Rally falls short for SMU
Mustangs tie game late, but fall to Notre Dame 75-62
Nicole Jacobsen, Associate Sports Editor, njacobse@smu.edu
Issue date: 3/22/08 Section: First Round Game
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It was clear from the first shot by senior post Janielle Dodds the seniors were ready to pour their hearts and souls into what wound up being the team's final game of the 2007-08 season, and final career game of five seniors.
Seniors Dodds, Katy Cobb, Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Sharee Shepherd, Katie Gross, and Brittany Barker stood on a court for their last game as a Mustangs before falling to nationally ranked Notre Dame.
"As I told our kids and especially our seniors, we should be very proud," said head coach Rhonda Rompola. "We, as coaches, are proud of what they've done and what they've accomplished."
Dodds broke another school record, reaching 110 blocks on her career after getting one block against Notre Dame to break her third-place tie with Katie Remke. Dodds previously established herself as the leading scorer and rebounder in SMU history against Tulane during conference play.
Sophomore guard Jillian Samuels set two SMU records in her first NCAA appearance. Samuels nailed four three-pointers, raising her season total to 72, and receiving the honor or draining the most shots from the long range in NCAA appearances for the Mustangs.
Recovering from a 17-point deficit with 9:24 remaining in the first half, the seniors, along with a large contribution from sophomores Brittany Gilliam and Delisha Wills, came back to within just four points of the Irish at the end of the first half.
SMU's rebounding took a toll on the Mustangs performance, as the team surrendered 26 rebounds opportunities, while collecting only two on offense, and eight on defense the entire first half. While the Mustangs out-shot the Irish 42.3 percent to 40.5 percent in field goals, the Irish's strong defensive front proved to be too much against go-to post player, Dodds.
"We got beat twice on the baseline because Dodds stood there and didn't move," said Rompola. "She is almost too careful on defense. Nevertheless, the Irish admitted to struggling against Dodds, and her strong presence at the post.
"Dodds is very good," said Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw. "She's a very difficult person to guard."
Notre Dame's Ashley Barlow posted 11 points in the first half, while Gilliam led the Mustangs with nine. Shepherd battled on both ends of the court, throwing her body onto the court on numerous occasions to salvage a missed pass or potential rebound, but came up short almost every time.
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