Hall of Fame
The 1981-82 Missouri Southern women’s basketball team will go down as the first team to play for a national title as a four-year institution.
The Lions advanced to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship tournament and finished as national runner-up.
The team was led by head coach Jim Phillips as the Lions finished with a 23-12 record and in fourth place in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC).
The Lions peaked at the right time, winning the NAIA District 16 tournament defeating CSIC foe Missouri Western, 55-48 and William Woods (Fulton, Mo.) 76-62.
Southern then advanced to the Area IV tournament where the Lions dispatched Milton (Wisconsin) College 59-49 and Grand View (Des Moines, Iowa) 59-57 in Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium.
The Lions then roared even louder in Kansas City at Kemper Arena as they advanced to the NAIA National Championship game with wins over Charleston (W.Va.) 74-65 and Berry College (Rome, Ga.) 59-57. However, the clock struck midnight and ended their Cinderella run as the Lions fell to top-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State 80-45 in the championship game.
Members of the 1981-82 Lions:
Jim Phillips, Head Coach
Teresa Neely
Lynn Onstot
Karen Stein
Linda Williams
Nancy Hampton
Kim Castillon
Lisa Mitchell
Brenda Pitts-Davison
Janelda Fields
Pam Brisby-Laughlin
Nina Bakke
Shawn Gough
