Lady Braves fall to Evansville
From Jenny Van Kirk ‘10…
Unfortunately the run has come to an abrupt halt. After we took a controlling lead into halftime (40-23), Evansville came storming back in the second half to send the game into overtime. At that point, they had all the momentum, and were unable to hold on to advance to the championship game.
The loss was definitely not the way we wanted to end our season, but all good things come to an end. We are all extremely disappointed, and still a bit in disbelief that this season is over. We do have a thread of hope that an at-large WNIT bid will have our name on it, but at this point it seems unlikely. Although the season did not end the way we anticipated or dreamed, it was a great success overall, and nothing can change that. I can guarantee that my teammates and I are hungry for more, and we will work as hard as possible this off-season to ensure that no one stops us next year.
The worst part about the end of the season is knowing that we will never play with the seniors again: Kelly Krumwiede, Monica Rogers, and Aseer Itiavkase. All three seniors were an instrumental part of our success this season, and we will greatly miss them both on and off the court.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who supported us this year. President Glasser, a.k.a. “Mighty Mouse,” was our biggest fan, and I cannot express how grateful we are to have her behind us 100%. She has served as a great inspiration to our team, and will continue to do so in the future. Our families and friends have also been amazing, as they traveled long distances to cheer for our team. Additionally, our coaches worked very hard this season, and deserve a great amount of credit for our 21 victories. Life as a Division I Women’s basketball player can be difficult, grueling, and exhausting, but we play for the love of the game and the opportunities the game we love provides us. The experience of the MVC conference tournament is one of the great opportunities we have, and I hope that through this journal, you were able to experience it along with us.