What a season from the Lady Panthers this year. The future looks really bright for Greenville University’s Women’s Basketball team. It will be tough losing some seniors, but as a group, this team has the potential to be great in years to come! Unfortunately, the 2019-2020 season came to an end on February 28th.
The Greenville Lady Panthers took on Webster University in the SLIAC semifinal game. The crowd was electric and the atmosphere was high-energy. Webster had home-court advantage, as they were able to host the tournament this year because of winning the regular season title. The Greenville community definitely showed up to support their Lady Panthers on Friday Night!
The Lady Panthers started the game with a lot of momentum, as it seemed they were very excited for this battle against Webster. The Panthers started the game by scoring the first six points. The Panthers would eventually take the lead 11-4 in the early stages of the game. Towards the end of the first quarter, turnovers really hurt the team. As time expired in the first quarter, Webster was able to take the lead on a three-pointer as time expired, leaving Webster ahead by one at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Panthers kept the game close throughout the first half of action. Lauren Eagleson came up clutch with a three-pointer to tie the game up at 27. Webster would eventually go on a run at the end the first half, and they went into the locker rooms leading the Panthers 33-27 at halftime.
The Lady Panthers came out strong to start the second half of action. GU cut the lead down to 41-40 midway through the third quarter. Webster would regain their composure and stretch their lead to 56-46 at the end of the third quarter.
In the final quarter of regulation, the action picked up. Greenville came out very strong to start the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, in the first three minutes! The Lady Panthers had multiple opportunities to cut the lead into single digits, but turnovers would cost Greenville throughout the quarter. The final score of the game ended at 78-63 with Webster advancing to the SLAIC Championship Game Saturday Night against Spalding University, and winning the Championship to punch a ticket to the Division III NCAA Tournament.
Freshman Madelyn Stephen ended as Greenville’s leading scorer during the game, putting up 19 points and going 8 of 12 from the field. SLIAC Newcomer of the Year Emily Reinneck would also help out with 12 points in the game. Senior Brittany Lopez recorded a team-high seven assists during the game.
The Panthers lead the SLIAC in conference tournament appearances. With plenty of potential from this team, the Greenville community will expect big things from these ladies in the next upcoming years. They faced adversity throughout the season, due to top players being injured, and were still able to make the conference tournament once again. The Lady Panthers wrap up their 2019-2020 season with a 16-10 record!
