The Lady Lions (2-4) took to their home court last night to play William Carey University (2-5). After a hard fought match, Head Coach Lori Davis Jones and her team deposited a second victory into their win column for the 2013-14 season. A final score of 81-59 is the booster the team needed to go on a nine-straight-game road trip, first making a stop in Estero, Fla. for the 2013-14 Gulf Coast Showcase.
“What it does is give us a little bit of confidence going in there, knowing that we can fight the fight if we need to,” Jones said.
Currently, the team is undefeated at home (2-0) but the season is in early bloom, as the team chemistry is still in early bloom. The first half proved to be a challenge with turnovers and a lack of energy on the court, but the Lady Lions eventually came together as a team and gained the lead after halftime. The score took a drastic turn going from a ten point trail at the end of the first half, to a ten point lead just four minutes into the second half. During a team time-out, Jones tried to amp up her team by encouraging them to be “smarter, sharper and more aggressive,” and though they received the victory, she still feels the team has work to be done if they plan to win a conference title. The Lady Lions won on luck and showing up to play in the second half, ironically with no halftime adjustments.
“We played very poorly, and there were no opportunities to make adjustments because we weren’t playing like we needed to play,” said Jones.
Senior forward Aja Gibson led the team with field goals, 6-14 overall, and 9-9 for free throws. Nana Pool, sophomore forward, was strong under the goal with offensive and defensive rebounds, collecting 15 overall. Other standout players contributing to the win were junior guard Symone Miller, who was 2-3 in 3 point field goals, and junior guard Annessa De La Cruz who helped the team gain the lead after halftime with a 3 point field goal. All players, respectively, keeping up their role on the court, which led the team to gain the lead after halftime.  

It was “us trying to decide to go kick somebody’s butt and make something happen,” Jones said of her team’s second half comeback. “It helps when you hit the first shot out of the half, it gives us some energy. We got some turnovers and we were able to capitalize, and we needed it. We needed to create those for ourselves as opposed to wait for them to evolve.”
Jones is proud of her team and their effort shown against the Lady Crusaders, because once they took control of the second half, the team created a collective energy to pull off a win.  
“I’m just trying to ignite a fire in my team,” said Jones. “There was zero energy out there and they were flat. We had to get it going somehow. Sometimes we just have to create that.”
The Lady Lions look to bring home wins for the holidays as they take on Middle Tennessee State University in the Gulf State Showcase Friday, Nov. 29 at 11 a.m. The match will be broadcast on KSLU 90.9 FM and LionVision. They will be on the road through January and return for a home contest against Incarnate Word Cardinals Thursday, January 9 at 5 p.m.