2008 Woodie Awards
Women's hoops continues upward trend in Tansil's second year
Brad Hurt
Issue date: 1/16/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
Sure enough, thanks in large part to the inside play of post players Andreika Jackson and Phyllisha Mitchell, the Skyhawks have compiled a 9-7 record that includes two separate three -game winning streaks.
After an early 85-29 loss to the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee, led by former Skyhawk standout Pat Summitt, the Skyhawks entered conference play, where they have compiled a 4-4 record.
The matchup with the Lady Vols in Knoxville provided a real learning experience for the Skyhawks, who were dominated from start to finish by the vastly more experienced Lady Vols.
The Skyhawks shot only 20.4 percent in the game, including 14.8 percent in the second half. Mitchell, Jackson, and freshman Nicole Holman tied for high scoring honors for the Skyhawks with six points each.
"Tonight is a valuable experience for our team," said Skyhawk head coach Tara Tansil. "This will show the character of our team and prepare us for the atmosphere at the conference tournament."
The latest result found the Skyhawk women on the short end of a 67-47 final score at Morehead State on Saturday. With the loss, the Skyhawks' three-game win streak came to an abrupt end.
The Lady Eagles devastated the Skyhawks from the outside, dropping in an amazing 80 percent of their three-point attempts.
Despite turning the ball over eight times in the first half, the Skyhawks trailed by only six points at the break. However, the Lady Eagles continued their torrid shooting in the second half to pull away for the comfortable win.
"We played terrible today," said Skyhawk head coach Tara Tansil. "They were able to take advantage of our post players and we didn't defend them well from outside. We didn't look like we wanted to win tonight and that is why we didn't."
Jackson and Mitchell have been the leaders in the Skyhawks' resurgence this year. Mitchell currently leads the team in scoring with an average of 12.8 points per game, while Jackson is not far behind with an average of 12.3 points per game. No other player is averaging more than nine points per game.
The most telling statistics for the Skyhawk women this year have been free throw shooting and rebounds. When the team has performed well in those two categories, it has generally come out on top.
Be the first to comment on this story