Brooke Holle vs. Little Rock
53
Texas State TXST 23-9
54
Winner Little Rock LR 23-9
Texas State TXST
23-9
53
Final
54
Little Rock LR
23-9
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Texas State TXST 7 13 17 16 53
Little Rock LR 20 18 10 6 54

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Basketball falls in SBC Championship Game, Set for WNIT

Deer named Tournament MOP, Leavitt joins teammate on SBC All-Tournament Team

NEW ORLEANS – The Texas State women's basketball team (23-9, 14-4 SBC) lost in heartbreaking fashion to  the top-seeded Little Rock Trojans (23-9, 17-1 SBC), 54-53, inside Lakefront Arena in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship title game on Sunday evening.

The Bobcats, who were the No. 2 seed in the event, were making their first appearance in the SBC title game. The Trojans won their fourth conference tournament crown and first since 2015.

"I am so proud of the way these young women battled through adversity tonight," head coach Zenarae Antoine said. "There was no quit in this team. They stepped up in the second half and made this a game. Credit Little Rock for the way they played in the first half, they came out ready to play."

Texas State entered the halftime break down 38-20, holding the Bobcats to its fewest halftime total of the season as the team fell into a poorly-timed shooting slump. As a unit, the Bobcats converted just 6-of-30 shots from the floor in the first half, including 1-of-10 from the 3-point line.

Early in the second half, the Trojans surged ahead by a score of 43-22, the largest lead of the game for LR. With just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter the Bobcats started to chip away at the deficit, eventually wildling the lead down to 11 points at the end of the third quarter.

Little Rock scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter, a jump shot with 7:57 on the clock to extend the lead to 50-37. Taeler Deer changed her mindset at that point, becoming more aggressive in hunting her shot. Deer answered the Trojan field goal with a layup. Zelor Massaquoi converted a three-point play, taking a driving dish from Brooke Holle and finishing through the contact. Deer then rattled off the next six points of the ballgame, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key to force Little Rock coach Joe Foley into a timeout as the Bobcats pulled within a pair. Immediately following the timeout, Massaquoi found another opening in the lane, finishing a layup and tying the game at 50. The 13-0 run from Texas State spanned just 3:32 of game time.

Little Rock finally broke the drought, regaining a two-point lead on the ensuing possession. Toshua Leavitt answered right back with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, giving Texas State a lead, 53-52, for the first time since Ti'Aira Pitts knocked down a 3-pointer one minute into the game. The Bobcats relinquished the lead with 2:30 on the clock, falling behind by the final score of 54-53.

On the last possession of the game, the Bobcats held for the last shot, putting the ball in the hands of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year to make a play. Deer used a brush screen from Ericka May to slice into the lane. As the helpside defense slid over, Deer was forced to shoot the ball high off the glass. The ball bounced off the backboard and hung on the front of the rim before spinning out. May crashed the offensive glass but could not control the loose ball. The Trojans took over with one second in regulation, and successfully ran off the remaining time.

Deer, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, led the Bobcats offensviely for the third straight game. She scored 20 points and handed out eight assists. For the tournament, the Houston native averaged 21.0 points and led the Bobcats in points and assists in each of the three contests.

Leavitt scored 11 points in the title game and was named to the 2018 Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team. Holle finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, giving Texas State three players in double figures.

Up next, the Bobcats will await an announcement regarding postseason play. Texas State has earned the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the 2018 Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). The WNIT committee will choose 64 teams for its Postseason WNIT. The field will consist of 32 automatic berths – one from each conference – and 32 at-large teams. The field will be announced following the reveal of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament on March 12. All information will be disseminated via the website at www.womensnit.com that night, a few hours after the NCAA bracket is announced. The first round games would begin play March 14-16.

For all things Texas State women's basketball, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

#AllForTXST

2018 Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team
Jas Adams, Coastal Carolina
Skyler Goodwin, Louisiana
Monique Townson, Little Rock
Ronjanae DeGray, Little Rock
Toshua Leavitt, Texas State

Most Outstanding Player
Taeler Deer, Texas State
 
Print Friendly Version