The Lady Rams started their playoff run off with a bang when they played Glenville State at the Charleston Civic Center on Thursday. Shepherd maintained the lead for the entire game, leading them to a 100-91 victory.
Head coach Jenna Eckleberry felt as though certain aspects of team play helped them achieve the win.
“It was a complete team win,” she said. “They showed so much poise and confidence against Glenville’s full court press. We played our game and didn’t let them get to us.”
Senior center Gabby Flinchum led the Rams to their win with 26 points and 10 rebounds
Senior guard Briana Vaden added an additional 25 points and had a game-high seven assists.
Senior guard Rachel Johnson also scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The team as a whole outshot the Pioneers in shots from the floor, three-point range, and free throws.
“I think we stayed disciplined and played great defense,” Eckleberry said. “We made the extra pass to get a better shot in the half court.”
The Lady Rams’ tournament run came to an end on Saturday, March 7 at the Charleston Civic Center when they fell to Notre Dame College with a final score of 75-65.
Shepherd trailed for the majority of the first half, but then managed to take the lead less than a minute before halftime.
Notre Dame opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take back the lead. Shepherd managed to narrow down the lead to three points, but the Falcons hit nine of 10 free throws in the last few minutes of the game.
Senior center Gabby Flinchum had a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds.
Senior guard Briana Vaden contributed 14 points.
Senior guard Rachel Johnson added nine points and five rebounds.
Shepherd connected on 38 percent of shots from the floor, 21 percent from beyond the arc, and 71 percent from the charity stripe.
After the tournament, Shepherd was announced as the seventh seed in the Atlantic Region and was selected for the upcoming NCAA II tournament. The Lady Rams, who sport a 21-9 record, will go up against the number two seed Indiana (PA), with a record of 25-3.
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