ALEXANDRIA, LA -- There's nothing quite like the anticipation of waiting to hear your team's named call on Selection Day. With an entire season's work hanging in the balance, all players and coaches can do is sit and wait.
 
For the Louisiana State University of Alexandria women's basketball senior class of Dannah Martin-Hartwick, Amani Gray, Jewel Jones, and Bendetta Peracchi, it's a moment they were all too familiar with heading into this year's Selection Show. A year ago, the Generals waited, but their name was never called.
 
"It stung bad last year," Gray said. "We only lost three conference games and still missed out. This year, we had a harder schedule and played with a chip on our shoulders. It made each game that much more important."
 
LSUA finished 23-6 last season, winning 19 games in conference. A strikingly similar result to this year's campaign.
 
"After seeing we didn't get our name called, it put a chip on my shoulder," Jones said. "I knew this year Benny, Dannah, and Amani were coming back, so we had a strong leadership group and could show everyone we were capable of making it."
 
The Generals ratcheted up their non-conference schedule in 2024-25, taking down No. 13 Loyola in their season opener and picking up a pair of wins against the University of Mobile and Ave Maria University.
 
"This year, I think we proved ourselves and did our best to take it out of the hands of anyone else," Martin-Hartwick said. "From our regular season to the tournament run, we wanted to prove we deserved to be here and avoid the feeling we had last year."
 
After a semi-final exit in the RRAC Championship last year against Xavier (La.), the Purple and Gold returned the favor in 2024-25, capturing a 13-point semi-final victory over the Gold Nuggets – 73-60. The RRAC Final against LSU Shreveport came down to the wire; Martin-Hartwick drained a game-tying three with less than 20 seconds to go before a three-point play from the Pilots gave LSUS a 54-51 victory.
 
"This year, we went into every game thinking we could beat whoever we were playing," Gray said. "Even in the tournament final, we fought to the last second. We believe in each other, and even if our shooters aren't hitting, we trust they'll make the next shot."
 
They went on an eight-game winning streak during the middle of RRAC competition, stretching from January 7 to February 8. Five wins came on the road, including an 80-68 victory over Red River Rival Louisiana Christian – a game in which Gray and Peracchi hit milestones. Gray tallied her 1,000^th career point and Peracchi set the LSUA single-game record for best free throw percentage with a minimum of 10 attempts at 100%.
 
 "I think we proved to ourselves and everyone else that we deserve to be here," Peracchi added. "I knew, after last year, and feeling the disappointment, I 100% knew that we would be here. Since August, we have pushed each other and ourselves to be here."
 
The senior quartet claims the top four spots in scoring average, rebounds, assists, and steals in the LSUA ledger, along with three 1,000-point careers. A testament to their skill, commitment, and veteran presence on and off the court.
 
Gray, Jones, and Martin-Hartwick have been at LSUA for their entire collegiate careers; Martin-Hartwick is in her fifth season with the Generals as she exercised her option year gained following the COVID-19 pandemic. The trio went through a coaching change and a culture shift as the program was re-tooled under the new leadership of Billy and Celesta Perkins.  
 
"Coach Perkins and Celesta brought a sense of family and brought the team together from the get-go," Jones said. "It helped us grind together and have each other's backs. We are here to make each other better and be able to check off big objectives we have for the season." 
 
In Perkins' third season at the helm, the Generals checked off one major objective: Earn an NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament berth. Their name was called as part of the Kramer Quadrant, and for just the second time in the program's history, the Purple and Gold are headed to the postseason as a nine-seed.
 
 "Electric, it's the first time I've gone to a National Tournament," Peracchi said. "For my senior year, it was one of the main goals after missing last year. When they called our name, it was like – we did it. We aren't done yet, but we reached the next level."
 
The Generals travel to McKenzie, Tenn., to host site Bethel University, where they face eight-seed Benedictine University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Crisp Arena.
 
 "Redemptive," Martin-Hartwick said of hearing LSUA's name called in the Selection Show. "We sat in the same room and went through the heartbreak of not getting in. This year, to see all of our hard work come together to earn a nine-seed – it's a testament to everything that we've done this year."