To say that the Union Lady Bulldogs’ season this year is an exciting one would be a huge understatement. The 25-3 Lady Bulldogs closed their regular season by clinching the Gulf South Conference (GSC) Regular Season Championship with an 84-72 victory over Christian Brothers last week and will host Delta State in the GSC Tournament Quarterfinals tomorrow night at the Fred DeLay Gymnasium. As the GSC Tournament gets underway, let’s have a look at Delta State, as well as some of the other competition Union could be facing.
Delta State (12-14, 10-10 GSC)
The Lady Statesmen of Delta State have had an up-and-down season this year, to say the least. Two years removed from beating Union in the GSC Championship game, DSU has been an average team in the last two seasons, entering this year’s tournament with a 12-14 record. The downside to this team lies in their offense. As a team, Delta State is averaging only 54.8 points per game, which is the fewest in the conference. Furthermore, the GSC Tournament field hasn’t been too kind to DSU. The Lady Statesmen are a combined 0-10 against teams in this tournament. However, don’t let their record fool you as the Lady Statesmen are one of the top defensive teams in the conference, holding opponents to only 55.8 points per game which is second fewest in the GSC. Also, you can throw records out the window when it’s tournament time as Delta State is a storied program in the Gulf South. The Lady Statesmen have won 16 GSC Tournament Championships. Their last conference championship was in 2016 when the Lady Statesmen beat Union in overtime, 69-63. Delta State is 8-5 all-time against the Lady Bulldogs.
PLAYERS TO WATCH– Alondrea Rush and Takisha Jordan.
Rush, a junior from Horn Lake, Miss., leads the team in scoring at nearly 15 points per game. The three-year starter scored seven points and added six rebounds in the 2016 GSC Championship game against Union.
Jordan, a senior, is coming off of a career-high 29 points against Mississippi College in her last outing. The 5-foot-9-inch guard is seemingly hitting her stride at the right time as she has scored nearly 20 points per game over her last six games.
Valdosta State (21-7, 15-5)
The Lady Blazers are the very definition of a sleeper team in this year’s tournament. The reigning Gulf South Conference Champions come into the GSC Tournament on a seven-game winning streak and are looking to defend their title. Their last two games have been nail-biters as well, beating the only two teams in the conference that have defeated Union, North Alabama and West Florida. Led by experienced seniors Madi Mitchell and Kenya Samone’ Dixon, the Lady Blazers will look to use their athleticism to make a run in the postseason. Valdosta will host West Florida, a team they’ve beaten one out of two times, in the GSC Quarterfinals Tuesday night. Valdosta is a perfect 14-0 at home this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH– Madi Mitchell and Kenya Samone’ Dixon.
Mitchell is the conference’s second-leading scorer (behind Union’s Chelsey Shumpert) and comes into the tournament with a streak of 16 straight games with 12 or more points scored. In that stretch, Mitchell has recorded seven double-doubles and has averaged exactly 20 points per game. Her last outing was a 25-point, six rebound performance in Valdosta’s 67-62 victory over West Florida.
Samone’ Dixon is a double-double threat in every game. The senior is averaging 12.1 points per game and is second in conference play in rebounds per game at 9.5. She has recorded 13 double-doubles this season.
Lee (22-8, 15-5)
If you watch basketball long enough, you will likely hear the saying, “it’s hard to beat a good team three times in a row.” If both Union and Lee win their first-round game, then these two teams will meet for the third time this season in the GSC Semifinals. The Lady Flames have lost to Union twice this season, both times by seven points. Lee is hitting their stride at the right time, as the Lady Flames have won four in a row after losing to Union earlier this month. The experienced Lady Flames are the best defensive team in the conference, only allowing 53.5 points per game this season. Lee is historically a good team at home and is 14-2 at the Paul Dana Walker Arena this season. They will host a competitive West Georgia team that has beaten the Lady Flames once in two tries this year on Tuesday night.
PLAYERS TO WATCH– Erin Walsh and Carrie Cheeks.
Even though this a balanced scoring team, Walsh is the unquestioned leader of the Lady Flames. The Knoxville native has started all but one game in her college career and leads Lee in scoring this season, averaging 12.6 points per game.
Carrie Cheeks – awesome name, even better player. The 6-foot-3-inch forward is shooting the lights out underneath for the Lady Flames, shooting 64 percent (good for second in all of NCAA Division II). Cheeks, after struggling in her previous three games, exploded for 27 points on 12-14 shooting and added nine rebounds in the 84-51 win over Shorter.
#14/20 North Alabama (24-3, 17-3)
You would be hard-pressed to find a better GSC Championship Game than North Alabama versus Union. North Alabama comes into the GSC Tournament as the number two team in the conference and the number three team in the NCAA South Region (Union leads both the conference and the NCAA South Region) and has won eight of their previous 10 games. Union and North Alabama have split the season series this year, with UNA handing Union their first conference loss of the season at the Fred DeLay Gym earlier this month. The story of the season for the Lady Lions has been their offense. UNA is top-10 in the nation and is tops in the conference in points per game. They are also winning games by an astounding 23.4 points per game. With North Alabama joining NCAA Division I’s Atlantic Sun Conference next season, you know the Lady Lions are looking to end their last season in Division II on a high note. They will play West Alabama, a team UNA has beaten twice, including by a 102-75 margin in their last game, in the first round in Florence Tuesday.
PLAYERS TO WATCH– Emma Wallen and Brittany Panetti.
Wallen, the first of three triplets on this Lady Lion team, has been the heart and soul of North Alabama basketball this season. With her younger sister Ivy being out for the season due to a torn ACL, Emma has picked up the slack. Wallen is averaging 18.4 points per game (second in the GSC) and is coming off of a 31-point performance against West Alabama in her last game.
Panetti is a monster down in the post, plain and simple. The 6-foot-2-inch forward is averaging 16.1 points per game and is making 60.3 percent of her shots this year. She is the x-factor in every game she plays in.
Overall, this is a very competitive conference this season and the Lady Bulldogs will have their hands full if they want to win their second Gulf South Conference Championship in six seasons. Union will host Delta State at the Fred DeLay Gym on Tuesday, February 27. Tipoff is set for 6:00, and the first 500 fans will receive a Dr. Dub Oliver bobblehead. Come out to support the Lady Bulldogs, or watch the game live on the Union Athletics website, ePlusTV 6 and eplustv6.com.
