Women's Basketball Weekly Release #4

Nov. 27, 2006

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Player of the Week

Traci Edwards, UW-Milwaukee
Sophomore * Center * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards led the Panthers to a tournament title at the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic over the weekend. She was named Tournament MVP, averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game. Against San Jose State in the first game of the tournament, she had 23 points and eight rebounds and two blocks. She also posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds at Wisconsin earlier in the week.

Other Top Performances from the Week Ending Nov. 26

Marquise Hanser, Loyola
Senior * Guard * Fort Mitchell, Ky.
Hanser scored a team-high 13 points in Loyola's only appearance this week, a loss at North Texas. Hanser drilled three treys and scored all 13 of her points in the opening half as she reached double figures for the 32nd time in her last 33 outings.

Jacquay Holmes, UIC
Senior * Guard * Chicago, Ill.
Holmes notched a team-high 17 points versus Evansville on Nov. 25 at the UIC Pavilion. Holmes shot 61.5 percent from the field (8-for-13 FG) and pulled down four rebounds for the Flames. The forward hit one-for-one from the free throw line and swiped two steals against the Purple Aces.

Susan Lester, Butler
Freshman * Forward * Anderson, Ind.
Lester had a break-out week early in her freshman season, pacing the Bulldogs with 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. She posted a career-high 16 points and five rebounds against Air Force, scoring the Bulldogs' final 11 points of the contest and helping them comeback from a late-game deficit. Four days later against Ohio, she earned her first start and controlled the Butler scoring once again, registering her first-career double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Whitney Lewis, Wright State
Junior * Forward * Lynchburg, Ohio
Lewis was named to the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament All-Tournament Team after scoring 11 points, including three three-pointers, against Indiana and a career-high 21 points versus Nicholls State. She hit eight-of-12 shots and added six rebounds against Nicholls State.

Nicole Soulis, UW-Green Bay
Senior * Forward * Green Bay, Wis.
In a 2-1 week, Soulis aided the Phoenix to improving to 3-2 on the year. Soulis was named the MVP of the LaQuinta Inn & Suites Thanksgiving Tournament, averaging 19.5 points per game in the two-day event. On the week, Soulis averaged 17.0 points per contest in a trio of games on the road. Soulis scored 19 points against Big Ten foe Minnesota Nov. 24 and added a game-best 20 points in the title game against Northern Arizona.

Jessica Roque, Cleveland State
Freshman * Guard * Mississauga, Ontario
Roque had a solid week for the Vikings, averaging 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals in three games. She tallied a career-high 17 points and three steals against Long Island. That mark was short-lived however, as Roque erupted for 25 points the next day versus the College of Charleston. She also tallied five three-pointers, five assists and four steals against the Cougars.

Horizon League News & Notes

UW-Green Bay (3-2; 0-0 HL)
The Phoenix went 2-1 last week with the two victories coming over host Northern Arizona (75-64) and Minnesota (75-66) in the La Quinta Inn & Suites Tournament at Flagstaff, Ariz.

UW-Green Bay was led by Tournament MVP Nicole Soulis' 19.5 points-per-game average over the two-day event. In the victory over Minnesota, senior Natalie Berglin went six-of-10 from the field and four-of-six from beyond the arc for a game-high 20 points, while Soulis added 19.

In the championship game the Phoenix did it from the free-throw stripe, converting 28-of-32 attempts. Soulis scored 20 points in the title game as six UWGB players notched eight or more points in the team effort.

The Phoenix dropped a 67-63 decision at Marquette on Monday in the team's only other game of the week. Berglin once again led the offense with 21 points on eight-of-17 shooting. She drained four triples while dishing out six assists and grabbing five rebounds.

With 51 points last week, Soulis now leads the League in scoring at 18.2 points per contest. She also finds herself in the loop's top five in blocked shots (first - 1.40), rebounds (fourth - 7.0) and free-throw percentage (fourth - .826).

As a team, UWGB leads the Horizon League in scoring (74.0 points per game), scoring margin (+6.6), assists (15.8) and turnover margin (+2.20).

UW-Green Bay returns to the Phoenix Sports Center this week with home games against DePaul on Wednesday and Illinois State on Saturday.

UIC (3-2; 0-0 HL)
After a five-day layoff, the Flames dropped a 69-53 decision to Evansville at home last week.

Senior guard Jacquay Holmes led the UIC offense with 17 points, while senior Krystal Hugelier chipped in 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. The Flames shot 39.3 percent from the floor, but were unable to overcome a three-of-20 shooting performance from behind the arc.

As a team, UIC paces the circuit in steals per contest (11.0) with senior LaShonda Grant 11 thefts (2.2 spg.) leading the way. The club also ranks first in defensive rebounding (25.2 rpg.), thanks in large part to Holmes (6.0 rpg.) and sophomore Nikki Grobbecker (7.0 rpg.).

The Flames also have three individuals that place in the top 10 on the League's scoring chart. Holmes is fourth on that list at 15.2 points per game, Hugelier is sixth at 14.6 and Grant rounds out the top 10 with 13.2 per contest.

UIC takes to the road this week for two games, playing at Northwestern on Wednesday and at Northern Iowa on Sunday.

UW-Milwaukee (3-4; 0-0 HL)
The Panthers won their first in-season tournament since the 1999-2000 season with victories over San Jose State (66-63) and host SMU (53-47) at the SMU Hoops for the Cure Classic last weekend.

Sophomore Traci Edwards led the way, picking up Tournament MVP honors with an average of 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per contest. The Panther defense shutdown a potent SMU offense, holding the Mustangs to 47 points, 34 points below their season average, and just a 29.6 percent shooting percentage.

Sophomore Emily Markert registered the first double-double of her career with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game. Markert is now the only player other than Edwards on the UWM roster to have a double-double in her collegiate career.

Earlier in the Week, the Panthers made the trip to in-state rival Wisconsin. The Badgers jumped out to the early advantage and never looked back, posting a 24-0 lead 9:13 into the contest. Edwards notched her third double-double of `06-07 with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the game.

Edwards now ranks in the top five of five different statistical categories. She stands second in rebounds per game (8.3) and field-goal percentage (.538), third in scoring (16.4), fourth in blocks (1.14) and fifth in free-throw percentage (.816).

UW-Milwaukee as a team leads the League in field-goal percentage (.446) and rebounding margin (+1.9).

This week the Panthers have Marquette at home on Wednesday before going to Iowa State on Saturday.

Detroit (1-3; 0-0 HL)
A cold shooting night led the Titans to an 86-35 loss at Michigan in the team's only game last week.

Detroit was only able to convert on 11-of-55 (.200) shots against the Wolverines and made one-of-18 from long distance. The 35 points per the fewest scored by the Titans since Dec. 2, 2004 against Minnesota.

The schedule does not get any easier for UDM this week as the team faces two tough road opponents in Kentucky on Wednesday and LSU on Saturday.

Youngstown State (1-4; 0-0 HL)
The Penguins finished 1-2 last week with a 78-44 victory over Buffalo before losing to UNC Wilmington (52-56) and Duquesne (49-96) at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Classic.

In Tuesday's victory over Buffalo, four Penguins scored in double figures led by 17 points by Monique Godfrey and Velissa Vaughn. Heather Karner added 16 points while Jessica Schloemp posted 10 points and eight boards. YSU shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field and 10-of-20 from beyond the three-point arc.

Karner was back at it against on Friday against UNC Wilmington, scoring 23 points on seven-of-11 shooting. She drained five-of-eight triples and four-of-six free throws.

YSU couldn't find the range on Saturday against Duquesne as the team shot only 30.2 percent (19-of-63) from the floor and seven-of-28 from three-point territory. On the other hand, Duquesne had the hot hand, shooting 58.1 percent (36-of-62) inside the arc and 50.0 (five-of-10) from behind it. Godfrey notched double figures for the second time of the week with 10 points, while freshman Ta-myra Davis added a career-best nine boards.

Karner earned all-tournament honors, averaging 14.5 points per game and shooting at a 46.7 percent clip from three-point land.

The Penguins' schedule slows down with only one game this week, an away contest at Miami (Ohio) on Thursday.

Butler (1-4; 0-0 HL)
Butler was busy last week as the team traveled over 7,000 miles to play in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout before making the trip to Ohio for a Sunday afternoon affair.

The Bulldogs dropped both contests in Anchorage, Alaska with California Riverside posting a 65-53 win and Air Force slipping past with a 62-61 victory. Senior guards Jackie Closser and Ellen Hamilton tallied double figures in both games to continue their charge towards 1,000 career points. Closser needs 51 points, while Hamilton stands 70 points shy of the milestone.

The Bulldogs made few mistakes against Air Force, turning the ball over only six times and committing just 10 fouls, but the team could not find the shooting touch and converted just 24-of-67 (35.8 percent) shots from the field.

On Sunday, BU struggled from the floor again (18-of-68, 26.5 percent), but freshman Susan Lester did provide a bright spot in the 84-53 loss at Ohio. Lester, making her first career start, notched a double-double with career-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Statistically, Closser is having a stellar season as she ranks in the League's top five of four categories. She paces all circuit players in minutes per game (39.2) and free-throw percentage (.882), while ranking second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33) and third in assists per outing (4.20).

Butler gets to stay home this week as the team welcomes two Indiana foes to Hinkle Fieldhouse with IUPUI crossing town on Wednesday and Ball State making the trip down I-69 on Saturday.

Cleveland State (1-5; 0-0 HL)
The Vikings went 1-2 last week as the team downed Colgate 70-65 for its first win of 2006-07 on Tuesday before falling to Long Island (62-52) and the College of Charleston (81-68) in two games at the Long Island Turkey Classic over the weekend.

Senior Nicole Thomas led the CSU attack in Tuesday's victory with 17 points and seven rebounds. Brittany Korth added 14 points (four-of-seven three-point field goals) and Chenara Wilson had 10 points and six rebounds.

In the Long Island tournament, freshman Jessica Roque posted career-high scoring totals in both games to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Against host Long Island she registered 17 points before going for 25 against the College of Charleston.

The Vikings head into this week with a three-point field in 392 consecutive games - the longest active streak in the nation and second-longest streak ever (Louisville, 394).

Cleveland State takes on two Mid-American Conference foes this week with Buffalo at home on Tuesday then the team takes to the road against Toledo on Saturday.

Loyola (0-4; 0-0 HL)
Loyola faced a hot-shooting North Texas squad in its only game last week, a 92-54 loss in Denton, Texas.

Five Mean Green players found double-figures as the team shot 52.2 percent (35-of-67) for the contest. Senior Marquise Hanser was the only Rambler that scored in double figures with 13 points on four-of-11 shooting. She also had a team-best six rebounds.

Through four games, the Ramblers have the best free-throw percentage in the League at 78.8 percent (41-of-52). Four LU players who have attempted at least one free-throw have yet to miss a free-throw shot, while two others have just one miss on the season.

It's a busy week for Loyola this week with three games on the slate. The club travels to Indiana State on Tuesday, hosts Valpo on Thursday then goes to Bradley on Sunday.

Wright State (0-4; 0-0 HL)
WSU had a tough week, dropping all three games. The team opened the week with a 90-63 loss at home to Miami (Ohio) then lost to Indiana (73-52) and Nicholls State (65-56) at the Miami (Fla.) Thanksgiving Tournament.

In the loss to the RedHawks on Tuesday, the Raiders got 16 points apiece from Sierra Crayton and Brittney Whiteside. Crayton's 16 points marked a career-best.

In the first game in Miami, Wright State faced a stout Indiana defense that forced 23 turnovers. Junior Whitney Lewis' 11 points marked the Raiders' only double-figure point total as she knocked down a career-high three treys.

Lewis was back at it against on Saturday with a career-best 21 points to go with six points and four assists. So far in two Saturday contests this season, she is averaging 20 points. Crayton tallied in double-figures for the second time of the week (13 points) after not scoring in double-digits once in her first two seasons in a Raider uniform.

Two home games are on tap for WSU this week with Toledo coming to the Nutter Center on Wednesday and Longwood coming in on Saturday.

Valparaiso (2-2; 0-0 HL)
Valpo won its only game last week 50-49 at Akron. Betsy Rietema and Sarah Ott were the only Crusaders in double figures. The team held the Zips to 35.7 percent shooting, including just 14.3 percent from beyond the arc.

This week, Valparaiso's schedule picks up with a Tuesday home game against Bradley, a road contest at Loyola and another neutral court match-up with Indiana State at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.