Dec. 9, 2004
Well, I think I left off a couple days before we played Rice. This situation was much like the Mississippi State game in that we played them last year and they had some of the same faces returning. We watched film and worked on guarding them in practice for a good two days and then it was finally game time. Rice had improved since we last played them but that was expected and so had we. It was a pretty physical game for the majority of the 40 minutes, people falling and getting bumped. It was good stuff! But it didn't really start that way. Normally an 11-1 deficit might worry some people, and its o.k. to admit that you were nervous, but we have made a habit of starting slow and making a dramatic comeback! But, I won't take anything from Rice because they are a very good team, in that they played well together as a team. They utilized their strengths in every way. So it remained a close game, trading baskets back and forth. Steffanie was very consistent for us inside and Emily was lighting them up on the outside. She came to the rescue during the last few minutes to spark enough of a run for us to get the win. So with that game came a little momentum to carry us into North Carolina for the weekend.
With classes coming to an end and things wrapping up, we really haven't had too much time to hang out after practice. Projects are due, tests to study for and all that other good stuff. A few of us managed to make it out to watch the guys play on Wednesday, though. Our guy's team has been pretty good about making it to all our home games. They sit right by the tunnel and at the end of the bench, just wanted to give them a little shout out and thanks for that.
We left for North Carolina from the Waco airport right after classes on Friday. This reminds me that I would also like to give a shout out to our administration for making that possible. We were initially supposed to fly commercial but as an alternative to missing class, we got to fly charter. THANK YOU to all who made that possible. We had a late practice that night and got up and down the floor a good couple of times, getting used to the different atmosphere, etc. East Carolina has very nice facilities might I add. After practice we watched a little film and then grabbed some dinner and hit the sack.
Jackson State was our first game and we got through it. It was pretty scrappy but we pulled out the win. That night we had a dinner to go to, sponsored by East Carolina. While we were waiting in the lobby downstairs, we decided to have a runway show! Chanelle was the media pretty much (she had the video camera) and Sophia was more or less the coordinator/ runway model. We got in little groups and did our best impression of a profession runway model; I mean the walk, the turns, and the emotionless face. It was good stuff! The dinner was a nice get together between teams, although it was short and to the point. We ate in the club level of the football stadium at East Carolina and actually got to watch the halftime show of a high school playoff game from up high. It was pretty interesting to see the band perform from a different angle like that. Then we went back to the hotel for a quick film session and then bedtime.
East Carolina had the home court advantage but I think I am glad we ended up playing them, just to get the feeling of a game-like atmosphere back. We had our fans in the Jackson State game but they really didn't have any and the gym wasn't really full, so there was that reality of the neutral court that I didn't like so much. It's fun when there are bands playing and fans cheering back and forth, even when you're the visiting team. It was a good game for the most part, I would say up until the end. We played and got what we came for - two victories. Sophia got all-tournament and Emily pulled through with the MVP award. We were so happy for her, we ran and attacked her on the court and started chanting her name. So with that we went out to eat and killed some time before our plane was ready. There was a Logan's Roadhouse that we passed every time we went to the gym and it was calling my name, so we ate there. It was very crowded that night so we were all split up into about groups of four. I don't know about everyone else but Chelsea, Abi, Chanelle and I were seated in the middle of someone's retirement party. It was kind of awkward but we cheered for him when he was toasted and pretended to belong there, so once again congrats to Louie for all his hard work!
So now we are back with two days off before we get on the grind with Penn State. Another good team that isn't ranked but probably should be. We played them last year as well, but were on the losing end of that matchup. They are coming off of a big win over North Carolina and looking to take down some more ranked opponents I'm sure. We are equally as motivated to get this win because we have goals to attain and we want to keep our ranking as well. We have all-Americans, they have all-Americans, the matchups are there and it should be a really good game! Make sure you come out to see it live, if not find a radio or get online, or something! It's too easy these days to get information not be a part of this goodness that is Baylor Lady Bear Basketball! There's nothing like playing in front of students, fans and parents (my mom is coming, I'm excited), its amazing what strength you have in numbers. With that said, let's pack the Ferrell Center! Hope to see you Saturday, if not, until the next time!
Chameka
