By: FVSU Office of Sports Information
In last night’s Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) basketball game between the Lady Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) and the Tigerettes of Tuskegee University, the Lady Wildcats learned two valuable lessons. First, as relatively young team, they learned that no lead is safe unless you work just as hard to keep it as you did to get it. They also learned the value of good free throw shooting in tight ball games.
As the number one ranked team in the SIAC, the Lady Wildcats led the fifth ranked Tigerettes by six points at halftime. By the 11:12 mark in the second half, that lead had grown to 18 points. With such a comfortable lead, it appeared that FVSU eased up on the accelerator and tried to coast to the game’s finish line. The problem with that strategy was that the Lady Wildcats did not check their rear view mirror before the dramatic reduction in speed. Had they done so, they would have seen the Tigerettes quickly closing ground.
In their pursuit, the Tigerettes cut the Lady Wildcat lead to as little as a single point late in the second half. And to the collective eyes of the young Lady Wildcats team, as suddenly as the 18 point margin appeared, it was gone! Lesson number one was learned; keep your foot on the gas pedal at all times!
The second lesson was provided by the lone senior on the Lady Wildcats roster, Taskesha Riggs. The first team, all-conference player taught the lesson by example. Her lesson was a two-part discourse.
First, she showed her younger teammates the responsibility associated with leadership. After the comeback by the Tigerettes, Riggs knew that in the final few minutes of the game the outcome would depend on the Lady Wildcats’ free throw shooting ability. As the team’s captain, she also knew that she should be the one shooting the free throws down the stretch. Consequently, with the time remaining, she and veteran head coach Lonnie Bartley made sure that on every offensive occasion that the ball was in her hands. That meant that regardless of any defensive scheme the Tigerettes could conjure to try to prevent her from getting the ball, she would have to free herself to get it. That’s precisely what she did in the waning minutes and seconds of last night’s game. The first part of her lesson; as a leader you should put yourself in a position to lead!
The second half of lesson was provided at the free throw line. Each time she fouled late in the game, Riggs showed the form and poise from the free throw line that is absolutely critical in game-winning situations. On successive trips to the line, she made the free throws that enabled the Lady Wildcats to preserve a 66-63 win. The second part of her lesson was built upon the first; after you’ve put yourself in a position to lead, lead! Riggs finished with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, seven steals, and one blocked shot. Eight of her 23 points came from the free throw line.
The Lady Wildcats are now 20-1 overall and 15-1 in conference play. They return to action on Saturday afternoon (February 6th) in the HPE Arena when they host the Lady Tigers of Stillman College at 1 p.m. The game will be followed by men’s action featuring the Wildcats and Tigers at 3 p.m.
General admission for Wildcats Basketball games is $7.
To view the box score for this game and for more information about Lady Wildcats Basketball, please visit www.fvsusports.com.
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