In just its third season in existence, the women’s wheelchair basketball team has proved it can compete against national powerhouses.
The team finished second in the National Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament as a No. 2 seed, losing a heartbreaker, 58-56, to the University of Alabama in the championship game.
The ’Hawks closed their regular season with two straight wins over the Crimson Tide on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, but fell short this time around. The ’Hawks finished 2-3 against the Crimson Tide this season.
“It was disappointing to miss the last shot and the free throws, but in the end I am happy,” sophomore Mareike Adermann said. “We didn’t shoot as [well] as we can and we collapsed too much on defense. I think we could have played better and deserved to win but with the performance we showed in the championship game, we couldn’t expect to win.”
The ’Hawks came into the tournament with high expectations, but knows they are steadily improving.
“Our expectations were to win the national championship, but I think that the team played well and considering our finish last year, which was sixth place, we improved a lot this year,” sophomore Becca Murray said. “Alabama is a good team and I think that we match up well with them. It’s always a tough game when we play [them].”
Adermann led the ’Hawks in the championship game with 21 points, while Desiree Miller contributed 18 points. Adermann was later honored first team All-American (NIWBT).
Murray, who led the team in scoring this season at 19.8 points per game, was held to 11 points. Murray was also later honored as player of the year in the women’s division.
After defeating the University of Illinois, 58-39, in the first round, things looked good. Murray and Adermann combined for 38 points in the win and the ’Hawks finished 7-1 against the Illini this season.
“We played Illinois many times this year and knew exactly what we had to do to beat them. We went out there and were ready to go,” Adermann said. “Not all of us shot well at all times but with good team work we were able to make it an easy win.”
Finishing their third season, the ’Hawks are pleased with a 15-4 record and a second place finish at nationals, and they know the future looks promising.
“I think it is amazing where the women’s program is after only three years, but there are many things that still need to be worked on, so we can really earn the championship,” Adermann said.
