Women's Basketball Meets Western Michigan in Home Opener Saturday
11/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2000
Winston-Salem, NC - WAKE FOREST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES
Wake Forest (1-0) vs. Western Michigan (0-1)
Saturday, Nov. 25, 2000
5:00 pm
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,407)
Winston-Salem, NC
Broadcast: None
Records: WFU is 1-0 after winning its season opener at Appalachian State last Sunday. WMU is 0-1 after dropping their season opener, 81-85, to Detroit on Wednesday night.
Series Meeting: This is the first meeting between the two teams.
The Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis is in her fourth season with the Deacs, with a 20-64 record at the school. She has a 182-214 career record in her 15th season as a head coach. WMU head coach Ron Stewart is in his fourth year with the Broncos, with a 44-42 career and school record.
Up Next: The Deacons have two games next week, both on the road. The team travels to High Point on Mon., Nov. 27 (7:00 pm tipoff), then heads to Richmond for an 11:30 am match with the Spiders on Thursday, Nov. 30.
Wake Forest Host Western Michigan Broncos in Home Opener...
The Demon Deacons, off to a 1-0 start in the young season, play their first home game of the 2000-01 campaign when they host the Broncos of Western Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. The game is the first of a Wake Forest basketball doubleheader, as the Deacon men's team hosts Campbell immediately following.
The Wake women opened the season with an 83-60 win over Appalachian State last Sunday in Boone. The 2000-01 season marks the 30th anniversary of Wake Forest women's basketball. The Deacon program began in the 1971-72 season. WFU's first game was a 30-28 win over Elon College. Since then, Deacon women's basketball has compiled a 306-420 overall record.
A Quick Look at the Deacs...
Wake Forest returns a strong nucleus this season, with 10 letterwinners returning to action, including four starters. The team's top returning scorer a year ago, 6-0 senior power forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (8.9 ppg), was also the team's leading rebounder last season, pulling down 7.3 rebounds a contest. Kirkpatrick, the team's starter at power forward, leads a senior class which includes 6-1 forward Olivia Dardy and 5-10 guard Kristen Shaffer. Dardy spent much of last year on the injured list but was a key player for the Deacs two years ago, averaging 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds a game. Shaffer, the starting shooting guard, started 20 games last year with a 7.2 scoring average.
The junior class is comprised of two point guards and a center. The Deacs' returning starter at point guard is 5-4 Val Klopfer, who averaged 3.7 points and 1.5 assists in 1999-2000. She is backed up by classmate Adell Harris, who earned playing time in all 28 games last season. Starting center LaChina Robinson, who stands 6-4, is a continuously improving inside player who averaged 7.7 points and blocked 19 shots a year ago.
Robinson will be challenged in the middle by sophomore Johanna Bj?rklund, Wake's tallest player ever at 6-5. Two other sophomores, 6-1 Tiffani Listenbee and 6-4 LaTisha Pearson, add depth as well as rebounding and shot-blocking abilities to the Deacs' post game. Rounding out the sophomore class is 5-10 forward Heather Miller, a versatile player who can contribute both on the inside and on the perimeter. The Wake Forest freshman class will be called upon to make an early impact. Tracy Alston, a 5-10 forward and Tonia Brown, a 5-10 guard, are players who provide depth and versatility. Bianca Brown, at 5-8, gives the Deacs depth at the point guard spot, while 6-1 Eafton Hill, who was impressive in the preseason, has earned the starting nod at the small forward spot.
Head Coach Charlene Curtis...
Head coach Charlene Curtis (Radford `76) enters her fourth season at the helm of the Demon Deacon women's basketball team, bringing a wealth of experience, a commitment to excellence, and a contagious enthusiasm to the program. Before coming to Wake, Curtis was an assistant coach at national powerhouse Connecticut for two seasons, helping guide 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 her alma mater, Radford, (1985-90), where she was Big South Coach of the Year twice and posted a 121-53 record. Curtis has also served as an assistant with Georgetown (1984), Virginia (1982-83) and USA Basketball, and was a floor coach for the Olympic Trials.
As a player at Radford, 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 a master's degree from UVa in 1982.
Curtis has compiled a 20-64 record at Wake Forest and is 182-214 overall.
Deacons Win Season Opener at Appalachian State...
The Wake Forest women's basketball team opened the 2000-01 campaign with a dominating 83-60 victory over the Appalachian State Mountaineers last Sunday afternoon. The contest, which took place in the brand new Holmes Convocation Center, was the first women's basketball game in the facility.
After ASU jumped out to a 7-4 lead, freshman Eafton Hill, playing in front of a hometown crowd which included her former Watauga High School teammates, hit a three-pointer which tied the game. The Deacs then went on a 14-5 scoring run and never relinquished the lead. An aggressive defense by Wake Forest forced 17 Mountaineer first-half turnovers which resulted in 19 points for the Deacs. Wake had a balanced attack as every player in uniform played at least 10 minutes, with all 12 players scoring at least two points. Three Deacons posted double-figures in scoring, as senior Kristen Shaffer led the team with 14 points. Senior Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick added 12, while freshman Tonia Brown contributed 10 points. Sophomore Tiffani Listenbee nearly notched a double-double with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds in 14 minutes of action. Starting point guard Val Klopfer dished seven assists, and hit two three-pointers for six points.
As a team the Deacs shot 42 percent for the game, including 55 percent from beyond the arc. WFU connected well from the free throw line, going a perfect 9-of-9 in the first half and 15-of-19 for the game (79 percent). The Deacs outrebounded Appalachian State 46 to 40, and the defense recorded 14 steals and blocked three shots while limiting the Mountaineers to 29 percent shooting.
WFU in Season Openers...
With the victory over Appalachian State, Wake Forest improves to 21-9 in season openers. It was the biggest season-opening win for the Deacs since the 1992-93 season, when they defeated East Tennessee State by 25 points (76-51). The 83 points is also the most scored by a Deacon team since the 1999 ACC Tournament, when they defeated Maryland 83-66 in the opening round.
WFU in Home Openers...
Wake Forest owns an 18-7 record in home openers (site information not available for all seasons). The Deacs are looking to halt a two-game losing streak in home openers, as their last victory in a home opener was a 71-57 win over Virginia Commonwealth in the 1997-98 campaign.
Scouting the Broncos...
Like Wake Forest, Western Michigan has played just one game this season, losing their season opener to Detroit, 85-81, on Wednesday night. The Broncos were led in scoring by senior guard Sarah Hurrle, a transfer from Butler University who scored 26 points, including a 5-of-7 performance from three-point range. Starting forward Karen Deurloo added 18 points for the Broncos while also pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.
Sophomore forward Kristin Koetsier is the team's leading returning scorer from last season after averaging 18.6 points per game as a rookie.
Saturday's game will be the first meeting between Wake Forest and Western Michigan.
The Injury Report...
One Deacon expected to make a big impact this season was senior shooting guard Janae Whiteside. After leading the team in scoring with 22 points, including four three-pointers, in the first exhibition game, Whiteside injured her right knee just four minutes into the second exhibition on Nov. 10. An MRI revealed ligament damage in addition to an already-diagnosed dislocated kneecap, which will keep her sidelined for the 2000-01 season. Whiteside underwent surgery on November 21 to repair the ligament damage.
Sophomore forward Heather Miller missed both exhibition games and the season opener with early signs of a stress fracture in her right foot. She is doubtful for the Western Michigan game.
Team Celebrates Thanksgiving Together...
With a home game on Saturday, most members of the Wake Forest women's basketball team couldn't take time off to go home for Thanksgiving, so head coach Charlene Curtis opened hers. A large group of players, family and friends gathered Thursday night at Curtis' house for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. WGHP-TV (Fox 8) will air a story on the festivities on its Sunday night sports show (10:30 pm).
Deacs Post High Scores in Exhibition Games...
Scoring more points will be a key to the Deacon's improvement and success this season, and the team seemed to get off on the right foot in that area with high-scoring wins in both exhibition contests in early November.
The team opened its exhibition schedule with a 94-52 win over the Smokey Mountain Swarm on Nov. 4. Senior guard Janae Whiteside led the balanced Deacon effort with 22 points.
Wake Forest never trailed in the contest and led 44-21 at the break. The Deacons controlled the play on both ends of the floor. On offense, the Deacs shot 54 percent for the game. On defense, Wake forced 28 turnovers and made 23 steals.
Fourteen different players scored in the game and 13 players registered at least ten minutes. Wake Forest dominated in the paint, outscoring the Swarm 28-10, and on the glass, with a 46-36 rebounding margin. Senior Olivia Dardy totaled a game-high nine rebounds to go with eight points.
On November 10, the team notched a second victory, defeating Dyanamo Kiev of Ukraine, 69-57. The Deacons, who led nearly the entire game, defeated Dyanamo with a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures.
Dyanamo saw their last lead of the game vanish at the 13:02 mark, as senior Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick hit a jumper to put the Deacs up 12-11. Wake Forest led by seven at the half, and built on their lead early in the second period. Kiev chipped away at the lead, pulling to within two points three different times, but Wake Forest pulled away late in the game for the final 12-point victory margin.
Starting junior center LaChina Robinson led the Deacons with 16 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the floor. Freshman Eafton Hill, a starter at forward, scored eight points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Two seniors, Kristen Shaffer and Dardy were also offensive sparks off the bench, scoring 12 points and 10 points. Overall, the Deacs shot 42 percent from the floor and were perfect from the free throw line (7-of-7).
Rookie Enjoys Early Homecoming...
Freshman Eafton Hill made her collegiate debut in a familiar place - her hometown of Boone, NC. Hill earned the starting nod for the Deacs in their season opener at Appalachian State. The 6-1 forward has ties to ASU, as her sister attends school there while her mother works at the University. Hill had a large cheering section at the game, including her former Watauga High School teammates. She finished the game with nine points, three rebounds and an assist.
On the Air...
Deacon women's basketball will be on the radio at least 11 times during the season on WTRU 830 AM in Winston-Salem. Tom Hart returns this season to call all the action, with a variety of guest hosts to provide color commentary. The first scheduled broadcast is this Monday, Nov. 27, when the Deacs play at High Point. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
All games broadcast on the radio will also be broadcast on the internet at www.WakeForestSports.com.
Scheduling Notes...
All Deacon women's home games take place at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, except Dec. 9 vs. Virginia, which takes place at Reynolds Gym on campus ... that contest is also WFU's ACC opener ... two home games are part of doubleheaders scheduled with Wake Forest men's basketball - Nov. 25 vs. Western Michigan and Dec. 2 versus Coppin State. Both games take place at 5:00 p.m. with the men's games following ... two home games will be shown on the ACC Regional Sports Network (FOX Sports South, Home Team Sports, Sunshine Network) - Sunday, Feb. 11 vs. Clemson and Monday, Feb. 19 vs. Maryland ... for the second straight year, the ACC Tournament takes place at the Greensboro (NC) Coliseum.