Women's Basketball Weekly Release # 3
Dec. 7, 2004
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Player of the Week
Nicole Soulis, UW-Green Bay, Sophomore, Forward, Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port
Soulis helped UW-Green Bay improve to 6-0 on the year, tying the team's best start to a season since joining NCAA Division I in 1988. Soulis cameoff the bench to average 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in home wins over Illinois Dec. 1 and Marquette Dec. 4. Against the Illini, Soulis aided thePhoenix to its first ever win over the Big Ten foe with a season-high 21 points in 25 minutes while leading the team with 11 rebounds in UW-Green Bay's 72-43 victory. Then, on Saturday against undefeated Marquette,Soulis posted team highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Phoenix to a 69-51 win.
Other Top Performers
Jackie Closser, Butler, Sophomore, Guard, Alexandria, Ind./Monroe
Closser ignited Butler's come-from-behind victory at 2004 WNIT participant Western Michigan Tuesday night with a season-high 17 points and five second-half threepointers. The Alexandria, Ind., native added five assists and tied her career-high with eight rebounds. In Saturday's contest against defending Mid-Con champ Valparaiso, Closser hit three bombs for nine points, adding three boards, three assists and two steals. The sophomore did not leave the floor in either of the two contests. She leads the Bulldogs with 12.2 points per game and 3.2 assists per game and ranks among the league leaders with 3.03 field goals per game and a 50-percent accuracy from long range.
Lindsey Pasquinzo, Detroit, Junior, Guard, Shelby Township, Mich./Utica
Pasquinzo continued her solid start this season as she averaged 16.0 points, 2.5 steals and 1.5 rebounds in two games for Detroit last week. She paced the Titans with a 10-point effort versus 18th-ranked Minnesota. Two days later against UNLV, Pasquinzo equaled a career high with a 22-point performance, including nailing four threepointers. Those triples moved her into ninth place in school history with 74 career rainmakers. She has now recorded at least 20 points in three of Detroit's last four games.
Chrissy Dizon, UIC, Junior, Guard, Chicago, Ill./Latin
Dizon averaged 13 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Flames during the week, while only committing 11 turnovers. Dizon's most impressive performance came against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 2, as she posted season high 24 points with eight rebounds and six assists against the Panthers. The Chicago, Ill., native also dished out a team season-best seven assists, including her 200th career helper against Mississippi. For the season, Dizon is averaging 14.3 points and 4.1 assists per contest.
Mandy Mennella, Loyola, Junior, Guard, Hoffman Estates/Hoffman Estates
Mennella had a terrific week, averaging 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game as the Ramblers went 2-1 in three games. Mennella opened the week by scoring 15 of her then-career-high 18 points in the second half to help Loyola past Toledo to cap a three-game road trip. She added five boards and five assists against the Rockets before playing the best game of her career on Monday against Northern Illinois. Mennella torched Northern Illinois for another career high, hitting 10-of-15 field goals and 4-of-5 from the arc en route to 26 points in a 72-54 win over the Huskies. She added five rebounds, six assists and four steals in that contest. Mennella finished off the week by dishing out a career-best 11 assists in Loyola's loss to Bradley, which marked the first time a Rambler had reached double figures in helpers since Tracy Hoffmann handed out 11 against Detroit on Jan. 22, 2000.
Jeanette Woodberry, Wright State, Sophomore, Guard, Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King
Woodberry posted 14 points, three rebounds and three assists against Miami and 17 points and two assists at Central Michigan.
Cathy Hanek, Youngstown State, Senior, Guard, Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline
Hanek led the Penguins to a 2-1 record last week by averaging 15 points and 4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from behind the 3-point line. Hanek scored a career-high 22 points with three assists in YSU's 61-48 win over Akron. Against the Zips, Hanek connected on 8-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-11 from behind the arc. She also scored 15 of her 22 points in the second half against the Zips. Hanek also posted 11 points in YSU's 53-42 win over Toledo and scored 12 points and tied a career high with eight rebounds in a loss to Bowling Green.
Team Notes and Quotes
Butler Bulldogs (4-2)
With less than 18 minutes to play Tuesday against Western Michigan, the Bulldogs were down by 20 points before coming back to take the 57-54 win.
After capping the team's longest road trip of the season Saturday (fourgames), the Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse Wednesday to face Miami(Ohio). The game is schedule magnet night and the team's "That's myDawg" favorite player promotion. Butler also hosts Eastern IllinoisSaturday at 2:00 p.m.
Senior Cortney Urquhart had her first double-double of the season with 17points and 14 rebounds Saturday.
Cleveland State Vikings (0-6)
The Vikings play their only two December home games in a five-dayspan this week. On Tuesday, CSU will host Akron, followed by a game withToledo on Saturday that tips off a Homecoming doubleheader with themen's team.
The contests with the Zips and Rockets are part of a four-gamestretch against Mid-American Conference schools.
The Vikings performance so far this season has shown that they are shooting better from behind the three-point line than from inside19 feet, 9 inches. The Vikings have canned 34.3 percent (34-99) of theirtriples while converting just 77 of 246 attempts (.313) from inside the arc.
Detroit Titans (1-4)Continuing one of their toughest non-conference schedule in years, the Titans will once again be tested this week as the squad willtravel to Louisville on Dec. 8 before hosting nationally-ranked in-state rival Michigan State on Dec. 11.
The last time the Spartans entered Calihan Hall (11/28/01), Detroit nearly pulled the upset of MSU as the Spartans escaped with a62-61 triumph.
UDM's contest at Louisville will be its first in the Commonwealth of Kentucky since defeating Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 17, 1997.
With her four triples versus UNLV, junior Lindsey Pasquinzo has moved into ninth-place in school history with 74 career three-pointers.
Detroit has two players who will enter play this week with the opportunity to surpass the 500-point plateau for their careers as aTitan. Pasquinzo has 484 career points, while fellow junior Katie Solner has posted 482 tallies in her career.
UIC (1-6)
Sophomore guard Krystal Hugelier set a team-season high and tied a career best with five three-pointers, finishing with 20 pointsagainst Mississippi on Dec. 4. The Flames also set a team-season high with seven treys against the Lady Rebels.
Saturday's contest against Ole Miss marked the first time this season that the Flames had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio with a team season-best 20 helpers to 19 turnovers.
Senior forward Amber Washington recorded a season-high three swats to help UIC tie a team season-best with seven blocks againstEastern Illinois on Dec. 2.
Loyola Ramblers (3-4)
Loyola went 2-1 this past week as it defeated Toledo (71-67) and Northern Illinois (72-54) before falling 66-95 to Bradley on Dec. 4. The Ramblers will compete in three contests again this week as they travel to No. 17 DePaul on Dec. 6 and then to Indianapolis to face IUPUI on Dec. 8. LUC wraps up its week at home as it hosts Illinois State on Dec. 11.
UW-Green Bay Phoenix (6-0)
With its win over Marquette Dec. 4, UW-Green Bay tallied its 13th consecutive home win, the ninth-longest active winning streak in the NCAA. The Phoenix has also given six straight teams their first losses of the season.
After starting the season shooting a dismal 67.4 percent from the free-throw line, the Phoenix has found comfort at home at familiarcharity stripes. UW-Green Bay is shooting 82.9 percent at the line at home. Nicole Soulis leads the way with 10-11 shooting at homeat the free throw line.
UW-Green Bay leads the Horizon League with its 1.52 assist-to-turnover ratio, aided by a team season-low eight miscues againstMarquette Dec. 4. UW-Green Bay is averaging just 11.2 turnovers a game this season.
UW-Milwaukee Panthers (2-4)
UW-Milwaukee went 1-1 on the road this past week as it fell 50-68 to Northern Iowa on Dec. 2 and then defeated Oakland 69-64 on Dec. 5. The Panthers hit the Big Ten this week as they travel to Madison to face Wisconsin on Dec. 8 and then host Northwestern on Dec. 12.
Wright State Raiders (3-2)
After opening the season with three wins, Wright State suffered a couple of close losses last week, falling to both Miami and Central Michigan. Against Miami, the Raiders rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to trail by just two, but could not get over the hump despite Whitney Lewis posting a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jeanette Woodberry added 14 points, Rhea Mays 11 and Angie Ott 10 along with seven rebounds.
WSU then had an eight-point lead with five minutes remaining in the second half at Central Michigan, but could not hold on. Woodberry led the Raiders with 17 points while Angie Ott had 13 and Rhea Mays 11. Brittney Whiteside posted a near double-double of nine points and 13 rebounds.
The Central Michigan game was the first overtime game for the Raiderson an opponent's home court since dropping a 74-65 decision at UIC onJanuary 6, 1997. It was also the first overtime game for WSU away from theNutter Center since falling 72-68 in double overtime to Cleveland State in the MCC Tournament semifinals in Detroit on March 10, 2000.
Wright State returns home this week for a pair of games, hosting Dayton on Dec. 7 and Indiana State on Dec. 11. Those two games will be the final home non-league games of the year for the Raiders.
Youngstown State Penguins (4-3)
Senior Jen Perugini averaged a double-double last week with 13.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. Perugini also needs just 68 more points to reach 1,000 career points.
Freshman Lauren Branson averaged 7.7 points and 5.3 assists per game lastweek. She also scored a career-high 11 points with six assists in YSU'svictory over Akron. Over the last four games, Branson has dished out 23assists for an average of 5.8 assists per game.
