Primetime for women to make run at first

[MeanGreen61]

Primetime for women to make run at first

by Jesse GomeBlake Abbe

Staff Writerz

January 26, 2006

With conference excitement in full swing, the Mean Green women’s basketball team finds itself right in the middle of a title race.

Currently, the ladies of the hardwood floor are only a game back of the division lead. The time to move for this team is now. NT has a five-game home stretch starting today against the women of Troy at 5 p.m.

“It is a positive to be at home, and this stretch will definitely define the season for sure,” coach Tina Slinker said. “We have to take it one game at a time, but if we are still after the goals that we set initially this will tell us where we are.”

Right now, the Mean Green (13-5, 3-3 Sun Belt) holds the fate of this season in its hands. NT will play Sun Belt West Division leader Louisiana-Lafayette (14-4, 4-2) as part of this crucial homestand. Even though the team has dropped its first two conference home games, Slinker said that all it takes is one good game for a team to get rolling.

“I think that when good teams are struggling it only takes one good game to start feeling good about yourself,” she said. “That’s what Arkansas State did. They were struggling and now they have won their last three games. Hopefully we can have that same situation.”

To do so, the Mean Green will need to take initiative and get better in certain aspects of the game. One aspect in particular is from the 3-point line. In their last game against Arkansas State, NT shot an atrocious nine percent from beyond the arc.

“I think after the Arkansas State game the team all knew that we need to just get in the gym and shoot,” senior guard Erika Bobo said. “We just need to get back to where we were on the winning streak when everyone was shooting the ball well. Mainly just get our confidence back.”

In the Sun Belt East, the Florida International Golden Panthers (12-6, 5-1) are currently in first. This is the same Golden Panther team that the Mean Green almost beat in a 65-68 loss. Right behind FIU is Middle Tennessee (11-7, 4-1), who is only one game back. The Mean Green will also play the Blue Raiders on Feb. 8, in the last of the important five games ahead of them.