2006 NCAAź Division II South Region
Women's Basketball Tournament

By Kris Erhardt

Arkadelphia, Ark. - It was a heated defensive battle at the Duke Wells Center Monday night between two Gulf South Conference rivals, as Henderson State defeated Delta State 44-40 to win the 2006 NCAA Division II South Region Championship.

The South Region All-Tournament team was announced after the game; Rayna Hare (Henderson State), Ebonie Halliburton (Florida Gulf Coast), Michelle Gibson (West Florida), Jennifer Rushing (Delta State) were named to the team. Shondra Bush (Henderson State) was name Tournament MVP.

Henderson State, currently 27-4, advances to the 2006 NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament held in the Hot Springs, Ark. March 22-25.

Delta State ends their season with a 30-3 season record, including the Gulf South Conference championship, in which they beat Henderson State 64-53.

However, all three of Delta State’s losses this season have come from Henderson State, dropping both conference matches to the Lady Reddies, as well as the South Regional final.

Delta State jumped out to an early start, building a 16-7 lead, their largest of the game, with 6:50 remaining in the first half. Henderson State returned fire, ending the half on a 13-2 run after Shondra Bush hit a last second three to put the Lady Reddies up 21-18.

Henderson State continued their run into the second half, out-scoring Delta State 12-4 to take a 37-22 lead, their largest of the game, with 12:26 remaining in the game.

Delta State, a team who does not know the term “give up,” executed their own 18-6 run to cut Henderson State’s lead to just 43-40 with 15 seconds to go.

Down three, Delta State immediately fouled Henderson State’s Lauren Hill to send her to the free-throw line. Hill missed the one-and-one free throw, sending Delta State’s Jennifer Rushing streaking down the floor, in search for a lay-up.

To the dismay of DSU fans, Henderson State’s Collea Carter drew a charge on Rushing, turning the ball into the hands of the Lady Reddies with three seconds remaining.

Samantha Anglin-Smith was sent to the foul line, making one of two to take the 44-40 win for Henderson State.

Delta State shot 17-49 (34.7%) from the floor, while Henderson State hit 15-48 (31.3%) from the field. Delta State also out-rebounded Henderson State 41-40.

Henderson State was 8-12 (66.7%) from the free-throw line, and 6-20 (30.0%) from behind the three-point line. Delta State was 4-7 (57.1%) from the charity stripe, and 2-11 (18.2%) from the three.

Henderson State forced 21 DSU turnovers, while only turning the ball over 14 times themselves.

Hare led Henderson State with 11 points, and five rebounds. Shondra Bush and Keisha Blackwell both had 10 points and four rebounds apiece.

Amber Gean led all players with 14 points, three rebounds for Delta State. LaWanda Stewart had six points, and seven rebounds, while Jennifer Rushing had four points, and five rebounds on the night.

Box Score

Photos from the Delta State vs. Henderson State Championship game are now available on the South Region website.

Henderson State
Delta State

Photos are available for media use via the South Region Website. Please assign the photo credit to Blake Christensen and Kris Erhardt.

By Kris Erhardt

Arkadelphia, Ark - It was a gritty game that went down to the line, but Henderson State pulled out a 68-62 win over West Florida Saturday night in the semi-final round of the 2006 NCAA Women’s Basketball South Region Tournament.

Henderson State, the host team of the tournament, will face Delta State in the South Region Championship match Monday night at the Duke Wells Center, with the tip-off set for 7 p.m.

Henderson State controlled the entire game, only allowing West Florida to tie the match on four occasions.

West Florida stayed close throughout the first half, never trailing by more than seven in the period.

West Florida worked their way back going on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 33-33 with 1:31 left in the first half. After a series of missed shots and turnovers committed by both teams, two free throws sunk by Henderson State’s Angelique Baulding gave the Lady Reddies a 35-33 lead to go into half-time.

Both teams traded buckets to start the second period, until Henderson State went on a 9-1 run anchored by a Keisha Blackwell three-pointer to take a 48-40 lead.

Henderson State would lead by as much as nine until West Florida responded with their own 6-0, cutting Henderson State’s lead to a single point with 27 second left in the game.

But after a key West Florida turnover, Henderson State would end the game on a 5-0 run with all points scored from the free-throw line for the 68-62 win.

Both teams shot nearly identical percentages, with West Florida hitting 14-31 (38.7%) of their shots, while Henderson State hit 23-58 (39.7%) from the floor.

West Florida out-rebounded Henderson State 46-35, but Henderson State forced 25 West Florida turnovers, while only committing 17 themselves.

Henderson State also had 14 steals on the night, while West Florida only had six.

Shondra Bush led Henderson State with 20 points, and five rebounds, shooting 6-for-12 from the field, and 7-8 from the free-throw line.

Ashley Perry had 17 points, and five rebounds for Henderson State as well, while Rayna Hare chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds.

West Florida’s Michelle Gibson led all players with 21 points and five rebounds. Melissa Nafzger had a double-double on the night with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Heather George made her mark on the game, pulling down 10 rebounds, and scoring six points.

Box Score

Photos from the Henderson State vs. West Florida Semi-final game are now available on the South Region website.

Henderson State
West Florida

Photos are available for media use via the South Region Website. Please assign the photo credit to Blake Christensen.

By Kris Erhardt

Arkadelphia, Ark. - Delta State will move on to the championship round of the 2006 NCAA Division II South Region Tournament, after defeating Florida Gulf Coast 57-48 Saturday evening.

Delta State will play the winner of the Henderson State-West Florida semi-final match-up Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Duke Wells Center.

Florida Gulf Coast jumped out of the gates first, out-scoring Delta State 10-4 in the opening minutes. Delta State pushed their way back into the game, scoring five straight points as Florida Gulf Coast found themselves in the midst of a scoring drought.

Both teams traded buckets for the remainder of the half, with neither team leading by more than two points. Delta State edged out a 25-23 advantage off of a Casey Broussard lay-up to take the lead going into half-time.

Delta State stormed out of gates after half-time, going on a 12-0 run in the first eight minutes of the period.

The 14-point lead was too much for Florida Gulf Coast to keep up with, as Delta State ultimately won 57-48.

Florida Gulf Coast found themselves in a shooting slump for much of the game, hitting just 14-50 (28.0%) from the field. Delta State was 16-44 (36.4%) on the night.

Jennifer Rushing led Delta State with 12 points, while LaWanda Stewart had 10 rebounds. Amber Gean, Casey Broussard, and Courtney Wilson all chipped in with nine points apiece for Delta State.

Ebonie Halliburton had 14 points and eight rebounds for Florida Gulf Coast.

Box Score

Photos from the Delta State vs. Florida Gulf Coast Semi-final game are now available on the South Region website.

Delta State
Florida Gulf Coast

Photos are available for media use via the South Region Website. Please assign the photo credit to Kris Erhardt.

By Kris Erhardt

Arkadelphia, Ark. – After a shaky first half, Henderson State found their legs to take a 77-65 win over Paine College in the quarter-final round of the 2006 NCAA Division II South Region Tournament.

Henderson State moves on to the semi-finals to face West Florida Saturday evening at the Duke Wells Center, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Both teams battled back and forth in the first half, with neither opponent building up more than a three-point lead. Henderson State broke open the game late in the period, executing a 20-8 run in the final six minutes to go into the break with a 41-31 lead.

Paine regrouped in the second half, holding Henderson State scoreless for the first 3:30 of the period, while trimming their lead to five. But Henderson would not allow Paine to get any closer, pushing their lead back up to 14, and holding on for the 77-65 win.

Henderson State hit 34 of their 77 shots (44.2%) from the floor, while limiting Paine to 26-for-72 (36.1%) shooting. Paine narrowly out-rebounded Henderson 47-46, but the Lady Reddies forced Paine to commit 17 turnovers, while only turning the ball over 12 times themselves.

Henderson State’s Shondra Bush led all players with 23 points, nine rebounds, and three steals; Rayna Hare had 14 points, eight rebounds on the night, while Keisha Blackwell added in 12 points.

Angelique Baulding also had nine rebounds and seven assists for Henderson State.

Kisha Lucette led Paine College with 18 points and seven rebounds. Chantal Murray had 11 points and seven rebounds, while Savoyia Barrett had 10 points on the evening.

Photos from the Henderson State vs. Paine Quarter-final game are now available on the South Region website.

Henderson State
Paine

Photos are available for media use via the South Region Website. Please assign the photo credit to Blake Christensen.

By Kris Erhardt

Arkadelphia, Ark. - In the third quarter-final game of the day, the No. 6 seed West Florida upset the No. 3 seed Fort Valley State in a come-from-behind 65-64 win in the 2006 NCAA Division II South Region Tournament.

West Florida will move on to the next round to play the winner of the Henderson State-Paine Saturday night at the Duke Wells Center, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.

Fort Valley took control of the first half, scoring nine straight points in the first four minutes.

West Florida cut the lead back to three with their own six-point run, but Fort Valley kept a firm hold on the game pushing their lead back to as much as 11 points.

In the final four minutes of the period, West Florida recovered to go on a 9-3 run cutting Fort Valley’s lead to 32-28 to head into the locker rooms at half-time.

Fort Valley tried to maintain their lead in the second half, but West Florida slowly chipped away at their advantage, taking their first lead of the game off of a Michelle Gibson steal and coast-to-coast lay-up with 14 seconds to go.

Fort Valley missed their next shot, leading to a Shanika Carter foul to put Heather George on the free-throw line. George sank both shots to give West Florida a 65-61 lead.

Fort Valley’s Shekiya Tarpkins came back with a three-pointer, but West Florida came away with the 65-64 win.

West Florida shot 24-58 (41.4%) in the game, while Fort Valley was 26-67 (38.8%) from the floor. West Florida out-rebounded Fort Valley 44-43.

West Florida’s Michelle Gibson led all players with 26 points, and six rebounds; Melissa Nafzger and Heather George chipped in with 10 points apiece.

Shekiya Tarpkins led Fort Valley with 14 points, and six rebounds. Shari Shorey had a double-double on the night with 13 points, and 10 rebounds. Shanika Carter also had 12 points.

Photos from the Fort Valley State vs. West Florida Quarter-final game are now available on the South Region website.

Fort Valley
West Florida

Photos are available for media use via the South Region Website. Please assign the photo credit to Kris Erhardt, Henderson State Sports Information.

By Kris Erhardt

Arkadelphia, Ark – No. 1 seed Delta State University moves on the semi-finals of the 2006 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball South Region Tournament with a 66-50 win over the No. 10 seed University of Tampa Friday afternoon.

Delta State will face Florida Gulf Coast in semi-final round set for Saturday at 5 p.m.

Tampa and Delta State kept the game close in the first half, with neither team building more than a four-point lead.

Tampa was able to build up a 27-25 lead with 1:33 left in the second half, but two back-to-back jumpers by DSU’s Amber Gean gave the Lady Statesmen the 30-27 lead going into half-time.

Rallying after the break, Delta State continued their run into the second half to build up an eight-point lead midway through the period.

Tampa made their own push back, cutting Delta State’s lead to two, but that was the closest that the Eagles could get, as Delta State pushed the lead back up to 16 to win 66-50.

Jennifer Rushing and Amber Gean led Delta State with 12 points apiece. Casey Broussard chipped with 11 points, and LaWanda Stewart had 10.

Tampa’s Shaneisha Walton lead all players with 14 points, and four rebounds, while Tay Mathis had 13 points for the Eagles.

Boxscore

Photos from the Delta State University vs. University of Tampa Quarter-final game are now available on the South Region website.

Delta State
Tampa

Photos are available for media use via the South Region Website. Please assign the photo credit to Kris Erhardt, Henderson State Sports Information.

By Kris Erhardt

Arkadelphia, Ark. - The opening game of the 2006 NCAA Division II South Region Tournament came down to the line as No. 5 seed Florida Gulf Coast University defeated No. 4 seed Rollins College 48-46 in over-time.

Florida Gulf Coast moves on to play the winner of the Delta State University-University of Tampa game on Saturday, March 11 at 5 p.m. at the Duke Wells Center on the campus on Henderson State University.

Both teams showed opening night jitters, as 104 combined shots were missed in the game. Rollins shot 17-67 (25.4%) from the floor, while Florida Gulf Coast hit just 14-68 (20.6%).

Rollins started the game on a role, going on a 14-4 run to take a 10-point lead through the 8:50 mark in the first half. Florida Gulf Coast returned fire going on their own 11-3 run to tie the game at 17-17 to enter the locker room at half-time.

Both teams’ shooting woes continued in second half, as both Rollins and Florida Gulf Coast battled back and forth to tie the game six times throughout the half.

After two free throws by Rollins’ Jennifer Musgrove tied the game at 36-36 with 34 seconds to go, both Rollins and Florida Gulf Coast missed a potentially game winning shot to head into over-time.

The flood gates opened in the extra frame as both teams shot above 50 percent, but the game stayed close until a bad Rollins pass led to a turnover, followed by a foul with less than a second remaining. Florida Gulf Coast’s Ebonie Halliburton sank both free throws for the 48-46 win.

Katie Schrader, who had double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds on the night, led Florida Gulf Coast. Halliburton chipped in with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.

Jennifer Musgrove led Rollins College with a double-double as well, scoring 13 points, and pulling down 11 rebounds. Sally Johnston and Larissa McDonough attacked the glass for 13 and 11 rebounds respectively.

Box Score

Photos from the Rollins College vs. Florida Gulf Coast Quarter-final game are now available on the South Region website.

Rollins College
Florida Gulf Coast

Photos are available for media use via the South Region Website. Please assign the photo credit to Kris Erhardt, Henderson State Sports Information.

Henderson State will play host to the 2006 NCAAź Women’s South Regional basketball championships to take place March 10-11 and 13 at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia, Ark.
 
It will be the first time in school history that the Regionals will be played at Henderson State.
 
The three day tournament begins Friday with fourth-seeded Rollins College facing fifth-seeded Florida Gulf Coast at noon.
 
No. 1 seed and Gulf South Conference Tournament Champion Delta State faces No. 8 seed University of Tampa, champions of Sunshine Conference at 2:30 p.m.
 
Third-seeded Ft. Valley State will match-up against  No. 6 seeded West Florida at 5 p.m.
 
Henderson State, the number two seed and host of the tournament will face Paine College at 7:30 p.m. in the finale.
 
Tickets for the event are $5 per session for students and $8 per session for adults. Fans may also purchase all-tournament passes for $10 for students and $20 for adults.
 
Advanced tickets may be obtained by calling the Henderson State Ticket Office at 870-230-5111.  
 
Henderson State in cooperation with the Hot Springs Visitors and Convention Bureau will also host the NCAA Women’s Division II National Championship March 22-23, 25 in Hot Springs, Ark. at Summit Arena.  
 

GAME SCHEDULE:

Friday March 10:

Session I
Noon Game 1: Rollins @ v. Florida Gulf Coast %
2:30 pm Game 2: Delta State # v. Tampa &
Session II
5:00 pm Game 3: Ft Valley @ v. West Florida %
7:30 pm Game 4: Henderson v. Paine #

Saturday March 11:

Semifinals
5:00 pm Game 5: Winner of game 1 @ v. Winner of game 2 %
7:30 pm Game 6: Winner of game 3 & v. Winner of game 4 #

Monday March 13:

Championship
7:00 pm Game 7: Winner of game 5 @ v. Winner of game 6 #