BOULDER, Colo. — Jackie McFarland scored 22 points and Brittany Spears added 17, guiding Colorado to its eighth straight win. Bianca Smith came off the bench to score 12, including three 3-pointers. Aija Putnina had six points and Susie Powers dished out seven assists, for the Buffaloes (9-2), who are in the top 25 for the first time in three years. Southern Utah (2-9) lost its 30th straight road contest, including seven straight this season. The Thunderbirds haven’t won on the road since a win over St. Mary’s on Dec. 10, 2005.
STILLWATER, Okla. — Danielle Green scored a season-high 22 points, Andrea Riley added 19 points and No. 24 Oklahoma State beat Oral Roberts for its 22nd straight nonconference home win. The Cowgirls (11-1) used a late fi rsthalf run to build a 16-point halftime lead despite a slow start by Riley, and led by double figures throughout the second half. Riley, the Big 12’s leading scorer with 20.6-point average, scored only one point and was 0-for-6 from the field before hitting a pair of 3-pointers shortly after halftime to keep the Cowgirls comfortably ahead. Oral Roberts cut it to 54-44 when Jenny Hardin capped a run of six straight points midway through the second half, but Oklahoma State responded immediately with a 15-5 surge to put the game away. Maria Cordero’s three-point play with 6:26 remaining gave Oklahoma State a 69-49 cushion. The Golden Eagles (7-5), the defending champions of the newly renamed Summit League, got steady production inside from the tandem of Janae Voelker and Hardin. Voelker scored a career-best 23 points before fouling out with 2:52 left, and Hardin had 17 points and nine rebounds. The Golden Eagles have lost three straight games. Cordero finished with 15 points. Oklahoma State pulled away with a 19-3 run before the close of the first half, building a 44-26 edge when Kristin Hernandez weaved her way into the lane and converted a layup. Mariana Camargo ended a 5-minute field goal drought for Oral Roberts with a layup at the halftime buzzer.
Megan Vogel capped an outstanding career as a Jackrabbit by leading SDSU to the Women's NIT quarterfinals a season ago. The two-time first team All-Independant selection led the Jackrabbits in scoring with a 17.5 ppg average and stepped up her game to average 18.6 ppg in the WNIT. Vogel ended her collegiate career second on the all-time SDSU scoring list with 1,850 points and ranks third in three-pointers and fifth in rebounds. She is the all-time school leader with 492 free throws made. Vogel received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, was a semifinalist for NCAA Woman of the Year and was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American team. In April, Vogel was selected by the Washington Mystics with the 19th overall pick in the WNBA draft, though she never played and was waived by the organization in May. Currently, Vogel is back in Brookings and is a graduate assistant to SDSU women's basketball head coach Aaron Johnston. College Women's Coach
Chad Lavin, South Dakota Basketball
After 26 seasons and 425 career wins as a head coach, Chad Lavin has encountered his share of challenges. Yet, it was Lavin's work last season that earned him the distinction as the College Women's Coach of the Year, as voted by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association. Lavin guided the Coyote women to a 22-9 record last season, including a berth in the Division II national playoffs. Despite a first-round defeat to Concordia-St. Paul, USD recorded just its sixth 20-win season in school history - five of which have come under Lavin's guidance. "We just had a huge influx of talent last year. The biggest difference was that we were able to combine five transfer kids with three returners," said Lavin, who is retiring after this season. "Sometimes that doesn't always mix well, but that says a lot about our group that we were able to do so," he said. "I've seen teams not mesh at all in similar situations." Perhaps the biggest credit to Lavin's coaching abilities is the way the Coyotes were able to turn the tides last season, after a 2005-2006 campaign in which USD posted a 15-13 record. "In fairness to the team before, they lost a lot of close games," said Lavin, referring to the three 2-point losses and one 1-point defeat that season. As the Coyotes (10-1) approach the midway point of this season, Lavin said he still has yet to focus on his impending retirement. However, as he joked, he'll plenty of time for that after this season. "For me, I don't really get much further than planning for the next game," he said before a team practice last week. "It isn't something I dwell on too much. I don't think any coach would dwell on that; there's too much going on and the season is too important." College Women's Team
South Dakota State Basketball
The South Dakota State University women's basketball team reached unprecedented heights a season ago, posting a 25-6 overall record and obtaining a berth in the NCAA Women's National Invitational Tournament. After beginning the year 11-5, the Jackrabbits reeled off 14 straight victories and reached the quarterfinals of the WNIT. SDSU defeated Illinois State and Indiana at home in its first two WNIT games, but fell to eventual-champion Wyoming in Laramie on March 25. The Jackrabbits went 16-1 at home on the floor of Frost Arena and went 10-4 on the road, posting road wins over such schools as Kansas, Missouri, Alabama and Minnesota. SDSU's postseason victory over Indiana drew a record crowd of 6,053 at Frost Arena. Senior Megan Vogel (17.5 ppg) was named to the Division I All-Independant first team, while sophomore Jennifer Warkenthien (9.7 ppg) was selected to the second team. SDSU posted a .431 percent field goal percentage on the season while holding opponents to .366 percent. On the academic side, seven Jackrabbit student-athletes were honored individually on the DI Independent All-Academic team.
David Nurse scored a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead host Western Illinois in a victory over Kennesaw State. David Jackson added 16 points, Jerryck Owens-Murray had 13 and David DuBois chipped in 10 for the Leathernecks (4-7). Shuan Stegall scored 14 points for the Owls (2-8).
NOTICE: Since I'm a Valpo Fan and Valpo is moving on to the Horizon League next season, I'm looking for some fan of one of the remaining (or new) Summit schools to take over this blog. If you are interested, email me.
I'm a retired Software Engineer with Boeing, a supply preacher with the Central States Synod of the ELCA, a White Sox fan (first), a Cardinals fan (second), and a Valparaiso University Basketball fan.
