On March 8, the Union University Lady Bulldogs basketball team won the Gulf South Conference tournament for the third time in six years by defeating the three-seed Delta State University 69-67.
Union was the number one seed in the tournament. The Lady Bulldogs beat the eight-seed Valdosta State University 88-48 in the opening round. They went on to eliminate the four-seed University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) 89-62, after which they won the championship game against Delta State.
Senior guard Jada Smith, who was named GSC player of the year, led the Lady Bulldogs in the tournament with 25 points against Valdosta State, 26 points against UAH and 18 points against Delta State. Jaelencia Williams was also a big scorer for Union with 15 points against Valdosta State, 12 points against UAH and 20 points against Delta State.
Both Smith and Williams were named to the GSC All-Tournament Team. Smith was also named the GSC Championship’s Most Outstanding Player.
Up next for the Lady Bulldogs is the NCAA South Region tournament, which is made up of teams from the GSC, the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). There are eight teams in the tournament, including Union, Lee University, the University of Tampa, Delta State, UAH, Eckerd College, Benedict College and Florida Southern College.
Although the Lady Bulldogs won the regular season and the GSC tournament, they are the number two-seed of the region tournament while Lee is the number one seed. Because both teams were basically tied when it came down to deciding who would be the number one seed, the seeding was determined by who had the worst loss on the season, which happened to be Union. Union lost a game early in the season to Barry University, the tenth place team in the SSC.
Sara Hammond, women’s basketball assistant coach at Union, expressed her feelings about playing on the road compared to playing at home.
“I think going on the road and being together in a hotel room and eating together brings us closer together, and I think it keeps us really focused,” said Hammond. “So either way, whether we were at home or on the road, I think our girls are going to be prepared and ready to play no matter what.”
Smith believes that playing on the road in a tournament like this also takes some of the pressure off.
“You go in there, and it’s like ‘everyone’s against us anyways,’” Smith said. “It’s just us so there’s nothing to be stressed about.”
Smith feels confident in her team’s abilities going into the tournament.
“I definitely think we’re a team that’s peaking at the right time,” said Smith. “And the past few months I think have shown that.”
The other teams in the tournament have reason to be confident as well.
Lee, the host of the tournament and a team from the GSC, is coached by the GSC Coach of the Year Marty Rowe. The Lady Flames are led by All-GSC First Team selections Abby Bertram, a senior guard who averages 13.6 points per game (ppg) and Haley Schubert, a sophomore point guard who averages 12.2 ppg.
Tampa, a member of the SSC, is the number three-seed in the tournament. The Spartans were the SSC regular season champions. They are led by SSC player of the year Dori Nagy, a junior forward who averages 16.2 ppg and 9.8 rebounds per game (rpg) and SSC Newcomer of the Year LaShayla Wright-Ponder, a junior forward who averages 14.6 ppg and 8.7 rpg. The Spartans are coached by the SSC Coach of the Year Tom Jessee.
Delta State is the number four seed in the tournament. The Lady Statesmen are powered by senior forward Quantesha Patterson, who was named to the All-GSC First Team and averages 17.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg.
Eckerd, a member of the SSC, was named the five-seed in the tournament. The Tritons are led by senior guard Octavia Loll, who averages 13.1 ppg and was named to the All-SSC First Team; senior center Zoe Richards, who averages 11.6 ppg and 6.3 rpg and was named to the All-SSC Second Team and sophomore center Maya Price, who was a member of the All-SSC All-Newcomer Team.
Benedict, a team in the SIAC, is the six-seed in the tournament. The Lady Tigers are boosted by SIAC Player of the Year Ay’Anna Bey, junior forward who averages 16.8 ppg and 9.5 rpg.
Florida Southern, a member of the SSC, is the number seven seed in the tournament. The Moccasins are driven by junior guard Julia Jenike, who averages 15.9 ppg and is a member of the All-SSC First Team.
UAH rounds out the tournament in the eight-seed spot. The Chargers are led by Aryn Sanders, a senior guard who averages 14.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg and was named to the All-GSC Second Team.
The Lady Bulldogs take on Florida Southern in Cleveland, Tenn., on Friday, March 13, at 1:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of Tampa and Benedict on March 14 at 4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of UU Athletics
