RICHMOND, Va. — It was a historic year for Mississippi University for Women men’s basketball, tying a single-season record for wins with 11 and reaching the postseason for the first time in program history.
However, at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 championships in Richmond, Virginia, the Owls struggled.
The W, a No. 6 seed coming in, had a tough draw off the jump in No. 3 seed The Apprentice School in the quarterfinals on Monday, losing 73-67.
Things weren’t much easier in the consolation game against Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse, in which The W came up short in a season-ending 84-58 loss on Tuesday.
“We can’t thank seniors Milos (Zeradjanin), Shon (Wright), and ‘Q’ (Quintiyus Causey) enough for their sacrifices, heart, and work in moving the needle, and they’ve left the jersey better than they found it, which is our mission for every player in our program,” Owls head coach Dean Burrows said on Tuesday. “They’ll always be a part of our family here and have a home with us no matter where their journeys take them. I can’t wait to celebrate with them again when they receive their degrees and when they come back to speak knowledge to the next groups of Owls over the years.”
Monday’s tournament opener saw The W (11-15) get off to a hot start, taking a 27-14 lead with 11:10 left to play in the first half.
The Owls were red-hot from the 3-point arc, shooting 5-of-7 during that stretch, but the Builders (21-7) quickly climbed back in the game and led at the half, 39-38. Over the final 11:10 of the half, the Owls shot 4-of-15 (26.7 percent).
The second half, despite the Owls leading 40-39 for a brief point, was all Apprentice School as The W was clawing back and playing from behind to keep the game close.
The loss sent the Owls to the consolation bracket, taking on the Bobcats at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
“After a three-week layoff our guys came out and we were doing and getting things we wanted,” Burrows said on Monday. “For some reason, we got selfish and wanted to do our own thing on too many possessions. We outrebounded a much taller and athletic team by 17.”
Tuesday morning fared much worse than Monday, with The W falling behind early, trailing 47-29 at halftime en route to a 26-point loss to Bryant & Stratton.
Junior Brye Hopkins was the story on Monday for MUW, posting a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double while shooting 7-of-12 from the floor. He finished with seven points and five rebounds in Tuesday’s loss.
Wright, coming off an eight-point, eight-rebound performance against the Builders, had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double on Tuesday.
Junior Andrew Shepherd shot 6-of-12 from beyond the arc during postseason play, averaging 11.0 PPG over the two games.
The Owls finished the season tied for the single-season record in wins and will now prepare for the jump to Division III.
“Those who we return and also bring in will be the first to have the opportunity to represent Owls men’s basketball as an NCAA Division III program next fall and have the opportunity right away to compete for a SLIAC Championship, as well as a bid to the NCAA Tournament,” Burrows said.
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