GO INDIANS!!!

I thought that I would include this since the McMurry Lady Indians are currently 18-0 and ranked #13 in the D3Hoops.com National Poll & #12 in the NCAA/WBCA poll (I have 8 of the 13 members of the team in my women's hall). This is going to be about as big as you can get in Division 3. McMurry plays Hardin Simmons tonight-Both schools are located in Abiline. McMurry Indians....Hardin Simmons Cowboys. This has all the feel of Ohio State/Michigan or Red Wings/Avalanche from the late 90's. Both schools are having great seasons and we already hated each other before there was something to play for.


HSU, McM duel for more than pride
By Jason Weddle / Reporter-News Staff Writer
January 30, 2006

Rivalries are always a little extra heated when more than just pride is on the line.

That'll be the case tonight at Hardin-Simmons' Mabee Complex, when the McMurry and HSU basketball programs turn the page on yet another chapter of their crosstown series.



Both the men's and women's games will be full of playoff implications.

McMurry will take the court with the edge in the standings in both the men's and women's games, meaning Hardin-Simmons will technically have more to play for in each matchup. But that's not to say these games aren't important for the Indians.

The No. 13 McMurry women need a win to keep their dream season alive. The Lady Indians are a perfect 18-0 on the season with a 15-0 American Southwest Conference record that includes a 73-65 win over the Cowgirls on Dec. 12.

Since that meeting, the No. 20 Cowgirls have regrouped to go 10-1, including their current nine-game winning streak, and now sit at 15-2 (13-2). A win would put HSU just a game behind McMurry for the division lead, while a Cowgirl loss would tie the team with third-place Howard Payne in the loss column.

The teams come into the game as the first and second-place teams in the ASC West. Both teams have clinched postseason berths in the top-heavy women's side of the ASC West standings, but the game is still important for seeding purposes.

Six regular season games will remain for each team following tonight's game, and HSU currently sits seven games ahead of fourth-place Concordia.

An interesting storyline to spice the game up is the return of Maigen Sawyer to the Mabee Complex. Sawyer, a deadly outside shooter, transferred to McMurry from Hardin-Simmons after last season.

Sonya West, the Cowgirls' leading rebounder and double-digit scorer, is a former McMurry player. She scored 11 points and grabbed just two rebounds in her return to Kimbrell Arena.

The men's game will follow the women's, and the stakes are just as high, if not higher.

The Hardin-Simmons men enter the game in fourth place - the last spot in the standings for a playoff berth - with a 9-6 record in conference play. The Cowboys have a two-game lead on Sul Ross State thanks to their current three-game winning streak.

The Cowboys were outscored 126-104 in their Dec. 12 loss at McMurry, and a win would go a long way to solidify their hold on the final postseason spot.

McMurry has rebounded from a two-game losing streak earlier in the month with a four-game winning streak it will put on the line tonight.

The Indians are tied with Mary Hardin-Baylor for second place in the ASC West. A win would keep McMurry within striking distance of first-place Howard Payne, while a loss would drop the Indians to within a game of Hardin-Simmons for fourth place.

On the court, the men's game will be the battle of the Jean brothers, as HSU's Mardochee and McMurry's Dan, a Hardin-Simmons transfer, will battle in the post.

Mardochee Jean plays a much larger role for his team, but both are looking forward to their time together on the court.

Tipoff for the women's game is slated for 5:30 p.m. with the men's game following at 7:30 p.m. from Hardin-Simmons.

DETAILS

Hardin-Simmons vs. McMurry


What: College basketball

Where: Hardin-Simmons

When: Women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.

Women's records: HSU 15-2, 13-2; McMurry 18-0, 15-0

Men's records: HSU 10-8, 9-6; McMurry 12-6, 11-4

Radio: KAGT 90.5 FM