College basketball: Lady Wranglers hope to give their best shot against Lady Chaps

In his hotel room a couple of hours before the Odessa College women's basketball team's shoot-a-round, head coach Ara Baten felt like the pressure was on the other team.

That would be Midland College, the Lady Wranglers' opponent in today's 2 p.m. NJCAA Region V Tournament semifinal game at Lubbock Christian University.

The Lady Chaparrals, after all, are ranked No. 5 in the country, 30-1 overall and have defeated Odessa College handedly twice. Odessa College (21-9 overall), on the other hand, has won five consecutive games, including a 71-59 quarterfinal victory over Hill College on Saturday.

"The team at this point that is most dangerous is the one where it is just playing," Baten said. ‘Now is the time to enjoy where you're at. Our team doesn't feel any pressure on us."

Already, the Lady Wranglers went on a late-season tear to earn the postseason spot, and Saturday's win marked Baten's first playoff victory in his two-year tenure.

Though it is not likely Baten ended up directing that shoot-around like a military drill, Odessa College will not take Midland College likely. The Lady Chaps defeated the Lady Wranglers 83-58 in Midland on Jan. 10 and 77-61 in Odessa on Feb. 9, their last loss.

The challenge against Midland College appears to be two-fold.

Baten said the Lady Chaps have remarkable depth.

"One through 13 or 14 or however many they have, they all contribute and I think that's part of what makes them so successful,' Baten said. ‘They wear teams down. Most teams just play seven or eight, but they can keep going."

Meanwhile, Midland College has size inside, beginning with its leading scorer, 6-foot-2 center Florencia Fernandez. In the most recent matchup, the Lady Wranglers struggled to defend her and fouledto keep up. Fernandez made them pay, knocking down 12-of-12 free-throw attempts and finishing with 20 points and eight rebounds, both game-highs.

"They're really fundamentally sound and have a big post game," Odessa College sophomore Diandra Marquez said. "We like to run the ball and haven't been able to develop a big post game. Midland has a big post game and they can shoot the ball really well. ... Against a big team, it's really all about help side defense. If the post gets frustrated, that will help us."

Odessa College will aid its cause today if it can get the type of play from its non-marquee scorers against Hill College. With leading scorer Priscilla Mbiandja in foul trouble throughout the game, Brittany Pennell and Tamika Johnson scored 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Mbiandja still finished with a team-high 14 points thanks to a 10-of-13 free-throw performance, but Baten liked that other players stepped up.

"I don't know that we could have done that in early in the season," Baten said. "In fact, we extended the lead and then when even Brittany got in foul trouble we extended the lead. Everyone contributed."

As far as his team's chances, Baten said he won't let the past dictate the present.

"For us the first thing they have to understand is every game is going to be different," he said "It is difficult to beat a team three times. I feel like we're playing good basketball right now."