HOT SPRINGS — The drama was worth the drive.
It might be sexist, but men can’t compete any more fiercely than the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and Middle Tennessee women did Tuesday in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
For 45 minutes, they went at it, exactly as you would want from two teams playing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Scripted for the four-minute media timeout in the first half, the plug for the first two rounds of the NCAA women’s tournament at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock seemed so right at the time.
At that moment, UALR led Middle 35-17 and the P.A. man proclaimed, “The road to the final four starts in Little Rock.”
My assumption that UALR was home free was premature, same as the release of some confetti with 95 seconds to play in regulation and the score tied at 61. The two teams finished up the 40 minutes tied at 63 and UALR prevailed 71-70 in overtime.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Ranked in the top 30 this week, Middle Tennessee still figures to get an invite to the NCAA. For UALR, it was all or nothing.
Not only did UALR’s victory reverberate 50 miles northeast to the box office, it kept alive the possibility that UALR could face the Arkansas Razorbacks. That little detail is up to the NCAA committee and if ticket sales are indeed a factor, the committee can make it happen.
UALR figures to be a double-digit seed, maybe a No. 12 or 13. A 12 plays a No. 5 and the UA, which tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference, should be a No. 5 or No. 6.
For most of the second half, the back and forth was ripe with important plays and you wondered which team was going to give in first. Neither did.
At one point, the teams traded baskets; at another point, they traded misses.
Twice in overtime, Middle Tennessee led by three. At 68-65, UALR’s Taylor Ford missed twice, potentially a turning point. But, Kortni Jones short-armed one from in close and Ford drove all the way to the basket.
Trailing 70-67, Ford made two free throws and the P.A. guy took advantage of a timeout to remind us that one team would get a reserved ticket to the dance. “Who’s it gonna be?” he asked.
Both teams missed chances and UALR coach Joe Foley called time with 28.8 seconds to play, 18 seconds on the shot clock.
Common wisdom said throw it inside to the wide Marian Kursh or let jump shooter Taylor Gault take a crack from outside like she did when she tied it at the end of regulation. The ball went to Kursh, but it was Ford who made the game winner from in close with nine seconds to play.
In October 2010, when UALR announced that it would host the first two rounds of the 2012 tournament, coach Joe Foley joked about how he could guarantee that his team would be in the tournament.
“We might ought to redshirt the three seniors,” said Foley, referring to Chastity Reed, Shanika Butler, and Asriel Rolfe, all of them instrumental in the Trojans receiving their first NCAA at-large bid in the spring of 2010. They’re gone, but Foley is still around and it might be that he is a big reason UALR is in the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year.
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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.