Highlights

Campus News

Wildcat Weekly Minute for Nov. 17, 2011

A look at what's happening on campus this week.

Faith

Cleansed through the Cross

Dr. Quarles speaks on the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice at weekly chapel

Sports

LC hoops teams wrap up homestand with pair of wins

Off to Ozarks, UT-Dallas next

Organizations

LC media student give to Toys for Tots

More than 100 toys will help local charity

Campus Life

February is Heart Health Awareness Month

Stay healthy and 'God Red'

Culture

All the Shakespeare you could laugh at… and more!

tlc's adaptation of 'Shakespeare Abridged' pulls out all the stops

Special Coverage

LC brings another successful ‘Follow the Star’

'Christmas on the Hill' and 'Gala' add to festive weekend

WE ARE The Champions!

by Will Tubbs

Lady Wildcats win ASC Tournament to bring home first title

NCAA Division III Tournament Update:

This morning, it was announced the Lady Wildcats will play at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. LC will face the host team on Friday. George Fox is the defending National Champion and is 25-2. The Lady Wildcats are 24-2. The winner of the game will face either Puget Sound (23-4) or Redlands (22-5) on Sunday.

Here is the story, courtesy Craig Kaufman of LC Sports Information:

The bracket for the 2010 Division III Women’s Basketball tournament was announced Monday, and Louisiana College will have their hands full with their first round match-up as they must
travel to the state of Oregon for their draw.

The Wildcats qualified for the tournament automatically thanks to their 73-69 victory over McMurry in Sunday’s American Southwest Conference tournament final.

Waiting for the Lady Cats in the Pacific Northwest? Just the defending champions from last season, fifth-ranked George Fox University.

The Bruins of George Fox compiled an impressive 25-2 record this season, going a perfect 16-0 in the Northwest Conference. This past weekend, they steamrolled to two easy wins en route to the Northwest
Conference title, and have now won 21 straight games.

The Bruins are outscoring their opponents by an average of almost 18 points per game. They also average nine steals and five blocked shots per game, but may be able to be beaten on the boards, as Hannah Munger, their leading rebounder, averages only seven rebounds a game.

The Bruins are led in scoring by Keisha Gordon, who is averaging just over 14 points per game and Munger, averaging 12 points.

LC has three scorers averaging in double digits, with Voneshia Williams (13), Christy Pantallion (14) and Tillisha Givens (16), who was named ASC tournament MVP this past weekend.

Lady Cats head coach Janice Joseph-Richard will be trying to gather as much information about George Fox in the next few days, as the Wildcats have a first-round foe that they are very unfamiliar with.

“I’m definitely excited about making it to the national tournament,” Coach Richard said. “I’m still trying to figure out how the committee put us against the defending champs in the first round in their place.”

It does seem like a questionable decision, especially when you consider that two nationally ranked teams will be playing on the campus of George Fox.

Last season, the Bruins were a perfect 32-0 and defeated Washington University in St. Louis 60-53 in the NCAA Division 3 title game. They are back as a top-seed in the tournament again this year, and have not lost a game since December 5th of last year.

“I don’t know exactly what goes into making the selection. I would have thought being in the top 20 that we would not have played a ranked team going into the first round,” said Coach Richard. “I’m sure
that George Fox feels the same way.”

The Wildcats will fly out to Oregon on Wednesday and could play two regional games this weekend if they advance past George Fox.

ASC Tournament:

For the first time in a long time you can say it ... the Louisiana College Lady Wildcats are champions.

For the first time since the school's entry to the American Southwest Conference in 2000, the LC women won the ASC crown by virtue of a 73-69 win over McMurry in overtime in the finals of the 2010 ASC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament at H.O. West Fieldhouse.

In the process, the Lady Cats, 24-2 and undefeated at home at 14-0, stamped their ticket to their first ever NCAA Division III playoffs and became the first ASC East Division team to ever win the conference tournament.

Not since the days of the current LC coach Janice Joseph-Richard, who came to LC just three years ago from San Jose State, have the Lady Cats rode so high.

"First of all I want to give all glory and praise to God," Joseph-Richard to the 1,500 fans who packed into the same West Fieldhouse in which Joseph-Richard became an All-American in the 1980's.

"This has been an amazing journey for the Lady Wildcats," the coach continued before pausing to compose her emotions. "First of all I want to thank (LC president) Dr. (Joe) Aguillard for giving me the opportunity to come back home and be at the place that I love with my family and friends and all of y'all."

As she spoke, Joseph-Richard's players gathered to support the woman who helped build them from an ASC also-ran to the top team in the conference this year.

"The young ladies I coach are unbelievable," Joseph-Richard told the crowd. "You guys get to see them at game time, I see them every day. They said when they were walking up here, "We got your back coach," and they have. They have had my back ever since I got here."

And it took exactly that kind of effort to get past a game McMurry team, the No. 3 team from the ASC West Division.

McMurry, one of the few teams all year to match the Lady Cats' speed on both ends of the floor, held a 27-25 edge at halftime and forced overtime when Amanda Peters sunk three consecutive free throws after she was fouled by Brianna Lewis while shooting a three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation.

It wasn't until the overtime that LC pulled away thanks in large part to Christy Pantallion, who scored eight of the Lady Cats' 11 points in overtime, and Tillisha Givens, the eventual Tournament MVP who iced the game with two free throws at the six-second mark.

"We knew it was going to be a dog fight to the end," Pantallion said. "They brought it so we brought it to the end."

After being asked about her thoughts on the team's NCAA bid, Pantallion said simply, "I'm speechless."

Pantallion finished tied with McMurry's Kelsey Lindemuth for the game's high point total, with 22 points to go along with two steals and two assists.

Givens posted one of two double-doubles for LC, scoring 12 points and snagging 10 boards.

Freshman Voneshia Williams had the other double-double with 14 points and 13 boards while sophomore guard Roslyn Wilmer added 12 points off the bench.

McMurry had just two players reach double figures, Lindemuth with 22 and LaPorsha Alexander with 12.

All-Tournament Team: Three Louisiana College women earned all-tournament honors following LC's win in the ASC Tournament finals.
Tillisha Givens was named tournament MVP and was joined by Christy Pantallion and Voneshia Williams.

2010 American Southwest Conference
Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament
All-Tournament Team

Tillisha Givens , Louisiana College (Most Valuable Player)
Elaine Hobbs, Howard Payne
Jessica Kelly, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Kelsey Lindemuth, McMurry
Christy Pantallion, Louisiana College
Amanda Peters, McMurry
Voneshia Williams , Louisiana College

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