Vanguard tops Bison to reach semis

JACKSON, Tenn. ? Vanguard University women’s basketball coach Russ Davis has talked often with his players about the 2002-03 squad that combined intangibles, desire and a few breaks into a formula that produced the program’s first NAIA Division I semifinalist.

And while this year’s top-seeded Lions have plenty of chemistry, Davis said their ability to do the little things is not among their strengths. Instead, this Vanguard unit’s most productive potion for victory usually comes down to a single ingredient: talent.

Such was the case Saturday, when the Lions missed their first 10 field-goal attempts, made just four of their first 17 and still managed to put away Oklahoma Baptist, 69-53, in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Division I championships at Oman Arena.

Junior star Kelly Schmidt, who shared the spotlight with junior Jessica Richter in Friday’s quarterfinal win, occupied center stage against the surprising Bison, who were the only team in the quarterfinals not ranked in the final top-25 coaches’ poll.

Schmidt, who missed her first five shots from the field, made 11 of her last 12, including her final 10, to produce a game-high 27 points.

“That looked like Kelly Schmidt out there,” Davis said with a laugh about Schmidt’s best of three tournament games. “I thought we left Kelly at home for a couple days.”

Schmidt also made all four free throws to achieve shooting perfection in the final 33:35 of the game.

The win gave Vanguard (31-1) its second trip to the semifinals in the last four years. It will meet Lubbock Christian (22-11), which upset No. 4-seeded Trevecca Nazarene, 62-51, in the quarterfinals. Lubbock Christian, ranked No. 21 in the final coaches’ poll, upset No. 15 Point Loma Nazarene in the first round and No. 6-ranked Houston Baptist in the second round.

“This team relies more on having two superstar players and a lot of good role players,” Davis said of the Lions. “We have two of the best three or four players in [NAIA Division I] and I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”

Richter, the other half of the Lions’ star system, was hardly invisible. She added 15 points, a team-high seven steals and a team-best six assists.

Richter set the tone for a sizzling second-half start by hitting a three-pointer to double the Lions’ 28-25 halftime lead.

Vanguard, in direct contrast to its shooting slump to open the game, went 6 for 6 from the field until its first miss with 12:34 left in the contest. By that time, the Lions were up, 42-33, and the Bison never seriously threatened again.

The Lions made 10 of their first 13 field-goal tries after the break and shot 65% in the final 20 minutes to finish at 46.2% for the game.

Oklahoma Baptist committed nine of its 22 turnovers in the opening 10 minutes, which prevented it from taking advantage of Vanguard’s slow start.

Bison Coach John McCullough said it was Vanguard’s defense that helped throw his team off.

“We weren’t as sharp with the basketball as we need to be against a really good team like Vanguard,” McCullough said. “And when you’re not, you pay for it. We’re about attacking and we didn’t do that. It was our offense. We didn’t execute well and a lot of it had to do with their defense. They really defended us.”

Defense wasn’t the only problem McCullough said his team had with the Lions.

“I think the difference between our two teams is that they have two go-to players,” McCullough said. “[Schmidt and Richter] stepped up and made some big plays early in the second half and that just kind of set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Like it did in the opening round, the Vanguard bench asserted itself Saturday.

Sophomore Lindsey Rinke came in for Schmidt when she lost a contact lens while being fouled. Rinke sank both of what would have been Schmidt’s foul shots and added a three-pointer and four rebounds before halftime to help the Lions steady themselves.

Sophomore reserve Melissa Cook collected a team-high seven rebounds for Vanguard.

“I think we’re playing OK, but we’re not playing our best basketball,” Davis said. “When I walked in the locker room after the game, I really sensed a lot of relief in our players. There’s a lot of pressure on these young girls. They’ve been No. 1 all year and we had a lot of people flying out today to watch them, assuming we would win. Those people don’t realize it’s tough to win games here.”

Junior Dilenny Castillo led four Bison in double figures with 15 points.