Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Hosts No. 15 Tar Heels
1/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2000
Wake Forest (5-10, 1-3)vs. #15 UNC (9-6, 1-4)Sunday, January 16, 2000
LJVM Coliseum
Winston-Salem, N.C.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's basketball team faces another ranked opponent this weekend as the Demon Deacons host No. 15 North Carolina for a 3:00 p.m. matchup on Sunday, January 16th. Wake Forest enters the game at 5-10 overall and 1-3 in the ACC after suffering an 82-48 loss to Duke on Thursday, while UNC is 9-6 overall and 1-4 in ACC play after dropping its fourth straight ACC game to Georgia Tech, 55-44, on Thursday.
Last Time Out
Missy West scored 22 points, 17 of which came in the first half, to lead No. 11 Duke to an 82-48 win over visiting Wake Forest in Durham on Thursday night. West hit three of her six three-pointers in the game's first 4:20 to help Duke to an early 21-6 lead. Wake Forest got as close as five points at 23-18 on a Johanna Bjorklund layup with 6:20 left in the first half, but the Blue Devils closed the period with a 17-2 run to take a 40-20 halftime lead. The Deacs never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way. Duke dominated the glass, outrebounding WFU 44-22, and hit 10 of 20 three-pointers and 18 of 24 free throws. Wake went to the line just six times in comparison, making only three foul shots. Junior guard Janae Whiteside led WFU with 11 points, while junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick added 10 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Alisha Mosley added nine points and a team-high four assists.
Scouting Wake Forest
Through 15 games, WFU is averaging a league-low 58.4 points per outing while shooting just 39 percent from the floor. No player is averaging in double figures, but two Deacons average over nine points per game - senior guard Alisha Mosley (9.7) and junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (9.3). After hitting only 22 percent of their three-point attempts in the first 12 games, the Deacs have made 39 percent of their treys in the last two games (17 of 44), averaging 5.6 threes per outing. Defensively, the Deacs have held opponents to 64.6 points per game and a field goal percentage of .384, but have been outrebounded by a 5.7 margin, including double-digit rebound deficits in four of the last six games. Kirkpatrick leads the team with 7.0 boards per game. Opponents have gone to the free throw line 6.1 more times per game than WFU.
Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina got off to a promising 9-2 start and was ranked No. 9 in the nation before dropping four straight ACC contests over the past two weeks. Since Y2K, the Tar Heels have fallen to No. 3 NC State (79-72), Virginia (87-68), Clemson (60-59), and most recently to Georgia Tech (55-44). The 44 points against Tech tied a UNC school record for fewest points in a game. The Tar Heels have played the last three games without junior point guard Nikki Teasley, who has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team. Teasley was leading the ACC in assists (5.8 apg) and ranked sixth in the conference in scoring (14.0 ppg) prior to her departure. Leading the Heels through 15 games is junior forward (and Winston-Salem native) LaQuanda Barksdale, who ranks as the ACC's leading scorer (18.4 ppg) and rebounder (9.7 rpg). Junior guard Juana Brown has added 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. As a team, the Tar Heels average 74.3 points per game but rank second to last in the ACC in scoring defense (68.2 ppg). UNC shoots 40 percent from the floor and 34 percent from three-point range, averaging a league-best 6.4 threes per game. They own a +0.8 rebounding margin.
Series History
Wake Forest trails in the all-time series with North Carolina, 44-8, and the Tar Heels have won the last 18 straight meetings between the two schools. The Deacs' last wins over UNC came in the 1990-91 season, when Wake swept Carolina 77-65 in Chapel Hill and 66-62 in Winston-Salem. The series began in 1973-74, and UNC won the first 25 meetings before the Deacs took eight of the next nine from 1987-88 to 90-91.
A QUICK LOOK AT BOTH TEAMS
| CATEGORY | WAKE FOREST | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Location | Winston-Salem, NC | Chapel Hill, NC |
| Enrollment | 3,836 | 24,189 |
| Nickname | Demon Deacons | Tar Heels |
| Colors | Old Gold & Black | Carolina Blue & White |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast | Atlantic Coast |
| Head Coach | Charlene Curtis | Sylvia Hatchell |
| Alma Mater, Year | Radford '76 | Carson-Newman '74 |
| Record at School | 17-53 (3rd yr) | 278-139 (14th yr) |
| Career Record | 179-203 (14th yr) | 550-219 (25th yr) |
| 1998-99 Record | 8-20 (3-13 ACC) | 28-8 (11-5 ACC) |
| Starters Ret/Lost | 2/3 | 3/2 |
| Letterwin Ret/Lost | 9/3 | 7/5 |
| Scoring Offense | 58.4 ppg | 74.3 ppg |
| Scoring Defense | 64.6 ppg | 68.2 ppg |
| Rebound Margin | -5.7 | +2.5 |
| FG Percentage | .388 | .400 |
| 3FG Percentage | .257 | .343 |
| FT Percentage | .671 | .694 |
Rebounding Woes
Rebounding has been a concern this season for the Deacs, who have been outboarded by 11 of 15 opponents thus far. On the year, Wake has been outrebounded by an average margin of 5.7, the worst in the ACC. WFU has been outrebounded by double digits in five games this year, including four of the last five outings. In five ACC games, the Deacs own a whopping -12.0 rebound margin and average just 5.6 offensive rebounds per game (while opponents have averaged 12).
Too Many Freebies
Another key to opponents' success this year has been free throw shooting - not so much in terms of accuracy, but rather frequency. Deacon foes have gone to the line an average of 6.1 more times per game than WFU, and ACC opponents have been to the stripe an eye-popping 18.4 more times per game than Wake. In 11 nonconference games, Wake shot 71 percent from the line, compared to 55 percent in five ACC games.
Dardy Plagued by Injury
Shortly after returning from a stress fracture in her foot which caused her to miss five games, junior forward Olivia Dardy is now plagued by a knee injury. Dardy suffers from a recurrent patella subluxation, or a shifting of her kneecap, in her left knee. She has yet to decide whether she will undergo surgery now and miss the rest of the season, or if she will cpostpone surgery until the end of the year. (and continue to play). She is questionable for the UNC game. Dardy, the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder (9.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg in 98-99), has averaged 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12 minutes of action off the bench this year. She had a similar problem in her right knee, which was corrected through surgery in high school.
Mosley Climbs Career 3-Point Charts
Senior guard Alisha Mosley ranks among the top five players all-time at WFU in three-pointers made and attempted. This season, she's hit 29 percent of her treys (17 of 58). A look at her climb up the career charts:
3-Pt Field Goals Made in a Career
| 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) | 100 |
3-Pt Field Goals Attempted in a Career
| 1. | Nicole Levesque (1990-94) | 550 |
| 2. | Heidi Coleman (1994-99) | 527 |
| 3. | Alisha Mosley (1996-pres) | 343 |
Robinson Increases Offensive Output
Sophomore center LaChina Robinson has emerged as more of an offensive threat for the Deacs this season after establishing herself as a defensive force in the paint last year. Robinson earned ACC All-Freshman honors in 1998-99, averaging 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. In 15 games this year, she has netted 8.6 points per game and scored in double figures eight times, including a 17-point performance in the win over Florida State. Robinson is shooting 55 percent from the floor and ranks sixth in the ACC in blocks (0.9 bpg).
Miller Time
Freshman forward Heather Miller has had two big scoring bursts in the early season, exploding for 17 points vs. No. 13 LSU and racking up a career-high 21 points vs. Georgia Tech - the highest scoring output by a Deacon this year. In her other 12 games, however, she's averaged just 1.3 points per game. A USA Today High School All-American, Miller scored 2,395 points in her high school career.
Three-Point Arsenal
Wake Forest ranked No. 1 in the ACC and No. 19 in the nation last year in three-point shooting, averaging 6.1 threes per game and shattering the school records for threes made (172) and attempted (502) in a season. All but one of Wake's long-range gunners returned this year, yet the Deacs have yet to catch fire from outside. Despite all of its outside shooting weapons, Wake has hit just 26 percent of its threes this year (54 of 210), averaging just 3.6 treys per game.
Wake's key three-point shooters are junior guard Janae Whiteside (26.9%), who connected on 50 percent of her threes and averaged 5.4 treys per game in the last seven games of 98-99, sophomore guard Val Klopfer (22.4%), who hit 38 percent of her threes last season, and senior guard Alisha Mosley (29.3%) ranks among the top five all-time three-point shooters at WFU (see above). Other Deacs with three-point range include sophomore guard Adell Harris, junior forwards Kristen Shaffer, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Olivia Dardy, freshman forward Heather Miller, and even rookie center Johanna Bjorklund.
Whiteside Heating Up From Long-Range
The Deacs have begun to show signs of life from behind the arc in the last three games, however, hitting 39 percent of their threes (17 of 44) and averaging 5.7 threes per outing. A large part of that has been the recent return of junior guard Janae Whiteside's shooting rhythm. After going 6 of 37 from the arc in the first 12 games (16.2%), Whiteside has hit 8 of 15 threes (53.3%) in the last three outings.
Mosley Strong Off the Bench
Senior guard Alisha Mosley currently ranks as the Deacs' leading scorer despite coming off the bench in all 15 games. Mosley is averaging 9.7 points per game, having hit double figures on eight occassions. She was fairly hot from the floor in the early season, netting double figures in four of the first five games (11.8 ppg), but saw her scoring output slow in the next six games (7.8 ppg). Mosley has been an offensive key again lately, however, averaging 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the last five games.
Kirkpatrick A Force Down Low
Junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, a team co-captain, has emerged as a force down low for the Deacs this year. In her first year as a starter, Kirkpatrick currently leads the Deacs in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and is second in scoring (9.3 ppg). She has nine double-figure scoring outings and three double-figure rebound games, including two double-doubles. Kirkpatrick has been the team's leading rebounder in 10 games.
| Opponent | Pts | Rebs | Opponent | Pts | Rebs |
| Fairfield | 11 | *8 | LSU | 12 | *8 |
| Davidson | 1 | 3 | California | 8 | *8 |
| Arizona State | 12 | 3 | Liberty | 13 | *6 |
| Richmond | 10 | *8 | Florida State | 2 | 4 |
| NC State | 6 | *10 | Georgia Tech | 2 | 4 |
| High Point | 5 | 6 | Coastal Carolina | *15 | *13 |
| Furman | *20 | *10 | Duke | *6 | 10 |
| New Orleans | 12 | *8 |
Solid From The Stripe
Senior guard Alisha Mosley has been solid from the free throw line this season, ranking third in the ACC with a 79.6 free throw percentage (39 of 49). Junior guard Janae Whiteside also averages over 80 percent from the line (17 of 20, .850) - although she doesn't go often enough to rank among the ACC leaders. Two other Deacs average over 75 percent from the line - junior forward Kristen Shaffer (.765) and freshman center Johanna Bjorklund (.800).
With the exception of two games, Wake has been quite good from the free throw line this season. Discounting NC State (where they shot a miserable 37.5 percent from the line) and Liberty (57.1%), the Deacs have hit 71.1 of their foul shots. (Including those two games, WFU owns a .671 free throw percentage). However, the Deacs have gone to the line 6.1 times less than their opponents (and 18.4 times less than ACC foes)!
Dee-Fense
Despite struggling to put points on the board, the Deacons have benefitted >from a strong defense this year. Wake has held opponents to just 64.6 points per game and a 38.4 shooting percentage, keeping five opponents under 60 points. As a matter of fact, 60 seems to be the magic number for WFU: when holding an opponent to 59 points or less they are 5-0, when opponents score 60 or more points, they are 0-10. No. 11 Duke was the first team to score 80 points on the Deacs.
Biedrycki Leaves Team
Sophomore center Elizabeth Biedrycki recently elected to leave the Demon Deacon women's basketball program, transferring to Division II Wingate University at the end of the fall '99 semester. As a freshman last year, she played just under 10 minutes per game in 27 contests, averaging 1.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per outing. She saw just 2.8 minutes per game in five games this year, contributing six points and seven rebounds.
Shaffer's Shooting Frenzy Slows
Junior forward Kristen Shaffer was particularly hot from the floor in the first four games, notching double figures in each and leading the team in scoring three times. She averaged a team-best 12.3 points per game in those first four outings, but has since netted just 5.7 points per outing in the last 11 games. On the year, she ranks as the team's fourth-leading scorer (7.5 ppg).
A Look at the Rookies
All three of the Deacs' rookies have seen significant action on the court this year. Swing player Heather Miller has contributed 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 9.3 minutes of action, including two double-figure outings (see previous note). Athletic forward Tiffani Listenbee has played 9.8 minutes per game, averaging 1.5 points and 1.5 rebound. She netted five points on two occasions. Center Johanna Bjorklund has averaged 9.6 minutes off the bench, averaging 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds. She has netted eight points on two occasions.
Reaching New Heights
This season, WFU has six players on the roster who stand 6-0 or taller, including three who top the 6-4 mark: 6-4 sophomore center LaChina Robinson, 6-5 freshman center Johanna Bjorklund - the tallest player ever to don a Deacon uniform - and 6-4 redshirt freshman LaTisha Pearson.
Going Deep
In each of her three years at WFU, coach Charlene Curtis has gone deep into her bench in nearly every game. In fact, the 11 returning players this year had seen time in 98 percent of their career games, with the five upperclassmen missing only one game between them. Curtis has continued to go deep into her bench this year, as 11 of 13 players average over nine minutes per game apiece.
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 a preseason vote of their teammates and coaches.
In Remembrance
The Deacs wear black armbands on their uniforms this season in remembrance of former assistant coach Stacy Cox, who died in a car accident on Nov. 8th. Cox, 35, played under current Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis at Radford, then served as an assistant coach on Curtis' staffs at Radford, Temple and WFU (1997-99). She left the Deacs this past August to accept a teaching and coaching position at an elementary school in New Jersey.
ACC Leaders
Through games of Jan 13th, senior guard Alisha Mosley ranks third in the ACC in free throw percentage (.796), while sophomore center LaChina Robinson was sixth in blocks (0.9 bpg) and junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick is ninth in rebounds (7.0 rpg). In ACC games only, Mosley is third in assists (4.8 apg) and Robinson fifth in blocks (1.0 bpg), while junior guard Janae Whiteside is fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.471) and sixth in threes per game (2.0).
ACC TEAM RANKINGS
| Category | Leader | Wake Forest |
| Scoring | Virginia (76.5) | 9th (58.4) |
| Scoring Defense | Duke (52.6) | 4th (64.6) |
| Scoring Margin | Duke (+23.7) | 9th (-6.2) |
| FG Percentage | Virginia (.460) | 8th (.388) |
| FG Pct Defense | NC State (.358) | 5th (.384) |
| 3-Pt FG Percentage | Duke (.397) | 8th (.257) |
| 3-Pt FG Per Game | North Carolina (6.4) | 7th (3.6) |
| FT Percentage | Duke (.764) | 5th (.671) |
| Blocked Shots | Clemson (3.9) | 5th (2.6) |
| Steals | Florida State (12.9) | 9th (7.3) |
| Turnover Margin | Clemson (+4.3) | 9th (-1.3) |
| Rebound Margin | Duke (+9.6) | 9th (-5.7) |
Noteable Deacon
A former Wake Forest women's basketball player appeared in Sports Illustrated's recent issue on the 50 greatest sports figures of the century >from each of the 50 states. Nicole Levesque, who played for the Deacs from 1990-94 and ranks as the school's all-time leading three-point shooter, was selected as the 17th greatest athlete from Vermont. She is the only athlete from that state to play in the WNBA. Levesque, now an assistant coach at the University of Vermont, is also the only former Demon Deacon to play in the WNBA.
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. She also 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 RU's Hall of Fame in 1995. She earned her master's degree from UVa in 1982. Curtis is 17-53 at Wake Forest (.243) and 179-203 overall (.469).
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 |
PROBABLE DEMON DEACON LINEUP
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Yr. | GP/GS | PPG | RPG | Other |
| F | 20 | Kristen Shaffer | 5-10 | Jr. | 15/15 | 7.5 | 2.9 | 1.1 apg |
| F | 50 | Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick | 6-0 | r-Jr. | 15/15 | 9.3 | 7.0 | 1.9 apg |
| C | 34 | LaChina Robinson | 6-4 | So. | 15/15 | 8.6 | 4.3 | 0.9 bpg |
| G | 10 | Val Klopfer | 5-4 | So. | 15/15 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 1.3 apg |
| G | 21 | Janae Whiteside | 5-6 | Jr. | 15/15 | 6.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 apg |
Key Reserves | ||||||||
| G | 11 | Alisha Mosley | 5-6 | Sr. | 15/0 | 9.7 | 2.8 | .796 FT% |
| F | 32 | Olivia Dardy | 6-1 | Jr. | 9/0 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 0.8 spg |
| F | 14 | Heather Miller | 5-10 | Fr. | 14/0 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 21 pts vs. GT |
| C | 12 | Johanna Bjorklund | 6-5 | Fr. | 14/0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0.3 bpg |
| G | 23 | Adell Harris | 5-6 | So. | 15/0 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.3 apg |
| F | 24 | Tiffani Listenbee | 6-1 | Fr. | 15/0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.3 bpg |
DEACON HOOPS ON THE AIR
More fans than ever before will have the opportunity to follow Wake Forest women's basketball this season via radio, television, and the internet. The Wake Forest ISP Sports Network will broadcast 12 regular-season games and all ACC Tournament games on WXII NewsRadio 830 AM in Winston-Salem, with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play. WXII's 50,000-watt clear channel signal reaches much of the Southeastern U.S. at night. Radio games will be simulcast on the web at www.wakeforestsports.com.
The ACC Regional Sports Network (RSN) features live telecasts of ACC women's hoops in the six-state ACC region. Featured games are telecast Sunday at 12:30 pm and Monday at 7:00 pm on Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South, and 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 |
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/Bronnkyrka 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 |
| 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 |
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)
