On Tuesday night the Lady Bulldogs had a dominating 75-58 win over Delta State University in the debut of the conference playoffs. It was a team effort that saw four Union players score in double digits with Sara Lytle, senior English major, leading the team with 18 points.
The game was a hard fought defensive battle through the first half which saw six ties and lead changes. Jada Perkins, junior education major, made her impact felt with seven a game high six steals and seven assists. Delta state has been lauded for their defensive ability as a team all season but the number of offensive weapons the Lady Bulldogs possessed proved to be too much, leading to a 35-22 Union lead heading into the second half. This was only the second time a team had scored 70 points or more on them.
The second half was also dictated by defense but Bria Gaines, senior social work major, could not be contained by Delta State. Gaines went eight for nine from the field finishing with 16 points in the paint in her 19 minutes of play. Chelsey Shumpert, graduate student, also finished with 16 points and two steals.
With the opener behind them, the Lady Bulldogs shift their attention to Lee University this Saturday in Birmingham, Ala., where they can not afford to make any mistakes.
“[Lee] is the type of the team that does not like to be put away,” said Lytle. “Our mindset is that every small battle has to be won.”
Lee is ranked fourth in points per game and first in defensive efficiency in the Gulf South Conference. They are currently the four seed and on a five game winning streak. It will take a lot to pull out the win but Coach Mark Campbell thinks the key to winning in the playoffs is consistency.
“Consistency during tournament time is of the utmost importance,” said Coach Campbell. “It is a long season and those teams that have individuals that do their jobs advance. That is our biggest challenge. It is every teams challenge.”
Photo by Morgan Morfe