Box Score
BIRMINGHAM,Ala.- You can tryyour hardest to carry the load all by yourself, but eventually you’ll needsomeone’s help.
That isprecisely what Southern junior guard Rolanda Monroe did. She carried the loadagainst Alcorn State for the entire game, but none of her teammates stepped upto the plate to assist her.
Previously,when these two teams played Feb. 26, senior forward Tnonealyer Powers lastminute jumper got the Braves the 57-55 win over the Jags.
But this timethe deficit was not as close.
The No. 3seed and last year’s Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champions, Southern(15-15) lost in the SWAC Tournament championship game against the No. 1 seedAlcorn State (21-8) 47-56 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Complex Center ArenaSaturday evening.
In thefirst half, Southern’s lack of intensity as a whole caused them to trail 11 pointsbehind Alcorn by halftime. While her teammates slacked, Monroe concentrated andkept a rhythm of her own as she scored 15 out of the 18 points the Jags scoredin first half.
“Ro did allof the work,” said Southern head coach Sandy Pugh. “While the other girls satback and watched.”
Southernhad no answer for the outside shooting of Lady Braves freshman guard TanikaNunez as she went 2-of-2 in 3-point shots. Rasaan Powell dominated the inside shooting4-of-5 from the field in the first half. Nunez finished with 12 points and Powellwith 15.
“They weren’tdoing anything fantastic out there,” said Pugh. “We just played bad defensivelybecause we just didn’t come out there and play.”
Alcorn shot41.4 percent from the field while keeping the Jags at a terrible shotingpercentage of 24.1 during the first half.”
“Ourshooting was just horrible,” said Pugh
In thesecond half the Jags didn’t improve their game. Monroe came out with intensity but this time she could not transferit to her teammates.
“The girlslacked energy and strength, ” said Pugh. ”They just let Ro do it all.”
Monroe ledSouthern in both shooting and rebounds. She shot 12-of-25 from the field andtotaled a game-high 32 points, with six rebounds. The Braves focused solely onMonroe, as they used different double teams to shield her from shooting.
“She is notthe SWAC Most Valuable Player of the Year for no reason,” said Alcorn Statehead coach Shirley Walker. “We had to defend her, because she is the bestplayer in the league.”
Alcorn wasvery aggressive towards Monroe while they neglected putting pressure on the restof the Jags.
”They were very conscious in slowing Rodown and let the other girls do what they wanted to do,” said Pugh. “Unfortunatelythe other girls didn’t do anything at all.”
Despite thepressure, Monroe found a way to escape the defense and take shots. However, herlone shots weren’t enough to bring Southern another championship.
“I went outthere and gave my best, but it just wasn’t enough,” said Monroe.
The Jagsdid not help Monroe carry the pressure of Alcorn’s defense at all. Theyneglected the fact that there is no “I” in “Team.”
“We didn’tplay very well as a team. Ro single handedly toted us all year,” said Pugh. “Isaid beforehand that ‘we were going to go as far as Rolanda could take us,’ butif she has to get 50 points for us to win we’re in trouble and if you look atthe score we needed 50. But she did a hell of a good job trying.”
Monroe is adynamic player whom possesses strength and leadership.
“She is astrong player and a leader both on and off the court,” said Pugh. “She is justgreat, great, great all the way around.”
Southern isnow preparing for next year’s season.
“We lostthis year but we have to keep our heads high and start over,” said Pugh. “OverallI am proud with the girls effort this season. However, it is time to preparefor next year. We have to give Ro some help and get bigger and better. Andguess what…we will be back!”
