Northeastern State University

Randy Gipson, Head Coach

“It was a great challenge for us to play them in this game. We were just having trouble keeping up with the intensity level that ACU was playing with. They came out hard and played at a high level and executed. Finally, in the second half we found the same gear that they were playing in. I’m proud of our team hanging in and playing tough. There were points where it may have gotten away from us but we finished strong.

“Cristy (Nitz) was a warrior coming down the stretch. Who knows what elements you face when you play in your hometown. Maybe you end up trying to hard. But her competitiveness got her through. Her focus at the end made a difference. She made a huge basket which was a tough shot.”

“We got killed giving up offensive boards, but we did better going down the stretch. We were finally able to get some stability towards the end. We finally got just enough and made some play offensively.

“We raised our intensity in the last three minutes. Then we were able to get back in the game. Our focus became on winning. We finally found some execution on defending and rebounding.”

“We have a competitive group. They play hard for each other. They don’t let each other get down. We finally relaxed in the huddle. I told Jasmine (Webb) we were coming to her and she responded and made some plays.”

Cristy Nitz
On game winning shot
“I have no clue how I got it off. It was a lucky shot. I saw the rim, but the defender had her hands in my face. I kind of just threw it up there. It just banked it in.”

“Not surprised at the way (ACU) played. It’s the postseason and everyone is hungry for the win.”

Jasmine Webb
“We had to cut turnovers down and mainly block out at halftime. We just had to keep focus. They had me scared, but I kept my intensity, but we caught a little spark and that helped us at the end.”

Abilene Christian

Head Coach Shawna Lavender:
“One of the things I told the girls was we have had a lot of crazy losses in the LSC tournament but I’ve never been more proud of a team,” said Lavender.  “We are extremely young, but fought tonight and stayed in the whole game.  We stayed in it until the end. “

“They continued to believe in each other,” said Lavender.  “We started off 0-5, but they didn’t need a lot of push. They instilled in each other a lot of confidence. We thought we had a chance to win any game no matter the opponent, as long as we executed the game plan and played hard for 40 minutes.”
“It’s hard to put into words what Autumn has done for this team,” said Lavender.  “She was our emotionally leader and spiritual leader.  It’s hard to replicate that kind of leadership, she’s the glue, heart and soul of our team on and off the floor.”

Kelsey Smith:
“Give credit to my teammates,” said Smith.  “We came out and executed our game plan.”

“Our coaches preached go to the boards,” said Smith. “We had a size advantage and it was a big part of our game plan tonight.”

Mack Lankford:
“I was frustrated with the first half, getting into foul trouble and not scoring much,” said Lankford.  “They told us the second half is a new 20 minutes.  I’m really proud of our girls, but there was nothing more we could do. We executed the game plan.”

“Every single game counts, every single second counts,” said Lankford.  “You give it your all, and that’s how you make it this far.”