Women's Basketball Weekly Release #8

Jan. 3, 2006

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Natalie Berglin, UW-Green Bay
Junior Guard * Green Bay, Wis.
Berglin matched her career high with 23 points to go with seven assists in UW-Green Bay's come-from-behind win at UIC Dec. 31, lifting the Phoenix to a 2-0 mark in Horizon League action. She also had a solid showing against Loyola Dec. 29, just missing her first career double-double with 14 points and nine assists. For the week, Berglin boasted a 5.3 assist/turnover ratio with 8.0 assists per game while leading the Phoenix with 18.5 points per game.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending January 1

Lade Akande, Butler
Freshman Forward/Center * Robinson, Ill.
Akande led the Bulldogs to a pair of Horizon League victories last week, averaging 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. Akande highlighted the week with a career-high 28 points in the Bulldogs' dramatic 80-79 overtime win Saturday at UW-Milwaukee. She began the week with a game-high 17 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five steals in the team's win over Youngstown State.

Traci Edwards, UW-Milwaukee
Freshman Center * Menasha, Wis.
Edwards averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 65.2 percent in the Panthers' 1-1 week. In UW-Milwaukee's 18-point win at Detroit Thursday, she scored 20 points and grabbed eight boards. On Saturday, she was instrumental in Milwaukee's 18-point second-half comeback against Butler with career-highs of 24 points and 14 rebounds, eight offensive, for the game.

Tyanda Hammock, Wright State
Senior Forward * Mansfield, Ohio
Hammock came off the bench against Youngstown State and scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half as the Raiders rallied for a 65-62 victory. She shot five-of-eight from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Caitie Goddard, Detroit
Senior Guard * Royal Oak, Mich.
Goddard set a career high with 23 points against Cleveland State in Saturday night's loss. She scored 19 of her points in the second half and drained five treys in the contest.

Chrissy Dizon, UIC
Senior Guard * Chicago, Ill.
Dizon picked up 19 points and seven boards for the Flames in UIC's Horizon League opener against first-place UW-Green Bay on New Year's Eve. Dizon shot 75 percent from behind the arc and 90 percent from the line. Shooting 50 percent (six-of-12) from the field, the guard also had three assists.

Ashlee Russo, Youngstown State
Senior Guard * Boardman, Ohio
Russo led the Penguins with 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game last week. She posted 15 points, six rebounds and an assist against Butler and 17 points, four boards and five assists against Wright State. Russo also shot 53.3 percent (eight-of-15) from the floor.

Marquise Hanser, Loyola
Junior Guard * Ft. Mitchell, Ky.
Hanser continued her pace-setting play, pouring in a career-high 28 points in Loyola's conference opener against UW-Green Bay last week. Hanser hit 9-of-18 from the floor and tied her career-high with five three-pointers en route to posting her fifth game of 20+ points on the season.

Omega Harrington, Cleveland State
Senior Guard * Indianapolis, Ind.
Harrington led the Vikings to a split last week, averaging 15.5 points and 2.5 steals in two games. She led the Vikings with 14 points in Wednesday's loss to Robert Morris, adding three boards and a pair of steals. She then tallied a team-high 17 points in Cleveland State's Horizon League opening win over Detroit.

Horizon League News and Notes
ON TAP: The League schedule continues this week with seven conference matchups. Kicking off the week, UW-Green Bay will travel to Tucson, Ariz. to face off against the Arizona Wildcats on Tuesday night, while Butler will make a five-mile trip on Wednesday to face IUPUI in the only other non-League game this week. Thursday will see three conference games with Loyola visiting Detroit, Cleveland State squaring off against UIC in Chicago and Wright State taking on UW-Milwaukee. Saturday's ledger features a full slate of four games. Cleveland State completes the Chicago road trip at Loyola, Butler hosts UIC, Detroit goes to Youngstown State and Wright State will face UW-Green Bay.

A WEEK FOR TOP PERFORMANCES: During last week's play, several individuals turned in season-high performances. Loyola junior guard Marquise Hanser and Butler freshman forward/center Lade Akande both topped the League's previous top point total with 28 points in last week's action, while UW-Milwaukee freshman center Traci Edwards also posted a League-best 14 rebounds against Butler in an overtime thriller that saw the Panthers fall, 80-79.

PUTTING UP DOUBLE DIGITS: Wright State senior guard Rhea Mays and UW-Green Bay junior forward Nicole Soulis both have notched double-figure points in their last eight contests. Butler's duo of freshman forward/center Lade Akande and junior guard Ellen Hamilton along with Youngstown State's senior guard Ashlee Russo are the only other players in the Horizon League that have tallied 10 or more points in their last four games.

Butler Bulldogs (6-5; 2-0)
LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs got off to a strong start in League play with a 2-0 week. In opening-night action on Thursday, Butler notched a 78-55 victory over Youngstown State with junior guard Jackie Closser and freshman forward/center Lade Akande each scoring 17 points. The Bulldogs traveled to UW-Milwaukee on Saturday and picked up an 80-79 overtime victory over the Panthers. Akande paced all players with a career-high 28 points.

BUTLER CAREER RECORDS BEWARE: Jackie Closser moved into third place on Butler's career three-pointers made list with her 130th career trey Saturday at UW-Milwaukee. Junior guard Ellen Hamilton is right on her heels with 127 treys in fifth place.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE WITH THE COUNTRY'S BEST: Butler went eight-of-15 from three-point range in Thursday's win over Youngstown State. It marked the fifth time this season the Bulldogs have hit better than 50 percent of their three-point attempts. Butler currently ranks fourth in the nation in three-point percentage (.417) and seventh in three-point field goals per game (7.7). Ellen Hamilton is shooting 49.2 percent from beyond the arc, which is the 10th highest percentage in the NCAA.

Cleveland State Vikings (3-9; 1-0)
LAST WEEK: Cleveland State went 1-1 last week, including a 76-67 victory over Detroit in the Vikings first conference game of 2005-06. Cleveland State played the only non-League game of the week and was pinned with a 65-54 loss to Robert Morris. Senior guard Omega Harrington led the Vikings in scoring in both games with 14 points against RMU and 17 points against the Titans.

OUSTING THE TITANS: Saturday's win over Detroit was just the sixth in 33 all-time meetings with the Titans. The Vikings had not knocked off Detroit in Cleveland since the 2001-02 campaign. Freshman guard Dominique Butler played a large role in the win, despite not attempting a field goal in the game's first 33 minutes. However, she scored all 11 of her points in the last 6:42, going five-of-five from the field with a steal and a block to help fend off the Titans' comeback attempt.

370 AND COUNTING: Cleveland State heads into this week having made a three-point field goal in 370 consecutive contests the longest active run in the nation and the second-longest streak ever. Louisville (394 games) ranks first all-time in NCAA annals, although the Cardinals had their streak come to an end during the 2004-05 campaign. The last time the Vikings failed to drain at least one three-pointer in a game was in a 78-55 loss at Cincinnati on Dec. 17, 1992.

Detroit Titans (3-10; 0-2)
LAST WEEK: Detroit suffered two setbacks in the first week of conference play. In the Titans' first game, they were downed by visiting UW-Milwaukee, 74-56. On Saturday, Detroit traveled to Cleveland State and was unable to top the Vikings despite a career-high 23 points from senior guard Catie Goddard in a 76-67 defeat.

TOUGH BEGINNING FOR THE TITANS: With Saturday night's loss to Cleveland State, Detroit is 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2000-01.

42 TO GO: With 23 points in the Titans' last two contests, senior guard Lindsey Pasquinzo has 958 points for her career. Pasquinzo needs 42 more points to become the 15th Detroit player with 1,000 career points.

DRAINING TREYS LIKE FEW OTHERS: Detroit currently places fifth in the country in three-point field goals per game (7.8). Lindsey Pasquinzo is leading the charge for the Titans (2.2 three-pointers per game), while sophomore guard Shawanna Stubblefield is helping out with 1.5 per contest.

UIC Flames (4-8; 0-1)
LAST WEEK: UIC took a 37-27 lead into halftime and gave the defending League champion UW-Green Bay a tough game, but in the end the Phoenix prevailed, 70-62. The Flames were led by senior guard Chrissy Dizon's 19 points.

DIZON LEADING THE WAY: Chrissy Dizon is the only Horizon League player to lead her team in scoring (13.4), rebounding (5.8) and assists per game (5.0).

FLAMES ARE LOOKING GOOD ON `D': UIC paces the Horizon League in scoring defense (66.0) and opponents field-goal percentage (.407). The Flames have held their opponents to 65 or fewer points in five games this season.

Loyola Ramblers (0-12; 0-1)
LAST WEEK: Loyola hosted UW-Green Bay on Thursday and saw the Phoenix pour in 54 points in the first half on the way to a 96-69 victory. Leading the charge for the Ramblers were junior guard Marquise Hanser (28 points) and junior forward Jenna Real (10 points and 12 rebounds).

HANSER KEEPS ON SCORING: Junior guard Marquise Hanser scored a League-best 28 points in the Ramblers' Thursday night loss to UW-Green Bay. Hanser shot .500 (nine-of-18) from the field, including five-of-12 (.417) from beyond the arc. The Fort Mitchell, Ky., native also registered four assists in the contest. On the season, Hanser paces the Horizon League with 18.7 points per game and has score 20 or more five times this season.

HITTING THE GLASS: Through Sunday's games, Loyola is one of two teams in the Horizon League with a positive rebounding margin. In 12 contests, the Ramblers have pulled down 420 boards to their opponents 411. Junior forward Jenna Real leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest and has averaged 10.5 boards over the last two games.

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (8-3; 2-0)
LAST WEEK: UW-Green Bay lived up to its billing as the preseason favorite in the Horizon League with a 2-0 week. In opening-night action, the Phoenix played at Loyola and took a 96-69 victory. On Saturday night, UIC gave the Phoenix a scare, but a 43-25 advantage in the second half pushed UW-Green Bay to a 70-62 win. Junior forward Nicole Soulis had 18 points in each game and junior guard Natalie Berglin posted 23 points against the Flames.

1,000 FOR SOULIS: With her offensive rebound and putback bucket with 5:36 to play against UIC Dec. 31, junior forward Nicole Soulis became the 22nd member of UW-Green Bay's 1,000-point club. The Green Bay, Wis., native now has 1,002 career points and is the fastest to 1,000 points (73 games) since UW-Green Bay's all-time leading scorer Chari Nordgaard reached the statistical milestone in 69 contests.

DOING THE RIGHT THING: UW-Green Bay did a lot of things right in its win over Loyola on Dec. 29. The Phoenix posted a season-high 25 assists on 31 field goals, as junior guard Natalie Berglin and freshman guard Rachel Porath combined for 16 of the team's helpers. The squad tallied season-bests in made three-pointers (14) and free throws (20).

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: The Phoenix has put up impressive turnover statistics this season, placing 13th in the nation in turnovers per game (13.6) and 15th in steals per contest (12.3).

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (5-7; 1-1)
LAST WEEK: UW-Milwaukee split a pair of League contests last week. On Thursday, the Panthers went to Detroit and downed the Titans, 74-56. Saturday saw UW-Milwaukee battle back from an 18-point second-half deficit, only to see Butler take an 80-79 win in overtime. Freshman center Traci Edwards led the team in scoring in both games, putting up 20 points and eight rebounds against Detroit and 24 points and 14 rebounds against Butler.

ONSON WORKING OVERTIME: Sophomore guard Meredith Onson scored a UW-Milwaukee career-high 15 points against Butler in 42 minutes. It was the second 40-plus-minute game of the season for Onson, who averaged 39.5 minutes over two games last week.

COMEBACK KIDS: UW-Milwaukee erased an 18-point deficit over the final 6:43 of regulation against Butler to force overtime, where it actually held a three-point lead before falling. The Panthers did not allow a field goal over the final 6:53 and closed out the half on a 21-3 run.

Wright State Raiders (5-6; 1-0)
LAST WEEK: Wright State got off to a good start in League play with a 65-62 victory over visiting Youngstown State Saturday evening. Senior forward Tyanda Hammock led the Raiders' attack with 15 points.

THIS MAYS HAS FOUND HER WAY: Senior guard Rhea Mays continues to have the hot hand, averaging 14.5 points per game over the last six contests after averaging 7.8 points through the first five games of the season. She scored all but two of her 12 points in the second half against Youngstown State, including two key three pointers to give the Raiders the lead for good.

WINNING... BUT NOT LEADING FOR LONG: Wright State is 5-6 on the season despite leading for just 109:09 of the first 440 minutes of the season.

TOUGH ROAD LIES AHEAD: The Raiders travel to Wisconsin this weekend to take on both UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee. Wright State has struggled on this trip over the years, having never won at UW-Green Bay in 16 tries and failing to win at UW-Milwaukee since a 60-47 decision on February 10, 1996. WSU is 3-32 all-time against the Phoenix and 8-18 versus the Panthers, with UWM winning each of the last 14 encounters.

Youngstown State Penguins (4-9; 0-2)
LAST WEEK: The Penguins suffered two League losses on the road last week. Youngstown State was topped by Butler, 78-55, on Thursday night and then by Wright State, 65-62, on Saturday. Senior guard Ashlee Russo led the Penguins' offense with 15 points against the Bulldogs and 17 points against the Raiders.

HOME, SWEET HOME: After playing nine of its first 13 games on the road, Youngstown State returns home for a four-game homestand beginning Jan. 7. It also marks the first time the Penguins have played four-straight home League games since joining the Horizon League in 2001.

FRESHMAN STARTING TO HEAT UP: Freshman Monique Godfrey tied a career-high with 11 points in YSU's 65-62 loss to Wright State. The 5-foot-8 guard shot 4-of-7 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists.