Last weekend, Union University women’s basketball team solidified their top spot in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) standings with decisive victories over two ranked opponents: a 96-70 win against fourth-ranked University of West Florida on Thursday, Feb. 20, and a 90-61 triumph over fifth-ranked Valdosta State University on Saturday, Feb. 22.
The Lady Bulldogs entered these games on a high after defeating the University of Alabama in Huntsville 93-58, which is ranked second in the GSC. After beating number two in the conference, some worried that the Lady Bulldogs would let down their guard or underestimate the lower-ranked teams. Olivia Lee, sophomore guard, accounting major and one of the season’s top scorers, did not share this worry.
“All of us know that playing on Union’s women’s basketball team comes with a responsibility. It comes with a history of being a winning program. It comes with a high standard from the coaches, from the university, from the fans. We want to defend what we know is our responsibility,” Lee said. “I’ve always been told by my parents and coaches that any team can beat any team on any day at any time because, at the end of the day, we’re all college basketball players playing at this level. No matter if they’re second or eighth in the conference, we’re still going to try to come, bring the same energy, and bring the same style of play — play fast and play hard.”
Jeremia Montgomery, senior guard/forward and interdisciplinary major, is a newcomer to Union’s basketball program, having transferred from Christian Brothers University last year, and adjusting to the pace and responsibility of a winning program.
“I’m getting used to always having a target on my back. I think we’re getting everyone’s best every single night because they’re gonna do their hardest. And I like that a little bit. It’s more competitive that way,” Montgomery said. “It’s just a different atmosphere of a winning program. Everyone always says they want to be part of a winning program until you’re a part of it, and you don’t know what it actually is like to get there. It’s not just winning and losing. It’s a lot of preparation that I didn’t even know. So I like that, too.”
Despite their commitment to the standards and responsibilities that come with a winning program such as Union’s women’s basketball, there have been times the team has struggled to keep complacency from creeping in.
“I will say there was a point in the middle of the season where we didn’t feel like we were playing our best basketball,” Lee said. “We were barely beating teams that we felt we should be beating by a lot more, or we didn’t really feel like we were playing like we should be playing,’ and honestly, we’re starting to come out of that, and we’re growing a lot from it.”
“I think it’s harder for us to stay in that complacency because we have to be so consistent … just knowing that everyone’s after us,” Montgomery said.
There was no sign of complacency during the game against the University of West Florida. The Lady Bulldogs played fast and hard, scoring 63 points in the first half of the game. Lee was the top scorer with a total of 18 points. Bethany Dillard, Shylee Morrison, and Emily Jones also scored double digits, contributing to Union’s overall 26-point victory.
The Lady Bulldogs carried this energy into their last regular season home game Saturday night against Valdosta State University. Union kept constant pressure on the Blazers, scoring over 21 points each quarter. Lee once again led Union in scoring, reaching double digits for her 11th straight game.
“Being number one, it’s a great thing to have, but that’s not our end goal,” Lee said. “It isn’t our end goal to win conference regular season. It isn’t our end goal to win conference tournament. We want to win everything.”
