MORGANTOWN. W.Va. — Glenville State was the last Division II women’s basketball team to lose a game this season. Fortunately for the Pioneers, they haven’t lost since and they have qualified for the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in 15 years. GSU will face West Texas A&M in the national quarterfinals Monday at 1 p.m. in Birmingham, Alabama.
Glenville State, under the direction of Parkersburg South High School alumna Kim Stephens, suffered their only loss of the season in the Mountain East Conference Tournament title game to the University of Charleston. Stephens says the 80-77 setback in Wheeling may have been well-timed.
“Losing it not always a bad thing. You never want to lose a championship game. I don’t recommend it. It is not a good feeling,” Stephens said. “But it maybe was the best thing for our team because we were definitely hungry and we were mad. We were playing with a little extra fire and a little extra passion.”
Despite the loss, GSU earned the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Regional tournament. After wins over Lincoln and Shepherd, the Pioneers (32-1) defeated Charleston in the regional final, 89-58 to clinch a spot in the national tourney.
“You couldn’t have written a better Disney movie than we get to play Charleston again on our home floor after they beat us in Wheeling two years in a row. Our girls were ready for that one. It was a special night in a special arena. The gym was packed and it was an amazing atmosphere. I was happy we could get that one and it was well deserved.”
Glenville State employs the nation’s highest-scoring offense that averages 96.1 points per game. The No. 23 Buffaloes from West Texas A&M (26-10) yield just 60.6 points per game. They claimed Lone Star Conference and South Central Regional Championships.
“The scout is different. Every team in the region, our region is not super big. Let me tell you, Texas is big. So their league is a big league. They play double post. And sometimes we go a week or two weeks without facing one post in our league. It is going to be definitely an interesting matchup on both ends. I am sure their coach wasn’t super-thrilled when he opened our film. I wasn’t super-thrilled when I opened their film.
“It is going to be different. It is going to be a clash between big and slow — not slow girls, but a slow pace of basketball compared to what we do. It will be an interesting game. We are going to have to have multiple people step up and guard post players that have never guarded post players in their careers. We are going to try to set the pace and make it look like our practice.”
Despite being ranked as the nation’s top team for the final month and a half of the regular season, the Pioneers are seeded third in the Elite Eight.
“I think they were shocked to see that. I was a little bit shocked to see that. I was not expecting a No. 3 seed, definitely a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. I don’t hate being a No. 3 seed. I am fine with that. We have had a big target on our back all year long so it is kind of nice to slip back into somewhat of an underdog role. It makes our job as coaches a little bit easier to motivate them.”
Although the Pioneers have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of Stephens’ six seasons as head coach, this will be GSU’s first appearance in the Elite Eight since 2007.
“Every time I sense them being nervous I just tell them, ‘Every piece of nerves you have, use it on defense. Use your anxiety, use your energy right now on defense. Really get out there on defense and eventually, you will calm down’. They usually nod their heads a whole lot when I say that because it is usually what they need to hear.”
Stephens anticipates a strong following of Pioneer fans will make the journey to Alabama.
“It is a ten-hour bus trip and our band is coming, Our cheerleaders are coming. I know several are coming in groups of people. I anticipate like always that we will have the better crowd even though we are all the way down here in Alabama. That is just something that makes Glenville State women’s basketball special is that people love to travel and love to follow us.”
All quarterfinal games will be broadcast at NCAA.com.