Women's Basketball Weekly Release #14

Feb. 5, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Player of the Week

Jackie Closser, Butler
Senior * Guard * Alexandria, Ind.
Closser led the way to the Bulldogs' sixth Horizon League win over Wright State on Saturday, posting a career-high 28 points. Meanwhile, she scored seven of the Bulldogs' 12 three-pointers, a career-high mark, while registering a personal-best nine-of-11 mark from the field. Her six assists also paced the team.

Other Top Performances from the Week Ending Feb. 4

Traci Edwards, UW-Milwaukee
Sophomore * Center * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards led the Panthers to a win over Detroit in their only game last week. She posted her fourth-straight 20-point game with a game-high 23 points. Edwards added 10 rebounds for her League-leading ninth double-double of the season, blocked two shots and finished with a pair of steals.

Monique Godfrey, Youngstown State
Sophomore * Guard * East Cleveland, Ohio
Godfrey scored a career-high 20 points and scored the game-winning basket with 10 seconds left to lift YSU to a 66-64 victory over Loyola on Saturday. Godfrey shot eight-for-15 from the field with two three-pointers. She also scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half. In a loss to UIC, Godfrey posted nine points.

LaShonda Grant, UIC
Senior * Guard * Chicago, Ill.
Grant guided UIC to a 2-0 week on the road. Grant averaged 14 points, shooting 52.6 from the field (10-of-19) and 50 percent (three-of-six) from three-point land. The guard hit five-of-six (.833) from the free throw line, while adding six assists and three steals in two games.

Marquise Hanser, Loyola
Senior * Guard * Ft. Mitchell, Ky.
Hanser put together back-to-back terrific games as the Ramblers split a pair of Horizon League road games last week. She had 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in the Ramblers' 74-61 victory over Cleveland State on Thursday. Hanser then added 20 more points on Saturday at Youngstown State, but the Ramblers' quest to win consecutive conference road games for the first time since the 2002-03 season fell short on a bucket in the final 10 seconds.

Kailey Klein, Cleveland State
Freshman * Guard * Cherry, Ill.
Klein put together the best week of her career, averaging 22.5 points and six rebounds in CSU's two games. On Thursday against Loyola, she tallied 23 points and five rebounds, and then followed with 22 points and seven boards two days later versus UIC. She shot 54.2 percent from the floor (13-of-24), while knocking down 78.3 percent of her free throws (18-23).

Joyce Massey, Detroit
Junior * Guard * Detroit, Mich.
Massey was the leading scorer for Titans in both games last week. She shot 12-of-30 for the weekend, while finishing second on the team in rebounds in both games.

Amanda Popp, UW-Green Bay
Senior * Guard * Brillion, Wis.
Popp and the Phoenix improved to 9-0 in the Horizon League and stretch its winning streak to 15 games with her team highs in 16 points and eight rebounds against Detroit on Saturday.

Brittney Whiteside, Wright State
Senior * Forward * Columbus, Ohio
After playing just two minutes due to injury against UW-Green Bay, Whiteside came back in a big way at Butler, posting her second double-double of the season of 24 points and 10 rebounds. She also set career highs in field goals made (11) and attempted (21).

Horizon League Notes

#24/24 UW-Green Bay (18-3; 9-0 HL)
The Phoenix debuted at No. 24 in the national rankings last week and defended their status among the nation's elite with an 88-60 victory over Detroit in the team's only game.

Six different players reached double figures in UW-Green Bay's 12th win by 15 or more points. Seniors Amanda Popp (16) and Nicole Soulis (15) led the offensive attack in a game as the team shot 48.5 percent (33-of-68) from the field. Sophomores Rachel Porath, Katie Harty and Lavesa Glover added 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively, while senior Natalie Berglin pitched in 12.

In Horizon League play, the team is shooting a blistering 50.5 percent from the floor, including 41.3 percent from three-point land. At the charity stripe, the Phoenix has shot 87.1 percent over nine League contests.

Individually, Soulis places second in the loop in scoring (17.7), blocked shots (1.43) and free-throw percentage (.851), while ranking third in field-goal percentage (.561) and seventh in rebounding (5.5).

As a team, UWGB leads the Horizon League in scoring offense (77.0 ppg.), scoring defense (60.4 ppg.), scoring margin (+16.5), free-throw percentage (.802), field-goal percentage (.484), three-point field goal percentage (.390), assists (17.52 apg.) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39).

According to the latest statistics release by the NCAA (Feb. 5), the Phoenix place second among Division I teams in free-throw shooting, while placing third in turnovers per game and fifth in field-goal percentage. UW-Green Bay is the only team in the nation that is in the top 10 in field goal, free throw and three-point shooting percentages.

The Phoenix have not lost since Nov. 29, posting 7-0 marks in both December and January. While the team has been flawless the past three years in the first month of the year, it was the first time since 1980-81 that the team went undefeated in December.

UW-Green Bay travels to in-state rival UW-Milwaukee for a Saturday contest its only game of the week. The Phoenix posted a 85-70 victory over the Panthers in the teams' first matchup on Jan. 13.

UW-Milwaukee (11-11; 7-2 HL)
Sophomore Traci Edwards registered her fourth-straight 20-point game and ninth double-double of the season as UWM captured a 63-54 victory against Detroit.

The Panthers returned to .500 on the year behind Edwards' 23 points and 10 rebounds. Classmates Emily Markert and Katie Fournier helped the cause as Markert poured in 15 points and Fournier grabbed 10 rebounds. In the contest, UW-Milwaukee had a season-high 52 caroms and out-rebounded its opponent for the eighth time in its last 11 games.

The Panthers shot over 50 percent in Saturday's contest, but it wasn't enough as Butler still came away victorious. Edwards posted her ninth 20-point game of the year with 22 against the Bulldogs and pulled down her 500th career rebound to become the 19th Panther in history to accomplish the feat. The team handed out a season-high 24 assists and committed just 12 turnovers.

On the statistical charts, Edwards tops the circuit in scoring (20.0), rebounding (9.5) and blocked shots (1.57), while placing second in field-goal percentage (.590). As a team, Milwaukee leads the loop in rebounding margin (+1.6), while placing third in three-point field goals made (6.32 per contest), assists (16.81) and field-goal percentage (.433).

The team attempts to avenge its loss to UW-Green Bay earlier this season (Jan. 13) on Saturday at the Klotsche Center.

UIC (13-9; 7-3 HL)
The Flames pushed their season-best winning streak to six games with road victories over Youngstown State (61-53) and Cleveland State (68-54) last week.

A balanced offense led to UIC's first victory of the week against YSU. Senior LaShonda Grant paced the team with 15 points, while classmate Kelly True poured in a season-high 11 points on four-of-five shooting, including three-of-four from three-point territory.

It was more of the same on Saturday as 10 players lit the scoreboard for the Flames. Grant and freshman Jessie Miller scored 13 points apiece to lead the squad, which had its most impressive showing on the defensive side by holding CSU to 29.8 percent (17-of-57) shooting from the field. The team also snapped the Vikings' NCAA-record streak of 408 games with at least one three-pointer.

On the season, UIC leads all Horizon League teams in steals per game at 10.59 and places second in turnover margin (+4.09). Grant, the team's leading scorer, is fifth in the League in scoring (15.0), while fellow seniors Jacquay Holmes (11.4, 11th) and Krystal Hugelier (10.7, 14th) also rank in the top 15 on the loop chart. In League play, Grant has increased her scoring average to 17.3, ranking her third in the conference.

The Flames return home to Chicago this week to take on Wright State for a 12:30 p.m. (EST) tip-off on Thursday afternoon. The original 8:00 p.m. start time was changed to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Butler will also visit the UIC Pavilion on Saturday evening.

Butler (9-12; 6-3 HL)
Butler picked up its second-straight League victory with a 68-56 win over Wright State on Saturday in the team's only game last week. The victory avenged a 76-71 loss to the Raiders at the Nutter Center on Jan. 6.

Senior Jackie Closser was a big reason for the Bulldogs' success against WSU. The senior guard had a career-high 28 points on nine-of-11 shooting from the field. She drained a career-best seven triples, while also leading the team with six assists. Freshman Susan Lester also continued her solid play of late with eight points and eight rebounds in the victory. In the team's last four games, Lester has averaged 15 points and 9.8 rebounds, picking up three double-doubles during the stretch.

On the statistical charts, Closser paces the loop in minutes played (36.95), while placing third in free-throw shooting (.838) and assists (4.10). She also is tied for the lead in three-pointers made (2.57) and has made at least one triple in 49 straight contests, the longest current streak in the NCAA and 11 shy of the all-time Division I record (Kim MacMillan, Long Island, 2000-02).

Butler has hit an average of 8.0 three-pointers per outing, good for sixth in the nation, while its 15.0 turnovers per contest rank 25th according the the Feb. 5 NCAA statistics release.

This week, Butler travels to Chicago, Ill., matching up with Loyola on Thursday and UIC on Saturday.

Youngstown State (6-14; 4-6 HL)
The Penguins split last week with a 71-63 loss to UIC on Thursday and a 66-64 victory over Loyola on Saturday.

On Thursday, YSU shot over 45 percent in consecutive games for the first time all season, but it was not enough as the Flames were able to shoot 53.6 percent after halftime. Sophomore reserves Velissa Vaughn and Nikita LaFleur were the only Penguins in double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively. LaFleur also blocked three shots in the contest.

Sophomore Monique Godfrey came to the rescue in Saturday's affair, draining a jumper in the lane with 10 seconds left to give the team a two-point victory. The guard led the team with 20 points, 16 coming in the second half. For just the second time this season, Youngstown State had four players in double figures as junior Lauren Branson (11), sophomore Ashley Pendelton (10) and LaFleur (10) all surpassed the 10-point plateau. LaFleur once again had a strong showing on the defensive side of the ball with five blocked shots.

With eight blocked shots last week, LaFleur is now averaging a League-best 2.22 blocks in conference play. As a team, YSU has averaged 3.70 blocks per contest and has increased that to 4.10 in League action. Solid defense is becoming a staple of the team this season. The Penguins place second in scoring defense (65.4) and field-goal percentage defense (.409).

Youngstown State finishes its non-League schedule with a Tuesday contest against Oakland this week. The team then stays in Michigan and tips-off against Detroit on Thursday. In the first game between the clubs, the Penguins picked up a 55-39 victory on Jan. 13.

Loyola (6-15; 4-6 HL)
Loyola went 1-1 last week with a victory over Cleveland State (74-61) and a last-second loss to Youngstown State (66-64).

Senior Marquise Hanser had a big part in Thursday's victory with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Fellow senior Jenna Real also joined Hanser with 20 points, the exact number she needed to become the 18th Rambler to score 1,000 career points. Maggie McCloskey also continued her successful freshman season, pouring in 15 points and dishing out a game-high seven assists.

On Saturday, the Ramblers fell victim to a last-second shot by YSU's Monique Godfrey. The teams battled back and forth for much of the contest as the score was tied 15 times and the lead changed hands 22 times. Hanser led the offense again with 20 points, while Real and freshman Jennifer Juergens each had 13.

This season, Real has connected on a League-best 60.8 percent of her shots for an average of 14.4 points per contest. According to the latest statistics release by the NCAA (Feb. 5), she holds the seventh-highest shooting percentage in the country.

McCloskey also finds herself atop the loop's statistics charts with 2.57 three-pointers made per game, while placing second in assists per outing at 4.52. She is the only freshman in the top five of either category.

On the season, Loyola owns the loop's second-best marks in free-throw average (.757) and field-goal percentage (.442).

The Ramblers stay home this week with Butler coming to the Gentile Center on Thursday and Wright State making the trip on Saturday.

Wright State (5-15; 3-6 HL)
Senior Brittney Whiteside picked up her second double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough as WSU dropped a 68-56 decision to Butler in its only game last week.

In addition to Whiteside's second 20-plus point performance of the season, junior Whitney Lewis had a solid outing with 13 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. The Raiders did hold a 39-37 advantage in rebounding, but could not overcome that hot hand of Butler's Jackie Closser as she finished with 28 points, including seven-of-nine shooting from long distance.

With her 24 points, Whiteside is now just three points from tying Jenny Horn (1982-86, 1,307) for second place on the all-time Raider scoring list. Along with appearing in the school's top-10 list in scoring, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, assists, scoring average and steals, Whiteside added rebounds to that list with her 10 against the Bulldogs, placing her eighth with 630.

WSU has done its work on the defensive side of the ball this season, ranking second in the League in steals (9.10). Individually, junior Danielle Duncan is fifth (1.65) in steals, while freshman Kanisha Ward places sixth (1.63).

The Raiders make the trip to the Windy City to play UIC on Thursday and Loyola on Saturday.

Cleveland State (5-18; 2-8 HL)
The Vikings dropped a pair of home contests last week with a 74-61 loss against Loyola on Thursday and a 68-54 setback against UIC on Saturday.

Freshman Kailey Klein put together the best week of her young career at CSU averaging 22.5 points and six rebounds in the two games. She poured in 23 points on Thursday, then followed with 22 on Saturday for her first consecutive 20-point games of the year. She now has scored 20 or more points in five games, including three of the team's last four games.

Cleveland State's NCAA-record run of 408 straight games with at least one three-pointer came to an end with an 0-12 effort against UIC on Saturday. The last time that Cleveland State failed to drain at least one three-pointer in a game was in a 78-55 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 17, 1992.As a team, the Vikings top the Horizon League in rebounds per game (38.5) with senior Nicole Thomas leading the attack at 7.2 per outing. Klein currently ranks second among freshman in scoring (9.2), trailing only Loyola's Maggie McCloskey (10.5).

CSU plays its lone road game in the month of February on Saturday when the team travels to Detroit for a noon tip.

Detroit (4-19; 1-9 HL)
Detroit fell to 1-9 in League play after a pair of losses in Wisconsin last week, pushing its losing streak to seven games.

On Thursday, UDM was held to 28.6 percent (20-of-70) shooting and was out-rebounded 52-47 by UW-Milwaukee in a 63-54 loss. Junior transfers Joyce Massey and India Bruster led the Titans as Massey had a team-high 17 points and Bruster notched her third double-double of the season (12 points, 15 rebounds). Sophomore Sandi Brown also reached double figures with 14 points to go along with six rebounds.

The 24th-ranked Phoenix proved too much for Detroit on Saturday as the team fell 88-60 to the League leader. Massey paced the offense again with 15 points, while Brown (13) and junior Kandace Evans (10) also notched double digits.

Massey has now led the team in scoring in 16-of-23 games this season. She ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (15.3) and is third in rebounding (7.0). With five blocks versus Milwaukee, it was the fourth time this season Bruster had four or more blocks in a game. She does not qualify for the League charts yet due to not playing in the required 75 percent of the team's games after transferring from Southern Illinois at semester, but if Bruster did qualify, she would top everyone with an average of 1.86 swats per game.

This week, Detroit hosts Youngstown State on Thursday and Cleveland State on Saturday.

Valparaiso (13-9; Joins HL in 2007-08)
The Crusaders went 2-0 last week, picking up victories over UMKC (52-51) and Centenary (84-44).

Valpo rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat UMKC on Monday last week. Senior Betsy Rietema's lay-in with 1:20 on the clock proved to be the difference as the team picked up the road victory. Senior Carrie Myers led VU with 15 points in the contest, while Rietema added 13 and four steals. Classmate Tamra Braun registered her eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, becoming the program's all-time leading rebounder with 783 boards.

Thirteen different Crusaders played at least 10 minutes in Saturday's blow-out victory over Centenary. The balanced attack saw 12 of the 13 players score with junior Sanna Helenius' 13 points leading the way.

Braun ranks first in the Mid-Continent Conference in field-goal percentage (.570), second in blocks (1.68) and third in rebounding (8.5). Rietema places third in scoring (13.5) and seventh in rebounding (6.4). As a team, Valpo leads all Mid-Con teams in three-point field-goal percentage (.388) and three-pointers made (6.82 per contest).

Valparaiso hosts Oral Roberts on Monday evening before traveling to Oakland on Saturday.