Box Score
PINEVILLE - For the first time in a long time you can say it ... the Louisiana College Lady Cats are champions. For the first time since the school's entry to the American Southwest Conference in 2000, the LC women won the ASC crown by virtue of a 73-69 win over McMurry in overtime in the finals of the 2010 ASC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
In the process, the Lady Cats, 24-2 and undefeated at home at 14-0, stamped their ticket to their first ever NCAA Division III playoffs and became the first ASC East Division team to ever win the conference tournament.
Not since the days of the current LC coach Janice Joseph-Richard, who came to LC just three years ago from San Jose State, have the Lady Cats road so high.
"First of all I want to give all glory and praise to God," Joseph-Richard to the 1,500 fans who packed into the same West Fieldhouse in which Joseph Richard became an All-American in the 1980's.
"This has been an amazing journey for the Lady Wildcats," the coach continued before pausing to compose her emotions. "First of all I want to thank (LC president) Dr. (Joe) Aguillard for giving me the opportunity to come back home and be at the place that I love with my family and friends and all of y'all."
As she spoke, Joseph-Richard's players gathered to support the woman who helped build them from an ASC also-ran to the top team in the conference this year.
"The young ladies I coach are unbelievable," Joseph-Richard told the crowd. "You guys get to see them at game time, I see them every day. They said when they walking up here, "We got your back coach," and they have. They have had my back ever since I got here."
And it took exactly that kind of effort to get past a game McMurry team, the No. 3 team from the ASC West Division.
McMurry, one of the few teams all year to match the Lady Cats speed on both ends of the floor, held a 27-25 edge and half time and forced the overtime when Amanda Peters sunk three consecutive free throws when she was fouled while shooing a three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation to force a 62-62 tie.
It wasn't until the overtime that LC pulled away thanks in large part to Christy Pantallion, who scored eight of the Lady Cat's 11 points in overtime, and Tillisha Givens, the eventual Tournament MVP who iced the game with two free throws at the six-second mark.
"We knew it was going to be a dog fight to the end," Pantallion said. "They brought it so we brought it to the end."
After being asked about her thoughts on the team's NCAA bid, Pantallion said simply, "I'm speechless."
Pantallion finished tied with McMurry's Kelsey Lindemuth for the game's high point total, with 22 points to go along with two steals and two assists.
Givens posted one of two double-double for LC, scoring 12 points and snagging 10 boards.
Freshman Voneshia Williams had the other double-double with 14 points and 13 boards while sophomore guard Roslyn Wilmer added 12 points off the bench.
McMurry had just two players reach double figures, Lindemuth with 22 and LaPorsha Alexander with 12.

To view a post-game interview with Janice Joseph-Richard click here.
To view a post-game interview with LC senior guard Joanna Tate click here.
Complete Tournament Photo Gallery can be found here.