Preview: Women's basketball vs. Southern Miss

[PonyPride]

Women’s basketball faces Southern Miss with chance at C-USA lead

By Rick Atkinson

DALLAS – SMU women’s basketball head coach Rhonda Rompola is beginning to see her team come together, and the timing couldn’t be better. In the stretch run toward the conference tournament, the Mustangs seem to have things right this year.

“I think we’re peaking at the right time,” Rompola said. “Last year, we peaked early, and we fizzled.”

The Mustangs, (11-10, 6-3), have won five of their last six and are 4-0 at home in Conference USA play. SMU will try to continue its Moody mastery at 7 p.m., Monday, when Southern Miss, (10-11, 7-3), comes to town.

“We feel like when we step on our floor, we’re going to play a good ballgame,” Rompola said. “That will take you a long way.”

The two teams are in the thick of the C-USA race, and the winner of this game could even find itself tied with Tulsa for first place. Southern Miss is coming off a 63-50 home win Saturday over Central Florida, while Mustangs knocked off Marshall, 72-57, in their last outing.

“Right now … everybody is jockeying for position and it’s important that we finish at least in the top four so we can get a bye in the conference tournament,” said Rompola.

SMU and the Golden Eagles last met in the first round of the 1995 NCAA tournament. The Mustangs won that one, 96-95, in overtime. The overall series is tied, 1-1.

Southern Miss has just eight active players, with three out for the season because of injuries. But Rompola said she still expects a tough game from the Golden Eagles.

“They do a great job of pushing the ball up the floor,” she said. “They’ve got a couple of very, very good shooters.”

Southern Miss freshman forward Ashley Boehnel has pumped in 36 points over the last two games.

“She has such a quick release,” Rompola said. “What we have to do is find her in transition.” Sophomore Liz Biland is another sharp shooter for the Golden Eagles, with 35 points in the Golden Eagles’ last two games.

Size will be a factor in SMU’s favor against Southern Miss.

“They’re not real big,” said Rompola. “I think it’s important for us to establish an inside game and be able to score in the paint.”

Sophomore post Janielle Dodds continues to lead SMU in scoring with an average of 15.6 points per game, and also leads in rebounds (8.3 per game). Senior guard Kendall Shead leads in assists (77) and steals (52). Against Marshall, SMU set season highs for points off turnovers (29) and fast-break points (18). Sophomore guard Katy Cobb led all scorers with 16.

“Right now I think our chemistry is pretty good, especially with the group that starts,” Rompola said of Dodds, Shead, Cobb, senior forward/post Sarah Davis and junior forward Katie Gross. “This group has gelled. I think the players know their roles, and we have finally started to shoot the ball from the perimeter, consistently.

“And they’re very unselfish.”

Last season, the Mustangs set a program record with 13 home wins. This year, SMU has yet to lose a C-USA game at home. Rompola describes her team’s play at home as aggressive, loose and energetic – thanks at least in part, she said, to the feedback they get from those in the stands.

“We’ve had some pretty good crowds this year,” Rompola said, “and I think our kids feed off the crowd. We’ve got a lot of local kids, and all those … kids have their parents and family in the stands. I think that makes a difference.”

Improved team defense also has been a big factor in SMU’s turnaround.

“We have preached team defense, and we have preached showing help,” Rompola said. “We’ve really tried to educate our players about thinking a play ahead. We don’t want to help once the ball gets inside. We want to help before the ball gets inside, so we don’t have to defend a great player down there.”

Rompola points to the Jan. 2 road loss to league-leading Tulsa as the turning point for the Mustangs’ season. After trailing the Golden Hurricane by just six at the half, SMU was blown out the rest of the way, losing 73-54.

“They kicked us (in) the second half,” Rompola said, “and it left a nice big, red mark too – and we felt it.”

“I think we responded from that and realized this shouldn’t happen,” she said.

The Mustangs have since run off six wins against two losses.

“That was quite the wake-up call,” Rompola said.

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Rick Atkinson is a writer for the Sherman Herald Democrat.

[WildHorse]

Great preview -- where did it come from?
Good luck to Coach Rompola and the Ponies!

[PonyPride]

Great preview -- where did it come from? ....

Rick covers the Mustangs for the Sherman paper, and gave us the preview.

[smupony94]

Was going to watch my first women's game and my all access does not want to work