Women’s basketball Head Coach LeAnn Freeland said that the team had one goal this season: to play deep in the NCAA tournament.
The NSU women’s basketball team accomplished that goal by making it to the Elite Eight in San Antonio, Texas. The Sharks ended their historic season with a loss to Western Washington University, 80-76. They bounced back from a 17-point deficiency to send the game into overtime.
This season was the best ever for the Sharks, being one of the last eight teams remaining in the country. They accomplished many firsts for the program, including winning an NCAA tournament game, hosting a regional tournament and reaching the Elite Eight.
The Sharks ended their season with a record of 23-9, six more wins than the team had last year in Freeland’s first year at NSU.
NSU got off to a slow start in their Elite Eight matchup with the Western Washington Vikings. The Vikings were up by as many as 17 points in the first half and were up by 13 points at halftime, 42-29. Western Washington shot 68 percent in the first half, while the Sharks only hit 40 percent of their shots.
The second half was a different story, with NSU outscoring the Vikings, 39-26, to send the game into overtime. While NSU still struggled, shooting only 41 percent, its defense stepped up to lower the Vikings’ second half shooting percentage to 44. The Sharks took their first lead of the second half, with just over 5 minutes remaining, on a layup by senior Tailor Jones.
Coming down the stretch, the teams swapped points back and forth with NSU up by two on Western Washington’s final possession. Viking senior Corinn Waltrip tied the game with a highly-contested layup with 7.6 seconds left in regulation. NSU had two shots fall short before the second half buzzer sounded.
The overtime period was more of the same from the Sharks, shooting a lower percentage from the floor than the Vikings. NSU found itself in foul trouble, sending the Vikings to the free throw line seven times in overtime alone, while the Sharks were not able to get to the free throw line in overtime. By the final buzzer, seniors Meixandra Porter and Tailor Jones had played 41 and 39 minutes, respectively, combining for a total of 35 points. Sophomore Danielle Robinson and junior Amanda Burakoski contributed 18 points and 16 points, respectively.
Freeland said, “It was a great opportunity for us to be able to showcase NSU on a national stage. A lot of our sports have done so well. Women’s golf, men’s golf, the swimmers and our rowing team all represent. Just to have the opportunity to take basketball to the next level here was a great experience for our ladies and a great building experience for the future.”
The road to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight was not easy for the Sharks. They faced tough opposition all year, including three Division II ranked teams and an exhibition game against the University of Miami.
While the Sharks fell to Miami and number 13 Shaw University, they beat conference rivals and top 25 ranked teams Rollins College and the University of Tampa. Over the course of the season, NSU showed its strength when playing at home, having an overall record of 14-2, with three key victories in the NCAA South Regional tournament, which was hosted at the Arena at the Don Taft University Center.
Peter Finley, associate professor of sport and recreation management at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship, said, “I think the best thing is that this tournament revealed what we are capable of as a campus, in terms of supporting our student-athletes with passion and pride. I hope we recognize the tipping-point potential and that everyone, including students, staff, faculty and administrators, makes a great effort to replicate the attendance numbers, cheering and enthusiasm going forward.”
Freeland described this year’s incredible season in one word: “challenging.”
“We moved in the right direction and we were challenged throughout the season,” she said. “We certainly did take the program to the next level.”
