Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Basketball Takes On the Tar Heels
1/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Jan. 4, 2001
Winston-Salem, NC -
WAKE FOREST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES
Game #13
Wake Forest (7-5, 0-2) vs. North Carolina (7-4, 1-1)
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2001 * 7:00 pm * Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (9,314) * Winston-Salem, NC
Broadcast: The voice of Wake Forest basketball, Tom Hart, will call the action on WTRU-830 AM. He is joined by color analyst Roper Halverson. The game will also be broadcast on the internet at www.WakeForestSports.com.
Records: WFU is 7-5 overall, 0-2 in the ACC, after falling 56-81 at Duke on Tuesday evening. North Carolina is 7-4, 1-1 in the league, having dropped its last outing to ACC rival Georgia Tech also on Tuesday.
The Series: The series with UNC is Wake's oldest rivalry, as Thursday's game marks the 55th meeting between the two ACC teams. North Carolina leads the series 45-9.
The Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis is in her fourth season with the Deacs, with a 26-69 record at the school. She has a 188-219 career record in her 15th season as a head coach. UNC head coach Sylvia Hatchell is 568-230 in her 26th season as a head coach, and is 296-150 in her 15th season with the Tar Heels.
Up Next: Wake Forest is in the middle of a grueling ACC stretch. Next up are two straight road games against ranked opponents - NC State (Jan. 7) and Clemson (Jan. 11). The Deacs return home to host Florida State on Jan. 14.
Wake Forest Returns Home to "Jam Joel" Against Rival UNC...
After four consecutive games on the road, the Wake Forest women's basketball team (7-5, 0-2 ACC) returns home to host one of its biggest rivals, North Carolina (7-4, 1-1 ACC), on Thursday at 7:00 pm in Joel Coliseum.
The Deacons are in the middle of a three-game stretch against its traditional Tobacco Road rivals, Duke, UNC and NC State. WFU fell to Duke 56-81 in Durham on Tuesday evening, and will travel to Raleigh to face the Wolfpack on Sunday.
Thursday's game against the Tar Heels is Wake Forest's annual "Jam Joel" game, in which tickets are on sale for $1.00. The Deacs are looking to break their home attendance record for the third straight year, as they have done in the previous two "Jam Joel" contests.
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 312-425 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, has been hovering around the double-digit scoring average all season, and is currently averaging 8.9 points a game. She also continues to lead the squad with 6.2 rebounds a contest and is second on the team with 18 steals. The team's starter at power forward, Kirkpatrick 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 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench. Dardy currently owns WFU's best scoring performance this season with a 24-point outing at Quinnipiac on Dec. 19. Shaffer, the starting shooting guard, has used a five-game stretch of double-digit scoring (which was snapped at Duke) to take over the team scoring lead (10.5 ppg). Shaffer is also second on the squad in assists (2.1 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. Eleven of Klopfer's 12 field goals this season have been beyond the arc, and she's shooting 44 percent from three-point range (11-of-25). She is backed up by classmate Adell Harris, a flashy athlete who has seen her playing time increase over the course of the season. Junior starting center LaChina Robinson, who stands 6-4, is a continuously improving inside player who is currently averaging 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.
Robinson is challenged in the middle by sophomore Johanna Bj?rklund, Wake's tallest player ever at 6-5. Bj?rklund provides a strong presence in the post, notching four steals and six blocks this season, and has shown she can score outside the paint as well. Two other sophomores, 6-1 Tiffani Listenbee and 6-4 LaTisha Pearson, add depth in the post with their rebounding and shot-blocking abilities. Listenbee recently set a career-high with 10 points at Arizona State, and is third on the team in blocks. Rounding out the sophomore class is 5-10 forward Heather Miller, who was bothered by early signs of a stress fracture in her foot in the beginning of the season, but has gradually increased her playing time. Miller 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 team winning seven games in the early goings of the season. Tracy Alston, a 5-10 forward, has proven to be a tenacious defender, often drawing the top defensive assignment, and is averaging 2.8 rebounds a game and has grabbed seven steals. Tonia Brown, a 5-10 guard, is a scoring threat, averaging 6.5 ppg and has netted a team-high 14 three-pointers. Bianca Brown, at 5-8, gives the Deacs depth at the point guard spot along with tough defensive skills - including a team best 19 steals. Starting small forward Eafton Hill, who has been the team's leading scorer for most of the season, is currently averaging 10.4 ppg, and is the second-leading rebounder (5.7 rpg). She also has a team-high 13 blocked shots.
As a team, the Deacs had been averaging over 70 points a game through the first eight games of the season before dipping just below that level following the UConn loss. WFU is currently scoring 66.8 ppg. WFU is outperforming its opponents in several stat categories, including field-goal percentage (.424 to .393), three-point shooting (.319 to .314), rebounds (39.2 to 37.8), assists (15.4 to 14.8), and blocks (4.2 to 3.0).
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 26-69 record at Wake Forest and is 188-219 overall.
Scouting the Tar Heels...
The North Carolina Tar Heels, who started the 2000-01 campaign ranked among the nation's top 25, are currently 7-4 overall with a 1-1 ACC record. The Heels dropped games against Buffalo, Old Dominion and Notre Dame, then fell to Georgia Tech in their last outing Tuesday evening. UNC's conference win came over Maryland on Dec. 9, and it has also posted wins over Syracuse, NC A&T, East Tennessee State, Winthrop, South Carolina and Elon.
Several of North Carolina's statistical leaders also rank among the top in the ACC. Tar Heel senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale leads the team and league in scoring (19.4 ppg) while sophomore guard Coretta Brown is not far behind, ranking second in the ACC (17.4 ppg). Barksdale also ranks second in the conference in rebounding (10.4 rpg), while Brown leads the league in assists (6.7 apg). Freshman center Candace Sutton tops the ACC in blocks (1.8 bpg).
As a team, UNC leads the ACC in scoring (79.6 ppg) and rebounding (46.4 rpg). The Tar Heels are outscoring their opponents by nearly 10 points a game and are shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range.
North Carolina's most common starting lineup consists of Barksdale, Brown, Sutton senior guard Leah Sharp and senior guard Juana Brown.
The Series With UNC...
North Carolina is Wake Forest's oldest rivalry as the two teams will meet for the 55th time on Thursday. Wake and UNC first met in the 1973-74 campaign and have played every year since. North Carolina leads the series 45-9, and the Tar Heels are currently 16-5 when playing at Wake Forest.
UNC owned an 18-game winning streak in the series, dating back to the 1991-92 season, that was snapped last year when the Deacs won 69-56 in Winston-Salem on Jan. 16. UNC won the second regular season matchup later in the season, 75-69.
A Look Back: Wake, UNC Split 1999-2000 Meetings...
Jan. 16, 2000/Winston-Salem, NC - Senior guard Alisha Mosley scored a career-high 24 points to lift Wake Forest to a 69-56 victory over No. 12 North Carolina in front of a school-record 4,031 fans at Joel Coliseum.
The win marked the Deacons' first win over an AP-ranked team since a 75-64 victory over NC State on February 25, 1996.
Wake Forest never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the game's first 2:49 and leading by as many as 13 points in the first period. Carolina trailed 29-22 at intermission, but used a pressure man-to-man defense to hold Wake scoreless for the first 5:04 of the second period. The Deacons committed seven turnovers in that stretch, but the Tar Heels were only able to convert them into four points, cutting the lead to 29-26. Mosley's two free throws at the 14:56 mark broke the drought and keyed an 11-2 Deacon run that gave Wake another double-digit lead. UNC never got closer than six the rest of the way.
Carolina shot just 30.3 percent from the floor for the game (23-76), compared to the Deacons' 48.9 percent shooting (23-47). UNC junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale, the ACC's leading scorer entering the game, was held to just two points on 1-of-12 shooting.
Mosley made her first start of the season, scoring 11 of her 24 points at the free throw line (11-13) and shooting 6 of 9 from the floor. Val Klopfer added 10 points for the Deacs, while sophomore center LaChina Robinson added nine points and six rebounds.
Feb. 17, 2000/Chapel Hill, NC - North Carolina avenged the earlier loss in the season, holding on to defeat Wake Forest 75-69 at Carmichael Auditorium.
UNC led by as many as 13 in the first half and held a 38-29 advantage at half. Wake closed the gap quickly in the second half, however, and took a 51-50 lead with 9:05 to play on a lay-up by Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick that capped a 14-3 run.
The teams exchanged the lead several times and Wake Forest led by three with 3:11 to play, but UNC outscored the visitors 15-6 down the stretch. During that span, Carolina got three-pointers from guard Juana Brown and center Jackie Higgins, whose three with 43 seconds to play was just her second of the season.
Kristen Shaffer led Wake with a career-high 17 points. Kirkpatrick and senior guard Alisha Mosley each added 15 points.
Wake-North Carolina Connections...
Wake Forest assistant coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton was a standout player at the University of North Carolina from 1991-95. A member of the Tar Heels' 1994 national championship squad, she was a four-year letterwinner and team captain at UNC, starting 87 of her 128 career games. Yelton averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game over her career. She graduated as UNC's all-time leader in every three-point shooting category, including three-pointers made in a game (7), season (69), and career (227), and career three-point percentage (.369).
Last Time Out: Duke Defense Keys Win Over Wake...
The Demon Deacons dropped to 0-2 in the ACC with a 81-56 loss at fifth-ranked Duke on Tuesday night. Duke took advantage of 23 Wake Forest turnovers in the first half and took a 39-20 lead by halftime. The Blue Devils' smothering defense held Wake Forest without a field goal for 10:02 midway through the first half.
Freshman forward Eafton Hill led the way for the Deacs, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Senior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick led the squad in rebounding for the fifth straight game, pulling down five boards. Junior center LaChina Robinson added eight points and four rebounds, while sophomore center Johanna Bjorklund provided a second-half spark off the bench with six points, a block and a steal.
From the Line...
Wake Forest has traditionally done well from the charity stripe, and this season it has the chance to break the school record for free throw percentage. The record is 71.9 percent, set in the 1993-94 season (323-of-449). Although their three worst performances from the stripe have occurred in the last three games (53.3 at UConn, 54.5 at ASU and 57.1 at Duke), currently the Deacs are shooting 69.6 percent (160-of-230) from the stripe. Wake's best performance of the season thus far came against Coppin State, when it shot 21-of-25 for an .840 percentage.
Three players are averaging over 80 percent from the line - senior Kristen Shaffer (17-of-20, .850), senior Olivia Dardy (27-of-31, .871) and freshman Bianca Brown (15-of-18, .833). Shaffer owned a team-best streak of 14 straight makes before missing one at Arizona State last week.
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, owned a five-game streak of double-figure scoring before netting just two points at Duke earlier this week. After leading the team with 16 points against Virginia on Dec. 9, she shattered her previous career-high of 17 with 22 points versus New Orleans. She then added a pair of 10-point performances against both Quinnipiac and Connecticut and contributed 17 at Arizona State. Over those five games, Shaffer shot a sizzling 59.3 percent from the field (32-of-54).
Statistical Bits `n' Pieces... Although she's only taken six shots, sophomore LaTisha Pearson is nearly perfect from the field (5-of-6), with all of her scoring taking place in road games (App State, UConn, Arizona State and Duke), netting a career-high four points at Duke ... three Deacons have assist-to-turnover ratios of over 1.0 - Val Klopfer (30-22, 1.4), Tonia Brown (19-13, 1.5) and Eafton Hill (19-15, 1.3) ... two players are hitting over 60 percent of their shots - Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (41-of-68, .603) and Tiffani Listenbee (19-of-31, .613) ... although Wake's leading scorer for much of the season, Eafton Hill, was held scoreless for the first time all year at Arizona State, it gave her the chance to tie a team-high with three assists ... through 12 games, four different players have been the scoring leader, six have been the rebounding leader and seven have led the squad in assists at least once ... Eafton Hill, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Kristen Shaffer are the only three players who have led the team in all three categories ... although she has not gone to the line against ACC opponent yet this season, Val Klopfer is still perfect from the stripe against league teams over her first two seasons (15-of-15).
The Starting Five...
Coach Curtis has used the same starting lineup in Wake's first 12 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 57 percent of the Deacons' scoring output (458 of 802 points) and over 48 percent of rebounding (226 of 470). The starting five is also responsible for 55 percent of WFU's three-pointers (24 of 44) and 48 percent (24 of 50) of the team's blocked shots.
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.
At its current pace (4.2 bpg), Wake Forest is on target to shatter the school record for blocks in a season. The previous record is 93, set in the 1987-88 campaign. Through 12 games this season, Wake has 50 blocked shots.
Among the ACC Leaders...
In the ACC statistics released on Thursday, Jan. 4, Wake senior Kristen Shaffer ranks 24th in the league in scoring (10.5 ppg), while freshman Eafton Hill is 25th (10.4). Senior Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick ranks 13th in rebounding (6.2) and ninth in offensive rebounds (2.8). Hill is also 15th in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and seventh in blocked shots (1.1). Freshman Tonia Brown ranks 10th in three-pointers per game (1.2).
As a team, the Deacs rank in the top half of the league in four categories - free throw percentage (4th), three-pointers made (5th), blocked shots (4th), and offensive rebounds (5th).
Players Perform Well in "Homecoming" Games...
Wake Forest has played three games this season in a team member's hometown and/or home state, and the players making their "homecoming" have all performed well in those games, including...
Freshman Eafton Hill, who 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.
One player who stepped up in the win at High Point was junior point guard Adell Harris - and she had some motivation to do so. Harris hails from High Point, and was a graduate of T. Wingate Andrews High School. The former Guilford County Player of the Year saw her first action of the season in that game for the Deacs, playing 16 minutes and scoring seven points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. She was perfect from the field, hitting 2-of-2 field goals (including a three-pointer) and nailing two free throws to give the Deacs a seven-point lead in the waning seconds of the game.
Senior Olivia Dardy enjoyed a great outing at Quinnipiac in her home state of Connecticut on Dec. 19. The senior from Norwalk, CT, scored 24 points to give the Deacs a 77-68 overtime victory over the Braves. Her two free throws with 13 seconds remaining gave Wake Forest its first lead of the game, then Dardy took over in overtime with eight points to seal the win. She also posted her ninth career double-double in that game with 10 rebounds.
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 484 career rebounds ... Val Klopfer is eighth with 56 career three-pointers, while her 169 three-point attempts is also eighth all-time ... LaChina Robinson owns sole possession of seventh place in career blocked shots with 49 ... Olivia Dardy is eighth all-time with nine career double-doubles and is 20th with 419 career rebounds.
On the Air...
Deacon women's basketball will be on the radio at least 12 times during the season on WTRU 830 AM in Winston-Salem. The voice of the Winston-Salem Warthogs baseball team, Tom Hart, returns this season to call all the action for Wake women's basketball, and will be joined by a variety of guest hosts, including former Deacon assistant coach Roper Halverson, to provide color commentary.
All games broadcast on WTRU will also be simulcast on the World Wide Web at Wake Forest athletics' official website - www.WakeForestSports.com.
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) ... Wake was also on TV locally in Phoenix at Arizona State on COX9 ... 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 2000, their best winning percentage in November since going 2-0 in the 1993-94 season.
