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Women’s Basketball Tosses Out Record Book With Stellar Season

Team statisticians wore out their pencils during the 2007-08 SMU women’s basketball season, which shattered records in team, coaching and individual statistics.

Team statisticians wore out their pencils during the 2007-08 SMU women’s basketball season, which shattered records in team, coaching and individual statistics.

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Women’s basketball celebrates the C-USA championship.

For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the Mustangs reached the NCAA Tournament. With her 300th win, Coach Rhonda Rompola became SMU’s winningest basketball coach, and senior post Janelle Dodds became the first SMU women’s basketball player to twice earn All-America honors.

“This is one of the most special groups I’ve led,” Rompola says.

The Mustangs’ 24-9 record, the most wins in program history, was capped by a 73-57 win against nationally ranked UTEP to cinch the Conference USA Tournament championship, the team’s first since 1999. SMU lost 75-62 to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“We managed to come back and tie the game numerous times, and I give our team credit for that,” Dodds says. “The players that remain now know what it’s like to get to the tournament, and I hope they use it to motivate them to get back to this spot next year.”

Dodds established SMU records in points (1,861), rebounds (974) and free throws (478) and was named MVP of the C-USA tournament in Orlando. After earning a degree in markets and culture, Dodds (’07) is working on her Master’s of Liberal Studies at SMU. Her academic achievements also earned her a spot on the C-USA women’s basketball all-academic team.

“Janelle has been our go-to player for four years,” Rompola says. “She created opportunities for other players because she was double- and triple-teamed so much.”

The C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honor was awarded to senior forward Sharee Shepherd, the first SMU player to receive the award. She broke SMU’s record for steals in a season with 101, including 14 in the C-USA Tournament.

Together with senior guard Katy Cobb, forward Katie Gross and post Brittany Barker, Dodds and Shepherd contributed 4,420 points during their careers and provided key leadership for the team. “These seniors can look at what they’ve done at SMU and be very proud,” Rompola says.

After providing leadership in women’s basketball for 17 years, Rompola reached her 300th win in January with an 85-72 victory over Southern Mississippi. Since becoming head coach in 1991, she has guided the Mustangs to nine postseason berths.
Rompola (’83), a former Mustang basketball player, is well-acquainted with a record that was not broken during the 2007-08 season – she holds SMU records for season scoring (total and average) as well as free throw percentage (.863).

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