Deacons Host Panthers In 'Piedmont Triad Doubleheader'
12/14/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 1999
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After a week and a half off for final exams, the Wake Forest women's basketball team looks to snap a three-game losing streak as the Demon Deacons take on High Point this Wednesday, Dec. 15, at 5:45 p.m. in LJVM Coliseum. The Deacs fell to 1-4 with a hard-fought loss to No. 6 NC State on Dec. 3rd, while High Point has lost five straight, including a 76-72 decision to Western Carolina last Saturday. The game is part of a "Piedmont Triad doubleheader", the WFU men's team will take on another local foe, UNC Greensboro, at 8:00 p.m. following the women's game. No radio coverage is scheduled for the women's game.
Last Time Out
Freshman Kaayla Chones tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 6 NC State to a 74-54 decision over Wake Forest in Raleigh on Dec. 3rd. The final margin was not indicative of the close-fought contest which saw the Deacs hang with the Wolfpack for much of the game. The game was tied at 9-9 midway through a physical, defensive first half when the 'Pack used a 12-0 run to go ahead. The Deacs got within five at halftime, 22-17, and rallied twice from double-digit deficits in the second half. Late in the game, however, the Deacs began to tire, and several late fouls sent State to the line 16 times in the game's final two minutes. Senior guard Alisha Mosley was the only Deacon in double figures with 10 points, while redshirt junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick had six points and a team-high 10 rebounds. The Deacs shot just 34 percent from the floor, while State hit 48 percent, and WFU was outrebounded 42-39. Wake's four-guard rotation was cut to three players early on, as starting point guard Val Klopfer took an elbow to the face just seven minutes into the game and sat out the rest of the contest with a bad cut under her eye. Klopfer scored Wake's first five points before getting injured.
Scouting Wake Forest
Through five games, Wake Forest is shooting at just 40 percent clip, including an uncharacteristic 16 percent from three-point range. The Deacs average 62 points per game, while allowing 68 points by their opponents (-4.0 margin). WFU has also been outrebounded by an average of 1.4 boards per game. The Demon Deacons are led by senior guard Alisha Mosley (11.8 ppg) who has come off the bench to score double figures in the last four games. Junior forward Kristen Shaffer is averaging 11.0 points per game in her first year as a starter, having netted double figures in the first four games of the season. Redshirt junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (6.4 rpg) and sophomore center LaChina Robinson (5.0 rpg) are the team's top rebounders, while junior guard Janae Whiteside leads the team in assists (3.2 apg) and free throw shooting (10-11, .909).
Scouting High Point
High Point returned four starters and nine letterwinners from a team that posted a 10-17 mark last year, but the Panthers have struggled in the early season, dropping seven of their first eight games. HPU's lone win of the year came on a 94-68 win over South Carolina State back on Nov. 28th. Most recently, the Panthers dropped a close 76-72 decision to Western Carolina. HPU had four players in double figures and outrebounded the Catamounts, 52-39, but committed 31 turnovers in the loss. Through eight games, High Point has been outscored by a 8.1 margin (72.9 to 64.8) and outrebounded by a 2.0 margin (44.8 to 42.8). The Panthers are led by senior guard Annie Miller, who averages 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. Miller is also shooting at a 35 percent clip from three-point range (8-23) and has hit 30 of 36 free throws (.833). Freshman post player Stephanie Scott is also averaging in double figures (10.2 ppg) and shoots a team-high 52 percent from the floor. Sophomore forward Mary Brewer (7.1 rpg) and freshman forward Gina Rosser (6.1 rpg) lead the team on the boards.
Series History
High Point leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 10-3, although the two schools have not met on the hardwood in nearly 20 years. The Demon Deacons won the teams' last meeting, 77-75, at High Point in the 1980-81 season, snapping an eight-game Panther winning streak. The two clubs first met in the Deacs' inaugural season, 1971-72, with High Point winning 46-45.
A QUICK LOOK AT BOTH TEAMS
| WAKE FOREST | vs. | HIGH POINT |
| Winston-Salem, NC | Location | High Point, NC |
| 3,836 | Enrollment | 3,100 |
| Demon Deacons | Nickname | Panthers |
| Old Gold & Black | Colors | Purple & White |
| Atlantic Coast | Conference | Big South |
| Charlene Curtis | Head Coach | Dr. Joe Ellenburg |
| Radford '76 | Alma Mater, Year | Carson-Newman '61 |
| 13-47 (3rd yr) | Record at School | 189-132 (12th yr) |
| 175-197 (14th yr) | Career Record | 189-132 (12th yr) |
| 2/3 | Starters Ret/Lost | 4/1 |
| 10/3 | Letterwin. Ret/Lost | 9/3 |
1998-99 Season in Review
In its second year under head coach Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest showed dramatic improvements despite winning only eight games. The Deacs fielded an extremely young team anchored by a trio of seniors. They relied on tremendous depth, solid rebounding, and an arsenal of three-point shooters, but ultimately struggled with poor overall shooting and the lack of a true go-to scorer. No player finished the regular season averaging in double figures, and the Deacs averaged just 64 points per game and shot at a 39 percent clip. The team ended the year on a high note, however, putting on a dazzling show at the ACC Tournament. WFU advanced to the quarterfinals by turning in its two best games of the year, setting 12 new tournament records in the process. WFU led the ACC and ranked 19th in the nation in threes per game (6.1) and boasted an extremely deep lineup, with the bench contributing almost half of the team's points. Wake improved on its record by four wins, all against ACC foes, and climbed two spots in the standings to seventh place.
In Remembrance
The Deacs wear black bands on their uniforms this season in remembrance of former assistant coach Stacy Cox, who died in an automobile accident on Nov. 8th. Cox, 35, was a 1986 graduate of Radford, where she played under current WFU head coach Charlene Curtis. She served as an assistant on Curtis' staffs at Radford, Temple and Wake Forest. After two years with the Deacs, Cox left in August of '99 to accept a teaching and coaching position at an elementary school in New Jersey.
Reaching New Heights
Upon her arrival, coach Charlene Curtis made a commitment to improving the Deacons' inside game. Wake Forest has steadily improved in that area, boasting more height, better rebounding and greater defensive presence. This season, WFU has seven players on the roster who stand 6-0 or taller and four who top the 6-4 mark. An ACC All-Freshman pick last year, 6-4 sophomore center LaChina Robinson (5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 bpg in 98-99) should be more of an offensive force this year. Sophomore Elizabeth Biedrycki (2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.3 bpg) and redshirt freshman LaTisha Pearson, both 6-4, will see time at center and/or power forward, giving Curtis the option of a "twin towers" lineup. And 6-5 freshman center Johanna Bjorklund, the tallest player ever to don a Deacon uniform, will provide added strength and defensive presence.
Mosley Climbing Career 3-Point Field Goal Charts
Senior guard Alisha Mosley ranks among the top five all-time at WFU in three-point field goals made and attempted. A look at her climb up the Deacon career charts:
3-Pt Field Goals Made
| 1. | Nicole Levesque (1990-94) | 193 |
| 2. | Heidi Coleman (1994-99) | 191 |
| 3. | Sabrina Slone (1989-93) | 113 |
| 4. | Gretchen Hollifield (1992-96) | 104 |
| 5. | Alisha Mosley (1996-pres) | 90 |
3-Pt Field Goals Attempted
| 1. | Nicole Levesque (1990-94) | 550 |
| 2. | Heidi Coleman (1994-99) | 527 |
| 3. | Sabrina Slone (1989-93) | 328 |
| 4. | Alisha Mosley (1996-pres) | 310 |
Preseason Prognostications
Despite their strong finish in 1998-99, the Demon Deacons were selected to finish ninth in the 1999-2000 ACC Preseason Media Poll. North Carolina earned the top spot in the poll, collecting 320 points and 22 first-place votes, followed by NC State (302, 14), Virginia (260, 2), Duke (208), Georgia Tech (192), Clemson (166), Florida State (110), Maryland (88) and Wake Forest (64).
ACC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
| 1. North Carolina (22) | 320 |
| 2. NC State (14) | 302 |
| 3. Virginia (2) | 260 |
| 4. Duke | 208 |
| 5. Georgia Tech | 192 |
| 6. Clemson | 166 |
| 7. Florida State | 110 |
| 8. Maryland | 88 |
| 9. Wake Forest | 64 |
Three-Point Weapons
Wake Forest ranked as the top three-point shooting team in the ACC (and No. 19 in the nation) last year, hitting 6.1 threes per game and shattering the school records for threes made (172) and attempted (502) in a season. This year, all of Wake's long-range gunners return but one, and eight players on the roster can legitimately hit the three.
Junior guard Janae Whiteside emerged as a white-hot three-point shooter late last year, connecting on 50 percent of her threes and averaging 5.4 treys per game in the last seven contests. Sophomore guard Val Klopfer hit 38 percent of her threes last year, while senior guard Alisha Mosley already ranks among the top five all-time at WFU in threes made and attempted. Junior forward Olivia Dardy is an inside-outside threat who can step out of the paint and hit a long-range three. Other three-point threats include sophomore guard Adell Harris, junior forwards Kristen Shaffer and Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, freshman swing player Heather Miller, and rookie center Johanna Bjorklund.
1998-99 3-POINT SHOOTING TOTALS
| 172 | 3-Pt FG Made* |
| 502 | 3-Pt FG Attempted* |
| 34.3 | 3-Pt FG Percentage |
| 6.1 | 3-Pt FG Per Game (16th NCAA) |
* school record
TOP RETURNING 3-POINT SHOOTERS
| G | Janae Whiteside | 36-95 (.379) |
| G | Alisha Mosley | 26-88 (.295) |
| F | Olivia Dardy | 25-83 (.301) |
| G | Val Klopfer | 23-60 (.383) |
Slow Start on Threes
Despite all those outside weapons, however, Wake is off to a very slow start from behind the three-point arc this year. The Deacs have hit just 12-of-73 threes in the first four games (.164), and seven of those treys have come from senior guard Alisha Mosley. Mosley is shooting 28 percent from the arc (7-of-25) while the rest of the team is 5-of-48 (.104).
Starting guards Val Klopfer and Janae Whiteside, both of whom shot over 37 percent from three-point range last year, are both still looking to find their long-range rhythm (they are currently 2-of-15 and 2-of-17, respectively).
Better Accuracy Inside, Though
Although the Deacs are struggling from three-point range, they are shooting markedly better from inside the arc this season. Last year, Wake hit just 41 percent of its shots inside the arc (484-1181). In the first five games of 99-00, however, the Deacs are shooting at a 48 percent clip from close range (102-213).
Hot-Shooting Shaffer
Junior forward Kristen Shaffer, the Deacs' starting small forward, has been particularly hot from the floor in the first five games. Shaffer has notched double figures in four of five outings, shooting 45 percent from her perimeter position. She has been the team's leading scorer in three of the first five games and is averaging 11.0 points per outing.
Mosley Strong Off the Bench
The Deacs' lone senior, guard Alisha Mosley, has come off the bench to provide scoring punch in the last four games for WFU. Against Davidson, Mosley poured in a team high 19 points, hitting 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range. Versus Arizona State, she netted 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and against Richmond she scored a team-high 13 points.
Against NC State, she added 10 points. On the season, Mosley leads the team lead in scoring (11.8 ppg) and is shooting 46 percent from the floor (20-43) and 28 percent from three-point range (7-25).
A Look at the Rookies
All three of the Deacs' rookies have seen time in the early season, with forward Tiffani Listenbee leading the way at 10.8 minutes per outing. An extremely quick player, Listenbee adds to the Deacs' speed na athleticism when on th ecourt. She has averaged 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per outing. Center Johanna Bjorklund, a native of Sweden, has also played in every game, averaging 6.2 minutes off the bench. Her best outing came against Arizona State, when she posted team highs in rebounds (6) and assists (4) in only 12 minutes of play. Swing player Heather Miller has appeared in four games for an average of 5.0 minutes, contributing four points and three rebounds.
Backcourt Rotation
The Deacs have utilized a fairly consistent four-guard rotation in their first five games, helping to keep fresh backcourt players on the floor. Starting two-guard and team captain Janae Whiteside has logged the most time on the floor at a team-high 31 minutes per game, followed by starting point guard Val Klopfer (19.8 mpg). Although she's come off the bench in the first five games, leading scorer Alisha Mosley has averaged a significant 19 minutes per outing, while freshman Adell Harris is also a regular backcourt player (11.4 mpg). Harris usually backs up Klopfer at point guard, but both Whiteside and Mosley can play both the point and shooting guard positions.
From the Stripe
Wake Forest was particularly sharp from the free-thow stripe in its first four games, sinking an ACC-best 74.4 percent of its foul shots (61-82). Against NC State, however, Wake hit a dismal 38 percent from the foul line, bringing its season average down to 66 perecent. Free throw shooting was a concern for the Deacs last year, as Wake hit just 64.4 percent from the charity stripe. Junior guard Janae Whiteside currently leads the team in free throw percentage, having hit 10 of 11 (.909) from the line.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Redshirt junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and junior guard Janae Whiteside were selected as the Demon Deacons' team captains for the 1999-2000 season by vote of their teammates and coaches.
HEAD COACH CHARLENE CURTIS
Head coach Charlene Curtis is in her third season at Wake Forest, bringing a wealth of experience, a commitment to excellence, and a drive to bring the program to new heights. Curtis came to WFU from UConn, where she was an assistant for two seasons and helped the Huskies to a 67-5 record, two Big East titles, and a Final Four appearance. Curtis was also head coach at Temple (1991-95), where she compiled a 41-97 record and coached four Atlantic 10 All-Rookie players, and Radford (1985-90), where she was Big South Coach of the Year twice and had a 121-53 record. Curtis has served as an assistant at Georgetown (1984), Virginia (1982-83), and with USA Basketball, and was a floor coach for the Olympic Trials. A 1976 Radford graduate, Curtis was the school's first 1,000-point scorer and was inducted as a charter member of the Radford Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. She earned her master's degree from Virginia in 1982. Curtis is currently 13-47 at Wake Forest (.217) and 175-197 overall (.470) as a head coach.
DEACON HOOPS ON THE AIR
More fans than ever before will have the opportunity to follow Wake Forest women's basketball this season with 12 regular-season games and all ACC Tournament games broadcast via radio, television, and the internet. The Wake Forest ISP Sports Network will broadcast 12 regular-season games and all ACC Tournament games this season on WXII NewsRadio 830 AM, with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play. WXII's 50,000-watt clear channel signal reaches a large portion of the Southeastern U.S. at night.
All games broadcast on WXII 830 radio will be simulcast on the internet at the Wake Forest athletics website, www.wakeforestsports.com, so parents, fans and alumni around the world can tune into the action. The ACC Regional Sports Network (RSN) features live broadcasts of 16 regular-season ACC women's basketball games and four ACC Women's Basketball Tournament games to the six-state ACC region. Featured games are telcast every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and every Monday at 7:00 p.m. on Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South, and the Sunshine Network. The Deacs are featured in three televised games on the ACC Network this year.
DEMON DEACONS ON THE AIR IN 1999-2000
| Date | Opponent | Time | Radio/Internet/TV |
| 11/19 | Fairfield | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 11/23 | at Davidson | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 11/26 | Arizona State | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 11/28 | Richmond | 3:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 12/3 | at NC State | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 12/28 | California | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 1/3 | Florida State | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 1/24 | at Clemson | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 1/31 | NC State | 7:00 pm | WXII/Internet |
| 2/6 | at Georgia Tech | 12:30 pm | WXII/Internet/RSN |
| 2/14 | Duke | 7:30 pm | WXII/Internet/RSN |
| 2/20 | at Maryland | 12:30 pm | WXII/Internet/RSN |
| 3/3-6 | ACC Tournament | TBA | WXII/Internet |
Schedule subject to change.
PROBABLE STARTERS
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Yr. | GP/GS | PPG | RPG | Other |
| F | 20 | Kristen Shaffer | 5-10 | Jr. | 5/5 | 11.0 | 3.4 | 1.2 apg |
| F | 50 | Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick | 6-0 | r-Jr. | 5/5 | 8.0 | 6.4 | 1.8 apg |
| C | 34 | LaChina Robinson | 6-4 | So. | 5/5 | 7.6 | 5.0 | 0.8 bpg |
| G | 10 | Val Klopfer | 5-4 | So. | 5/5 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 apg |
| G | 21 | Janae Whiteside | 5-6 | Jr. | 5/5 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 3.2 apg |
WAKE FOREST 1999-2000 ROSTER
| No | Name | Ht | Cl | Pos | Hometown/High School |
| 10 | Val Klopfer* | 5-4 | So. | G | Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn |
| 11 | Alisha Mosley*** | 5-6 | Sr. | G | Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron |
| 12 | Johanna Bjorklund | 6-5 | Fr. | C | Stockholm, Sweden/Brannkyrka Gym |
| 14 | Heather Miller | 5-10 | Fr. | G | Bassett, VA/Bassett |
| 20 | Kristen Shaffer** | 5-10 | Jr. | G/F | Woodbridge, VA/C.D. Hylton |
| 21 | Janae Whiteside** | 5-6 | Jr. | G | Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Latin |
| 23 | Adell Harris* | 5-6 | So. | G | High Point, NC/T. Wingate Andrews |
| 24 | Tiffani Listenbee | 6-1 | Fr. | F | Clinton Township, MI/Mount Clemens |
| 32 | Olivia Dardy** | 6-1 | Jr. | F/C | Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon |
| 33 | Elizabeth Biedrycki* | 6-4 | So. | C | Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Catholic |
| 34 | LaChina Robinson* | 6-4 | So. | C | Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams |
| 45 | Liz Rogers* | 5-9 | So. | G/F | Raleigh, NC/Ravenscroft |
| 50 | Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick** | 6-0 | r-Jr. | F | Waynesville, NC/Tuscola |
| 54 | LaTisha Pearson | 6-4 | r-Fr. | C | Birmingham, AL/Woodlawn |
* letters won
Head Coach: Charlene Curtis (Radford '76), third season
Assistant Coaches: Wray Cannaday (Salisbury State '77), Stephanie Lawrence Yelton (North Carolina '96), Beth Kane (Colgate '91)