Check in each week as senior captain Whitney Ledger gives fans an inside look at the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux women's basketball program as they move through their second year of NCAA Division I transition and their first year of Great West Conference post-season eligibility.
Volume 9: Friday, Jan. 15
Hey guys!
Well, playing in South Dakota is always a fun time and last Saturday was no different. Their crowd is, for lack of a better word, very rowdy. We do not mind the heckling or the name calling though ... it is motivation and we love it.
I heard some expletives yelled at me during the game and I looked to where it was coming from on the sideline and there were two women (at least 70 years old) waving their hands and swearing. Now how can that not be funny? We get a kick out of it, but that is not to say we take the game remotely lightly.
It was a battle the whole way through because they are a tough team ... which is why Kayla may have gotten a little too excited when we were ahead by three with 2.7 seconds left in the game. She started celebrating a bit too early (along with the rest of us) and accidentally traveled giving South Dakota the ball in their half of the court with about 1.7 seconds left.
We pulled off the win and Kayla achieved a new record: two steals and one turnover in 2.7 seconds.
When coach walked in to talk to us after the game, he looked at Kayla and with a half-smile said, "You know ... in the game of basketball ... you can't carry the ball without dribbling. That is called a 'travel'."
At this, everyone started laughing, including Kayla to which she replied, "I could have sworn I was dribbling!"
It was altogether a very memorable experience and a perfect way for us seniors to finish our last game ever at the USD DakotaDome. We walked away with a win and the laughs that came with it.
I hope all of you will be able to trek through the storm this Saturday and make it to 'Meltdown at the Ralph' when we face South Dakota again. The Ralph is able to hold around 12,000 people and if we can fill up a fourth of it, we would really be thankful.
I think it will be fun to play there, but I just keep remembering last year when we played South Dakota at 'The Betty'. The gym was packed, our crowd was unbelievable, and the atmosphere in 'The Betty' during that game is one I will never forget. If we get close to replicating that at the Ralph, it would be awesome.
I hope everyone can make it!
Thanks for reading.
Whitney Ledger #3
- Go Sioux -
