C-USA women’s tourney preview (Photo By John Schreiber, The Daily Campus)
Beginning this afternoon, Moody Coliseum will once again be the host of a postseason basketball tournament, something that hasn’t happened in a decade.
In its first year as a member of Conference USA, SMU is the site of the conference’s 2006 Women’s Basketball Championship, which tips off today at 1 p.m. when No. 8 seed, East Carolina, takes on No. 9 UAB.
The tournament is Moody’s first postseason tournament in basketball since the 1996 Southwest Conference Championship. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
SMU’s women have earned the third seed of the tournament, along with the first-round bye that comes with it. Their first game will be Friday at 8:30 p.m. against either Tulane or UCF.
The bye and home-floor advantage help SMU’s chances of success — the team is 11 -5 at home and 6-2 against C-USA opponents.
“It’s a big advantage playing at home. Its our crowd, our fans- all we have to do is dance,” said SMU’s leading scorer Janielle Dodds .
Dodds and teammate Sarah Davis were named Wednesday to the All C-USA team. Dodds claimed first team honors after finishing fifth in the conference in points-per-game with 15.5 and recording 11 double-doubles.
Davis, a senior who plays forward but can drain threes and play the post, was selected to the third team. This was her first selection to any all-conference team and it caught her off guard.
“I didn’t expect any of these things that have happened to me since I was a freshman,” Davis said. “I never even expected this many minutes.”
Davis and Dodds will get plenty of minutes this weekend. Brittany Barker, who backed up both players during the season, is sitting out the remainder of the season for health reasons.
Coach Rhonda Rompola said Sunday her team is not as hot as she would like it to be. The Mustangs have lost three of their last five games, including two at home.
In Sunday’s loss to Tulane, forward Katie Gross, who led SMU with 12 points, was shut out in the first half. SMU’s defense had no answer for Tulane’s physicality in the lane and pinpoint outside shooting.
The 13-point loss at home still stings, and it’s led some Mustang players to pull for a UCF upset this afternoon.
“We’re hoping to play Tulane and get some sweet revenge,” Davis said.
Rompola said after the loss that her team hadn’t looked sharp for a few games. Friday’s game will tell if five days’ rest could restore its edge.
“It’s starting to kick in,” said Dodds. “This could be our last game if we don’t perform.”
