LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – This had already been a very successful season for the SUNO Lady Knights. They boasted the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player and Co-Coach of the Year and a lineup featuring three All-GCAC performers. However, SUNO wasn't close to satisfied with the individual accolades that the team had earned. The brass ring of a conference championship and a berth in the NAIA tournament still were within reach. The Lady Knights stormed through the first two rounds of the GCAC tournament, defeating Dillard and Talladega by an average of 27.5 points. All that was standing in their way was the Tougaloo Lady Bulldogs.
Early on, it looked like another SUNO cakewalk as GCAC Player of the Year April Perry scored 22 first half points in leading the Lady Knights to a 44-29 halftime lead. SUNO extended the lead to 17 early in the second half before a combination of poor offense and a Tougaloo squad that refused to go away turned a rout into a tense back and forth contest down the stretch. However, SUNO was able to convert Lady Bulldog turnovers into transition baskets to hold on for a 74-71 win.
"We didn't make it easy on ourselves at all," said Coach Elston King. "Tougaloo gave us all that we could handle and then some. That's a quality ball club. But when we really needed to, these ladies dug down deep and made the plays that it took for us to get the win. I'm proud of them, the whole SUNO family is proud of them, and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to coach at least one more game with this team. This is a very special group. They have sacrificed so much to get to this point."
April Perry, also named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, was overcome by the moment. "All you can say is 'We did it.' When the game got tight, we just kept fighting and believing in each other. To be able to climb up that ladder and cut down the net and bring a championship to SUNO when no one gave us a chance is something that we'll never forget. They can't ever take this away from us. And now we get to compete for a national championship. It's just a great feeling."
The NAIA National Tournament begins March 13th in Frankfort, KY.
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