Lady Indians fall to No. 12 Florida Southwestern State in NJCAA Tournament

CASPER, WYOMING — The Lady Indians fell 61-36 to No. 12 Florida Southwestern State College in the NJCAA Women's National Tournament on Wednesday.

The Buccaneers (25-6) jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead while the Lady Indians (25-6) struggled to adjust to the thin Wyoming air and the size of the largest team they had faced all season.

"They did a good job of adjusting to the playing conditions and executing their offense early in the game," said head coach Robin Porter. "You can't afford to fall behind the way we did when you make it to this level of play."

The Lady Indians fought back midway through the first quarter before Florida Southwestern closed on a 5-0 run to take a 21-10 lead after one.

"I thought we played well once we got our feet under us," Porter said. "Give (Florida Southwestern) credit, they were able to settle down and get back to their game plan to finish the quarter strong."

The Buccaneers switched to a bigger lineup to dominate the paint, controlling the boards and extending their lead to 38-18 by halftime.

"They saw the advantages they had over us inside, especially with how physical the game was being played," Porter said. "We fought hard but couldn't get any breaks to go our way, and a lot of that was because of how well they played in the first half."

Florida Southwestern took advantage of a fatigued and frustrated Lady Indian squad, extending the lead to 52-27 by the end of the third quarter. Both teams cleared their benches in the final frame, with the Buccaneers picking up the 61-36 victory.

"Today's game doesn't define who we are as a team," Porter said. "Florida Southwestern is a well-coached team that will be tough to beat if they keep playing at this level throughout the rest of the tournament."

Tootie Lockett led the Lady Indians with 13 points and six rebounds, while Briyana Turner provided a spark off the bench with nine points and four rebounds. Jestiny Dixon contributed seven points and grabbed seven rebounds.

For Florida Southwestern, Samantha Serrano, the Citrus Conference Player of the Year, led all scorers with 16 points. Ivy Brown added a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.