Above: The women’s basketball team celebrates their trophy March 20 after winning the 2012 NAIA Division I basketball national championship against Union University. The win marks OCU’s sixth title for women’s basketball. Photo: Submitted
By Farris Willingham, Editor-in-Chief
The women’s basketball team triumphed March 20 in the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics’ Division I championship tournament.
The Stars crushed Union University, 69-48, in Frankfort, Ky., earning them the No. 1 title in the NAIA for the sixth time. They won the national championship in 1988 and each season from 1999-2002.
The women completed their season 35-1, winning 21 consecutive games. They experienced their only loss to Lubbock University on Jan. 12.
It’s a big accomplishment to endure 32 teams and come out on top, said Coach Rob Edmisson.
“I’ve been very impressed with our kids’ ability to stay focused,” he said. “I’m just happy to see the journey our kids have gone on this season.”
The Stars started the contest with a 9-0 lead, to which Senior Guard Taylor Booze contributed two 3-pointers.
Union’s team was unable to score during most of the game’s first five minutes, turning over the ball four times and missing five shots.
The competition heightened after Union’s first score, and they kept pace with the Stars through most of the first half. It concluded 34-24.
“Despite their best efforts, the No. 2-ranked Lady Bulldogs never found enough of a spark to combat OCU’s scoring,” read news9.com.
The great thing about the women’s basketball team is the balance, Edmisson said.
“I think you’ve seen that in this tournament,” he said. “On any given night, in our three games, we’ve had a different leading scorer.
“We have had four or five kids who average almost double figures.”
Booze led the game with 20 points and was named the tournament’s Most Valued Player.
The feeling of winning the national title is ineffable, Senior Guard Emily Davis said.
“It’s one of the happiest moments of all of our lives,” she said. “I’ve been in two final fours and one elite eight, so getting to go to that championship game was a dream come true.”
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