Lady Colonels set for another tough challenge on road

Sports

November 22, 2006

Jenny Elder The Richmond Register Wed Nov 22, 2006, 08:57 PM EST

RICHMOND — Just back from a paradise trip to Hawaii for the Waikki Beach Marriott Classic, the Lady Colonels now head to Hattiesburg, Miss.

And the competition does not get any easier as Eastern Kentucky University will meet Louisiana Tech in the first round of the Southern Miss Lady Eagle Classic.

Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday.

Then it will face either host Southern Mississippi or Grambling State University on Saturday.

“We go from the fire to the frying pan so to speak,” EKU coach Larry Joe Inman said. “I don’t really look forward to getting back on the road, but I’m excited about getting to play another good team.”

La. Tech is traditionally a national powerhouse with 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Lady Techsters have won two national championships, 1982 and 1988. They have also been in the finals four other times with the last time coming in 1998 against Tennessee.

Tech (1-2) lost to Western Kentucky, 73-60, and Stephen F. Austin, 65-55, before beating Iowa, 77-59, on Tuesday.

“We are hoping we can win and watching La. Tech on film I think we are very competitive with them,” Inman said. “We’ve got a shot, especially after the way we played in Hawaii.”

Leaving the Aloha state, the Lady Colonels have four players averaging double figures — Crystal Jones (20.3), Niki Avery (16), Andrea Jenkins (10.7) and Amber Kirkpatrick (10). Ashley Cazee is not far behind with 9.3 a game.

And EKU (1-2) has faced stiff competition head on, giving No. 3 Oklahoma all it wanted in the first round of the Waikki tournament and came up just short the next night against Georgetown.

“The first 10 minutes, we owned Oklahoma pretty much,” the veteran coach said. “But, then we just couldn’t match up with them size wise.”

The Lady Colonels took an early 12-5 lead and stretched out for their largest advantage 15-7 before the Sooners finally found a way to stop them.

Inman said Oklahoma had to get out of the man-to-man defense because it could not stay with EKU. The Sooners did not take full control until the second half and were even outscored 26-9 down the stretch. But, it was not enough to overcome the 30-point deficit in a 92-79 loss.

Jones had 25 points, while Avery chipped in 21.

After a slow start against the Hoyas, the Lady Colonels got things going and lead by eight or more points most of the second half. However, in both games they came up against situations they had not had time to prepare for before hand.

“The thing about it was it was some stuff we haven’t worked a whole lot on and so that’s what I felt like hurt us against Georgetown really completing the game,” Inman said. “There were some things that came up near the end of the game that we haven’t had a chance to put in or work on up to this point because we have been putting in so many other things.”

It was nip and tuck in the final two minutes with the Hoyas pulling out the 79-77 victory.

Now that the team has had some time to work on zone offenses and late game strategy in practice, the coach is hoping for a different outcome in Hattiesburg.

Possible second-round opponent, Southern Miss (1-3) has beaten Jacksonville State, 81-61, for its lone win. While Grambling (3-1) lost to Arkansas, 88-69, in its lone defeat.

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