Women's Basketball Weekly Release #4

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Jackie Closser, Butler
Junior * Guard * Alexandria, Ind.
Closser led the Bulldogs to a 1-1 record during the week, averaging 18.0 points and 7.0 assists per game. Closser netted a team-high 20 points in Wednesday's win at Eastern Illinois before pouring in 16 points against Missouri Valley preseason favorite Indiana State Sunday. She had seven assists in each contest. Closser played 81 of a possible 85 minutes and committed only four turnovers. She hit eight three-pointers and nailed all six of her free throw attempts on the week.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending December 4

Traci Edwards, UW-Milwaukee
Freshman * Center * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards averaged 18.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, while shooting 62.5 percent (20-for-32). Against No. 14 DePaul on Wednesday, she scored a team-high 21 points, grabbed eight boards and blocked three shots. In UWM's win over Southeast Missouri State on Friday, she had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists, before a 17-point, four-board effort at South Dakota State on Sunday.

Dominique Butler, Cleveland State
Freshman * Guard * Milwaukee, Wis.
Butler came off the bench to lead the Vikings with 12 points in a 58-49 loss to St. Bonaventure on Saturday. She set career highs with four rebounds and four steals.

Lindsey Pasquinzo, Detroit
Senior * Guard * Shelby Twp., Mich.
Pasquinzo scored in double figures in all three of the Titans' games. She paced the team with 14 points against Bowling Green and Pepperdine.On the season, Pasquinzo leads Detroit and ranks ninth in the loop in scoring (13.9).

Chrissy Dizon, UIC
Senior * Guard * Chicago, Ill.
Dizon scored a game and season-high 23 points versus Eastern Illinois at home, while pulling down a team-high nine rebounds and six stealsin the 86-77 win. Dizon averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds last week for the Flames.

Natalie Berglin, UW-Green Bay
Junior * Guard * Green Bay, Wis.
Berglin led the Phoenix in the team's come-from-behind win on the road at Oakland Dec. 3, as her career-high 23 points boosted the Phoenix to a Horizon League-best 4-2 mark. Berglin went 7-of-14 from the field against Oakland, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, while converting on four key free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the comeback victory.

Brittney Whiteside, Wright StateJunior * Guard * Columbus, Ohio
Whiteside had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Raiders in their only contest during the week, a 70-60 victory over Miami (Ohio). She has now scored in double figures in five-straight games. She paces the Raiders in scoring (13.0) and assists per game (3.0).

Michelle Holmes, Youngstown State
Senior * Center * Cincinnati, Ohio
Holmes led the Penguins to an 80-71 victory over Saint Louis with 16 points on Wednesday. She converted six-of-eight from the field and four-of-six from the free-throw line. Holmes leads the Penguins in scoring (11.2) and field-goal percentage (.571) on the season.

Butler
HAMILTON = THREE: For the second time already this season, junior guard Ellen Hamilton went a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range Wednesday at Eastern Illinois. Hamilton is shooting a league-leading 61.5 percent from behind the arc this season, connecting on a Horizon League-best 3.2 treys per game.

FAB FRESHMAN: Freshman forward/center Lade Akande posted the second double-double of her young career Sunday, netting 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Akande had three blocks Sunday after swatting a career-high four shots Wednesday at Eastern Illinois, including two game-savers in the final 30 seconds of overtime. Akande paces the league in rebounding at 8.6 boards per game.

Cleveland State
363 AND COUNTING: Cleveland State heads into play this week having made a three-point field goal in 363 consecutive games. The last time the Vikings failed to drain at least one triple was against Cincinnati on Dec. 17, 1992. The streak is the third-best in NCAA history and the longest active run.

FACING THE UNDEFEATED: Eighth-ranked Connecticut may have been the most noteworthy of Cleveland State's early season opponents, but when 4-0 Central Michigan rolls into town Tuesday night, it will mean that five of the Vikings' first six opponents will have been undefeated at the time of the game. Wisconsin (1-0), Hillsdale (3-0), the Huskies (4-0) and St. Bonaventure (3-0) join the Chippewas in facing CSU with a spotless mark.

Detroit
THREE HAPPY: Detroit has made 25 more three-point field goals than its opponents (57-32) this season. Senior guard Lindsey Pasquinzo, senior guard Caitie Goddard and sophomore guard Shawanna Stubblefield all rank in the League's top-10 in three-point accuracy.

EVANS GETTING COMFORTABLE: Sophomore guard Kandace Evans is getting used to her new surroundings. A transfer from the University of Wisconsin, Evans has posted double-digit points in the team's last two contests (11 vs. Pepperdine and 10 vs. Western Michigan).

UIC
SCORING COMING FROM EVERYWHERE: The Flames had four players score in double digits versus the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Monday. Senior guard Chrissy Dizon led UIC with 23 points, junior guard Krystal Hugelier added 16 points, junior guard Kelly True knocked down 11 and sophomore center Nicole Rinaldi posted 10 points in the 86-77 win.

TOUGH NIGHT FROM THE FLOOR: UIC shot 23.6 percent (13-of-55) from the floor during its 51-40 loss to Northern Illinois on Friday night. In the Flames' previous five contests, the team shot 41.9 percent (122-of-291).

Loyola
MENELLA IS BACK: Senior guard Mandy Mennella made her return to the starting lineup for the Ramblers this week after recovering from a torn ACL she suffered at the end of the 04-05 campaign. Mennella averaged 10.0 points per game and 2.5 assists per game while drilling five three-pointers in Loyola's two games.

DOUBLE-UP: Junior forward Jenna Real posted her first double-double of the season against Chicago State, notching 10 points and 10 rebounds. In seven games (six starts), Real has averaged 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

UW-Green Bay
BEHIND? NO PROBLEM: Three of UW-Green Bay's four wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety. Against Northern Illinois Nov. 20, Vermont Nov. 26 and Oakland Dec. 3, the Phoenix trailed by at least nine before rallying for the victory. Against Oakland on Saturday, UW-Green Bay's deficit peaked at 16 points, before the Phoenix rallied to defeat the Grizzles, 74-72.

POPPING OFF THE BENCH: Junior guard Amanda Popp continues to be an asset for the Phoenix off the bench. Popp put home a career-high 16 points, including three three-pointers in the second half, to aid UW-Green Bay in its come-from-behind win over Oakland.

UW-Milwaukee
USING THE CHARITY STRIPE: In their last four games, the Panthers have gotten to the free-throw line 107 times for an average of 26.8 times per game. They have converted on 81 of those tries for a 75.7 percent success rate.

EDWARDS LOOKING IMPRESSIVE: Since entering the starting lineup in the second game of the season, freshman center Traci Edwards has led the Panthers in scoring each time, averaging 17.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. She hit double-figures in scoring in all six of those games, rebounds twice and had three games of three blocks or more.

Wright State
RAIDERS KNOCK OFF REDHAWKS: Wright State's win over Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday was the Raiders' first victory over the RedHawks since they tallied a 79-75 double overtime decision at the Nutter Center on November 28, 1995. It was also first victory in Millett Hall since winning 65-52 on March 2, 1988, WSU's first season in Division I. In 19 meetings between the schools, the Raiders have come out on top only three times.

USING THE SECOND STANZA: In the first half, the Raiders average 25.8 points and are shooting 36 percent from the field, 23 percent from three-point range and 60 percent from the foul line. During the final 20 minutes, WSU is averaging 37.8 points and are shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range and 73 percent from the line. Despite trailing by double-digits in the first half of all five of their games and leading for only 25:37 out of 200 minutes, the Raiders own a 3-2 record.

Youngstown State
TURNING THE SHOTS AWAY: Besides scoring 13 points against Saint Louis, sophomore Jessica Schloemp recorded a career-high five blocked shots. On the season, Schloemp is averaging 1.6 blocks per game, placing her fourth in the league.

FINDING THE RANGE: In the 80-71 win over Saint Louis, Youngstown State shot 53.7 percent from the field, which was the first time the team shot at least 50 percent from the floor this season. In 2005-06, the Penguins have shot 36.9 percent from the field.