Last year, the UTPB women’s basketball team missed out on the Lone Star Conference tournament in a tiebreaker.
This year, the Falcons have more than made up for it by posting one of the best seasons in program history.
They’re not done yet, either.
This week, UTPB will be making its first Lone Star Conference tournament appearance as the Falcons (22-6 overall, 17-5 in conference) enter as the No. 3 seed.
They’ll face No. 6-seed Angelo State at noon Friday at the Comerica Center in Frisco.
It’s a night-and-day difference compared to where the team was at this point last year when the Falcons went 13-15, 10-12.
The team finished in a three-way tie with St. Edward’s and Cameron but lost out on the tiebreaker to get into the conference tournament.
Fast forward a year later and the Falcons not only find themselves in the conference tournament but also in the running to make the NCAA Division II tournament.
“I think it means hard work pays off and all the adversity that we’ve been through came with lessons,” UTPB head coach Rae Boothe said. “It took those lessons and adversity for us to have a really special season. I think the biggest contributor to our success has been our players. They really want to do well and succeed. They care about each other. it’s a special team because of the people on it and they play for each other. They’re a privilege to coach every day because they want to do well and they’ve all bought in. Whether it’s their first year or fifth year here, we have the right pieces at the right time with a good combination of experience.”
Entering the season picked to finish ninth in the Lone Star Conference preseason polls, the Falcons have proven the doubters wrong, defeating powerhouses such as West Texas A&M (twice), Lubbock Christian and this year’s regular season conference champion Texas Woman’s University.
UTPB’s run has included a ten-game winning streak in conference play.
However, now the Falcons have to face a team they know more than well at this point as UTPB prepares to face Angelo State for the third consecutive time.
Both teams split in last week’s contests with UTPB winning 90-54 on Feb. 28 at Falcon Dome before losing to the Rambelles 78-65 on March 2 in San Angelo.
“I think it’s that time of the year where you’re one and done so having some familiarity with our first-round opponent is a big benefit,” Boothe said. “It’s great that we get to play Angelo State again. We split with them last week so it’s going to be a really competitive game. We know each other pretty well. It’ll come down to players making plays and I think both teams have a lot of weapons. It should be a very competitive game.”
Because the team split with Angelo State last week, that gives Boothe a reason not to worry about facing the Rambelles again.
“I think if we had won the second game, I would’ve preferred not to play them again but because we split with them, it’s a positive for both of us,” Boothe said. “It’ll make for a better game and one that allows the players to take what they’ve learned last week and apply it to the game so I think both teams are going to be really prepared and that’s where you want your team. I think our girls are excited to play them again. I’m excited to play them again. We’re going to give it everything we have.”
The winner of Friday’s quarterfinal will face the winner of No.2-seed UT-Tyler and No. 7-seed West Texas A&M at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals.
While the Falcons can get into the national tournament without having to win the conference tournament, a victory on Friday could still be crucial in locking up a bid.
“I think the fact that we have the opportunity to make the regional tournament is fantastic and it adds weight to every game we play,” Boothe said. “We only have one more guaranteed game but if we win it, our chances for the regional tournament go up. It adds more weight to the game and that can be a positive. But being in that position says that we’ve done our job all year long and we need to keep doing our job. … if we don’t win, I don’t know if we have a great chance at the regional tournament but if we do win, our chances go up and our players know that. We’re thankful to be in that position.”
Earlier this week, graduate student Alexus Quaadman picked up her fourth Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for this season.
“No surprise at all,” Boothe said. “It was well-earned. We anticipate her being on the All-Defensive team. we hope so. We’ll find out at the awards ceremony on Wednesday. But she deserves it. She kills blocks and steals and leads us in rebounds. She does so much for us. We’re excited that she was able to earn this week’s Defensive Player of the Week honor because she deserves it. Hopefully, she’ll make first team all-conference because she’s had that kind of career and that kind of year.”
