UWF Throttles Concordia-Selma on Senior Day

In its final game of the 2009-2010 regular season, the University of West Florida women’s basketball team defeated Concordia-Selma by a resounding score of 100-50.

The Argos 100 points is the most the team has scored in a game this season. The 50-point difference between the two teams is also the largest margin of victory UWF has achieved this season.

The UWF defense was nearly impenetrable in the first half. The team used its speed and quickness to force the Hornets to take bad shots and turn the ball over. Concordia-Selma shot just 16.7 percent from the field in the first half.

“We got out and contested their shooters pretty well,” said UWF Head Coach Shannan Bergen. “Defensively, we were trying some different things. Overall, I thought it was good.”

Offensively, UWF dominated every statistical category. The team shot 52.8 percent from the field, and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. The team also collected 30 assists in the game, displaying a level of teamwork that impressed Bergen.

“I think we shared the ball very well tonight,” Bergen said. “It is a tribute to the players I have on my team that no one is really selfish.”

This game also served as the final opportunity for six UWF seniors to play in front of the home crowd at the UWF Field House. Bergen had five seniors start the Senior Day game, and all of the seniors contributed to the team’s magnificent performance.

“To see the seniors go in and be successful is a great satisfaction,” Bergen said. “These seniors are truly special.”

Senior center Caitlin Salak, the tallest player on the team at 6 feet 4 inches, had her best game of the season with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block in 21 minutes of action.

Senior forward Jessie Ivey shot nothing but 3-pointers the entire game, hitting 3-of-6 from behind the arch, including two in a row that started a 14-0 run for the Argos in the first half. For the game, Ivey had nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and one steal.

Senior forward Jamie Freeman was named a starter for the first time this season, and she did not disappoint. With 13:25 left in the first half, Freeman demonstrated some nifty offensive post play with a slick spin-move to dodge a defender and make the basket.

 

She scored 10 points, collected six rebounds and blocked two shots.

Senior center Dominique Boykins capitalized on the several personal fouls committed against her by Concordia-Selma. Boykins shot 100 percent from the free-throw line, and totaled 11 points, three rebounds, one assist and two blocks.

In 30 minutes of action, senior guard Tiffany Williams served as a terrific facilitator of offense for her teammates. Williams dished out six assists to complement her eight points, four rebounds and one steal.

The statistical star of the game was senior guard Amy Drake, who in 31 minutes off the bench had a game-high 22 points, six rebounds, nine assists and six steals. Drake shot 73 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range.

Drake, who transferred to UWF from Division-I Winthrop University after her freshman season, recently became just the ninth player in UWF women’s basketball history to score 1,000 points. She also ranks third in program history for assists, and second for three-point field goals.

“Everything that I’ve done, I couldn’t have done without my teammates or my coaches,” Drake said. “Without them, nothing, including the 1,000 points, would have been possible.”

UWF will compete in the 2010 Gulf South Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2007. The tournament will begin Thursday, March 4, and will take place at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss.

Coach Bergen said she believes her team will be a “very dangerous third or fourth seed” in the tournament.

“Once the conference tournament starts, it is a whole new season,” Bergen said. “We’re anxious to get there and see what we can do.”

Drake said, “It doesn’t matter what seed we are. Hopefully, we can do something special.”