Women's Basketball 10/29/2023 9:11:00 PM

New look Lady Aggies begin season ranked 21st

By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
It's going to take a new roster for fans to recognize the Murray State Lady Aggies when they take the court in Wednesday's basketball season opener inside Beames Fieldhouse.

But even with all the new faces on the court and on the bench, many expectations are the same for a program that has been to back-to-back NJCAA national tournaments as they begin the year ranked 21^st in the preseason national rankings.

Sophomore Cristina Laudan, who averaged over seven minutes a game coming off the bench a year ago, is the lone returnee on the roster, which is dotted with nine freshmen that are expected to step in and contribute immediately in Coach Nate Levine's first year at the helm.

"It's been a process to figure out who is going to play as well as implementing my system," Levine said. "We've had a lot to figure out since practice began, but we have been able to get a feel for the rotation in our scrimmages and things that we need to work on. We faced several really good teams in the preseason and were able to figure out where we can get better."

One of the biggest differences in Levine's system this year will be the likelihood of multiple post type players on the court at the same time. That group includes Ongolea Afu, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Utah, as well as Hannah Pinney, a six-foot freshman from Roanoke, Texas. Afu was a third-team All-Stater her senior year in high school while averaging a double-double and Pinney was a McDonald's All American nominee, notching a school record 22 rebounds in one game a season ago.

Tierra Williams, another 5-10 freshman, is just returning from injury and adds an offensive dynamic, pouring in more 20 points a game as a senior in Round Rock, Texas last year.

That group along with the 6-foot-1 Laudan give Coach Levine plenty to be excited about around the paint.

"Our starting bigs have looked pretty good with their offensive rebound ability in our preseason contests," the new head coach said of his post players. "We had no less than 10 offensive rebounds in most all of those. That trio of freshmen have a chance to be really good and Cristina brings length we need defensively. They are still learning the ropes against college competition and they have found out the speed of the game is much higher. For them to be that effective this early and compete the way they have is encouraging for sure."

The Lady Aggies will look to talented playmaker Arissa Garcia to fill the all-important point guard and distribution role that All-League performer Briana Knabe maintained during her two seasons.

A 5-6 freshman from San Antonio, Garcia scored over 1,000 points in her high school career, averaging 15.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and nearly three assists and steals her senior season.

"Arissa has already really taken on the leadership role and understanding concepts of our terminology," Levine said. "She has a switch defensively that none of the other players have. Her motor does not stop and she leads us defensively for sure. On offense she is able to create shots for others and can score as well as getting to the paint."

Others in the playing mix early will be freshmen Mireia Casas, Olivia Quapaw and Sosefina Langi.

Casas is a 5-8 freshman from Spain, Quapaw checks in at 5-5 and was an All-Stater down the road at Kingston while Langi is a 5-10 guard from Utah that was first-team All-State as a senior averaging 15 points per outing.

"Even though we are going to have more size on the floor than what they have the last few years, we still want to play fast," Levine said. "Our big girls shoot the ball fairly well so they will be versatile. On defense we are going to put a lot of pressure on the ball and pick up with full court man defense.

"We are still figuring each other out and who is capable of what and working on getting good chemistry. I expect us to improve day-to-day and game-to-game as we go along."

The 2023-24 season tips off at 5:30 Wednesday with the Lady Aggies hosting the Southwestern Christian University JV in the first of a three-game non-conference homestand to begin the year.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Briana Knabe: 5' 2"; Freshman

#22 Cristina Laudan: F; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#24 Sosefina Langi: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

#2 Olivia Quapaw: G; 5' 5"; Freshman

#23 Hannah Pinney: F/C; 6' 0"; Freshman

#11 Ongolea Afu: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

#5 Arissa Garcia: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#10 Mireia Casas: G; 5' 8"; Freshman

#1 Tierra Williams: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#12 Briana Knabe
: 5' 2"; Freshman

#22 Cristina Laudan
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: F

#24 Sosefina Langi
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

#2 Olivia Quapaw
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: G

#23 Hannah Pinney
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F/C

#11 Ongolea Afu
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F

#5 Arissa Garcia
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#10 Mireia Casas
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: G

#1 Tierra Williams
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F