Rambelles end season with NCAA tournament appearance
By: Jeffrey Achee, Contributing Writer
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Sports
The Rambelles basketball season came to a close on Friday, March 14, with a 69-44 loss to Washburn University in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional tournament in Canyon, TX.
With this loss, the 'Belles' record was brought to 23-9 for the season, including tournament play.
The 'Belles found themselves in a very familiar place with this loss as they were defeated in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament by the Lady Blues, 74-54.
Poor shooting in the first half hurt the 'Belles, as they shot only 25 percent from the field. Washburn shot 44.4 percent from the field, and out-rebounded ASU 24-10 on their way to a 33-16 lead going into halftime.
The 'Belles came out strong in the second half, as they outscored Washburn 10-4 in the first few minutes. However, this didn't get them close enough to the Lady Blues' lead. ASU's run in the first four minutes of the game got the Washburn lead down to 11 points, but that was as close as the 'Belles came in the second half.
"I thought we played all right," junior forward Miranda Damiano said of the game. "They were just really good."
The No. 24-ranked Lady Blues had three players in double figures and made 26 of 56 shots from the field in the win. They advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division II tournament.
Freshman guard Camille Perkins led the 'Belles in scoring with 17 points. Senior Kandra Lakey added 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Perkins ended the season with 506 points, an ASU freshman record and only the seventh 500-point season in the history of the program.
Lakey, a 3-time All-LSC south pick and who played her final game as a Rambelle, recorded 1,230 points and 655 rebounds during her career.
In doing so, she became the sixth player in ASU history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in her career.
The ''Belles have high hopes for next year and they believe that they can get further than just an NCAA tournament spot.
"We hope to have another 20-plus win season," junior center Nichelle Parks said of her goals for the team. "And get further than we did this year."
With this loss, the 'Belles' record was brought to 23-9 for the season, including tournament play.
The 'Belles found themselves in a very familiar place with this loss as they were defeated in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament by the Lady Blues, 74-54.
Poor shooting in the first half hurt the 'Belles, as they shot only 25 percent from the field. Washburn shot 44.4 percent from the field, and out-rebounded ASU 24-10 on their way to a 33-16 lead going into halftime.
The 'Belles came out strong in the second half, as they outscored Washburn 10-4 in the first few minutes. However, this didn't get them close enough to the Lady Blues' lead. ASU's run in the first four minutes of the game got the Washburn lead down to 11 points, but that was as close as the 'Belles came in the second half.
"I thought we played all right," junior forward Miranda Damiano said of the game. "They were just really good."
The No. 24-ranked Lady Blues had three players in double figures and made 26 of 56 shots from the field in the win. They advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division II tournament.
Freshman guard Camille Perkins led the 'Belles in scoring with 17 points. Senior Kandra Lakey added 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Perkins ended the season with 506 points, an ASU freshman record and only the seventh 500-point season in the history of the program.
Lakey, a 3-time All-LSC south pick and who played her final game as a Rambelle, recorded 1,230 points and 655 rebounds during her career.
In doing so, she became the sixth player in ASU history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in her career.
The ''Belles have high hopes for next year and they believe that they can get further than just an NCAA tournament spot.
"We hope to have another 20-plus win season," junior center Nichelle Parks said of her goals for the team. "And get further than we did this year."
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