced 10 from UCA.
“I think that we have matured,” Welch-Nichols said. “The first half of the season we were all over the place. To have seven turnovers is unbelievable because we were averaging 21 a game. We stressed more assists than turnovers. I think the girls kept getting more confident in themselves.”
Along with Beadle, who made her second appearance on the all-tournament team, Shernise Robertson was also honored on the five-member list. The senior finished with six points but averaged 14.5 points per game during the tournament, finishing with a total of 58.
“When we came in 10 years ago, the program was not at its best,” Welch-Nichols said. “The players from that first team were all texting me saying good luck and how proud they are to be a Bearkat. We won one ball game, maybe two ball games or maybe five ball games. To me, we're winning with those people who are coming back and giving to us.”
