Opening the NCAA Tournament last year against Baylor and All-American Brittney Griner has provided some perspective for No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M (17-15), when it meets the No. 1 seeded Huskies (29-4) on Saturday in Bridgeport, Conn., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The game can be viewed on ESPN2, beginning between 1:30 and 2 p.m.
“They had home court advantage. We were more nervous and uptight,” said junior Prairie View guard Latia Williams. “We weren’t relaxed. We didn’t come ready to play. This year I feel we’re more comfortable. We have freshmen and it’s their first time [in the tournament], but I tell them to relax and stay focused on coach’s game plan and we should do well.”
The Panthers hope their surge in the late part of the season, winning their last six games including three in the South West Athletic Conference, will give them some momentum in their fourth NCAA appearance.
“UConn is a very good team; everyone is human and has flaws in their game,” said head coach Toyelle Wilson. “My job as a coach is to find what UConn doesn’t do well and expose them. That’s what coaches’ jobs are.”
Prairie View is led by Williams, who averages 14 points per game and 8.1 rebounds, and guard Kiara Etienne, who averages 13.2 points, 3 rebounds per game. With a roster of just eight players, everyone on the team sees action.
Head coach Geno Auriemma said it is not difficult to know what the Huskies must do to advance in the NCAA tournament. If senior Tiffany Hayes ’12 (CLAS), who is expected to play despite a stress injury in her right foot, is struggling, it will be up to sophomore guard Bria Hartley ’14 (CLAS) to score, junior Kelly Faris ’13 (ED) to make plays, or Big East Rookie of the Year Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis ’15 (CLAS) to score.
“We’ve gone with a five guard lineup a lot because that’s our best five at times,” Auriemma said. “But if [center] Stefanie Dolson ’14 (CLAS) is not playing well, there’s not many places you can turn to get points. [Center] Kiah Stokes ’15 (CLAS) can score points. She is capable of doing a lot. I would think how well Kiah Stokes plays is probably going to determine how well we’re going to play in the tournament.”
Yet for both teams, the wait for play to begin has been a bit long, and the coaches and players are happy it’s over.
“Ideally it would have been great if we could have played a week ago on Saturday,” Auriemma said. “It would have been better for us. When you have a little bit of momentum going, you like to capitalize on it. Having to wait 10 days it’s hard to sustain that. You have to really rely on the fact that it’s the NCAA tournament. You almost treat it like a fresh start.”
Faris said, “We’re sitting around watching the guys play, starting to watch the women’s teams. We’re just all excited. We came off a good end to the tournament – it’s always good to start the last part of your season on a good note. We’re ready to go.”
Hayes, who began practicing again this week, said she is trying not to think about playing in her final NCAA tournament.
“It’s sad. I don’t want to leave yet,” she said. “There’s [potentially] six games, so you’ve got to take them one game at a time. If you don’t win one, you cut it short and you go home. We just have to play our hardest, so we do get at least six more games.”
Wilson, who played at Webster Bank Arena during her days competing for Manhattan, said she is telling her student-athletes to savor their time in the tournament.
“We’ve earned our way, just like the other 63 teams earned their spot in the tournament,” said Wilson. “We don’t have anything to lose. The big thing I’m telling them is you have to cherish the experience. These are moments you’re going to have for the rest of your life. There are some coaches and players who never get to the NCAA tournament.”
