Lady Ravens advance to national tournament
By Justin Bates
There wasn’t a dry eye among the AU women’s basketball team after their disheartening 80-75 loss to Thomas More on the Ravens’ home court Feb. 27. The Lady Ravens had advanced to the first round of the NCAA Div. III national basketball tournament but, unfortunately, no further. Despite the loss, the team completed the season with a conference championship and several new records.
Coach Marcie Taylor’s team exceeded all expectations during the 2001-02 basketball season. They won a school-record 21 games, their first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) regular season and post-season championships, and set or tied 26 school records. And for the first time in her 12 years at AU, Taylor was named HCAC Coach of the Year.
“It’s a nice honor, but I know that comes about because of the players,” Taylor said. “We had the pieces of the puzzle to accomplish that. Tim Hird [assistant coach] is a big part of that.”
Sophomore Angel Hall (Anderson, Ind.) was the Ravens’ top gun this season, averaging a school-record 23.5 points per game and breaking the previous record of 17.7 set by Kim Roberts in the 1982-83 season. Hall was named HCAC Most Valuable Player as well as the tournament MVP. She led the HCAC in assists and set five conference records during the season.
Hall also set school records in career and season 3-pointers made (117), career and season 3-pointers attempted (308), points in a season (657), field goals made in a season (211), free throws made and attempted in a season (118 of 138), free throw percentage in a season (.855), points in a game (38 twice) and 3-pointers made and attempted in a game (8 and 17). She led the nation in 3-pointers made per game (4.2) and was second in the nation in scoring average.
Hall transferred to AU from Indianapolis. “She’s a great team player and not out to earn individual awards. That’s evident in the fact she led us in assists. We asked a lot of her. Most games she played 40 minutes,” said Taylor.
Senior Rachel Miller (Anderson, Ind.) also had a record-breaking season and was named All-HCAC First Team for the second consecutive season. She set the career record in points (1,341) and rebounds (860), and broke Jackie Determan’s 20-year old season record of 280 rebounds. Miller finished with 323 caroms. Miller also set career records in field goals made (560) and tied Ardath Miller’s record of 96 games played. Miller recorded 20 double-doubles, including 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Thomas More.
“Rachel is the best four-year player to play here,” Taylor said. “She has grown immensely in four years.”
Freshman Monica Sands (South Whitley, Ind.) gave AU three double-figure scores during the year, adding 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Sands was named to the HCAC All-Freshmen Team.
Starting sophomore guards Katybeth Gordon (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Amy Davis (Frankton, Ind.) also had strong seasons. Gordon led the HCAC in assists and averaged 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists during the season. Davis chipped in 4.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, and was second along with Hall in assists in the HCAC. “We accomplished what we did because of the makeup of our players,” Taylor said. “We had a point guard [Davis], a great shooter [Hall], someone strong inside [Sands], a dominant rebounder [Miller] and Katybeth played great defense. You put that mix together and the depth off the bench — it’s a makeup we haven’t had before.”
Anderson clinched its first HCAC regular season title with an 83-72 win over Hanover in the season finale. The Ravens finished 12-2 in HCAC play with their only losses coming to NAIA Transylvania. At the end of the season, Hall and Miller were both named to the All-Great Lakes Region first-team.
In the HCAC tournament, Anderson got a bye in the first round before beating No. 5 seeded Mt. St. Joseph 75-58 in the semifinal round. They knocked off No. 3 Defiance 62-60 in the championship game when Hall hit a 12-footer at the buzzer.
