Michelle Stueve knows it’s that time of the year where she and her teammates need to shine.
In the one-and-done NCAA Tournament, there’s really no other option.
“You’ve got to play your best here,” Stueve said. “You’re not going to play at your average or below your average and go on. Everybody definitely needs to step up so we can win.”
Emporia State will start its tournament journey on Friday, taking on fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Commerce. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo.
The Lady Hornets should definitely be tested on the defensive end, as the Lions bring a high-scoring and athletic team into Friday’s matchup.
Commerce is led by a pair of dominant guards, as Britney Jordan and Kanani Marshal both contribute over 18 points per game.
The two make up 47.8 percent of the Lions’ scoring.
ESU coach Brandon Schneider said his team would have problems stopping both guards completely.
“I think you’ve got to do everything you can to make them earn baskets and work hard to get open shots,” Schneider said. “When two players have taken 900 shots combined, they’re going to find a way to get some shots up.”
Marshal has been especially effective from beyond the three-point line. She has hit 132 of 301 three-point attempts (44 percent) this season.
“We’ve heard they’re a great offensive team, and that a couple of their players have put up a lot of points this year,” Stueve said. “We’re really going to have to focus on playing good defense.”
The Lions enter the game ranked 17th in the nation in scoring (75.9 ppg) and fifth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (37.8 percent).
Meanwhile, the key for ESU on Friday — and perhaps for the rest of the season — will be playing with aggression on both ends of the court.
After attacking Central Missouri in a 67-50 victory in the first round of the MIAA Tournament, ESU played timidly against Washburn in a 73-61 semifinal loss.
“It’s something we’ve stressed all year long,” Schneider said. “It’s really up to our players to decide to play that way. We’ve stressed it over and over.”
An effective offense might be the best way to counter Commerce’s scoring threats. The Lions are 134th in the nation in points allowed (64.5 ppg) and 179th in field-goal percentage defense (41.0 percent).
“I don’t think it’s that this team can’t play defense,” Stueve said, “but I don’t think it’s something they want to do.”
Stueve leads ESU, averaging 17.7 points per game, while Cassondra Boston (12.2 ppg) and Casey Henningsen (11.1 ppg) also average double figures.
The Lady Hornets are 8-1 in first-round games of the NCAA Tournament, with their only loss coming in 2004 to West Texas A&M.
This is Texas A&M-Commerce’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Schneider owns a career record of 12-7 in NCAA tourney games.
With a victory, ESU would face the winner of Friday’s Missouri Western/Montana State-Billings matchup at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Stueve earns 1st-team
All-Region honors
Emporia State junior Michelle Stueve has been honored as a Daktronics first-team All-South Central Region selection, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Wednesday.
Stueve is second in the MIAA in scoring with 17.7 points per game, first in rebounds with 9.2 per game and first in free-throw percentage, shooting at an 85.7-percent clip. She is one of only six players in the NCAA Tournament to be ranked in the top 50 nationally in both scoring and rebounding.
Stueve also was a first-team All-Region pick last year, taking that honor before becoming a Kodak All-American.
She is joined on the All-Region team by the MIAA’s Inga Buzoka (Missouri Western) and Brooke Ubelaker (Washburn). Texas A&M-Commerce’s Kanani Marshal also made the squad.
As a junior, Stueve is fourth on the ESU career scoring list with 1,696 points.