Heading into Wednesday’s quarterfinal game between West Texas A&M and Texas Woman’s, the only similarities seemed to be the team’s maroon and white uniforms.
For West Texas A&M, the Lady Buffs had won three straight LSC Championships here in Bartlesville, winning nine straight games at Bruin Fieldhouse.
Meanwhile, TWU had never won here, losing its only game back in 2009.
So for Pioneers head coach Beth Jillson, it was rather simple. And she addressed her team before the game with a story her players would understand.
“She told us it was like David vs. Goliath,” TWU senior Kayla Weaver said. “She told us we were David and they were Goliath. (West Texas A&M) had never lost up here and we had never won.”
Not only that, but West Texas A&M soundly beat TWU back in December, 80-45.
But that story, along with the rest of Jillson’s pre-game message must have worked. The Pioneers were able to upset the Lady Buffs, 57-56, sending West Texas A&M back to Canyon early for the first time.
“When we talked about David vs. Goliath – what I liked about that story is that David saw Goliath in a different light,” Jillson said. “He didn’t see the size. He saw the opportunity. We talked about this being a great opportunity for us.”
More than just beating West Texas A&M, the win was a huge step for the Pioneers overall. Wednesday’s upset gave the TWU a school-record 20th victory this season, improving to 20-10. It should also improve their regional ranking from 10th, especially with the Lady Buffs at No. 7.
“We’ve never had a 20-win season before,” Jillson said. “This is really special for us. But this is where we are. We hope to be like Goliath one day. But right now, this is what we are and I thought that really helped our team focus on the right things.”
Despite the 35-point loss to WT three months earlier, the Pioneers players seemed confident they could make the big turnaround.
“Knowing we had to play them, that helped us,” said Weaver, who had eight points and eight rebounds. “Even though they have a tradition of winning this tournament every year, I really don’t think we were scared of them.”
Of course, it certainly wasn’t an easy win as the Pioneers needed two go-ahead baskets from junior guard Jessica Hanna in the final two minutes. Hanna broke a 52-52 tie with a clutch 3-pointer with 1:40 to play. She then gave TWU a one-point lead with her eventual go-ahead layup with 17 seconds left.
“It was a set play,” Hanna recalled. “I was supposed to come off a screen. If I could take her off the dribble and was open, I could shoot. It was whatever I felt more comfortable with and I felt more comfortable driving.”
But Hanna’s basket didn’t give the Pioneers the win just yet. On the defensive end was where they showed another example of team basketball.
With WT’s Jamie Simmons, the recently-named LSC South Offensive Player of the Year getting the ball in the block, TWU swarmed Simmons with two defenders and shaded another player as well. The pressure clearly got to Simmons, who dribbled the ball off her own foot and out of bounds for the turnover.
Now that TWU has advanced with its milestone win, the Pioneers don’t seem too interested in settling.
“While we’re here, we might as well keep winning,” Hanna said.