Coppin State senior Shalamar Oakley had her high school career ended by Maryland?s Crystal Langhorne five years ago. On Sunday afternoon, she will get a chance to return the favor.
Oakley?s Eagles will take on Langhorne?s Terrapins for a 2:30 p.m. showdown in the first round of the NCAA women?s tournament at the Comcast Center in College Park.
Oakley, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year (17.4 points and four assists a game) is aiming for one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. If the 16th-seeded Eagles (22-11) can beat the Terrapins (30-3), it will be just the second time in tournament history a No. 1 seed has lost in the first round.
“If we go out there and play our game, we should give them a run for their money,” the 5-foot-6 Oakley said. “Langhorne beat us in the region final my senior year [in high school]. She scored something like 46 points. She?s a tough player.”
Langhorne, a junior at the time, scored a staggering 47 points in Willingboro?s 84-49 win over Woodrow Wilson in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association?s Group 3 SJ Final in 2003.
Oakley eventually played one season at Hofstra before transferring to Coppin State. After sitting out the 2004-2005 season due to NCAA transfer rules, she helped lead the Eagles to three straight postseason berths and earned the MEAC?s highest individual honor this year.
Langhorne?s success has been nearly unparalleled, leading the United State?s Under-19 and Under-21 national teams to gold medals and bringing a national championship to College Park in 2006. But the leading scorer and rebounder in Maryland women?s history isn?t taking anything for granted.
Langhorne remembers her former nemesis.
“She?s a very quick point guard. She?s very athletic,” Langhorne said.
Oakley, however, is driven less by personal success and more by a desire to upset the Terrapins. In 1998, 16-seeded Harvard upset top-seeded Stanford on its home court. It remains the only time in tournament history that a bottom seed has toppled a top seed.
No team is more aware of the devastation that comes with being upset in the tournament. Maryland, the then-defending national champion, suffered a stunning loss to Ole Miss last year.
“We can?t take anybody lightly,” Langhorne, who averages 16.7 points and 9.2 rebounds a game, said. “We did that last year, and we ended up with a loss in the second round.”
dcarey@baltimoreexaminer
