Women's Basketball Weekly Release #3

Nov. 20, 2006

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Player of the Week

Joyce Massey, Detroit
Junior * Guard * Detroit, Mich.
Massey scored 26 points against Buffalo in the Titans first win of 2006-07 on Tuesday. It was the most points by a Titan since December 2002. She shot 50 percent from the field (seven-of-14) and went a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw stripe, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. Massey followed that performance with a double-double of 25 points and 16 rebounds against Western Michigan on Friday. Her 16 rebounds were the most by a Titan since 2001.

Other Top Performances from the Week Ending Nov. 19

Jackie Closser, Butler
Senior * Guard * Alexandria, Ind.
Closser set a career-high with 11 assists against Bradley on Friday (Nov. 17), topping her old mark of nine. She also scored 14 points in the game, going a perfect five-of-five from the free-throw line, for her first double-double of the season. Closser added four rebounds in helping the Bulldogs to their first win of the season.

Traci Edwards, UW-Milwaukee
Sophomore * Center * Menasha, Wis.
In three games last week, Edwards led the Panthers with 18.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, while posting a pair of double-doubles. She had 16 points and 11 rebounds at Miami on Monday and scored a career-high 29 points on Friday at Drake to go with 12 rebounds. Edwards then added 10 points against Central Connecticut State in just 16 minutes. She also shot 63.6 percent from the field and was a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line.

Kayla Groh, UW-Green Bay
Junior * Guard * Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Groh tallied just her second career 20-point game to go with a career-high 12 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double in UW-Green Bay's win over Oakland Nov. 15. In front of nearly 150 hometown fans from Elkhart Lake, Wis., Groh went seven-of-10 for the game, including three-of-four from three-point range. She also added five assists in the game while committing just one turnover in 29 minutes of work.

Marquise Hanser, Loyola
Senior * Guard * Fort Mitchell, Ky.Hanser averaged a team-best 11.5 points per contest in a pair of games this week. Hanser poured in a team-best 13 points at Illinois after dropping in 10 against Illinois State. She drilled five three-pointers during the week and has hit at least one trey in 31 of her last 32 games.

Jacquay Holmes, UIC
Senior * Guard * Chicago, Ill.
Holmes averaged 16.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in three games for UIC this week. Holmes shot 87.5 percent from the line (14-for-16), helping the Flames to a 3-1 overall record. Holmes picked up her first career double-double with 23 points and a career-high ten rebounds in an overtime win (81-80) over Eastern Illinois on Sunday.

Whitney Lewis, Wright State
Junior * Forward * Lynchburg, Ohio
Lewis tied her career best in scoring with 19 points at Ball State in the team's season opener at Ball State on Saturday. She shot seven-of-12 from the floor, including a career-best two three-pointers.

Horizon League NotesUIC (3-1; 0-0 HL)
The Flames went 2-1 last week with victories over Eastern Illinois and Central Michigan.

To open the week, UIC welcomed Big Ten foe Illinois to the UIC Pavilion. The Flames battled back from an 11-point halftime deficit to pull within three in the last minute, but were unable to get over the hump and were pinned with a 53-48 loss. LaShonda Grant led all scorers with 15 points in the contest, while Jacquay Holmes added 10 points and eight rebounds.

On Friday, UIC pulled away from visiting Central Michigan for an 84-68 win. Four players found their way to double-figures, including Grant and Holmes, who had 18 and 19 points, respectively.

It would take overtime to topple Eastern Illinois, 81-80, in the team's last game of the week. Tied 70-70 after regulation, the Flames came out hot in the extra session and scored the first seven points. EIU wouldn't go away that easily and battled back to take an 80-79 lead with just 20 seconds on the clock. Senior Kelly True had the answer with a short jumper with just three seconds remaining. Holmes had another impressive contest with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Nikki Grobbecker tallied her first career double-double at 14 points and 14 rebounds.

For the week, Holmes averaged 16.7 points. Grant, a Preseason First-Team selection, went six-of-12 from three-point range, while chipping in 15.7 points a game. It was also a big week for Grobbecker, who averaged 9.3 rebounds per contest.

This week UIC will host Evansville on Saturday in the team's only game of the week.

UW-Green Bay (1-1; 0-0 HL)
The Phoenix got back to its winning ways with a 90-68 home victory over Oakland on Wednesday last week.

Preseason Player of the Year Nicole Soulis registered her second-straight double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Kayla Groh upped Soulis' effort, going for 20 points and 12 rebounds. It marked just the third time under coach Kevin Borseth that two UW-Green Bay players have reached double figures in two statistical categories. Sophomore Rachel Porath continued her hot start to the 2006-07 campaign setting her career-high in scoring for the second-straight contest. After 14 points in the opener, she tallied 15 points on five-of-seven shooting.

As a team, the Phoenix shot 45.1 percent (32-of-71) from the field and 40.0 percent (12-of-30) from three-point territory. UWGB dished out a League-high 25 assists in the contest, led by Natalie Berglin's eight.

The Phoenix have a busy week with three games away from the Phoenix Sports Center. On Monday the team takes on Marquette then takes to the road to take part in the Northern Arizona Tournament in Flagstaff, Ariz. The tournament gets underway on Friday with UWGB facing the Big Ten's Minnesota.

Butler (1-1; 0-0 HL)
Butler captured an 85-73 victory over Bradley on Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Sophomore Lade Akande led the Bulldogs' offense with 18 points on eight of-10 shooting. Senior Jackie Closser distributed 11 assists to go along with her 14 points for her first double-double of the year. Cassie Freeman chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds, while Ellen Hamilton scored 10 points to round out the double-figure scorers.

Although Butler won by 12 points, the game was much closer through most of the first half. The contest featured 12 lead changes and 14 ties, but the Bulldogs' 62.5 percent shooting in the second half allowed the hosts to pull away at the end.

This week BU travels to Anchorage, Alaska, to take part in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaskan Shootout. The team plays California-Riverside on Tuesday and either Alaska-Anchorage or Air Force on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will return home and travel to Ohio for a Sunday contest with the Bobcats.

Detroit (1-2; 0-0 HL)
The Titans bounced back after scoring only 37 points in their season-opener to post a 73-61 victory over Buffalo on Tuesday before dropping an 85-72 decision to Western Michigan on Friday.

In UDM's victory, Joyce Massey scored 26 points on seven-of-14 shooting from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. She added eight boards and three assists to a point total that hasn't been registered by a Detroit player since December 2002. Kandace Evans also came out with a hot hand in the Buffalo contest, draining four-of-nine triples en route to a 17-point performance.

Massey and Evans both had strong outings in UDM's second game of the week, but it was not enough as Western Michigan captured the win. Massey went for 25 points and 16 rebounds, while Evans stayed hot from beyond the arc by going five-of-nine for 15 of her 20 points. It was the first time since Nov. 27, 2004 that two Titans reached the 20-point plateau in the same game.

Detroit travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on the Michigan on Monday then are idle for the remainder of the week.

UW-Milwaukee (1-3; 0-0 HL)
The Panthers finished their trip to Florida with a 78-71 loss to Miami (Fla.) on Monday then headed north and were handed a loss at Drake (75-72) before topping Central Connecticut State (65-56) on Sunday at home.

Meredith Onson led the offensive attack for UWM against the Hurricanes with 17 points, while Traci Edwards posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Megan Rogers (11 points) and Katie Fournier (10 points) also eclipsed double-figures.

On Friday night, Milwaukee came out on the wrong end of a 75-72 offensive shootout in a game that saw eight lead changes. Edwards found another double-double in the game, this time with a career-high 29 points to go with 12 rebounds. The Panthers shot 50.9 percent from the floor, but it was not enough as Drake notched 53.3 shooting percentage on the night.

The Panthers pulled off their first victory of the year with all 15 available players getting into the contest. Edwards posted double-digit points for the fourth-consecutive game, while Onson, Kim Wypiszynski and Emily Markert also reached double figures. For the game, Milwaukee shot 60.0 percent (27-of-45) with 36 points coming in the paint.

Edwards is shooting a team-best 95 percent 19-of-20) from the free-throw line this season after shooting a 62.4 clip (136-of-218) as a freshman

UWM plays another Monday contest this week, traveling to Madison, Wis., to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. The team then leaves the state to take part in the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic in Dallas Texas with their first game coming against San Jose State on Friday.

Wright State (0-1; 0-0 HL)
WSU got its season underway with a 75-68 road loss to Ball State on Saturday.

Junior Whitney Lewis led the way for the Raiders with a career-high tying 19 points, while Tyanda Hammock and Brittney Whiteside each chipped in 15 points. Wright State held a slight edge in turnovers with 18 compared to BSU's 22, while the Cardinals grabbed a minor edge on the boards (33-29).

The team's schedule picks up this week with three games. They host in-state rival Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday before hitting the road to Miami, Fla. to take part in the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament.

Youngstown State (0-2; 0-0 HL)
The Penguins' cold shooting night on Friday doomed the team in a 55-42 loss at Coppin State in their only game last week. The team begins the season with two losses in a row for the first time since 2002-03.

YSU shot just 14-of-42 (33.3 percent) from the floor and made just three-of-12 (25.0 percent) shots from long distance. Anjalia Lyons, Ashley Pendleton, Monique Godfrey and Heather Karner each scored eight points to lead the team. Lyons also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds in the contest.

Youngstown State hosts Mid-American Conference opponent Buffalo on Tuesday before taking the trip to Wilmington, N.C., for the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Beach Blast. The Penguins will take on host UNC Wilmington in their first game on Friday.

Cleveland State (0-3; 0-0 HL)
The Vikings lost 87-64 at Ohio in their only game last week.

Freshmen Stephanie Crosley (12 points) and Jessica Roque (10 points) along with Robyn Hoying (10 points) each notched double-figure point totals. Nicole Thomas registered her third-consecutive game with double-digit rebounds, pulling down 11 in 24 minutes. Thomas leads the League with 13.0 rebounds per contest.

As a team, CSU shot just 34.4 percent (22-of-64) from the field and 30.0 from beyond the arc (six-of-20).

The Vikings head into this week with a three-point field in 389 consecutive games - the longest active streak in the nation and second-longest streak ever (Louisville, 394).

The Vikings host Colgate on Tuesday to open up the week, then travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., to play in the Long Island Turkey Classic. They face host Long Island in their first game on Friday.

Loyola (0-3; 0-0 HL)
It was a tough week for the Ramblers as they took a 77-66 loss at home to Illinois State on Tuesday before dropping an 87-59 decision to Illinois on Saturday.

Jenna Real's 14 points and Marquise Hanser's 10 points led the way for Loyola, but it was freshman Maggie McCloskey's performance that was most impressive. In just her second collegiate game, McCloskey dished out 10 assists to become the first Rambler since Tracy Hoffman in the 1999-2000 season to accomplish the feat.

Saturday's loss to Illinois saw Hanser reach double-digits for the third straight contest. Her 13 points were joined only by Jennifer Juergens' 12 as the only Ramblers to break double figures. Juergens added eight rebounds in the contest, giving her a 7.3 rebounds-per-game average through her first three contests.

LU couldn't find the range during the week, shooting just 13-of-43 (30.2 percent) from long distance. The team also committed 42 turnovers in the two games, while notching only 28 assists.

Loyola heads to North Texas for a Saturday match-up with the Mean Green in the club's only game of the week.

Valparaiso (1-2; 0-0 HL)
Valpo went 1-1 last week, losing at Indiana on Wednesday then coming out victorious in its home opener against Northern Arizona.

Against the Hoosiers, Aimee Litka and Carrie Myers with there only Crusaders in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. The team shot just 26.8 percent (15-of-56) from the field, compared to IU's 49.2 percent (30-of-61) conversion rate.

Betsy Rietema came out strong against Northern Arizona with 21 points and eight rebounds. Tamra Braun chipped in 15 points and three blocks in the contest.

VU travels to Akron for its only game this week.