Women's Basketball Weekly Release #18 - Championship Preview

March 5, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Player of the Week

Susan Lester, Butler
Freshman * Forward * Anderson, Ind.
Lester posted her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season in helping the Bulldogs to a second-place tie in the Horizon League standings this weekend. She finished with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Youngstown State on Thursday, going six-of-12 from the field with three steals. She followed up that performance with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds against Cleveland State on Saturday, going six-of-11 from the field and four-of-seven from three.

Other Top Performances from the Week Ending Mar. 4

Ta-myra Davis, Youngstown State
Freshman * Forward * Akron, Ohio
Davis put together back-to-back career scoring highs with eight points against Butler and 11 points against Wright State on Saturday. Her 11-point effort was her first career double figure scoring game. She also shot .636 from the field (seven-of-11), including four-of-four against Wright State.

Traci Edwards, UW-Milwaukee
Sophomore * Center * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards led the Panthers to a 2-0 week last week, averaging 25 points and eight rebounds a game. She also went 22-of-25 from the free throw line over the two games. Thursday, Edwards helped UWM overcome an 18-point deficit to upset UIC, 89-83, with 22 points and six rebounds. She was 14-of-16 from the free throw line. She then added 28 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals at Loyola Saturday. She went to the free throw line nine times in that game, making eight.

Kayla Groh, UW-Green Bay
Junior * Guard * Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Although Groh averaged just 22.5 minutes on the week, Groh's all-around play helped the Phoenix win a pair of road games last week and secure its first-ever perfect conference season as a member of the Horizon League. Groh, who is in the top 25 in the NCAA in free throw percentage, continued her fine shooting with a six-for-six mark against UIC on Saturday.

Marquise Hanser, Loyola
Senior * Guard * Ft. Mitchell, Ky.
Hanser averaged 15 points per game as Loyola wrapped up the regular season with a pair of home games. Hanser finished with 11 points, four boards and five assists on Thursday against UW-Green Bay before firing in a team-high 19 points on Senior Day against UW-Milwaukee.

Jacquay Holmes, UIC
Senior * Guard * Chicago, Ill.
Holmes paced UIC in its final two regular-season contests at the Pavilion with 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. The forward shot 48.1 percent from the field (13-for-27) and totaled nine defensive rebounds. Holmes added five assists, two blocks and four steals in two games.

Kailey Klein, Cleveland State
Freshman * Guard * Cherry, Ill.
Klein averaged 22 points per game last week, including her seventh 20-plus point game of the season against Butler on Saturday. She grabbed 14 rebounds during the week while shooting 14-of-30 from the floor.

Brittney Whiteside, Wright State
Senior * Guard * Columbus, Ohio
Whiteside notched nine points and five assists against Cleveland State then posted her third double-double of the season versus Youngstown State as she had 15 points, including a 10-of-12 performance at the foul line, and 11 rebounds.

Horizon League Notes

UW-Green Bay (25-3; 16-0 HL)
The Phoenix enters the Horizon League Championship as the top seed after posting a perfect 16-0 record in League play. UWGB is currently riding the nation's second-longest winning streak at 22 games, only trailing Middle Tennessee State (24-straight victories). On Wednesday, the team begins the League tournament by playing the winner of Monday's game between No. 9 Detroit and No. 8 Loyola.

In last Thursday's 78-60 victory over Loyola, all ten players scored and five notched double digits. The team shot 52.5 percent from the field, including nine-of-21 from long range. Senior Nicole Soulis and sophomore Kati Harty each had 12 points to pace the UWGB offense.

On Saturday, UW-Green Bay's offense cooled off, but a strong showing on the defensive end led to a 58-45 victory at UIC. Soulis once again led the offense with 12 points as four Phoenix players tallied double figures. UIC was held to 32.1 percent shooting in the contest, its third-lowest output of the season.

UW-Green Bay was one of only eight NCAA Division I teams that went undefeated in their respective conferences. The Phoenix has gone unblemished in conference play just once before: a 12-0 mark as a member of the North Star Conference in 1991-92. In the Horizon League, only one team has done it since the association's inception as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1986-87, as Notre Dame was 16-0 in 1989-90.

Individually, Soulis paces the loop in blocked shots (1.61), while ranking second in scoring (17.0) and third in free-throw percentage (.813) and field-goal percentage (.562). Senior Natalie Berglin also paces the circuit in assists (4.61) and assist to turnover ratio (2.93).

As a team, UWGB leads the Horizon League in scoring offense (75.9 ppg.), scoring defense (59.9 ppg.), scoring margin (+16.0), free-throw percentage (.811), field-goal percentage (.478), three-point field goal percentage (.384), assists (16.93 apg.) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.35).

According to the latest statistics release by the NCAA (March 2), the Phoenix top all 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.

Soulis and head coach Kevin Borseth headlined Monday's release of the All-League teams and specialty awards. Soulis earned her second-straight Player of the Year honor, while Borseth picked up his seventh Coach of the Year award. Berglin was also recognized with a spot on the First-Team, while junior Kayla Groh was an All-Defensive team member along with Soulis.

UIC (18-11; 11-5 HL)
Despite falling in it two final regular-season contests, UIC heads into the League Championship as the No. 2 seed and will host seventh-seeded Cleveland State on Wednesday.

In the final week of the regular season, the Flames dropped a pair of home contests to the Wisconsin schools last week as UW-Milwaukee picked up an 89-83 victory on Thursday and UW-Green Bay came away with a 58-45 win on Saturday.

The loss to Milwaukee marks the first time this season the Flames have been setback when scoring 80 or more points (5-1). UIC held a 13-point halftime advantage, but 59 second-half points by the Panthers proved too much. Seniors LaShonda Grant and Jacquay Holmes carried the scoring load, notching 23 and 21 points, respectively.

Against UW-Green Bay, the team struggled to get anything going on the offensive end. No player scored in double figures and the team shot just 32.1 percent (18-of-56) from the floor.

On the season, the Flames lead all Horizon League teams in steals per game at 10.28, while placing second in scoring offense (68.2), scoring margin (+2.3) and turnover margin (+3.86). Grant, the team's leading scorer, is third in the League in scoring (15.3), while Holmes (11.5, tenth) also ranks in the top ten on the loop chart. In League play, Grant has increased her scoring average to 17.3, ranking her second in the conference.

UIC had two players honored on the Horizon League All-League teams with Grant earning First-Team accolades and fellow senior Jackie Parker placing on the All-Defensive squad.

Butler (14-14; 11-5 HL)
Butler finished out the regular season on a high note, picking up two victories last week. The team enters the League summit as the third seed and hosts sixth-seeded Youngstown State on Wednesday.

On Thursday evening, the Bulldogs came to play on the defensive side of the ball and held visiting Youngstown State to 28.3 percent (17-of-60) shooting in a 59-45 win. Sophomore Lade Akande scored a game-high 21 points, while freshman Susan Lester picked up her sixth double-double of the campaign.

BU had to play a different style of basketball on Saturday as Cleveland State challenged the Bulldogs right up until the final horn in an 83-79 victory. Lester notched her second-straight double-double, while junior Tara Miller (17), senior Jackie Closser (15) and Akande (11) all topped the 10-point plateau. The team shot 45.9 percent from the floor, including 12-of-28 from long distance. Eleven minutes into the game, Closser became Butler's all-time leader in minutes played, passing Bulldog Hall-of-Famer Mary Majewski's total of 3,607 set from 1990-93. She also drained two three pointers to extend her streak to 56-straight games with at least one three pointer, the longest active streak in the NCAA.

On the statistical charts, Closser paces the loop in minutes played (36.93), while placing second in free-throw shooting (.843) and three-pointers made (2.54), fourth in assists (3.96) and seventh in scoring (13.9).

Butler has hit an average of 8.04 three-pointers per outing, good for first in the circuit and fifth in the nation, while its 14.9 turnovers per contest rank 33rd according the March 2 NCAA statistics release.

The Bulldogs were well-represented on the All-League teams that were released on Monday as Closser earned First-Team recognition, Akande placed on the Second-Team and Lester was an All-Newcomer recipient.

UW-Milwaukee (14-15; 10-6 HL)
After scoring an average of 55 points the previous week's two games, UWM found the offensive touch and averaged 84.5 points per game last week in a pair of wins. The Panthers go into the League tourney as the fourth seed and host No. 5 Wright State on Wednesday evening.

UW-Milwaukee trailed by 13 at halftime, but came out and tied a school-record with 59 second-half points en route to an 89-83 win over UIC on Thursday. The club had a season-best six players in double figures with Traci Edwards' 22 points leading the way. The sophomore center went four-of-eight from the floor and hit a League-best 14 shots from the charity stripe.

The Panther offense was still hot on Saturday as the team shot 50.9 percent from the floor in an 80-66 victory at Loyola. Edwards posted another solid outing at 28 points and 10 rebounds, giving her a League-high 14 20-point games and 12 double-doubles. The Menasha, Wis., native pushed her season point total to 569 to surpass the school-record mark of 552 set by Jen Greger during the 1996-97 season.

On the statistical charts, Edwards tops the circuit in scoring (20.3), rebounding (9.4) , while placing second in field-goal percentage (.580) and blocked shots (1.57). As a team, Milwaukee leads the loop in rebounding margin (+2.2), while placing third in three-point field goals made (6.31 per contest), assists (15.97) and field-goal percentage (.429).

Edwards also was honored by the League as a First-Team honoree All-League honoree on Monday.

Wright State (10-17; 8-8 HL)
The Raiders picked up two victories last week and are riding a season-best three-game winning streak into the League Championship. WSU will travel to UW-Milwaukee for its quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday night.

Wright State held Cleveland State to 33.3 percent shooting in Thursday's 63-55 victory over the Vikings. Senior Steph Comisar had 12 points to lead the attack, while classmate Tyanda Hammock and junior Whitney Lewis added 11 points apiece.

On Saturday, the Raiders kept the defensive pressure on, holding Youngstown State to 26.0 percent shooting in a 47-40 win. Senior Brittney Whiteside tallied her third double-double of the year and 14th of her career with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The 47-40 final score was the lowest winning score for Wright State in the 20 years that the program has been in Division I, eclipsing the 48-46 decision at Detroit on January 13, 2005. It's the fifth-lowest winning score all-time for WSU, with the other three coming during the first three years of the program's existence during the 1970's.

WSU has done its work on the defensive side of the ball this season, ranking second in the League in scoring defense (63.4) and third in steals (8.96). Individually, junior Danielle Duncan is fourth (1.56) in the circuit in thefts while Comisar and freshman Kanisha Ward tie for sixth (1.54).

Whiteside is currently the only player in the League that places in the top ten in scoring (eighth with 13.8), rebounding (sixth with 5.7) and assists (seventh with 3.35). In her career, she has scored 1,405 points, which only trails Jodi Martin (2,055 from 1979-83) in WSU history.

Youngstown State (7-20; 5-11 HL)
YSU extended its losing streak to five games with a pair of losses last week, but held on to the sixth seed at the upcoming conference tournament. The Penguins will visit Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on third-seeded Butler on Wednesday evening.

It was an offensive struggle last week as the team shot a combined 27.3 percent from the floor. Against Butler on Thursday, no Youngstown State player scored in double digits as YSU fell 59-45 at Butler. Freshman Ta-myra Davis provided a bright spot for the Penguins, scoring a career high eight points.

In Saturday's contest, Youngstown State shot two-of-17 from three-point territory in a 47-40 loss at Wright State. Davis set her career high for the second-straight game with 11 points, while classmate Ashley Pendleton also had 11 points to go along with nine boards.

As a team, YSU has averaged 3.52 blocks per contest, good for second in the League. Individually, sophomore Monique Godfrey and junior Heather Karner are tied for 12th (11.0) on the loop's scoring chart, while sophomore Nikita LaFleur ranks third in blocked shots (1.16). Junior Lauren Branson is now second among League players in assists (4.15) and fourth in steals (1.56). She moved into ninth place on the all-time Penguins' assist list with 317 career helpers.

Cleveland State (8-21; 5-11 HL)
The Vikings gave Wright State and Butler all they could handle in their final two regular-season games, but it was not enough as the team was pinned with two losses. CSU is seeded seventh in the upcoming tournament and travels to UIC on Wednesday for the quarterfinals.

In Thursday's loss to WSU, Cleveland State forced the Raiders into 23 turnovers, but could not overcome 33.3 percent shooting from the field in the 63-55 loss. Freshman Kailey Klein posted 18 points and was the only player in double figures.

On Saturday, the Vikings led 79-76 with 1:22 left, but were held scoreless for the remainder of the game and fell 83-79 at Butler. Klein led the offense again with 29 points plus nine rebounds. Senior Chenara Wilson also posted a career-high 19 points, while junior Brittany Korth and senior Nicole Thomas poured in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Cleveland State has shown vast improvement this season over the past two years. The Vikings' eight overall wins match their total from the past two years combined, while the five League victories are one more than the 2004-05 and 2005-06 squads put together.

As a team, the Vikings top the Horizon League in rebounds per game (39.0) with senior Nicole Thomas leading the charge at 7.0 per outing, good for second in the circuit. Klein currently ties with Loyola's Maggie McCloskey for the scoring lead among freshmen (11.0).

CSU had two players honored on Monday's All-League release as Klein earned Newcomer of the Year accolades and sophomore Dominique Butler was named to the All-Defensive Team.

Loyola (7-20; 5-11 HL)
Loyola closed out the regular season with a pair of losses to UW-Green Bay (78-60) and UW-Milwaukee (80-66) last week. The Ramblers hold the eighth seed in the HL Championship and will host ninth-seeded Detroit on Monday night.

Freshmen Maggie McCloskey led the offense against the first-place Phoenix on Thursday with 19 points on six-of-15 shooting. In two games against UWGB, she has a 23.5 points-per-game average, draining 13 three-pointers. The Ramblers shot 37.7 percent from the floor compared to 52.5 percent by Green Bay. Senior Marquise Hanser was the only other player in double figures with 11 points.

Against UWM, Loyola once again couldn't stop the opposing offense, allowing the Panthers to shoot 50.9 percent. Hanser led the scoring for LU with 19 points, while McCloskey added 14 and senior Jenna Real had 10 points plus 9 boards.

This season, Real has connected on a League-best 59.8 percent of her shots from the floor for an average of 13.7 points per contest. According to the latest statistics release by the NCAA (March 2), she holds the fifth-best shooting percentage in the country.

McCloskey also finds herself on the loop's statistical charts placing first in three-pointers made (2.59) and second in assists (4.15). She is the only freshman in the top five of either category.

Hanser and Real were both honored with a spot on the All-League Second Team in Monday's release and McCloskey earned All-Newcomer recognition.

Detroit (4-25; 1-15 HL)
The Titans were idle in the final week of the regular season. The team will travel to eight-seeded Loyola on Monday for the right to advance to the quarterfinals and take on No. 1 UW-Green Bay.

Junior Joyce Massey earned All-League Second team accolades for her performance during the season, becoming the first Titan to do so since Nicole Anaejionu in 2003-04. Massey has scored in double figures in four of the team's last five games and ranks fifth in the conference in scoring (15.2) and is third in rebounding (6.7).

The current 13-game losing streak is the longest since the team lost the first 17 games of the 1987-88 season.

Valparaiso (20-10; Joins HL in 2007-08)
The Crusaders finished up the regular season and started the Mid-Continent Conference tournament last week, picking up two wins along the way.

Valparaiso shook off a slow start with 54 percent shooting in the second half on Monday evening to post a 65-47 victory over Southern Utah at the Athletics-Recreation Center in the regular season finale for both schools. Senior Tamra Braun led Valpo with 13 points and seven rebounds while moving into ninth place on Valpo's career scoring list with 1,082 points. Senior Betsy Rietema and freshman Whitney Farris each added 11 points while Launa Hochstetler dished out six assist without a turnover as the Crusaders won their fifth straight game for the second time this season.

VU never trailed Saturday afternoon on its way to its 20th victory of the season for just the fifth time in school history as the Crusaders defeated Southern Utah 60-45 in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament at John Q. Hammons Arena in Tulsa, Okla. Senior Carrie Myers led the Crusaders with 14 points, including 4-of-8 shooting from long range. Rietema and Braun each grabbed a game high 12 rebounds for the Crusaders as Valpo outboarded Southern Utah 47-34.

Hochstetler was named the Mid-Con Sixth Woman of the Year, while Rietema was a First Team All-Mid-Con selection this season and Braun earned Second Team honors.