Looking Back On The Bulldogs' Season
March 22, 2007 | Women's Basketball
The 2006-2007 Gardner-Webb women's basketball team will be remembered as a team that faced many challenges, competed against the best competition in the country and overcame multiple obstacles en route to a fourth-place regular season finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
A closer look at the squad revealed a team that was stacked with talent at the outset of the season only to face season-ending injuries to two starters and the sixth man before the first game. Rising sophomores Jessica Bryant and Laura Povilonyte, who each earned All-Atlantic Sun Freshmen Team honors after the 2005-2006 year, were hurt before the first game, resulting in medical redshirt seasons for the duo. Fellow sophomore Katie Sanderson, who was slated to fill a large role coming off the bench, was also hurt. The injury sustained by Sanderson was not only season-ending, but also career-ending.
As a squad that was picked to finish second in the league by the conference's coaches and had a legitimate shot at advancing to the NCAA Tournament after reaching the finals of the conference tournament the previous year Gardner-Webb looked suspect before the season-opener.
However, head coach Rick Reeves filled the holes that were left with the talented freshman class and made sure the so-called role players knew they would have ample opportunity to shine while playing extended minutes during the 2006-07 season. Combine that with senior leadership that was provided by shot block extraordinaire Brittany Harmon, preseason all-conference selection Shameka Smith and defensive-minded Novia Sturdivant, who stepped up her game during her last year of eligibility, and the Bulldogs were not as down and out as others first thought.
Reflecting on the season, Smith etched her name in nearly every statistical category for GWU, nearly averaging a double-double for her career. Smith is the only player in school history to notch at least 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. Harmon, who became the first student-athlete in school history to be named Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, broke every school record for blocks while also pulling down more defensive rebounds during her senior season than anyone else in school history. Although she was known for her defensive effort, Harmon also took some of the burden and double teams off of Smith by scoring in double figures on nine occasions, including a career-high 19 points in the first victory over Lipscomb.
After dropping the A-Sun opener at Campbell by three points, GWU looked for revenge as it faced the Lady Camels on senior night, and Sturdivant, a former walk-on who received a scholarship, knocked down just about everything as she notched a career-high 19 points in the Bulldogs' win. Sturdivant, who earned the starting nod for seven of the first eight games, regained her starting spot for the final 12 games of the season. She ended her career as a consistent threat from behind the arc to go along with her defensive quickness, giving Reeves a solid all-around player.
Others would also step up along the way, such as redshirt-junior Candyse Kelly who bumped up her scoring average from 9.3 points per game during the 2005-06 year to 12.3 last season. Part of her increased production came in big situations. In the quarterfinals of the A-Sun tournament, Kelly's 18 points were not only a game-high, but they came during a key juncture in the contest. Her fast start enabled the Bulldogs to build a lead they would never relinquish. Kelly could not only be counted on to make the big shot, but also find the open person. She dished out a school-record tying 92 assists on the year.
Fellow third-year player LaToya Carter, who missed the 2005-06 season due to an injury, also earned more playing time during the year. Looking to mix things up in the second game against Stetson in hopes of getting a win, Reeves inserted Carter into the starting line-up. The move paid off brilliantly as Carter came out on fire, posting a double-double in the first half with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She finished the game with career highs in both categories, helping GWU get the victory.
No matter what game it was, the Bulldogs always had someone step up when it was needed. The great thing about the team was that every student-athlete shone bright in at least one game. However, without the total team concept and assistance from each player, GWU would not have been able to overcome the injuries and turn the season into one of the best, if not the best, since moving to Division I.
The Bulldogs came together and held the opposition to a school-record 58.2 points per contest. Part of that was due to Harmon's school-record 83 blocks, but solid rebounding and quick hands also played a large part in the team's success.
Although the Bulldogs lost their season-opening game to Wofford, rookie Brittany Boyce's game gave fans a glimpse of something major to come. In her first collegiate contest, Boyce tied the school record with seven thefts.
Freshman Margaret Roundtree stepped up in a win over South Carolina State. Roundtree grabbed 15 defensive rebounds. Her first double-double came in the victory over Longwood. Roundtree would go on to score in double figures three times - all resulting in wins.
In the Lehigh game, first-year player Jenny Sprouse netted a career-best 14 points, helping the team stay within striking distance. Three games later, Sprouse would net nine points, all of which were on three-pointers in the win over UNF. Her second three gave GWU the lead for good in a low-scoring affair, and her third triple put the Bulldogs up by six, which was the largest lead of the game.
Facing their second consecutive conference loss, the defense was huge and newcomer Meranda Burnett had a game that will be in GWU lore for years to come. At Mercer, Burnett did not score a point in the game, but recorded one steal and one turnover. Early on, Burnett started to find her teammates for easy buckets, dishing out a career-high and school-record tying eight assists. Burnett's stellar game, along with a stout defensive effort by the team, held the Bears to an A-Sun record eight points in the first half and a GWU-low 28 points in the contest.
The Bulldogs lost to Stetson and Belmont before responding with three consecutive wins, all of which were on GWU's home court. The team established a school record with 15 blocks in the seven-point victory over Lipscomb before exacting revenge on Jacksonville with an 11-point win. The Bulldogs finished the home stand with a three-point win over the Ospreys.
The three wins kick-started a six-game home winning streak for Reeves' team, helping the squad to a school-record mark in Paul Porter Arena of 10-2.
GWU tore through the second half of the A-Sun slate, going 6-3 after posting a 4-5 mark in the first half of the season in the league. The record got a boost from more home games and from playing No. 1 Maryland nearly even in the second half in the team's first game at the Junkanoo Jam Tournament, which was held in the Bahamas.
Reeves, arguably doing his best coaching job since arriving at GWU with a squad hampered by pre-season injuries, helped the team garner a 10-8 mark in the A-Sun. The 14 wins were the second-best effort by a Bulldog team since moving to Division I. The 13th victory secured the fourth seed for the conference tournament, forcing a rematch with Campbell in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The game turned out to be an easy win for the Bulldogs, as they were able to rest everyone appropriately and allowed the team to see the non-starters play valuable minutes.
The following day the squad, which routed Campbell by 20 points in the A-Sun quarterfinals, fell to No. 1 seed Belmont by nine. In a game that GWU fell down by double figures early, the team never gave up, coming back and making the Bruins earn a hard fought victory and ending the Bulldogs' hopes for a return trip to the A-Sun finals.
However, the GWU Bulldogs excelled past the expectations that others had for them at the start of the season to amass a stellar season in the eyes of the Bulldog faithful.
Although GWU lost three exceptionally talented players in
seniors Harmon, Smith and Sturdivant, the future looks even
brighter for Reeves' team. As the move to the Big South draws near,
the Bulldogs will attempt to take a bite out of the other teams in
the A-Sun next year and not only reach the title game for the
second time, but also win it and leave the league in style - with
the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.
