Photo by: Andrew Fielding
DU women’s basketball team did well in its rigorous non-conference schedule and has started conference play with high expectations and 3-1 Sun Belt Conference record thus far.
The Pioneers (11-6, 3-1 SBC) won their first conference game on Dec. 29 when they hosted Louisiana Lafayette. The team lost a close one to Arkansas Little Rock on Jan. 2, but swept on the road last week, trumping Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe away from Magness Arena in a pair of close contests.
“Our tough non-conference schedule really prepared us for what’s ahead,” said head coach Erik Johnson. “We could have lost the first eight games, but we finished 8-5. We had a huge win over the University of Colorado, Vanderbilt, Texas El-Paso, and getting the opportunity to play Georgia was a huge.”
Though the women lost 49-46 against Arkansas Little-Rock, they did not let it hinder their performance on the road against Western Kentucky last Wednesday.
Regrouping and bouncing back, the team caught up by more than 10 points within the last five minutes and finished with a victory of 51-50.
Following that one-point win, the Pioneers almost blew a lead on Saturday, allowing the Warhawks to go on a 14-2 run late in the game. DU led 53-40, but suddenly were only up a single point with a second remaining. The defense stopped ULM’s last shot attempt as time expired giving the Pioneers a 55-54 victory, their second narrow win.
Senior Briana Culberson said a main component to the team’s success has a strong bench, unlike last year where they finished with only seven players.
The depth enables the team’s chances to improve as the season continues to progress, according to Culberson. With more fresh legs, the team can compete for the entire game using substitutions to give their starters rest.
In addition to depth, freshman like guard Quincy Noonan have been dynamic offensively for the Pioneers so far, according to Johnson.
They have been focusing on strengthening their offensive and defensive skills as well as working on throwing the ball and avoiding small penalties, like traveling.
To top it off, two of the top players, junior Kaetlyn Murdoch and senior Britteni Rice, successfully reached their 1,000-point career this season.
Culberson is less than 50 points away from her 1,000-point career. Johnson said it is just “knocking on the door.”
The Pioneers are striving to work together as a cohesive unit and take control of the upcoming games against conference rivals. They have been battling injuries, struggling with no rest, but they are clawing their way to the top.
“We are no longer sneaking up on teams anymore, we are mad and we are not the nice kids on the block anymore,” said Johnson. “As for home games, we love to make people grab for the oxygen tank and we have been ready for the game.”
The next home game will be against Florida International on Jan. 15. This season fans will notice the team wearing “DJJ” patches to commemorate Johnson’s 4-year-old son, Davis James Johnson, who passed away last year, unexpectedly.
