Women's Basketball Travels To Tempe, Battles ASU
12/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2000
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Wake Forest (7-3, 0-1)
vs.
Arizona State (7-3, 0-0)
Saturday, Dec. 30, 2000 * 3:00 pm (EST) * Wells Fargo Arena (14,198) * Tempe, AZ
Broadcast: No broadcast in Winston-Salem. The game will be televised locally in the Tempe area and will also be on the radio on XTRA 910 AM and on the internet at www.TheSunDevils.com
Records: WFU is 7-3 overall, most recently completing a two-game road trip in the state of Connecticut. The Deacs downed Quinnipiac 77-68 on Dec. 19 before falling to No. 1 UConn on Dec. 22, 107-52. The Sun Devils were 7-3 as of Dec. 26, with a matchup against Tennessee on Dec. 27.
The Series: Saturday's game marks the second meeting between Wake Forest and Arizona State, with ASU winning 70-65 last season.
The Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis is in her fourth season with the Deacs, with a 26-67 record at the school. She has a 188-217 career record in her 15th season as a head coach. Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne is 52-69 in her fifth season as head coach of the Sun Devils, and is 92-109 in her eighth season overall.
Up Next: Wake Forest returns home for a grueling stretch of ACC games, beginning with a road trip to Duke on Jan. 2, a home date with North Carolina on Jan. 4, and two straight road games at NC State (Jan. 7) and Clemson (Jan. 11). Three of those four teams are currently ranked in the Top 25, while the fourth (UNC) is receiving votes.
Go West, Wake Forest...
A week after traveling in the nation's northeast, the Wake Forest women's basketball team heads west to Tempe, Arizona, to play its final game in the year 2000 at Arizona State University on Dec. 30. The Deacons are 7-3 on the season after posting one win (at Quinnipiac) and one loss (at top-ranked UConn) while in Connecticut last week. The 7-3 start is the best 10-game start in six seasons, as the 1994-95 Deacs also began the year 7-3.
At Arizona State, Wake looks to not only avenge a five-point loss from last season, but to improve upon its 7-2 record in non-conference games this year. 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 312-423 overall record.
A Quick Look at the Deacs...
Wake Forest boasts an experienced nucleus in the 2000-01 campaign, with 10 letterwinners, including four starters, returning from a year ago. The team's top returning scorer and leading rebounder from a year ago, 6-0 senior Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, is averaging 9.5 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds through the first 10 games of the season. 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 has returned with a vengeance this season, averaging 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds. Shaffer, the starting shooting guard, is currently second on the team in scoring (10.7 ppg) and is second on the squad in assists (2.3 apg).
The junior class is comprised of two point guards and a center. The Deacs' returning starter at point guard is 5-4 Val Klopfer. Ten of Klopfer's 11 field goals this season have been beyond the arc, and she's shooting .476 from three-point range (10-of-21). She is backed up by classmate Adell Harris, who scored seven points on a perfect shooting night in her season debut at High Point. Junior starting center LaChina Robinson, who stands 6-4, is a continuously improving inside player who is currently averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds a game.
Robinson is challenged in the middle by sophomore Johanna Bj?rklund, Wake's tallest player ever at 6-5. Bj?rklund, who provides a strong presence in the post, has seen limited action so far this season, but has notched three steals and five blocks, including a three-block performance vs. Liberty. 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. Listenbee nearly recorded a double-double with a nine-point, nine-rebound performance at App State, and scored eight first-half points for the Deacs at High Point. Rounding out the sophomore class is 5-10 forward Heather Miller, who has been bothered by early signs of a stress fracture in her foot, but displayed her sharpshooting skills with nine points in four minutes of action at Richmond.
The Wake Forest freshman class has already played a key role in the Deacs' early success. Tracy Alston, a 5-10 forward, has proven to be a tenacious defender, averaging 2.8 rebounds a game and grabbing five steals. Tonia Brown, a 5-10 guard, is a scoring threat, averaging 6.8 ppg and a team-high 13 three-pointers. Bianca Brown, at 5-8, gives the Deacs depth at the point guard spot along with tough defensive skills, including a team-high 17 steals. Starting small forward Eafton Hill is the team's leading scorer (11.3 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (6.1 rpg), including a 22-point performance at Richmond. She also has a team-high 10 blocks.
As a team, the Deacs had been averaging over 70 points a game the entire season before dipping just below that level (69.2 ppg) following the UConn loss. Wake's opponents are averaging 2.1 points less (67.1 ppg). WFU is outperforming its opponents in nearly every stat category, including field-goal percentage (.430 to .391), three-point shooting (.333 to .324), rebounds (40.1 to 37.1), free throw percentage (71.7 to 68.4), assists (15.3 to 14.5), steals (10.0 to 9.9) and blocks (4.4 to 2.8).
Head Coach Charlene Curtis...
Head coach Charlene Curtis (Radford '76) is in 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 26-67 record at Wake Forest and is 188-217 overall.
Scouting the Sun Devils (as of Dec. 26)...
As of Dec. 26, Arizona State owned an identical record to Wake Forest, 7-3 overall. The Devils and the Deacs have other similarities, both squads have used the same starting lineup in all of their games so far this season, and each team has three players averaging double figures in scoring. Another similiarity is that when the two teams meet on Saturday, both will be coming off games against the nation's best teams. Wake Forest played top-ranked UConn on Dec. 22, while ASU faces No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 27.
Leading the way for the Sun Devils is junior guard Amanda Levens, a transfer from Old Dominion. Levens is averaging 14.8 points per game and has a team-high 17 three-pointers. Classmate Melody Johnson, a center, is scoring 13.3 points with a team-high 6.7 rebounds a game. Freshman wing player Betsy Boardman is contributing 10.8 points and owns a team-high 18 steals.
ASU's starting five consists of Levens, Johnson and Boardman, in addition to Leah Combs, a juinor forward, and Natalie Tucker, a senior point guard. As a team, the Sun Devils are 64.8 points a game and shooting 41.9 percent from the field, while allowing just 54.4 points and 42.2 percent shooting from their opponents. ASU is also outrebounding its opposition, 36.1 to 33.0. The Sun Devils' three losses have come against Wake Forest's ACC-rival NC State (54-51 on Nov. 26), UC Santa Barbara (76-66) and Denver (73-52).
Wake Forest is ASU's last non-conference opponent before opening Pac-10 play at Stanford on Jan. 4.
A Look Back at 1999: ASU Prevails in First Meeting...
Winston-Salem, NC (Nov. 26, 2000),? Sun Devil sophomore forward Theresa Jantzen tallied 22 points and nine rebounds as visiting Arizona State held off Wake Forest, 70-65, in Reynolds Gym in what was the first meeting between the two teams.
The Sun Devils used a 13-2 run late in the first period to break open a close game and went into halftime with a 37-27 advantage. Wake Forest went on an 8-0 run early in the second period to get within two points, but Arizona State gradually pulled ahead again to lead by as many as nine. The Deacs rallied again late in the game, cutting the deficit to three on a three-pointer by senior guard Alisha Mosley with 11 seconds to play. But ASU's Liz Paulson nailed two free throws in the game's final seconds to seal the win.
Wake Forest shot an impressive 55 percent from the floor (28-51) but committed 23 turnovers, 19 of which came in the first half. Arizona State outrebounded the Deacs 30-25 and hit 23 of 30 free throws, while WFU went to the line just eight times.
Kristen Shaffer led Wake Forest with a then-career-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Mosley added 12 points each. WFU freshman center Johanna Bjorklund came off the bench to grab a team-high six rebounds and dish four assists in just 12 minutes of play. Freshman forward Sarah Allen added 14 points for ASU, while senior guard Kitch Kitchen scored 10.
Last Time Out: Wake Wins One, Loses One in Connecticut...
Wake's last outing, on Dec. 22, was a tough one, playing the top-ranked and defending national champion UConn Huskies in Storrs.
Playing before a crowd of 10,027 in UConn's Gampel Pavilion, a WFU school record for a road game, the Deacs were unable to contain UConn's quickness in transition, as the Huskies started the game by scoring four quick points off a missed shot and a turnover on Wake's first two possessions. The Deacs trailed 6-5 at the 17:51 mark of the first half, but Connecticut built its lead from that point, leading 49-25 at the half and increasing that margin in the second to the final score of 107-52.
Freshman Eafton Hill led the Deacon effort with 11 points, marking her sixth game out of the last seven that she has reached double figures. Senior Kristen Shaffer added 10 points, her fourth consecutive double-figure scoring game. Wake was held to a season-low 35 percent shooting from the floor and 53.3 percent from the line, while giving up season-highs in both catgories (Huskies shot 62.1 percent from the field and 83.3 percent >from the line). The rebounding margin was nearly equal, as UConn edged the Deacs 34-33 on the boards.
The matchup with UConn was Wake's second game in the state of Connecticut. On Tuesday, Dec. 19, the Deacs faced Quinnipiac in Hamden, and emerged with a 77-68 victory in overtime. The win marked Wake's seventh win of the year, which equalled its win total from a year ago.
Reaching their seventh victory wasn't easy, however, as Deacons found themselves down early in the game and were forced into playing catch-up for most of the game. Down by 10 at halftime, Wake's situation quickly escalated into a 22-point deficit with less than 12 minutes remaining. The defense visibly stepped up and the Braves went through a scoring drought of 4:38 and three subsequent droughts of over two minutes each, as Wake chipped away at the Quinnipiac lead.
The Deacs went ahead 62-60 with 13 seconds remaining when senior Olivia Dardy, who had been playing with four fouls since the 8:56 mark of the second half, sank two free throws. Quinnipiac missed a shot on its next possession, then grabbed the offensive rebound, but appeared to throw the ball out of bounds as time expired. However, it was determined that 0.6 seconds remained, giving the Braves had a second chance. Ashlee Kelly's shot at the buzzer sent the game into an extra period.
Dardy, playing in her home state, took over in overtime, however, scoring four buckets to finish with a game-high 24 points, two shy of her career-high. The Deacs wrapped up the game by hitting five of six free throws to win by nine, 77-68. Wake forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick tied her career high with 15 rebounds. Dardy notched her ninth career double-double with 10 rebounds. Other double-figure Deacs included Eafton Hill with 13 and Kristen Shaffer with 10. As a team, Wake shot 86 percent from the field in overtime, finishing the game shooting 41 percent.
Winning Ways Against Non-ACC Foes...
With the win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 19, Wake Forest notched its seventh victory of the season, equalling its win total from a year ago. What jumps out most from that statistic is Wake Forest's improved showing against non-conference teams. The Deacs are already 7-2 outside the ACC this season. Wake Forest has not won seven non-ACC games since the 1996-97 campaign, when they notched eight non-conference victories. (Finishing with a 12-16 record, the 1996-97 team won three ACC games and one ACC Tournament game.)
With two non-league opponents left on this season's slate, Arizona State and a Jan. 22 matchup with Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest has the potential to post its best non-conference record since the 1992-93 campaign, in which the team also posted nine non-conference victories. The Deacs need to win two more games in order for the 2000-01 squad to qualify as head coach Charlene Curtis' most successful season (the 1998-99 team posted eight overall victories).
Sharp-Shooting Shaffer...
The shift from the small forward position to shooting guard this year has proven to be a successful one for senior Kristen Shaffer. Shaffer, who stands 5-10, is riding a streak of four straight games in double-figure scoring. After leading the team with 16 points against Virginia, she shattered her career-best with 22 points versus New Orleans. She then added a pair of 10-point performances against both Quinnipiac and Connecticut. Over those four games, Shaffer has been shooting 55.8 percent from the field (24-of-43).
Shaffer has also been hot from the free throw line, as she has nailed 17-of-18 from the stripe for a team-best free throw percentage (.944).
Happy Birthday, Heather...
Sophomore forward Heather Miller celebrates her 20th birthday on Saturday, Dec. 30 when the Deacons play at Arizona State.
The Starting Five...
Coach Curtis has used the same starting lineup in Wake's first eight games of the year, and the combination has proven successful. The lineup of forwards Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Eafton Hill, center LaChina Robinson and guards Val Klopfer and Kristen Shaffer currently account for over 58 percent of the Deacons' scoring output (404 of 692 points) and nearly 49 percent of rebounding (195 of 401). The starting five is also responsible for 55 percent of WFU's three-pointers (22 of 40) and 48 percent (21 of 44) of the team's blocked shots.
A Balanced Attack...
While Wake's starting five is performing well, the real strength of the Deacon team is a deep bench. Curtis has used 10 players in all 10 games this season, and all 14 members of the roster have seen action in at least eight games. Ten players are averaging 10 minutes of playing time and every Deacon has also at least scored four points and pulled down two rebounds.
Wake Forest is so balanced, in fact, that the first four games of this season all produced a different scoring leader, rebounding leader and assist leader. This season Kristen Shaffer, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, Olivia Dardy and Eafton Hill have all been leading scorers, while Hill, Kirkpatrick, Tiffani Listenbee, Tracy Alston and LaChina Robinson have all produced team-highs on the boards. Val Klopfer, Tonia Brown, Hill, Kirkpatrick, and Shaffer have all been the assist leader in at least one game this season.
On the Offensive...
Wake Forest's offensive gameplan has resulted in some higher scores for the Deacs in the early goings of the season. WFU is currently scoring 69.2 points per game, 2.1 points more than its opponents and 11.8 points more than what it averaged last season (57.4). The Deacons have not posted a scoring average above 70 points since the 1995-96 season, when they scored 70.3 ppg. The school record for scoring average is 80.4, which was set in the 1988-89 campaign.
The 87 points Wake Forest scored this season against Richmond (Nov. 30) were the most since the Deacs' posted an 88-71 victory over Florida State on Jan. 20, 1996.
The Road Warriors...
Before falling to No. 1 UConn, Wake Forest put together a four-game road winning streak with victories at Appalachian State, High Point, Richmond and Quinnipiac. Wake Forest's first three victories of the 2000-01 campaign all came on the road. The four-game road winning streak was the longest since the 1992-93 campaign, in which the Deacs opened the year with road wins at East Tennessee State, Richmond and College of Charleston, and actually went on to win a school-record six consecutive road games during that stretch.
Deacs Throw a Block Party...
Wake Forest set a new school record on Dec. 5 against Liberty when it blocked 11 shots. The previous record was 10 blocks versus South Carolina State on November 29, 1989. Five different Deacons were responsible for breaking the record, led by centers LaChina Robinson and Johanna Bj?rklund with three apiece. Forwards Eafton Hill and Tiffani Listenbee each had two, while guard Tonia Brown recorded one. The 11-block performance was not only the best by an ACC team so far this season, but better than any ACC performance last season as well. The ACC record for blocked shots in a game is 15, set on two different occasions.
Climbing the Career Charts...
An update on several current Demon Deacons who are leaving their marks in the WFU record book: Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick is currently tied for 13th all-time at Wake with 474 career rebounds ... Val Klopfer is eighth with 55 career three-pointers, while her 165 three-point attempts is eighth all-time ... LaChina Robinson owns sole possession of seventh place in career blocked shots with 48 ... Olivia Dardy is eighth all-time with nine career double-doubles and is 20th with 417 career rebounds. Complete career charts for these statistical categories can be found on page four.
Scheduling Notes...
Two site changes for home games were announced recently, the Jan. 22 game vs. Coastal Carolina has been moved to Reynolds Gym on campus, while the Jan. 25 contest with Georgia Tech will be at the Coliseum Annex ... the Deacs made their first television appearance at UConn, as the game was broadcast on CPTV (Connecticut Public Television) ... 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 ... the Deacs posted a 3-1 (.750) record in November, their best winning percentage in November since going 2-0 in the 1993-94 season.