Goodwin, seniors are focused on NCAA win
The look on Loryn Goodwin’s face, even more than the words that left her mouth, told you how badly she wants to win on Saturday.
All of the Oklahoma State women’s basketball players want to beat eighth-seeded Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament opener at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Starkville, Mississippi.
But Goodwin feels that desire burning at an intensity no one else can understand.
Playing at her fourth school, in her sixth season — which wouldn’t have been possible without an NCAA waiver — Goodwin is going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
“This is it. Our next game may be our last game,” said Goodwin, a graduate transfer who came to OSU last summer. “Make sure that we
give everything we have, because this could be our last collegiate game.
“Do your job and make sure you’re doing everything you need to do, because you’ll get exposed in these moments in the NCAA Tournament.”
The Cowgirls’ other seniors, Kaylee Jensen and Mandy Coleman, will be making their third appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Yet neither of them has tasted victory.
“Deep down inside, it gives the coaches and us a little bit more fire to get this first win,” Jensen said. “It would be huge. If we got one, if we get more, great. I want to be remembered as someone who could get in and do some work there.”
Against West Virginia in the Big 12 quarterfinal loss, OSU’s standout freshman shooting guard, Braxtin Miller, went down with what seemed like a serious knee injury. She returned later in the game and has practiced this week without any kind of brace.
The seniors know if they’re going to get a tournament win, they’ll need their Big 12 All-Freshman guard on the floor.
Though Goodwin led the Big 12 in scoring at 20.9 points per game, and Jensen was one of the conference’s most dominant inside players, averaging 18.6 points and 10.8 rebounds, Miller’s presence is vital.
Miller adds a secondary scoring punch. She has made 53 3-pointers this season, one shy of Liz Donohoe’s OSU freshman record. And she’s been the team’s best perimeter defender the last two months.
“It’s a nice feeling when she gets back on the practice court,” Jensen said. “Even as a freshman, she’s a leader. Her energy, her positive mindset on the court. Her defense helps a lot.”
Goodwin has sensed a stronger urgency to prepare since the Cowgirls’ uneasy performance against West Virginia, and it has shown through on the practice floor.
“Everybody has to be ready when the tip goes up,” she said. “Practice is intense. Everybody is focused on their job.
“I’m really serious, and not taking ‘No’ for an answer.”