By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – All season long, the William Carey University women have been talking about doing something special.
And now they have that opportunity after being selected as one of 64 teams that will compete in the 2024 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championships.
The Crusaders are on their way to Campbellsville, Ky., where they will battle Williams Baptist (Ark.) at 4 p.m. Friday in the first round of the Campbellsville Regional of the national tournament.
The winner will face either Governor’s State (Ill.) or host Campbellsville at 2 p.m. Saturday in the second round. Carey is seeded eighth in the 16-team Duer Quadrant of the tournament. Second-round winners advance to the NAIA National Championships at Sioux City, Iowa.
“I’m really excited and proud of my team,” said freshman forward Shaneal Corpuz. “We came together and worked together well this year. I’m excited and ready to play.”
WCU (21-4), ranked 25th in the final NAIA regular-season coaches poll, earned an at-large bid to the national tournament despite bowing out in the opening round of the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament to Brewton-Parker on Feb. 29.
However, the fact that the Crusaders finished tied for first place in the SSAC regular-season standings (Loyola, La., won the title on a tiebreaker) gave their resume some heft when it came time to select at-large bids.
“All of the numbers added up for us,” said longtime head coach Tracy English. “We thought we’d be a 7-seed, so all (the loss) did was drop us from a 7 to an 8. I think we’re right about where we expected to be.”
In their opening-round loss in the SSAC Tournament, the Crusaders fell behind early against Brewton-Parker, trailing by 17 points at halftime, and never recovered, dropping a 56-45 decision.
“It was definitely a punch in the stomach to lose that last game,” said senior guard Lauren Rowley. “But I think we’re getting back in rhythm in practice, and I think it will help us be more eager at nationals.”
Before the SSAC Tournament defeat, Carey had won 14 straight games.
“We just need to play our game,” said junior guard Rose Warren. “When we do what we’re good at, which is defend and rebound, we win. We need to pick them up in transition and guard the ball at all times.”
Warren transferred to William Carey from Southern Miss this season, and one reason was a change to play meaningful games in March. Warren averages 11.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game for the Crusaders.
“We won the regular season (last year) at USM, and it was fun, a great experience,” said Warren. “When I came here, I knew we had the pieces to win. So, I’m looking forward to getting back out and playing. I hope we can make a good run.
“My teammates are extremely inclusive. They welcomed me with open arms, and I’ve just really enjoyed my time here.”
This is Carey’s fourth appearance in the women’s national tournament, but the first since 2006.
“It means a lot to me,” said Rowley, who averages 11.9 points per game, second on the team. “Being here the last five years and making friendships with everybody that I’ve played with means a lot. And ending conference with a loss, it will be good to get back out and play again.”
Corpuz leads WCU in scoring, with 14.4 points, and rebounding, with 7.7 rebounds per game. Six-foot junior Kolton Blakeney averages 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, giving the Crusaders a distinct edge in the paint.
“I don’t think their post play will be as strong as ours,” said Corpuz. “I think we can dominate in the post when we play them.”
That will be a big factor against Williams Baptist (24-6), which is making its first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Eagles rank fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 85.2 points per game.
By contrast, Carey is 11th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 56.1 points per game.
“They’re very athletic,” said English of Williams Baptist. “Their leading scorer is like a 4-man, but she steps out and shoots the 3 a lot, and they’ve got a pretty good little point guard.
“I think we match up well with them. They’re not a great defensive team, because they like to get the ball and go. They don’t care if you score or not; they just want to get it up the floor and take the quickest shot they can get, and hope you do the same thing.”
WBU, located in Walnut Ridge in northeastern Arkansas, is led by junior Kaylee Clark, a 5-11 forward who averages 19.8 points per game, and juniors Carmen and Charmen Taylor, twin guards who average 18.1 and 13.7 points per game.
The Eagles played their way into the national field by advancing to the championship game of the American Midwest Conference Tournament, losing to Columbia (Mo.).
“We’ve seen them play already, so we’re already starting to prepare for them,” said English. “I think we’ll be able to score in the post, and I think our post payers will give them some problems.
“Maddie (sophomore forward Madelyn Ladner) will give them some problems, because she hangs around the basket a lot, and they tend to not help everywhere, so she can get rid of her man and get to the basket.”
A win on Friday would more than likely put Carey into a showdown with 26-1 Campbellsville, the third ranked team in the country.
“Of course, we’d love to play them, because that means we’ve advanced,” said English. “But we’d welcome the challenge.”
While Campbellsville is a perennial player in the national tournament, making its 32nd appearance in the tournament field, this is also the first time for Governors State (23-6), which finished second in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season.
By the time the Crusaders take the court on Friday, it will have been more than two weeks since their last game, which begs the question, will the layoff result in rest or rust?
“We’ll call it rest,” said Rowley. “I think (the layoff) will be good for us. Coach English always says that if we play the best that we can play, we’ll be fine. And I think we will be.”
Also in the NAIA National Tournament field are two SSAC rivals that earned automatic bids, Loyola (La.), which won both the regular season and tournament championships, and Mobile (Ala.), which was runner-up in the tournament.
Mobile (26-6) in also in the Duer Quadrant in the tournament bracket, seeded 11th,, and will face No. 6 Bryan (Tenn.) in the Cumberlands Regional at Williamsburg, Ky.
Loyola (24-4) is sixth-seeded in the Cramer Quadrant and is hosting its regional at New Orleans. The Wolfpack will battle Southeastern (Fla.) in the opening round.
“It would be a dream come true to go to the big arena (for the national championships),” said Corpuz. “Just playing with these girls and being in this situation; you couldn’t ask for a better team.”
Friday’s game will be livestreamed on the Campbellsville YouTube page, which can be accessed at campbellsvilletigers.com.
NAIA National Tournament
Campbellsville Regional
First Round Schedule
Friday
4 p.m. – William Carey (21-4) vs. Williams Baptist, Ark. (24-6); 6 p.m. – Campbellsville, Ky. (26-1) vs. Governors State, Ill. (23-6).
Second Round Schedule
Saturday
2 p.m. – WCU-WBU winner vs. Campbellsville-Governors St. winner.
Photos courtesy of gowcucrusaders.com
