Mike Dougherty's Blog

Congrats to ASU Red Wolves, coach on classy behavior vs. MTSU

The Sun Belt Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments conclude today at Summit Arena in Hot Springs.

The University of Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans edged the Western Kentucky Lady Hilltoppers in the just-concluded women’s title game, and the UALR men will face the North Texas Mean Green in the men’s championship at 6 p.m.

I went over for the UALR quarterfinal games in each division on Sunday and got to see part of the Arkansas State women’s team’s win over top-seeded Middle Tennessee State in the first quarterfinal that day in Summit Arena.

For Middle Tennessee, it was the first game since the murder of the Blue Raiders’ Tina Stewart earlier in the week. Clearly, the MTSU players were hurting, but the Red Wolves played well for a relatively easy win. ASU women’s coach Brian Boyer did a nice thing late in the game. He called a late timeout, which, on the surface, looked unnecessary with the Wolves’ healthy lead. But later, it leaked that Boyer took the stoppage to remind his players that they would NOT be celebrating their victory when the final buzzer sounded. He said the team would politely congratulate the MTSU players on a good effort and then quietly walk to the dressing room before raising their voices or showing their joy in any visible way.

It was a thoughtful and respectful response to the game effort by the women from Murfreesboro just four days after they learned that they had lost a key part of their championship unit. Stewart, a Memphis junior, was found in her Murfreesboro apartment by her boyfriend; she had been stabbed numerous times. She was declared dead at a nearby hospital. Her freshman roommate was arrested and charged in the case.

ASU fell in the semifinals Monday afternoon against Western Kentucky.