NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Foley: This isn't a one-time deal

UALR Coach Joe Foley (center) said the Trojans’ effort against Texas A&M and Arizona State in the NCAA Women’s Tournament proved the program has staying power.
UALR Coach Joe Foley (center) said the Trojans’ effort against Texas A&M and Arizona State in the NCAA Women’s Tournament proved the program has staying power.

A charter bus carrying the UALR women's basketball team rolled into the parking lot at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, greeted by about 100 supporters waiting to congratulate the Trojans on another program-defining achievement.

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AP

UALR players and coaches watch from the bench during Monday night’s 57-54 loss to Arizona State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Tempe, Ariz. The Trojans held a 16-point lead in the second half.

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AP

Forward Kaitlyn Pratt looks to the UALR bench during the second half of Monday night’s season-ending loss. The Trojans (29-5) set a school record for victories in a season.

Monday night's 57-54 loss to Arizona State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament stung, but a day later, Coach Joe Foley said he felt it played a part in the strongest statement his program has made.

NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011 led by Asriel Rolfe, Shanika Butler and Chastity Reed may have grabbed people's attention, but Foley said this weekend proved the Trojans have staying power.

"This team proved that it's not just a one-time deal, and that we're here to stay," Foley said.

For much of Monday night, it looked like the Trojans' best season was going to extend into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, a point they have never reached. But a banked-in three-pointer with 2:11 left started a 10-4 run for No. 3 seed Arizona State and UALR's season ended at 29-5, a program record for victories.

The Trojans' play was so impressive that Arizona State Coach Charli Turner Thorne told Foley after the game, and again in a postgame news conference, that "I don't want to play that team again."

It's an admission Foley likes to hear.

"I think that she knows that both teams are great teams and you can play that game again and we'd probably win," Foley said. "It's just one of those situations where we were on their home floor, their crowd kept picking them up, and the foul situation kind of got to us."

Foley continued to heap praise Tuesday on his three seniors who capped their careers Monday night after Foley wasn't sure how much he'd get out of any of them through various points of the season.

Ka'Nesheia Cobbins missed all last season with a torn ACL. Foley said "defense didn't mean a whole lot" to Taylor Gault until this season, and he noted that Kiera Clark went through such a shooting slump midway through the season that her minutes decreased.

Still, all three came through at various points in the final five games. Cobbins averaged 11.7 points through three Sun Belt Conference Tournament games and played a combined 75 minutes in two games this weekend on a sprained left ankle. Gault and Clark combined to score 47 points in Saturday's victory over Texas A&M.

Their play is part of why Foley said he felt rejuvenated.

"It's been a couple of years since I've seen that," Foley said. "To see that in the kids, that they didn't give up and showed you something that you didn't even know was there, it shows that you can accomplish something that you don't even think you can.

"They showed me that, and it made me feel really good."

The players share that feeling, too.

"I'm very proud of my teammates, and proud of Ka'Nesheia and Kiera," Gault said. "We're just tough. Ka'Nesheia is just so tough because of her ankle. Just all so proud of each other."

Foley said there will always be parts of the final moments of Monday night's game that he thinks about, but not the final seconds.

UALR trailed 57-54 with 7.8 seconds left and was taking the ball out from underneath its own basket needing a three-pointer to send the game to overtime. Cobbins dribbled the ball up the floor and passed to Alexius Dawn on the right wing, but her shot was partially blocked by Elisha Davis as the final buzzer sounded.

"We knew that we didn't have a whole lot of time," Foley said. "We knew it was going to be a forced shot. In that situation, there's a little bit of luck involved there. If you get the shot or the foul, it changes things. But, it's a little bit of luck at the end in that situation."

Sports on 03/25/2015

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