WASHINGTON – They wanted to make a point. Joined with hundreds of thousands of others, they just may have. Armed with a black pirate flag, colorful signs and loud voices, 22 women from Western were among hundreds of thousands of protesters who took to the nation’s capital this weekend.

Western’s Nigel Dixon is running down a dream. But before he realizes his dream of playing in the National Basketball Association, the 320-pound center will probably need to run off a few unwanted pounds. Following a solid performance last week at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Dixon is being projected as a middle to late second round pick in the June 26 NBA draft, but scouts and pundits still have concerns about his weight.

In what is becoming a pattern of deceit, the Bush administration has insulted the nation’s intelligence by pawning off a Medicare propaganda advertisement as real news. In March, the Department of Health and Human Resources released “video news releases” to 50 stations in 40 states touting the successes of the new Medicare bill signed into law on Dec.

Led by frontman Michael Doucet with his lively fiddle and impassioned voice, the Cajun band BeauSoleil visited Western on Tuesday and delivered a smorgasbord of sounds, songs and emotions while weaving history, humor and storytelling into the performance. “The music is very simple,” said Doucet, with an animated halo of balding white hair.

Despite winning Sun Belt player of the year, and defensive player of the year, Mike Wells was out of contention Tuesday night for the one accolade he wanted most – a fourth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship. He and the rest of the Toppers could only look on from the second tier of Diddle Arena as the University of Louisiana-Lafayette celebrated at center court after their first tournament championship in four years.

With his jersey pulled over his head and face buried in his hands, an emotional Mike Wells left Sunday’s game to a standing ovation as the final seconds of his season – and collegiate career – ticked off the clock. It was a bittersweet farewell for the senior guard, who failed to win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the first time in his four years as a Hilltopper.

For the past three seasons Western basketball has been the butter of the Sun Belt Conference. Fans and players are spoiled, accustomed to dominance in their own small niche of collegiate basketball. A conference championship and a trip to the Big Dance have been marks of a good season, almost taken for granted.

For three Western basketball players, the glory days of college roundball are nearing an end. Gone will be the days of road trips with catered buffets, rowdy student sections, teammates that are like family and all the other nuances that will be looked back upon with nostalgia.

By Jay Lively Herald reporter For seven of the eight teams playing in this year’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament, post season play will be unforgiving. One loss and the season’s over. The only league team in the NCAA Tournament will be the one that wins in Tuesday night’s final at Diddle Arena.

In their final regular season game at Diddle Arena, Western’s three seniors left the hardwood as winners Saturday, following a 74-43 thumping of Florida International. Both teams started off slowly, but an effective trapping defense by the Toppers resulted in 13 steals and 23 Golden Panther turnovers as Western (15-12, 8-6 Sun Belt) used a 14-3 run midway through the second half to pull away.