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The Bowie State University women's basketball team remembers how last year ended.
The Bulldogs won the East Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and advanced to the conference championship game. But a loss to Johnson C. Smith University (N.C.) ended any chance the Bulldogs had at advancing to the NCAA Division II tournament.
Players and coaches have used last year's ending as motivation heading into the 2009-10 season, which gets underway tonight as the Bulldogs play their first scrimmage against Shippensburg (Pa.) University.
Bowie State coach Donna Polk said she was happy with the way last year went, but realizes expectations are going to be higher this season.
"We are excited that we have been able to win the division the last couple of years," she said. "But it's going to be a challenge to keep that going. We need to keep improving, so we can meet our pretty high expectations."
The season is already off to a good start as the Bulldogs were picked to win the East Division in a poll of the conference's coaches. Senior guard Bianca Lee and junior forward Teanusha Robinson were selected to the preseason All-CIAA First Team.
Polk said she wasn't surprised by the preseason accolades for Lee or Robinson since both made the All-CIAA First Team at the end of last season.
Lee, a Temple Hills resident, finished last season as the team's leader in points (15.3 per game), field goal attempts, 3-pointers attempted and made, free-throw percentage and minutes. Robinson was the leader in rebounds and blocked shots.
Although both players were happy to be named to the preseason team, they both realize it's just the first of many things they want to accomplish this season.
"You are thankful for the honor, but you have to take it for what it is," Lee said. "We are just trying to come together as a group and hopefully we can be a cohesive team."
The Bulldogs continue their quest for another division crown and a conference championship with an exhibition against the University of Maryland on Nov. 4. They finish the preseason with a home game against Morgan State University on Nov. 9.
Bowie State's first regular season game comes at the Clarion Classic where it plays Gannon (Pa.) University on Nov. 15 and Clarion (Pa.) University on Nov. 16. The Bulldogs play their first home game on Nov. 28 against Livingston (N.C.) College. They get a rematch with Johnson C. Smith University on Jan. 18.
"We talk about what happened last year all the time," Lee said. "We don't want to have the same feeling we had at the end of last year. We feel we can make it this year."
E-mail Joshua Hudson at
jhudson@gazette.net