Who? The Cowgirls of McNeese State.
What? The McNeese campus was a former farm, so a cowboy seemed appropriate to them. Rowdy was named for a character on Rawhide.
Where? Lake Charles, Louisiana, the Festival Capital of Louisiana.
When? March 10th, at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
Why? They won the Southland Conference tournament.
How? It was a back and forth game, but McNeese held on to claim a 60-56 win over Stephen F. Austin. Caitlyn Baggett had 21 points, while Kendra Wells (9 points, 12 rebounds) and Martika Hull (8 points, 11 rebounds) barely missed double-doubles.
Surprise? Not as much as you'd expect. Though the Cowgirls had the second seed, they were the preseason favorites in their division. It did help that Nicholls State stunned top-seeded and hyped Central Arkansas in the quarterfinals.RPI (as of 3/9): 92
SOS (as of 3/9): 250
Record: 25-7 (13-3 Southland)
Good wins: Maybe UAB?
Bad losses: at Stephen F. Austin doesn't look as bad as it might have earlier, and they put up respectable fights against UCLA and Texas A&M.
Who's running this show? Brooks Donald Williams, since 2007; she started out at Southern Miss.
Extra, Extra! The American Press.
Wonder Twin powers activate! The Cowgirls are led in scoring by junior guards Ashlyn (15.8 ppg) and Caitlyn (14.0) Baggett; stats suggest that Ashlyn is more of a jump shooter, while Caitlyn penetrates to the basket more (three-point attempts versus free throw attempts). They rebound well for their size, with no starters taller than five-eleven, led by senior forward Kendra Wells with 10.2. Senior forward Martika Hull kills the offensive glass- over half of her rebounds are o-boards.