|
|
Sunday, March 18
Stiles down, but definitely not out
Associated Press
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Maybe whiplash. Possibly a slight
concussion.
Coach Cheryl Burnett wasn't sure which one technically caused
Jackie Stiles to miss the final 10 minutes of Southwest Missouri
State's first-round win over Toledo in the NCAA women's tournament.
It didn't matter on Sunday. Stiles practiced with the
fifth-seeded Lady Bears (26-5) and, barring a major setback, the
all-time leading scorer in women's college basketball will play on
Monday night against fourth-seeded Rutgers (23-7) in a second-round
game in the West Regional.
|  | | Jackie Stiles, who was hurt Saturday, expects to play against Rutgers. |
"Today, she was fine," Burnett said of Stiles. "When the team
was getting ready to leave she was still doing her shooting. I told
the coaches to please pick the basketballs up, so the bus could
leave and Jackie could be on the bus.
"She was mad, like usual, because she didn't get a chance to
shoot about a thousand shots. So I think she is well."
Stiles, who has scored in double figures in 88 straight games,
has been cleared to play by doctors, Burnett said.
There was some concern on Saturday night after the senior guard
ran into a midcourt pick set by Toledo forward Kahli Carter and
fell to the floor for about 20 seconds.
When Southwest Missouri's trainer and doctor asked Stiles where
she was, she replied:
"Toledo," Burnett recalled. "At least she had a little bit of
accuracy. But as I communicated with her a couple of times during
the game, she was hazy. Jackie has gotten hit a lot this year, in
different ways and at different times, but she was what we call
'loopy.' But I think it was whiplash rather than a
concussion-type hit."
Stiles, who was held to a season-low 13 points by Toledo, did
not attend the news conference on Sunday because of her injury,
Burnett said.
"Jackie is tough," senior forward Carly Deer said. "Like
people say, her leg could fall off before she would stop playing.
She would do anything to keep playing.
Southwest Missouri State is going to need Stiles and her
30-point average against Rutgers, one of the top defensive teams in
the country.
After the Lady Bears beat Toledo, they watched the Scarlet
Knights of the Big East Conference hold Stephen F. Austin to 12
first-half points in an 80-43 win.
"We were really impressed," said senior guard Tara Mitchem,
who had a career-high 40 points in picking up the slack for Stiles
on Saturday. "We know that is going to be a tough game,
but those are the games we love to play."
Rutgers plays an aggressive matchup zone on defense and a
patient offense. Point guard Tasha Pointer set an NCAA women's
tournament record with 18 assists on Saturday.
Southwest Missouri State presses on defense, a style that
usually results in baskets in transition. In the half court, the
Lady Bears have an outside presence with Stiles, Mitchem and Deer.
"It's not only Jackie Stiles," said forward Linda Miles, the
catalyst of Rutgers' defense. "It's Jackie Stiles and her
teammates. She takes a lot of attention away from her everyone else
but we know it's more than Jackie Stiles."
Rutgers has made the round of 16 the last three years, reaching
the Final Four last season. Southwest Missouri State has not
advanced past the second round of the NCAA tournament since 1993.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|  |
|
|
