There was more excitement in the Fred Delay Gymnasium than usual Thursday night. As the crowd filed into the gym and filled up the stands, everyone was eagerly anticipating the show the Lady Bulldogs were about to put on.
The women went 17 for 25 from the three and 100 percent from the free throw line. It was their last conference game, and they were prepared to play.
It was also senior night for the Bulldogs and senior Kelsey Risner showed out by going 4 for 4 from three and dominating the boards with nine rebounds.
“Last night was a really good night for us,” Kelsey Risner, senior exercise science major, said. “I felt like it was a game that we really pushed it and executed well on both ends. It made me excited about Tuesday.”
The Lady Bulldogs ended the game with a 96-56 victory over Christian Brothers University. They will play the first game of the Gulf South Conference Tournament at home against University of West Georgia March 1 at 6 p.m..
While Risner is excited about Tuesday and the start of tournament play, Coach Mark Campbell continues to look at the tournament as just another game to get better and succeed. He said if the first round of the tournament was what they had prepared for all year, he probably would be nervous. But the Lady Bulldogs have their eyes on going further than just the first round of conference tournament.
“I don’t feel any different than any other game,” Campbell said. “It’s just our next game. I’m not even thinking about it being conference tournament. Just about it being our next game and trying to get better.”
Though senior night was enjoyable for the women, the men fell short to Christian Brothers 86 to 79. The Bulldogs started slow on defense while Christian Brothers continued to execute well.
It wasn’t until the end of the second half did the men start locking down on defense. Threes from Jordan Montgomery and Brennan Bowling kept the Bulldogs in the game, but in the end the team could not pull out the win.
Though the men took a hard loss, the Bulldogs will play at home Tuesday at 8 p.m. for the start of the conference tournament.
“I feel excited because it’s a home game,” Assistant Coach Trevor Lydic said. “That’s what we’ve been working for all season. Our goal was to play first round at home.”
“Anytime there is an opportunity to win, I think we can,” senior political science major Jordan Montgomery said. “We have faced many difficulties throughout the season and this team always seems to respond when our backs are against the wall.”
The team did a really good job. I knew that that could make it!