The women’s basketball team did not get off to a strong start this season as they currently hold an 8-9 record. That being said, they had a very difficult non-conference schedule playing against teams such as Pepperdine in their season opener and large Pac-12 opponents.

“I feel like our season has been up and down,” said senior guard Sylvia Shephard. “Now that we are playing in conference we should have more ups. We have a goal to reach just one game at a time.”

Senior Sylvia Shephard faces several defenders during Thursday night’s game. Shephard was honored before the game for recently joining the ranks of 1000-plus point scorers.

Despite their losing record, Seattle U has a great chance to earn its second consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship as they will play the rest of their games against conference opponents.

Playing against conference opponents might as well be considered a whole new season, as the record within the WAC will determine how far this talented Seattle U team can go.

“Now all the games count,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “The conference is really where you get an opportunity to win a championship and play in the postseason. We are the defending champs and there is a lot of pride in that. Our players understand the blood, sweat and tears that went into that.”

As defending champions, Seattle U will be the team to beat. Their 3-1 record currently puts them in second place in the conference, only trailing Idaho, who is undefeated so far in conference.

“We need to go one game at a time,” Bonvicini said. “Everyone is out to get us. We are the game that everyone has circled on the schedule.”

Although the team did not always come away with a favorable outcome through the first half of the season, the remainder of the schedule has extra importance.

“I feel like we have more to fight for now,” Shephard said. “Every game means everything to us leading up to the championship game that we want to win.”

Aside from wins and losses, three players have accomplished an incredible feat. Seniors Kacie Sowell, Ashley Ward and Sylvia Shephard have all scored at least 1000 points in their careers. There are only 14 players in the history of Seattle U’s women’s basketball program that have reached this milestone, the most recent being Shephard.

“It means a lot knowing I’m down in history at Seattle U with the other two seniors,” Shephard said. “We were coach’s first recruits so it means a lot that we were all able to accomplish that.”
Seattle U’s women’s basketball team is full of talented players and it would be great to see the team finish out the season strong, potentially with another championship.
“The team’s focus is unbelievable right now,” Bonvicini said. “I’m excited about what the young players
are doing.”