Titan Women Win Second Straight Conference Championship

Knowing it had to win to secure its second straight FCSAA Southern Conference championship, Eastern Florida's women's basketball team did just that on Saturday, brushing aside Indian River State 94-59 at the Titan Field House.

The victory closed the Titans regular season at 13-2 in the conference and 20-9 overall, giving the Titans a two-year conference record of 26-4 and an overall mark of 42-17 under second-year head coach Jim Grimes.

Indian River finished at 2-13 and 7-21.

The Titans trailed just once, 11-10 in the first quarter. They led 22-18 after one.

The game turned with a 14-5 Titan run that turned a 36-27 advantage with 3 minutes and 28 seconds to play in the second quarter to a 50-32 halftime lead.

The Titans led 73-45 after three quarters.

They now will prepare for the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA Tournament March 2-5 at the College of Central Florida in Ocala. They will meet defending national champion and nationally sixth-ranked Chipola College in the first round of the single elimination tournament at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 3.

Sophomore Nene Johnson, who was one of seven second-year players recognized on Saturday, led the Titans with 21 points. Classmate Crystal Townsend added 20, classmate Paola Vasquez 17 and classmate Chelsea Long 10, seven of which sparked the decisive run.

"We wanted to finish the season off well heading into the state tournament so this was a good confidence boost and it will get us ready going into the first game," Johnson said. 

Johnson, the Titans bellwether all season, said the team felt no pressure heading into the must-win game.

"No pressure," she said. "We had a lot of confidence coming in. We're confident, humble and ready."

As for Saturday being her final game at the Titan Field House: "I'm a bit emotional but it was fun playing here for two years. I'm ready to move on now. I'm glad I could bring two conference titles here. I'm happy."

The Titans are 24-2 at home in Grimes' two seasons.

"It was a great finish," said Townsend. "It was the last home game and we needed to win also. We haven't been playing how we should be playing and this was probably our best offensive game. We came together. That was teamwork.

Townsend also shrugged off the notion of pressure.

"No pressure," she said. "I felt like we knew what our goal was and we knew we had to win it. We always wanted it. Sophomore Night, last home game, made it much easier.

"I'm happy I get to finish with a group of girls who really wanted it, who had the same goal I had."

Also recognized Saturday were sophomores Emma Grimes, Brittany Wells and Jovana Vukovic.

"I'm happy for the kids, that's the main thing," Grimes said. "We preach process all day long to them and it's gratifying, every now and then you get the result you want. You want to be conference champions at the beginning of the season and for them to accomplish that, do to it two years in a row, I'm just really happy for them. That's the main thing.