By Malcolm Butler
RUSTON – With the season on the line in the waning seconds of Wednesday night’s WNIT third round game, Louisiana Tech head coach Brooke Stoehr looked at her team in the huddle during a timeout.
Leading by three points, she asked one simple question.
“We asked them in that last timeout, ‘Hey do you have one more stop in you?’,” said Stoehr. “And they said, ‘We got you coach. We got you.’ And they did.”
And they did.
Tech (18-15) got a strong second half on both ends of the floor, including the defensive possession of the night with the game on the line, to defeat Lindenwood 68-64 and advanced to the Great 8 of the WNIT.
Paris Bradley, the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, looked like a seasoned veteran during the Lions final possession. Guarding Lindenwood sharp-shooter Ellie Brueggemann, Bradley and her Tech teammates smothered the Lions defensively, ultimately forcing Brueggeman into an off-balance, contested 25-footer that was wide left with less than 10 seconds to play.
“We thought coming out of the time that they were going to either (Ellie) Brueggemann or (Brooke) Coffey,” said Stoehr. “Paris did a tremendous job on the close out. She stayed balanced and didn’t go for the shot fake. Forced a kick out. We closed on that and made (Brueggemann) take an off-balance shot there. I thought that possession summed up our defensive effort in the second half.”
It was an effort that the Lady Techsters (18-15) needed.
Trailing 37-27 at the half, Tech came out of the halftime lockerroom like a team that didn’t want its season to come to an end.
Bradley hit pair of three-pointers and Sydney Thomas added a third in the first four minutes of the third quarter as Tech trimmed a 39-27 deficit to 41-40, forcing a Lindenwood timeout with just over 6 minutes to play.
It was just a sign of things to come over the final 20 minutes that saw Tech outscore the Lions 41-27.
“We showed them a couple of clips at halftime and talked about our tempo and our spacing,” said Stoehr, who saw her team force tough shots throughout the opening 20 minutes while also committing 12 first half turnovers. “I thought our spacing was poor in the first half, and we just needed to get into a flow.
“We got Jordan Marshall on a quick cut to the rim (early in the third quarter), and I really think that opened up some things for us. Paris (Bradley) was able to start getting downhill and she is really, really difficult to guard with the ball in her hands.”
Bradley scored 15 of her game-high 24 points in the second half despite constant pressure by Lions guard Mykayla Cunnings.
While Tech began warming up on the offensive end, the Lady Techsters defense also clamped down on the Lindewood Princeton-style offense. The Lions shot just 11-of-37 from the field in the second half after 46 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
Freshman Isla Airey was one of the defensive catalysts for Tech, blocking a career-high seven shots, including five in a momentum-changing third quarter that saw the Lady Techsters outscore the Lions 24-11.
“We needed stops,” said Stoehr. “I didn’t like our defensive energy. Isla Airey with the (five) blocks in the third quarter ignited us defensively. It all started with a charge drawn by Sydney Thomas. And we just got stops. I think we gave up (only) 11 points in that third quarter, and that was the defensive effort we needed.”
Robyn Lee added 14 points while Jordan Marshall scored 12 points to go along with eight rebounds. Airey added a game-high 12 boards as Tech outrebounded the Lions 46-33.
“I just couldn’t be more proud,” said Stoehr. “I know we have talked a lot about that, but each of these moments that they are getting to experience in the postseason is huge. Not just for this year and continue to play moving forward, but for next year as well. I thought they rose to the challenge.”
Brueggemann led Lindenwood with 18 points while Coffee and Mya Skoff each scored 12 points.
Tech improved to 50-2 all-time in postseason games played in Ruston.
The Lady Techsters will now face the winner of Illinois State and Abilene Christian in the Great 8. Date, time and location will be determined following the game on Thursday night.
