No sooner had Women’s Basketball Coach Shimmy Gray-Miller finished addressing the crowd of Billiken fans than the lights began to shut off after the last contest scheduled in the Bauman-Eberhardt Center.
More affectionately referred to around campus as the West Pine Gym, the building opened in 1920 and was the home court for the women’s basketball and volleyball teams. Now, those days are over.
As the finishing touches are put on the new Chaifetz Arena in the coming weeks, the athletic department and its teams will begin making the transition to a new era in Billiken athletics. For all the nostalgia and history that remain in West Pine, it seems as though everyone around campus is eagerly awaiting the opening of the new arena.
“It will boost our program-not just basketball, but the whole athletic department,” sophomore guard Theresa Lisch said.
Gray-Miller said she is “ecstatic” to move into the arena, which will seat approximately 10,600 people. The Chaifetz Arena complex, will become the home court for men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball next season. It consists of the single-concourse arena, a two-court practice facility that will be the site for volleyball games and a three-story office building for the athletic department.
While all eyes in the athletic department are on their future home, the future of West Pine Gym has yet to be decided. The Billikens were trying to make the last entry into the history books a positive one when Temple came to town on Wednesday, Feb. 27, but the co-leaders of the Atlantic 10 had other plans.
The Billikens seemed to have control throughout most of the first half. They began the game on a 9-2 run and didn’t allow Temple to take the lead until there were nine minutes left in the half.
A strong finish by Temple, though, left the Billikens down 34-36 at halftime. Coming out of the break, the two teams traded baskets, with SLU tying the game five times in the first five minutes, before a 3-pointer by Lisch gave the Billikens their first lead of the half, 47-44.
The teams were playing very physically, and it showed in the number of fouls that were called. Both teams were in the double bonus in each half. In the end, the referees called 57 fouls, 32 of which were credited to SLU.
“It was a physical game; that’s the kind of team they are,” Gray-Miller said. “I just told them to stay composed and to play above it-don’t retaliate.”
The excess of fouls led many free throw opportunities for both teams, but the Billikens were unable to execute from the line. The two teams combined to attempt 92 free throws in the game, but each team shot less than 60 percent from the line.
Gray-Miller was forced to take out Lisch with 6:35 to play after she picked up her fourth foul. Then, after sophomore Amanda Kemezys fouled out with 5:50 left, the Owls began to use their height advantage down low.
“That’s what really hurt,” Gray-Miller said. “They took advantage of that on the inside and were able to pull away.”
After Lisch’s fourth personal foul, the Owls went on a 16-2 run that gave them an 11-point advantage with just over two-and-a-half minutes to play. When the final buzzer rang in West Pine, the scoreboard showed the Billikens were downed, 77-66.
“It was emotional; it was a tough game,” Gray-Miller said. “All we asked was that when they turned the lights off, that they had left a piece of themselves out there. They played tough tonight. They played with pride and poise.”
If the Billikens can steal a win in their next match-up against Dayton on March 1, they’ll be guaranteed a spot in the conference tournament.
“We hope we can upset some people,” Lisch said. “We’ve got nothing to lose, so we’re just keeping a positive attitude.”
