Ponies fall short in C-USA semifinal

[PonyPride]

Mustangs fall to Rice, 57-52, in C-USA semifinal game

Kendall Shead totals a career-high 28 points



SMU Falls to Rice, 57-52, in C-USA Semifinal Game

March 4, 2006

Box Score

DALLAS (SMU) - The SMU women's basketball team fought through fatigue and dead legs in Saturday's Conference USA semifinal game against Rice, but came up short with a 57-52 loss to the Owls at Moody Coliseum before a vocal crowd of 2,077 fans. With the loss, SMU drops to 16-14 and now waits to see if a WNIT bid is in its future. Rice posted its ninth straight win (17-12) and will face Tulsa (24-5) in the championship game Sunday afternoon.

In the first half, SMU came out flat while Rice went on a 7-0 run. SMU did not get its first points of the game until the 15:16 mark when Janielle Dodds popped in a jumper. The Mustangs looked fatigued and allowed Rice to build up a 14-point lead (26-12) with 4:11 remaining in the half. SMU found itself down by a score of 32-19 at the intermission.

In the second half, SMU came out with renewed vigor and energy, opening with a 9-0 run to cut the lead to four points (32-28) at the 16:26 mark. Kendall Shead scored 22 second-half points to keep SMU in the game. The Mustangs got within two points (51-49) with 2:42 left in the contest, but missed critical shots down the stretch. Rice nailed six free throws in the final minute of the game to seal the victory.

SMU's Kendall Shead posted a career-high 28 points, going 12-of-21 from the floor. She added eight rebounds and four steals. No other Mustang player recorded double-figure marks. The game's leading scorer was Rice's Lauren Neaves with 36 points and 10 boards.

[Bigtime41]

I guess maybe my expectations are too high for SMU fans because I would have thought that well wishes on the season and kinds words for their efforts would fill this message board. The Lady Ponies are now waiting on an invite to the WNIT and I hope they get a chance to go. There were 59 post on their victory over TUlane and virtually none on their loss. Does anyone really care about SMU sports?

[Webmaster]

I can't speak for everyone, but I've had major trouble with the message boards last night and today.

Coach Rompola said last night that she thinks her team does have legitimate WNIT hopes, citing the tough out-of-conference schedule, the fact that SMU played in the preseason NIT, etc. She also mentioned that there are times when teams will decline a WNIT bid. She seemed optimistic.

Ponies played pretty well, and they certainly played hard. It looked like they simply had no gas left in the tank after playing all night Friday against Tulane.