History will be made Wednesday night at Magness Arena when the DU women’s basketball hosts its first ever postseason game since becoming a Division I program less than 10 years ago.
The Pioneers, who closed out the regular season last Wednesday with 65-52 victory at the University Louisiana-Munroe, earned the No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament which entitles them to a first-round home game.
Now 18-10 on the season, the Pioneers are only two wins away from 20 on the season, which is widely known as the ‘magic’ number for teams to earn berths in either the NCAA tournament or the NIT.
“It is a big accomplishment as a team,” said Head Coach Pam Tanner. “We had a lot of goals that we set coming into this season. One goal was to win 18 games and either have a bye or home game for the tournament. Now our goal is to win a couple tournament games and get into postseason.”
The Pioneers have a chance to do just that, as they have faired very well this season in the friendly confines of the Ritchie Center.
“It’s a really good impact [plating at home], because we have our home fans here,” said senior point guard and team leader Tyesha Lowery. “We have the altitude of course, which helps us out a lot. And we are more comfortable at home; we have a good win percentage.”
Saying that the Pioneers are good at home this season is an understatement. The women have won 10 of their 12 home games this season, putting them in good position to advance through Wednesday night’s match-up against the Florida Atlantic University Owls.
“[The Owls] are athletic and have pressed us when we played before. So we will have to beat the press,” said Tanner about the keys to Wednesday night’s game. “[They] typically play man to man defense. We worked on pressing and beating the press and our transition defense in practice, because [they] are an up tempo, up-and-down-the-floor team.”
The Pioneers defeated FAU, the No. 13 seed in the SBC tournament, in their only meeting this season by a 76-60 margin. The Pioneers will look to use their intense defensive pressure that they have become known for to try to shut the Owls and any other opponents that they might face in the playoffs.
The Pioneers are one of the top defensive teams in the conference, as they have held opponents to an average of 58 points on the season. Lowery leads this defensive attack with a team-leading 84 steals.
“Defense wins championships, we all know that,” said Lowery. “We are glad to have one of the best defenses in our conference, and that’s going to help us in the long run, because they aren’t going to put the ball in the hole and we are.”
As far as tournament games go, the common trend is for teams to have their shooting percentages drop in playoff action. This should be to the Pioneers advantage, seeing as they have already held opponents to a mere .377 field goal percentage.
“Historically if you take history of the NCAA tournament, typically, shooting percentages are lower, because people are working off of less rest,” said Tanner. “If your shots are less and percentages are lower, and if your defense stays constant, it gives an edge to win those games.
“If you’re not going to have your legs, you need to have confidence, your guts, your will power to go out and win. So that’s a god sign for us.”
Gaining a win in the post season and getting the chance to go for a 20-win season would be an exceptional feat for a program that just two years ago struggled to win games.
“It is a huge statement for the kids who have been through both types of seasons,” said Tanner of her players that played during their difficult seasons. “I think that it is a testament for the kids who are here, for those who had it taken to them every game to be here two years later and have a chance to win 20 games and a chance to get to the post season.”
The Pioneers hope to earn their way into a post season tournament for the first time in the career of any current player.
“Our team is coming together and realizing that we need to do this for our seniors and especially Ty [Lowery] who has been here for six years,” said junior guard Brook Meyer. “We want to send them off with a good note.”
The Pioneers already have the confidence that they will need for a successful playoff run, said Lowery.
“I have been having visions of us cutting down the nets already,” said Lowery.
Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT in tomorow as the Pioneers will look to take home their first ever SBC Tournament championship. All games after Wednesday will take place in Lafayette, La.
