Impossible to ignore

Why the 2013-2014 women’s basketball season will never be forgotten

For NCAC Coach of the Year, Stacey Ungashick-Lobdell, her troop of assistants and her 16 players, the 2013-2014 women’s basketball season was one to remember.

The Lady Bishops finished 12-4 in the NCAC, going 18-9 overall by riding an 8 game win streak at the end of the season that started Jan. 29 and ended Feb. 25.

Ungashick-Lobdell said the team’s non-conference schedule difficulty helped prepare them for a tough season.

“St. Lawrence University, Emmanuel College, and Calvin College were all receiving votes for the top 25 preseason. I really just think that playing those games set the bar for the level we wanted to play on.”

The team’s finest win happened Feb. 22 against conference powerhouse DePauw University. The team won 65-64, a result of their two rebound advantage on the boards and 54 percent shooting from the field.

The win snapped DePauw’s 58 game winning streak and 77 game regular season win streak. Also, the two-time defending NCAC champs’ 55 game conference winning streak was erased.

Senior Tamra Londot said she will remember the DePauw win for the rest of her life.

“Words can’t even describe the feeling after beating DePauw! I couldn’t have asked for a better senior day” Landot said. “We had a really great week of practices leading up to it and our confidence level was right where it needed to be. We never let down the momentum the entire game and we left everything on the court. It was by far the best memory while playing at OWU.”

Junior Sarah McQuade and junior LaNiece McRae earned second team all-NCAC laurels at the seasons end. McQuade ranked third in the conference in assist, while McRae ranked second in blocks.

McRae also led her team in points with 10.3 per game, and in rebounds, 7.4 per game. She said her coaches have attributed tremendously to her growth as a player.

“In practice they demand my teammates and I to use moves that we aren’t usually comfortable with. This added to the moves we could successfully use during games,” she said. “The coaches also continued to remind us how much better we could be if we didn’t settle with where we were at, no matter how many ‘good games’ we had.”

Ungashick-Lobdell said this season is a tribute to her players’ and assistant coaches’ hard work.

“I think going from winning nine games our first year, eight games our second season and 18 now definitely shows all the work we’ve been putting in is paying off,” she said.

“We’re at a place now where we expect to win which was an obstacle for two years. Believing in each other and knowing how to make each other better is how a team grows into reaching their potential every season.”