Blossoms Make it to GSC Semi-Finals, Fall Short

Sports Information Director

Blossoms End Season with 72-63 Loss in GSC Semi-Finals

   After reaching the semi-finals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament for the first time in school history, Arkansas Tech ended the Blossom’s chance of winning a GSC title with a final score of 72-63 Saturday, March 8.

   Tech’s Krishna Baker made 14 second-half points to make it difficult for the Blossoms to post a comeback. UAM did outscore Tech in the second half, but poor free-throw shooting kept UAM out of it.

   Freshman Erika Brown (Shreveport, La.) kept getting the ball in the paint with good looks at the basket, but Tech kept applying pressure and forcing Brown to make free throws, an area of the game in which she struggled with all season. Brown made five of her 11 attempts from the charity stripe.

   Also a hindrance in UAM’s chances was turnovers. The Blossoms committed 11 first-half turnovers, allowing Tech to take a 12-point lead into the locker room at halftime.

   “We made too many turnovers in the first half, which lost the game for us” said head coach Chris Ratcliff in the post-game interview. “Give Tech all the credit … I kept waiting for them to switch to a man defense, but it’s no surprise they didn’t … their zone troubled us all game long.”

   Tech’s Nikki Earles had a career-high game with 20 points and single-handily beat UAM in the 3-point game after making five of seven attempts from beyond the arc. UAM, which began the game with an average of close to eight 3-pointers made per game as a team, only connected on four attempts in the semi-final loss.

   Junior leading scorer Andrea Dubose (Hickory, Miss.) was responsible for half of the team’s treys, making two of four attempts in the game, while freshman Janette Thompson (Hot Springs) and senior Gemma Gibson (Dodd City, Texas) both had one.

   Brown tied the team-high with her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Shakia Sanders (Chester, S.C.) also scored 13 points. Also reaching double-digits was junior Sharlene Murphy (Coldwater, Miss.), who scored 11 points, followed by Dubose with 10 points.

   “It was nice to have expectations this season,” senior Gemma Gibson said. “This year, we showed everyone that we belong here.  This loss was disappointing, because we showed up today ready and expecting to win.”

   “I’ll remember this team for several years,” senior Shakia Sanders said. “We had a lot of fun doing what we set out to do when the season started.  We really wanted to win this one.”

   This season marked the first time the Blossoms have won 16 games in a season in nine years. The last head coach to accomplish the feat was current Director of Athletics Alvy Early, who led the 1998-99 Blossom to a 16-8 overall record, one season after losing in the NCAA South Regional Tournament Finals to Arkansas Tech.

   “These seniors really opened a door for UAM to turn the corner,” Ratcliff said. “This team was almost totally different from last year’s team. We really stressed togetherness this year and that’s exactly what they did.  There were no cliques. Everyone meshed well with each other, and that was a big factor in our success this year.”

   UAM, which returns four starters next season, ends the season with an overall record of 16-14, while Tech improves to 25-4 and advances to the finals of the GSC Tournament for the eighth time in school history.

Blossoms Advance to GSC Semi’s for First Time Ever

   Junior Andrea Dubose made three 3-pointers in the second half, aiding to a run-away victory for the women’s basketball team, upsetting the No. 7 West Georgia Wolves in the Gulf South Conference Tournament quarterfinals by a final score of 79-54 Thursday, March 6.

   The Blossoms advance to the semi-finals for the first time in school history, since joining the Gulf South Conference in 1995.

   UAM as a team easily outscored West Georgia 48-29 in the second half, including making seven of nine 3-point field goals combined.

   Dubose (Hickory, Miss.) led the team from beyond the arc, hitting five of seven attempts in the game, while sophomore Tasha Owens (Fox) and freshman Janette Thompson (Hot Springs) hit two 3-pointers in the game each.

   The Lady Wolves jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game, but the Blossoms brought the game to its first tie with 14:33 left in the first half. After that, the two squads exchanged six ties, but UAM finished the half strong with a 3-pointer from Owens with seven seconds remaining to put the Blossoms up by six.

   UAM carried over its streak into the second half, extending its lead to 10 points just three minutes into the second half. The UAM lead grew even larger with 14 second-half points off turnovers and good shooting.

   The Blossom lead grew to its largest at 30 points, when sophomore LaToya Josey (Madisonville, Texas) nailed a jumper to put the Blossoms on top 79-49 with just under a minute left in regulation.

   Dubose led her team with 19 points, while Thompson trailed with 11 points. Senior Gemma Gibson (Dodd City, Texas) and Josey both had eight points in the game.

   “This is the biggest win of my career,” second-year head coach Chris Ratcliff said. “We haven’t done what we did tonight in over seven games. It was a total team effort.”

   The Blossoms improve to 16-13.

Blossoms Win GSC Tournament Opener 71-66 Over Alabama-Huntsville

   The women’s basketball team defeated the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the opening round of the 2008 Gulf South Conference Basketball Championship Tournament with a final score of 71-66.

   The win marks the third win for the Blossoms in GSC tournament history. The last time the Blossoms won in the tournament also came against Alabama-Huntstville in the first round of the tournament in 2005.

   Senior Gemma Gibson (Dodd City, Texas) led UAM with 19 points and would have possibly had more had she not been sidelined with an injury for the last five minutes of the game. Gibson also grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

   Junior Andrea Dubose (Hickory, Miss.) trailed closely with 17 points and also grabbed eight rebounds, while freshman Janette Thompson (Hot Springs) scored 12 points and pulled down four rebounds.

   Thompson capped off a 7-0 UAM run with around four minutes left in the game with a 3-pointer to put the Blossoms up by nine, a lead big enough for the Blossoms to advance to the quarter-finals.

   Prior to that 7-0 run, UAH came back from a 13 point UAM lead with eight minutes remaining, bringing the game to within two points with five minutes to go thanks to an 11-0 UAH run over those three minutes.

   Dubose broke the century mark for the season in the game with five steals for a current season total of 102. Coming into the game, Dubose was the conference’s best steal producer and ninth in the nation with close to four steals per game.

   With the win, UAM improves to 15-13 overall.

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