One bad step and William Woods University senior guard Andraquay Quinnine's excitement about her first trip to the NAIA national tournament could have ended before it even started.
Moments after the Lady Owls learned they had earned the tournament's final at-large bid last week, what had been a run-of-the-mill practice turned into a mixture of relief and good, old-fashioned excitement for Quinnine, a one-year transfer from Xavier University in Louisiana.
"When I found out we were going, I was happy, throwing the ball, jumping on my teammates, doing cartwheels," Quinnine said from above the court at Anderson Arena on Sunday night. "It was like a joy, and I was very excited."
"We're always wondering how she doesn't get hurt doing what she does," senior forward Stephanie Copelin said of Quinnine's display. "We're like, "Why?'"
Quinnine avoided injury, while William Woods narrowly avoided missing postseason play for the first time in six years.
The Lady Owls (22-10) are seeded eighth in their portion of the bracket and open play at the 34th-annual NAIA Division I national championship against the third-ranked and top-seeded Westminster (Utah) College Lady Griffins (24-2) at 1:15 p.m. today in Frankfort, Ky.