Game notes
Travel plans may have changed, but the Kentucky Wesleyan women's basketball team's focus has not.
The Panthers moved their departure for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament in Cedarville, Ohio, up a day to avoid potential winter weather in the Owensboro area. With a first-round matchup against Ursuline looing at 4 p.m. on Thursday, KWC doesn't plan to let any snow or ice derail its plans.
"We're keeping it the same as we have all year," co-head coach Caleb Nieman said. "We have a young team, so we've just been focusing on growing every day and getting better. It's the same process."
KWC (18-8) will begin its quest for a second straight conference tournament championship against an Ursuline squad (8-20) that it defeated twice during the regular season — 84-57 on Jan. 5 and 73-58 on Jan. 31 — with the winner advancing to face Trevecca Nazarene in the semifinals on Friday.
After closing the regular season with four straight double-digit victories over conference opponents, as well as the season the Panthers have put together, Nieman said he doesn't expect confidence to be an issue.
"That hasn't been a problem for us," he said. "We haven't focused on results as much as we're focused on just getting better. This team has grown throughout the year, and they've taken pride in that. We have one senior (Jordanne Gambill), and she's been a great leader for us. That'll be important. She's been to NCAA Tournaments, she's won different championships — her leadership will be important."
Gambill leads the Panthers in scoring at 13.3 points per game on 44 percent shooting and a team-best 39 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore Jennifer Walker-Crawford adds 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per matchup, as the Panthers also feature eight sophomores and one junior that helped KWC capture the G-MAC Tournament championship last season.
"That experience will pay huge dividends," Nieman said.
In order for the Panthers to be successful once again, he added, they will need to continue the defensive prowess they've shown all season.
As a team, KWC limits its opponents to 64.7 points per game on 38 percent shooting. The Panthers also excel on the glass, hauling in 42 rebounds per game while holding opponents to just 35 boards per contest.
"I feel like we're a really good defensive team, so we have to keep our focus there," Nieman said. "That's something that can be consistent for us every possession. I feel we're one of the best defensive teams in the conference. And rebounding — we're undersized, but we rebound very well. If we focus on those areas, we think we'll be successful."
Nieman said he also expects team chemistry to play a big role.
"They're really stuck together throughout the whole year," he said. "This is probably one of our best teams as far as team chemistry and working together every year. We're just really proud of this team, they've been a lot of fun to work with."
