SCOREBOARD 1988 AIC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM POINTS Ark. Tech University .. . . . ... 14-2 Univ . of Ark. at Monticello . . 13-3 Southern Arkansas University . 11-5 Univ. of Central Arkansas . ... 10-6 Univ . of the Ozarks . ... ..... . 8-8 Henderson State University .. . 6- 10 Harding University . . . . . . . . .4-12 Arkansas College .... . . . ... .4-12 Ouachita Bapti st University . .. 2-14 Ever the optimist. Coach Phil Watkins inspires dedication , but will he promise to shave his moustache, as he has in the past? - photo by Bill Tripp. he Lady Bison Basketball team began to believe in themselves and s owed their confidence with inspiration play throughout the 1987-1988 season. "The girls' biggest accomplishment this year was their level of confidence. We felt capable of beating every team we faced," said Lady Bison coach Phil Watkins. Senior leadership played a major role in that confidence which was largely generated by co-captains Stephany Smith, a senior from Brookhaven, MS; Teri Loven, a senior from Clinton, AR; and Shawn Bradford, a senior from Bee Branch, AR; who all had outstanding seasons. These three girls excelled in all aspects of the game, but each had their own specialty. Smith led the team in rebounds and set several school rebounding records in the process. Loven proved to be the scoring machine, as she averaged more than 13 points a game. Bradford was the team's long range bomber, as she led the team in three-pointers and set a school record in the process. Regardless of these seniors' individual performances, it was their determination and leadership that will set the standard for the Lady Bison players in the future. When one considered that this was only the fourth year of the Lady Bisons' existence, they were more than holding their own. The Lady Bisons lost several games by three points or less, and played very well against nationally ranked teams, such as UA Monticello and Arkansas Tech. The girls overcame several injuries that badly hurt the team depth. Against several teams, Coach Watkins could only suit up nine players, which took its Women's Basketball toll in close games, especially if the starters got into foul trouble. "We are very optimistic concerning the progress we have amde this year. We increased our team scoring, averaging about five points more than last year, and improved our scoring defense by allowing ten points fewer than last year," said Coach Watkins. The Lady Bisons did not finish on top of the AIC. They didn't even have an impressive win-- loss record, but the Lady Bisons were extremely competitive and made giant strides toward success in the relatively young Lady Bison basketball program at Harding. Manager Lance Bailey said of the team, "The girls had a great season even though the record doesn't sound great. They won more games this year than ever before." - Stephen Dudley Women's basketball. Front row: Goodish, Hutchison , English , Bradford, Hoofman, Hastings, Grines, Butts. Back row: Davenport - assistant coach, Hunter, Loven, Roddy, Burch , Cragwall , Smith , Kirk, 1 g 0 . Bailey, Watkins - coach. - photo by Ken Bissell . Athletics Womens Basketbal I
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