Women’s basketball rolled past Richmond Feb. 17 in Chaifetz Arena with a final score of 78-48. The team moved to 13-13 on the year and 8-5 in the conference with their seventh win in nine games. Jordyn Frantz and Ciaja Harbison both earned A-10 weekly honors for their performances in the 30-point victory.

Over 5,700 fans decked out in shades of pink packed into Chaifetz Arena for women’s basketball’s annual Pink Out game for breast cancer awareness. Fans were asked to create a sign in support of someone they knew who had been affected by cancer. Survivors and their caretakers were honored on the court during a timeout in which the arena was darkened so the crowd could see the pink lights they were holding on the court in the  shape of a ribbon. Many fans showed their support by turning on their flashlights in solidarity for those that have been lost and those that are fighting to beat the disease.

“What a great day for a great cause… I’m proud of our team, but I’m more proud of all of you,” Coach Lisa Stone said.  

The team also honored their alumnae at halftime, inviting them back to SLU to salute them for all they had done for SLU women’s basketball over the years. Billikens from the ‘50s through the class of 2018 returned to campus to celebrate their achievements and strides made, not just for basketball, but for women’s sports as a whole.

Following the performance, Frantz earned a weekly A-10 honor, Co-Player of the Week, and Harbison continued to dominate the A-10 rookies by being awarded the weekly plaudit for the 10th time this season, the fourth time any rookie has ever won the award 10 times in a year. Of the 14 total weeks, a SLU rookie has won the award 12 times.

In juxtaposition to the men’s game the previous day, the shooting from the charity stripe was a breath of fresh air for Billiken fans. The women shot 88.2 percent from the line, missing only two all day, their best team performance of the season.

The freshman class has stepped up all season to make an impact on the young Billiken team and a few of them have already put themselves in the SLU women’s basketball record books. Brooke Flowers has already smashed the freshman record for blocks and Harbison currently sits in second for assists and third for free throws as a freshman.

Following the win over Richmond, the Bills travelled to Davidson, N.C. to take on the third seeded Wildcats.  It was a hard fought game, with a Billikens rally to recover from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a final score of 60-57.  The loss dropped the Bills to 8-6 in the A-10 and held Davidson tied with Duquesne in the third spot.

SLU came home for their second-to-last game of the regular season to take on the league-leading VCU Rams for senior night.  For seniors Tara Dusharm, Frantz and Kerri McMahan it was their last regular season game for the Billikens in Chaifetz Arena.

Senior night is always a game full of high emotions and high level performances, and for the class of 2019 it was no different. Frantz had a career high 27 points, and McMahan tied her career high in points with 16.  The game was a great one from start to finish for Billiken fans, and a much-needed win that put SLU back in the win column with just one game remaining before conference play.

SLU jumped to a quick start with Frantz going on a 8-0 run herself, and the Bills never looked back.  There was only one lead change in the game; VCU took the early lead and when SLU got it back, they never gave it up.  The final in Chaifetz Arena was 76-60, a really solid win against a team contending for the conference title.

The final game for the Bills is Saturday, March 2 in Dayton, Ohio against the Dayton Flyers, another team that currently sits higher in the standings than SLU.  The A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship opens March 5 and SLU will be seeded either fifth or sixth, depending on whether or not they beat Dayton.