Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 23, 1991 TAG: 9103230113
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK BABINECK SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: AUSTIN, TEXAS LENGTH: Medium
However, Lamar's appearance today against Virginia in the Midwest Regional championship should put an end to that.
The Lady Cardinals entered their inaugural NCAA Tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region despite having a 26-3 record and finishing the regular season ranked 24th by The Associated Press.
But strong postseason play has put Lamar among the elite eight teams in the country. The road has not been easy for the Lady Cardinals, the lowest-seeded team ever to make it this far.
They needed three stunning upsets in a row to make it to today's showdown.
First, the Lady Cardinals shocked seventh-seeded Texas 77-63. Then Louisiana State, the No. 2 seed, fell 93-73.
Third-seeded Arkansas similarly felt Lamar's sting, losing 93-73 Thursday at the University of Texas' Erwin Center.
Now, top-seeded Virginia (29-2), which advanced with a 76-61 victory over Oklahoma State, awaits the giant-killers from Beaumont, Texas.
Cavaliers coach Debbie Ryan said Lamar may not be a household name, but the Lady Cardinals promise to be a worthy opponent.
"Lamar poses a lot of problems for us because of their size and their quickness," she said. "They're smaller than we are, and I think that their team speed is better than ours. We're going to have to find a way to neutralize that, and of course we're going to have to control the boards. They're one of the best teams teams [we'll play] all year."
With a relatively easy schedule in the obscure American South Conference, some might have considered Lamar's gaudy record a tad unrealistic when matched against traditional women's basketball powers. But so far the challenge has been met, and Lady Cardinals coach Al Barbre said that, whatever happens today, his team has surpassed every expectation.
"We know from what we've seen earlier that they're very deserving of their No. 1 seed," he said. "We're just happy to be here, and hopefully we can make it an interesting game. If [Lamar advances] past Saturday, I'll be the happiest guy in the world."
The most intriguing individual matchup should be between national player of the year Dawn Staley of the Cavaliers and point guard Brenda Hatchett of the Lady Cardinals.
Staley set a Midwest Regional record with 12 assists in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader, and Hatchett set a record with 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range.
Staley acknowledges that stopping Lamar's mighty mite will be crucial for the Cavaliers to advance to New Orleans for their second-consecutive Final Four.
"They are extremely fast, and we have to concentrate on stopping their 3-pointers," she said. "Hatchett shot 6-for-9 from three-point land, and when they shoot that high [a percentage], you have to deny her the ball and hope she doesn't touch it."
Hatchett was equally complimentary of her backcourt counterparts when describing what she has to accomplish for Lamar to pull off yet another upset.
"I think our offense has run very good, and when we stay within it we'll score like we're supposed to," she said. "They're very, very quick, but I think it will be a good game."
by CNB