USA - Lady Panthers go the distance and then some
GARLAND (NCAA Women) - Women’s teams in an American college basketball pulled out all stops over the weekend to gain passage to the NCAA Tournament.
The most dramatic showdown of all was played out in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship (SWAC) tournament final in Garland, Texas, with Prairie View A&M beating Mississippi Valley in four overtimes.
Toyelle Wilson’s Lady Panthers had to dig deep but eventually won 100-87 to capture the SWAC title for the third straight year.
“It’s unbelievable,” Wilson said.
“The passion, the fight, the never-give-up relentlessness – that’s been our story the whole year.
“The girls, they were tired. I didn’t even know how many overtimes there were at one point, and that just goes to show how badly they wanted it.”
Prairie View A&M, now headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third season in a row, got gritty performances from Latia Williams and Kiara Etienne.
Williams, a fifth-year senior, had 17 points and 13 rebounds in the title clash and recorded double-doubles in all three of her games at the tournament.
On a magical day for her, Williams overcame the 49% free-throw shooting woes that have plagued her all season by making 11 of 12.
Most impressive of all is that on the last day of the demanding tournament, she played 54 minutes.
“I told coach we can go all night if we want to,” Williams said.
“I bet they're leaving the court before we do.
"We came here to get the win, and we weren't leaving without it.”
Williams has gone undefeated in her SWAC tournament career with 12 victories.
Etienne was outstanding, too, with 31 points and five steals, and Jeanette Jackson came up big in the fourth overtime, sparking the team on their decisive run.
Wilson is making quite a name for herself as the coach of Prairie View A&M.
Her teams have won all nine of their games in the SWAC tournament since she became head coach.
“We played a game and a half,” she said.
“We played a game and a half and they still wanted to go on.
"By the fourth overtime they were running on pure will and determination.”
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