Photo by: Adam Hammerman
The women’s basketball team will head into this weekend’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a No. 2 seed after dominating North Texas 55-36 on Sunday afternoon. The game also marked senior night for the Pioneers, who recognized Kaetlyn Murdoch and Morgan Shell in their final game in Magness Arena.
The Pioneers were led by freshman guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose, who recorded a game-high 20 points, including 11 in the final four minutes of the game. Murdoch contributed 14 points, four rebounds and two assists.
With the victory, Denver improves to 19-11 overall and 11-5 in SBC play, finishing 2nd in the SBC West Division behind 12-4 Arkansas-Little Rock. After a first-round bye on Saturday, the Pioneers will take on the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 3 seed Florida International and No. 6 seed Louisiana-Lafayette in Sunday’s quarterfinals at 11:15 a.m. M.T.
“FIU is the higher-seeded team, with the likely conference player of the year in Jerica Coley, who has led the league in so many categories,” said head coach Erik Johnson when evaluating the Pionee’s potential matchups. “But Lafayette just pulled off a big upset against Louisiana-Monroe. You never know [what will happen] at tournament time.”
At this point, the Pioneers have mirrored almost identically their 2010-2011 season, which included a 19-10 regular season record and an 11-5 SBC record. Denver even concluded last season with a victory over North Texas and was the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament with a first-round bye. However, a disappointing loss to Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the tournament left the team hungry to prove themselves this year.
“We’re a little bit fresher [than we were last year],” said Johnson. “We’ve got a little bit more depth in post, and hopefully we’re in a little bit better position. It’s one game at a time. You have to go play your best basketball when it counts.”
The Pioneers enter the tournament coming off a three-game win streak and the team, including Murdoch, agrees the Pioneers are eager to reestablish their reputation at the conference tournament in Hot Springs, Ark., this weekend.
“Last year we didn’t perform as well as we wanted to, but this year having a No. 2 seed again gives us a really good opportunity to go in strong, and we have an extra day to rest our bodies,” said Murdoch. “This week, we’ll focus on all the little things we need to tighten up. I’m excited to get there again.”
As the conference tournament approaches, Johnson and the entire team are hopeful sophomore guard Quincey Noonan will be able to return to the court this weekend. Noonan, who broke a bone in her left arm on Dec. 19 and a bone in her right hand on Jan. 19, has been on the sidelines for most of the second half of the season.
“We’re hoping to get Quincey back; she’s one of our best players,” said Johnson. “With as much youth as we’ve had out there with Quincey’s injuries, Chaunise Powell’s injuries, even Morgan Shell’s injuries, [freshmen] Morgan Van Riper-Rose and Jordan Johnston have had to play hard, guard the best players and most freshmen don’t get that kind of experience.
“Now, when we get a player like Quincey back, suddenly all those guys have all that experience, can go back into the roles they’re even more comfortable in, and we can take it to the next level. I’m really proud of where our team is.”
Johnson said as long as the doctors clear Noonan’s X-rays, she should be able to play in the tournament this weekend.
Prior to Sunday’s game, the team recognized Murdoch and Shell for their contributions to the program. Murdoch is the all-time block leader in the Pioneer program and currently sits No. 3 in career scoring.
“I was really, really proud of [the seniors],” said Johnson. “They’re roommates, great friends and so much comes out of that pair for the team. Kaetlyn has been pretty much the face of the program for four years, and Morgan was part of our first recruiting class. They’ve really been a huge part of building everything we’ve built. We need to send them out on a good note in Hot Springs [at the conference tournament] and hopefully postseason play. They’re far from done.”
Murdoch, who leads the team with 492 points this season, described her final game in Magness Arena as bittersweet.
“It’s exciting to be a senior, to be a leader and play my last game,” said Murdoch. “But it’s also really sad to know that was my last time playing with these girls, and some of them I didn’t get to play with, like Quincey. It’s mixed emotions.”
Sunday’s contest against the Mean Green began with a 15-2 run by the Pioneers during the first 12:18 of the half. During that stretch, Denver held North Texas to 7.1 percent shooting from the field.
The Pioneers went into the half leading 26-12 and were able to maintain the lead for the entirety of the game. Sophomore forward Maiya Michel led the team with eight rebounds.
Sunday also marked Shell’s first appearance after missing three games due to injuries. She tallied two points, six rebounds and two steals in her final regular season game.
The Mean Green came within six points of the Pioneers after an 8-0 run to start the second half, but Denver retaliated and reestablished their dominant lead at 14:40 remaining in the game.
“We wanted Morgan and Kaetlyn to go out on a big note,” said junior point guard Emiko Smith. “North Texas is good, and we knew they were going to come and fight. I’m glad we took care of it. It’s always good to end conference play with wins. We have a whole week of practice coming up and a bye on Saturday, so hopefully we take care of business on Sunday.”
Looking ahead to the conference tournament, Johnson is focused on making the team’s final season in the SBC one to remember. Starting the 2012-2013 season, the Pioneers will compete in the Western Athletic Conference.
“We want to win our last game in the Sun Belt and the only way to do that is to win the tournament,” said Johnson. “But it’s one game at a time. This is a one-game season. The only way you get to 20 wins is by winning number 19. You have to be playing your best basketball coming into the [tournament].”
