Top-ranked Lady Wildcats sour Tabor's Sweet 16 years ago
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
It's not how you start the year, it's how you finish.
The Lady Bluejays have had the last three regular seasons down pat, qualifying for the NAIA's Division II National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. It's the Sweet 16 that's tripped them two out of the last three times.
Facing the top-ranked and unbeaten Indiana Wesleyan Lady Wildcats (35-0) Friday in the tournament's second round, the Sweet 16 still turned sour for the Bluejays (26-6), who bowed out with a 61-44 loss.
"We played as good as they (IWU) did," Lady Bluejay coach Rusty Allen said. "We shot the same percentage, we out-rebounded them and we competed with the number-one team in the country. They're the best team we've played all season by far."
What Tabor didn't do that the Wildcats did was take care of the basketball, committing 23 turnovers. Combine problems handling the ball with a game-high 26 points from the Wildcats' standout, Liz Howerth, it equaled bad news for the Bluejays.
"That was the difference in the game to me," said Allen of Tabor's mistakes. "They were so good defensively. Liz is a great player, she doesn't make mistakes, she makes her teammates around her better. She's the best player we've seen this year. She's got it all."
The top-ranked Wildcats hardly intimidated the Bluejays the first 15:00 of the game with the lead changing hands five times and four ties.
Howerth struck right off the bat, scoring Wesleyan's first eight points of the game and 14 in the first half.
Nicole Ellis' basket with 5:00 left in the first half was the final time the Bluejays would have the lead. Howerth answered with the go-ahead basket, and Tabor never lead again.
Ellis closed out her career with 10 points and Emily Vogts wrapped hers up with 11 points and five rebounds.
Wesleyan pushed its lead to 27-22 at the half despite allowing Tabor to shoot 43 percent from the floor.
A 12-0 run from Wesleyan midway through the second half stretched its lead to 52-34 with 9:34 left to keep the Bluejays from threatening again.
Donya Anderson also finished a phenomenal career Friday, scoring just two points, but grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Staci Herman led all Bluejays in scoring with 12 points, including two triples.
Tabor ended the season shooting a near-identical 42 percent from the floor and limiting the Wildcats to just 31 percent from outside.
"We had a great season. I'm proud of our girls," Allen said. "Our goal was to make it to the Elite Eight, but Wesleyan was a great team. We played our best basketball at the end of the year and that's what you always like to see.
"We'll miss our seniors, but we've got good players returning and good recruits coming in. The goals next season won't be any different than to make the national tournament."
