Women's Basketball Weekly Release #10

Jan. 8, 2007

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Player of the Week

Jenna Real, Loyola
Senior * Forward * Elgin, Ill.
Real averaged 23.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 72 percent (18-of-25) from the floor as the Ramblers split a pair of home games last week. Real pumped in a season-best 25 points to go with eight rebounds to help Loyola put away Youngstown State on Thursday night and followed that up with 21 points against Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon.

Other Top Performances from the Week Ending Jan. 7

Susan Lester, Butler
Freshman * Forward * Anderson, Ind.
Lester was a key part of the Bulldogs' offensive success at Wright State on Saturday, finishing with a team-high 15 points. She scored 10-straight points in the second half in helping Butler rally back to tie the contest with just over nine minutes remaining. The post player finished five-of-seven from the field, including a two-of-three clip from three, and a three-of-four mark from the free throw line. She also pulled down five rebounds.

Nicole Thomas, Cleveland State
Senior * Forward * San Antonio, Texas
After a slow start to the week at UIC, Thomas responded with arguably the best game of her career two days later at Loyola. The senior made her first seven shots in a 10-of-14 performance from the floor on her way to matching her career-high with 22 points. She also set career-bests with five assists and three steals, adding 11 rebounds for her team-high fourth double-double of the season.

Sandi Brown, Detroit
Sophomore * Forward * Toledo, Ohio
Brown set a new career high with 22 points against UW-Milwaukee on Saturday. She added a career-high six steals against UW-Green Bay and had eight assists for the week.

Krystal Hugelier, UIC
Senior * Guard * Elmhurst, Ill.
Hugelier averaged 13.0 points per game, shooting 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from the field in two games for the Flames last week. Hugelier was 7-for-13 (.538) from beyond the arc, while totaling eight assists and seven steals. She became the 12th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. The guard reached the milestone against Cleveland State on Thursday with ten points in a 72-46 triumph over the Vikings.

Traci Edwards, UW-Milwaukee
Sophomore * Center * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards led the Panthers to a 77-67 win over Detroit in their only game last week. She scored 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a season-best six assists. Edwards went eight-of-10 from the field and eight-of-nine from the free-throw line.

Natalie Berglin, UW-Green Bay
Senior * Guard * Green Bay, Wis.
Berglin moved to within three points of the 1,000-point plateau for her career with her tenth 20-point game of her career with UW-Green Bay's win over Detroit Thursday. Berglin shot five-of-seven from three-point range to tie a career high in made threes in a game and was seven-of-nine from the field on the night. In a game plagued by turnovers, Berglin had just one miscue while handing out seven assists. She also nabbed a team-high four steals in the win.

Brittney Whiteside, Wright State
Senior * Guard * Columbus, Ohio
Whiteside led the Raiders to a 76-71 victory over Butler with a game-high 17 points. She went six-of-17 from the floor, while converting on all four of her free throws. The senior also pulled down a team-best nine rebounds and dished out five assists as WSU posted its highest scoring output of the season.

Nikita LaFleur, Youngstown State
Sophomore * Center * Scarborough, Ontario
LaFleur averaged 11 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last week while leading the Penguins to a 1-1 record. Against Loyola, LaFleur posted nine points and tallied 13 points in YSU's victory over UIC. LaFleur also shot 56.3 percent from the field.

Horizon League Notes

UW-Green Bay (11-3; 3-0 HL)
The Phoenix had four of its five starters notch double figures in an 86-70 victory over Detroit on Thursday.

Senior guard Natalie Berglin led the charge with 20 points on seven-of-nine shooting, including five-of-seven from three point range. In a game in which UWGB turned the ball over a season-high 21 times, Berglin had only one miscue to go along with seven assists. She now sits just three points shy of 1,000 for her career.

Senior Nicole Soulis continued her hot start to the League slate with 16 points and now holds a loop-best 23.3 points-per-game average in the team's first three conference games. Junior Kayla Groh (13 points) and sophomore Rachel Porath (12) also topped the 10-point plateau against the Titans.

UW-Green Bay drained 16-of-18 free throws in the contest to improve its percentage in League play to .873. Soulis (.870) and Groh (.849) place one and two in the circuit in free-throw percentage.

Soulis' 16 points gave her 1,626 for her career and put her in seventh place on the loop's all-time charts. For the year, Soulis places second in scoring (18.1), while leading the League in blocked shots (1.57) and ranking third in field-goal percentage (.547).

As a team, UWGB leads the Horizon League in scoring offense (75.2 ppg.), scoring defense (63.1 ppg.), scoring margin (+12.1), free-throw percentage (.785), field-goal percentage (.463), three-point field goal percentage (.375), assists (16.57 apg.) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.30).

The starting five for the Phoenix can all be found in the top 30 of the League's scoring chart as Berglin (11.1 - 12th), Groh (10.5 - 13th), sophomore Rachel Porath (10.1 - 15th) and senior Amanda Popp (7.8 - 27th) trail Soulis on the list.

UW-Green Bay host North Dakota State in a non-League game on Tuesday this week before welcoming in-state rival UW-Milwaukee on Saturday for a contest that will be televised on ESPNU.

UW-Milwaukee (7-9; 3-0 HL)
UWM tacked on another League win as the Panthers ousted Detroit, 77-67, on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, UW-Milwaukee improved to 3-0 in conference action for the fourth time in program history and the team pushed its winning streak against League competition to 15 games.Senior guard Aubrey Hampton caught fire in the team's only game of the week, hitting her first five three-point attempts and finishing five-of-six from long distance for the game. Her three-point barrage was part of the team's nine treys in the contest, the third time the Panthers have drained nine triples this year.

Sophomore center Traci Edwards also aided the UWM offense with 24 points, eight rebounds and a season-high six assists. She paces the League in scoring (18.2) and rebounding (9.4), while placing second in field-goal percentage (.593) and blocked shots (1.33). Edwards' rebounding has helped Milwaukee to the loop's only positive rebounding margin (+1.9).

As a team, UW-Milwaukee places second in assists per game (15.56) and three-point percentage (.353).

UWM travels to in-state rival UW-Green Bay this week for a Saturday contest that will be televised on ESPNU.

Butler (5-9; 2-1 HL)
The Bulldogs were pinned with a 76-71 loss at Wright State on Saturday in their only game last week.

Freshman Susan Lester paced the team's offense with 15 points on the afternoon, but it was not enough as the Raiders forced Butler into 22 turnovers. WSU also held the team to a season-low 20 percent (five-of-24) shooting from three-point territory.

Senior Jackie Closser once again played a team-high 35 minutes in the game and now is fifth all-time in Butler history in minutes played (3,126). She will become the school's all-time record holder if she averages 32 minutes for the remainder of the team's game (she has averaged 37.4 minutes through the team's first 14 games). In Closser's extended playing time she has found her three-point touch, hitting a trey in every game this season and at least one in her last 42 games.

The game in Dayton, Ohio, ends a five-game, month-long road trip as the team now opens the home portion of the Horizon League schedule with UIC coming to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday and Loyola making the trek on Saturday.

Wright State (4-10; 2-1 HL)
Wright State found its offensive touch last week, pouring in a season-high 76 points in the team's victory over Butler on Saturday afternoon at the Nutter Center.

The Raiders shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field and were led by the efforts of senior Brittney Whiteside, who poured in 17 points. Classmate Tyanda Hammock and junior Sierra Crayton also tallied double digits with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Due to various injuries during the first part of the season, Saturday's game against BU marked just the third time the Raiders had all nine players available and the first since Nov. 25.

WSU has done its work on the defensive side of the ball this season, ranking second in the League in both scoring defense (65.1) and steals (9.50). Individually, junior Danielle Duncan is second in the conference in steals (2.07) and senior Steph Comisar (1.17) is sixth.

Wright State hosts the Chicago schools this weekend as Loyola visits on Thursday and UIC makes the trip on Saturday.

Cleveland State (5-12; 2-2 HL)
The Vikings split a pair of contests for the second-straight week with a loss to UIC (72-46) on Thursday and a victory over Loyola (80-57) on Saturday.

The offense never got it going against at the UIC Pavilion as freshman Jessica Roque (10 points) was the only CSU player in double figures. The team committed a season-high 34 turnovers compared to only eight assists.

Senior Nicole Thomas made sure the team didn't have a repeat performance at Loyola with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. She also had team-high marks of five assists and three steals. In stark contrast to Thursday's contest, the Vikings only turned the ball over 10 times, tying a season-low.

Off the bench, senior Chenara Wilson and sophomore Dominique Butler combined for 35 points in the game on 16-of-23 shooting. Butler also added nine rebounds.

As a team, CSU shot a season-high 54.8 percent (34-of-62) from the field and hit the 80-point mark for the third time this season.

The win gave Cleveland State more victories than each of the last two seasons. Saturday's victory against the Ramblers was the team's first regular-season League victory since Feb. 11, 2004, snapping a 20-game losing streak.

With five triples last week, the Vikings extended their NCAA record for consecutive games with a three-point field goal to 403. The last time that CSU failed to drain at least one three-pointer in a game was a 78-55 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 17, 1992.

The Vikings home contest against Detroit this week is part of a doubleheader as the men's team takes on UW-Milwaukee in the nightcap.

UIC (7-9; 1-3 HL)
It was a 1-1 week at home for UIC last week as the club picked up a win over Cleveland State (72-46) on Thursday before dropping a 67-62 decision to Youngstown State on Saturday.

In the victory over the Vikings, senior Krystal Hugelier passed the 1,000-point mark for her career with 10 points in the game. She is one of four League players to reach the milestone this season. Classmate LaShonda Grant added a season-high 26 points on nine-of-14 shooting.

The defense was big part of the win as it has been all season. UIC forced 34 turnovers in the game and had 15 thefts, just over four more than their League-best 10.75 steals-per-game average.

The Flames couldn't find the range in Saturday's contest, converting only 32.3 percent (20-of-62) of their shots. Hugelier led the offense with 16 points on six-of-nine shooting, but the other four starters went a combined six-of-26 from the floor. Freshman Cassie Johnson posted double digit rebounds for the first time in her career with 10 in the contest.

As a team, UIC leads the conference in turnover margin (+4.31) and steals per game (10.75), while placing second in scoring offense (66.2), scoring margin (-1.7), and assist-to-turnover margin (0.86).

The team takes to the road this week with Butler on the schedule on Thursday and Wright State on Saturday.

Youngstown State (3-11; 1-3 HL)
YSU split a pair of games in Chicago last week, falling 67-55 at the hands of Loyola before coming out on top of a 67-62 decision against UIC.

The Penguins struggled to find the basket in Thursday's matchup as the five starters shot a combined 10-of-47. Reserves Ashley Pendleton and Anjalia Lyons were the only players to find double figures with 10 points apiece.

Saturday the rims were kinder to the Penguins, as they shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the field. Junior Heather Karner hit six-of-nine shots for a game-best 21 points. She also went a perfect eight-of-eight from the free-throw stripe. Sophomores Monique Godfrey (15 points) and Nikita LaFleur (13) points also eclipsed the 10-point plateau.

YSU has played solid defense this season and places second in the League in field-goal percentage defense (.407). The team also tops the loop in blocked shots at 3.79 per game.Karner drained just one triple in the Penguins' two games last week, falling into a tie for second on the circuit's charts with an average of 2.14 per game.

The win against UIC snapped a nine-game losing streak to Division I opponents. The team had not ousted a D-I foe since defeating Buffalo on Nov. 21. Head coach Tisha Hill has now defeated every team in the League at least once since becoming the head coach at YSU in 2003.

YSU makes the trip north to take on Detroit on Saturday evening as the first part of a doubleheader with the men's squad.

Loyola (2-12; 1-3 HL)
The Rambler defense clamped down on Thursday to post a 67-55 victory over Youngstown State, but then let up in an 80-57 loss to Cleveland State as Loyola went 1-1 last week.

Senior Player of the Week Jenna Real led the offense in both games, posting 25 against YSU and 21 against CSU. She pushed her season-scoring average to 13.8 points, which places sixth in the circuit.

Senior Marquise Hanser also had a notable week by passing the 1,000 mark for her career with her 13 points against Youngstown State. She was a perfect seven-of-seven from the charity stripe.

Freshmen Maggie McCloskey and Jennifer Juergens also had solid performances in the victory. McCloskey tallied 13 points and seven assists, while Juergens had a career-best 11 rebounds.

Cleveland State shot 54.8 percent (34-of-62) in Saturday's loss, the second-highest percentage allowed by the Ramblers this season. LU also couldn't find its long-range stroke, making only two-of-11 from behind the arc.

On the season, Loyola owns the second-best free-throw average in the League at .763, while also ranking third in assists (15.21) and field-goal percentage (.428).

Individually, Real holds the top spot in the conference in field-goal percentage (.641) and Hanser sits in fourth on the scoring chart (15.4).

The Ramblers continue through the League schedule with games at Wright State (Thursday) and Butler (Saturday) this week.

Detroit (3-12; 0-2 HL)
Detroit dropped a pair of home contests to the Wisconsin schools last week with UW-Green Bay downing the Titans 86-70 and UW-Milwaukee handing the team a 77-67 loss.

Junior Joyce Massey topped the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season against the Phoenix as she poured in 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting. The Titans forced UWGB into a season-high 21 turnovers, but it was not enough as Green Bay shot 55.8 percent (29-of-52) from the floor.

UDM struggled to keep the ball out of the basket again on Saturday with the Panthers shooting 47.3 percent (26-of-55) for the game. The Titans posted even marks in turnovers (16), assists (17) and rebounds (33), but couldn't overcome the hot-shooting touch by UWM.

Massey is now third in the League in scoring at 16.1 points per game and places second in rebounding at 7.5 boards per contest.

Detroit's offense had a solid week, shooting above 40 percent in back-to-back games for the first time all year. The also posted the top two assist totals for the season with 19 against UWGB and 17 against Milwaukee.

This week, UDM looks to pick up its first League win when the team travels to Cleveland State on Thursday and Youngstown State on Saturday.

Valparaiso (7-7; Joins HL in 2007-08)
The Crusaders evened their record at 7-7 with victories over Huntington (79-58) on Wednesday and Oral Roberts (57-54) on Saturday last week.

Senior Betsy Rietema led the offense in both games with 19 points against Huntington and 16 against ORU. Classmate Tamra Braun picked up a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds against Oral Roberts, her sixth double-double of the season.

Carrie Myers had made at least one three-point field goal in all 14 games thus far this season. In fact, the senior guard has made two or more in 11 games, highlighted by five triples against both Bradley and Indiana State. Myers leads the Mid-Con with 2.8 threes made per game.

Braun ranks first in the Mid-Continent Conference in field-goal percentage (.589), second in blocks (1.50) and third in rebounding (8.2). As a team, Valpo leads all Mid-Con teams in three-point field-goal percentage (.391) and three-pointers made (6.43).

VU travels to Centenary on Wednesday before hosting IUPUI on Saturday this week.