Women fall to A&M in final SWC game

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by Alex Chapman

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The women's basketball team was issued a rude farewell from the Southwest Conference from the eventual winners of the final Dr. Pepper SWC Classic, Texas A&M University.

The Aggies first obstacle en route to the title was Rice, and the result was a 91-63 victory for A&M.

From the start, A&M had the advantage.

"The difference between the two teams was shooting. It's just that simple," point guard Kim LaLonde said.

Indeed, the Aggies shot 60 percent from the floor in the first half and 56 percent for the game, while the Owls shot a mere 30 percent in the first half and 31 percent for the game. At the end of the first half, the Aggies had a 42-25 lead.

The strongest performances for the Owls were from guard Gina Cafagna, who had 14 points and nine rebounds; Jessica Garcia who scored 10 points; Tammy McCallum who had seven points and 10 rebounds (but made only one of seven shots from the floor); and Charonda Wilson, in her first game since her collarbone injury, who added four points and six assists.

Strong performances for Texas A&M were turned in by Lisa Branch, who went eight for 12 from the floor and scored 20 points to go with six assists; Lana Tucker, who scored 19 points and furnished five assists; Angel Spinks, who scored 15 points off the bench; and Melissa Rollerson, who scored 10 points to go with 13 rebounds.

Neither team had a significant edge in rebounding (43 apiece) or turnovers (Rice gave up the ball two more times).

In the end, it came down to the most fundamental aspect of the game, putting the ball through the hoop.

"We didn't do anything right. We weren't the team we've been all year," LaLonde said.

For the season, the team's leading scorers and rebounders were Jennifer Hamilton and McCallum, who averaged 10.7 points each and 4.5 rebounds and 7.6 rebounds, respectively. (Angelica Smith had better averages but was only able to play six games this season due to injuries.)

LaLonde led the team in minutes and assists and was the only player to start every game in a topsy-turvy season. The Owls finished with a record of 13 wins and 14 losses, 6-8 in their final SWC campaign.

Reflecting upon her senior season, LaLonde said, "We had hoped to do better. It was a very trying year, and a big reason was all the injuries we had. At one time, we had three guard spots and three guards and no subs."

The Owls are looking forward to their move to the Western Athletic Conference next season. "We can build on what we did and have a successful first season in the WAC."

This item appeared in the Sports section of the March 15, 1996 issue.

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