The Pittsburg State women’s basketball team is going back to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time since 2016.
“I'm extremely proud of them,” PSU coach Amanda Davied said. “I'm proud of the toughness they've showed all year and the togetherness. They've just been very unique in the fact that we don't have a lot of complaining. We have a very selfless group. They're all in for the team and I think that is something that we can learn from our experiences, too.”
The last time the PSU women went to the Elite Eight, they won the regional title and Sweet 16 matchup in front of the home crowd. Pitt State mimicked that last Monday in front of the home crowd.
“They understood their mission for sure,” Davied said of the support from the crowd. “And our gym is a big, big gym. It's a big, open space. So, to generate that level of noise was just phenomenal.”
The Gorilla women showed resolve and resilience as the host of the Central Regional Tournament last week, rallying in each game. PSU trailed by 15 points in the regional title game against Southwest Minnesota State before rallying in the second half to take the crown.
“Well, I've said a lot this year, just that I trust them,” Davied said of her team’s ability to never stop fighting. “I just trust that they're always giving everything they have. I've never questioned that with this group. … I also just think there’s a competitive nature with this group. When you talk about toughness and resiliency and all that stuff, it comes down to their confidence that they've put in the work. I just think that if you've put in a lot of work, you're not going to let go very easily when it comes down to the wire. You're not going to quit fighting because you know how hard you've worked. They have that confidence that they're going to make the next one or somebody's going to make a big play and we'll get right back in it.”
Pittsburg State is now the No. 4 seed and turns its attention to fifth-seeded Lubbock Christian in the Elite Eight round inside the UPNC Cooper Fieldhouse on the campus of Duquesene University.
“I think that’s what is unique about this team, they're not surprised by where they're at necessarily,” Davied said. “We're just task-at-hand, who's the next opponent and get back. We get excited and proud of ourselves, but then we knock ourselves back down, too.”
It’s almost fitting that Pittsburg State’s season will come to an end in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“We're going to be right downtown, so it's going to be a pretty epic experience for the girls,” Davied said. “Hopefully we can stick around and enjoy it a little bit.’”