Another victory. What a great close to the regular season. And what a great regular season. The women have seen the U.S., from coast to coast. Seeing the sights in the NJ/NY area certainly has got to beat a trip to, say, Vermillion. (Not that there's anything wrong with the town.) The Jacks have learned they not only can compete with teams from bigger states, they can beat them.
The coach indicated in post-game comments that he's not certain the Jacks will be invited to the WNIT. He's hopeful, however. Only 17 teams will get at-large bids. Regardless, he's proud of the team and season. 23-5 is very fine, indeed. Now the team is heading for some sight-seeing at Times Square.
NEWARK, N.J. - Playing beyond the shadows of Manhattan's overwhelming skyline Saturday afternoon, South Dakota State was Off Broadway and, sometimes, just plain off.
But considering the contest at New Jersey Tech was the Jackrabbits' regular-season finale, performing perfectly didn't count for nearly as much as earning a victory.
So how about it Coach Aaron Johnston, did your team clinch one of 17 available at-large WNIT bids by earning a 12th straight win - a 72-47 decision before a crowd of 351 - and closing its third season at the NCAA Division I level with a mark of 23-5?
"I don't know, I really don't have any idea," he said. "We talked about it afterward: This could very well be the last game we play. If you look at the criteria the WNIT puts out there, we stack up very well with other teams. I'm not going to say we're better than every team, but if you look at the criteria, it's hard to say we wouldn't get a shot."
When it left the Fleisher Athletic Center floor, SDSU didn't look like a team that had played its final game. But then, at times Saturday, it didn't look like a team ranked 32th in the national composite rankings, either. . . . (read more)
Hey,
Keep up the links from the local papers! We, out of region Jack Backers love to see the local (and national, like ESPN USA Today articles) write-ups and interviews. Thanks
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