February 4, 2000

Lady Tigers Lose Heartbreaker for the Battle of the Ravine

by David Worlock,

HSU Sports Information Director

ARKADELPHIA- Regina Koonce’s three-point play with 14.8 seconds left capped a furious comeback and gave the Henderson State University Lady Reddies a stunning 70-69 victory over the 22nd ranked Ouachita Baptist University Lady Tigers Thursday night at the Wells Center.

With the loss, OBU which is ranked second in the South Central Region poll, fell to 14-4 overall. The Lady Reddies snapped a seven game losing streak and improved to 6-12. It is Henderson’s third win over the Lady Tigers in the past four meetings.

The Lady Lady Tigers, who downed HSU 75-69 in December at OBU’s Vining Arena, appeared to be on their way to a season sweep as they held a 65-56 lead with just over two minutes left in the game. Linda Lyle, the lone senior for HSU, hit a three-pointer, but freshman Jennifer Privitt made a short jumper for Ouachita to make it 67-49. The Lady Tigers missed tow free throws and Lyle made another three pointer to draw the Lady Reddies to within five.

After forcing a miss, the Lady Reddies raced down the court and Koonce was fouled with 1:35 to play. The junior from Ft. Smith made both fouled shots to make it 67-64. After an OBU turnover, Mandy Hill missed a jumper and Jamie Scheppmann grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She made both foul shots with 1:04 to play, but Koonce knocked in a three-pointer just six seconds later to make it 69-67. OBU worked the shot clock down, and Scheppmann missed a shot. But Jeannie Kennedy grabbed the offensive rebound for the Lady Tigers and was fouled. Kennedy, however, missed both free throws with 28.2 seconds left.

Koonce got the ball at the top of the key, dribbled down the middle of the lane, and made a left-handed lay-up while drawing a foul. She then capped a record-setting free throw performance by the Lady Reddies by hitting the bonus. It was HSU’s 19th made free throw in 19 attempts, setting a Gulf South Conference record for most made foul shots without a miss.

The Lady Tigers advanced the ball down the court, and a lob pass inside was caught by Tracy McBryde. McBryde drew some contact as she shot, but a foul was not called. Koonce grabbed the rebound and held the ball for the final three seconds.

The Lady Tigers grabbed an early 12-6 lead, but a 9-0 run gave HSU its first lead of the game, 15-12. Ouachita however, recovered to take a 35-29 lead at halftime. OBU then grabbed a 45-35 lead early in the second half, as Scheppmann started to heat up. The senior transfer from Louisiana Tech hit a long jumper and two three-pointers to give Ouachita its double-digit advantage. But the Lady Reddies answered with a 10-1 run to get to within 46-45, and a little while later, Laura Culpepper scored while drawing a foul to tie the game at 50.

OBU responded by scoring the next 10 points. Kennedy scored from inside to break the tie, and Scheppmann reeled off eight straight points for a 60-50 lead. Shortly thereafter, the Lady Reddies started their improbable comeback.

Scheppmann made 11 of 24 field goals to finish with 31 points. She also had six rebounds, five assists, four steals and a pair of blocks. Kennedy had 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while McBryde finished with nine points and four rebounds. Vivi Dees had six points, while Robyn Anders had four points and five assists, and Privitt finished with four points and four assists.

The Lady Tigers will be at home on Saturday to face Harding at OBU’s Bill Vining Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. wit the men’s game set to begin at 2 p.m.

Koonce had 17 points, six rebounds and four steals for Henderson, while Laura Beth Clements had 17 points and seven rebounds. Lyle finished with 12 points and three boards, Culpepper had nine points and four rebounds. Mandy Hill had seven points, and Rachel Keeton had a game-high 11 rebounds. Arkadelphia native Mandy Rook dished out four assists.

The Lady Reddies return to action tomorrow as they face Mississippi University for Women at 2 p.m. at the Wells Center.

Box Scores for this Game