Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Women's Basketball Weekly Release
2/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2001
Wake Forest (11-11, 3-8)
vs.
#24/21 NC State (14-8, 5-6)
Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001 - 7:00 pm
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,407) - Winston-Salem, NC
Broadcast:
There will be no broadcast locally in Winston-Salem.
Records:
WFU is 11-11 overall, 3-8 in the conference after falling on the road to North Carolina, 72-60, on Sunday. NC State is 14-8 with a 5-6 ACC mark and most recently upset Clemson, 56-50, on Sunday as well.
The Series:
Thursday's meeting marks the 50th time these two teams have faced each other on the hardwood. The Wolfpack leads the series 43-6, and are riding an nine-game winning streak against the Deacs. More series information is on page two.
The Coaches:
Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis is in her fourth season with the Deacs, with a 30-75 record at the school. She has a 192-225 career record in her 15th season as a head coach. NC State coach Kay Yow is 603-250 in her 30th season as a head coach, and is 546-231 in her 26th season with the Wolfpack.
Noteworthy:
Thursday's game is a battle for position in the ACC standings, as the Wolfpack are currently in seventh place and WFU is two games behind in eighth.
Up Next:
Thursday's game is the first of a two-game homestand, as the Deacs host Clemson on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 1:00 p.m. Demon Deacons Seek Revenge Against 21st-ranked Wolfpack in Thursday Evening ACC Action...
Wake Forest, 11-11 overall and 3-8 in the ACC, is searching for that elusive fourth conference victory of the season when it hosts 21st-ranked NC State this Thursday, Feb. 8 at Joel Coliseum. The Demon Deacons are currently in eighth place in the ACC standings, while the Wolfpack is seventh.
The Deacons, who have not tallied four conference victories since the 1995-96 season (when they won six), have had some close battles as of late. WFU's last six conference games have all been decided by 12 points or less, while three of the six have been decided by eight points or less. The Deacons have posted a 2-4 record over this stretch of close calls.
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 316-431 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, who has been hovering around the double-digit scoring average all season, is currently scoring 10.1 points a game, and averaging a team second-best 10.5 points in ACC contests only. She also leads the squad in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and in steals (27). 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 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds off the bench. Shaffer, the starting shooting guard, has scored in double-digits 12 times this season to hold the team scoring lead (11.3 ppg). Shaffer currently owns WFU's best scoring performance this season with a 26-point outing versus Florida State on Jan. 14.
The junior class is comprised of two point guards and a center. The Deacs' returning starter at point guard is 5-4 Val Klopfer. Sixteen of Klopfer's 19 field goals this season have been beyond the arc, and she's shooting 35 percent from three-point range (16-of-46). She is backed up by classmate Adell Harris, a flashy athlete who has seen her playing time and statistics increase over the course of the season. Junior center LaChina Robinson, who stands 6-4, is a continuously improving inside player who is currently averaging 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds a game.
Also challenging for playing time in the middle is sophomore Johanna Bj?rklund, Wake's tallest player ever at 6-5. Bj?rklund, who provides a strong presence in the post, has notched 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 aggressiveness and depth in the post with their rebounding and shot-blocking abilities. Listenbee, who has started the last eight games, recently set new career-highs with 10 points at Arizona State and 12 rebounds at home versus Duke. She is also third on the team in blocks (9). 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 and scored a team-high 12 at Clemson.
The Wake Forest freshman class has already played a key role in the team winning 11 games so far this season. Tracy Alston, a 5-10 forward, has proven to be a tenacious defender, often drawing the top defensive assignment, and is averaging 2.6 rebounds a game and has grabbed 10 steals. Tonia Brown, a 5-10 guard, is a scoring threat, averaging 5.0 ppg and netting a team-high 18 three-pointers. Bianca Brown, at 5-8, gives the Deacs depth at the point guard spot along with tough defensive skills - including 22 steals. Starting small forward Eafton Hill, who has been one of the team's top scorers all season long, is currently averaging a team second-best 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She also has a team-high 28 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 in late December. WFU is currently scoring 65.5 ppg, and is outperforming its opponents in field-goal percentage (.413 to .398), assists (14.9 to 14.3), and blocks (3.7 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 30-75 record at Wake Forest and is 192-225 overall.
Scouting the Wolfpack...
The NC State Wolfpack, ranked 21st in the country by the AP and 24th in the USA Today/Coaches poll, are currently 14-8 overall. NC State's season has been somewhat streaky, as it put together an early-season eight-game winning streak, then suffered losing streaks of three games and four games over the following nine outings. Currently the 'Pack is riding a three-game winning streak, having defeated Florida State (85-66), Virginia (71-56) and most recently upending Clemson (56-50) to improve to 5-6 in the ACC standings.
The Wolfpack's strength so far this season has been its defense. NC State is holding its opponents to a league low 56.6 points per game, and Pack opponents are shooting just 28 percent from three-point range, a mark which leads the ACC. NC State is causing over 20 opponent turnovers a game, while committing 17.2 of its own. The only defensive category in which NCS does not stand out is blocked shots, in which it ranks last in the ACC (1.82 bpg).
NC State's 6-1 sophomore forward Carisse Moody has paced the team all season in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.0 points and 6.7 boards a contest. She also has a team-high 36 steals. As of the Feb. 6th ACC statistics, Moody ranked 10th in the ACC in scoring and ninth in rebounding, and was second in the league with a .523 shooting percentage.
The Series with NC State...
The series with NC State is one Wake's oldest rivalries, as the two teams have met 49 previous times on the hardwood. The Wolfpack leads the series 43-6, and are riding an nine-game winning streak against the Deacs.
The teams first met in the 1972-73 season, with Wake winning the first matchup, 65-50. The rivals have met at least once every year since the 1974-75 campaign.
Wake Forest's last victories over the 'Pack were a two-game sweep in the 1995-96 season. The Deacs won 76-72 in the first meeting in Winston-Salem, then posted a 75-64 victory at NC State in Reynolds Coliseum. It was WFU's first and only win in Raleigh in the series.
NC State leads 18-4 when playing games in Winston-Salem.
The First Meeting: Hungry Wolfpack Dominates the Deacs, 75-35...
Raleigh, NC/Jan. 7, 2001 - The Deacons caught a NC State team at a time when it was ripe and ready for a win after dropping three conference games. 'Pack senior Tynesha Lewis scored 19 points at Reynolds Coliseum to help No. 13 NC State rout Wake Forest 75-35.
Lewis, who also had six rebounds and four assists in the game, scored 12 points in the first half and helped N.C. State take a 32-20 lead. The Wolfpack pulled away in the second half.
Wake's Eafton Hill posted double figure scoring for the ninth time this season, leading WFU with 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
The Deacons started quickly, scoring 15 points in the first three and a half minutes and led 15-11 early, but then managed only two baskets and a free throw over the last 11:28 of the first half.
A full boxscore is on page nine of this packet.
Wake-NC State Connections...
Wake Forest freshman forward Tracy Alston is a Raleigh native who grew up an NC State fan ... Alston helped lead Southeast Raleigh High School to the 4A state championship in 1999 ... NC State assistant coach Charisse Mapp served as an assistant coach for four years under Wake Forest coach Charlene Curtis at Temple University ... Wake Forest senior Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and NC State associate coach Stephanie Glance hail from the same hometown - Waynesville, NC ... Kirkpatrick's grandfather, Bernie Mock, played basketball at NC State in 1942-43 ... current NC State senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator, Nora Lynn Finch, served as Wake Forest's women's basketball coach during its first two seasons of existence (1971-73) ... Finch directed the Deacons to a 17-10 record during those seasons.
Happy Birthday, Val!
Wake Forest's starting point guard, Val Klopfer, celebrates her 21st birthday on the same day, February 8, that the Deacons take on the Wolfpack.
Last Time Out: North Carolina Outlasts Deacons, 72-60...
With four players scoring in double figures and two tallying double-doubles, North Carolina defeated visiting Wake Forest 72-60 at Carmichael Auditorium.
Both teams started the game with hot shooting, Wake Forest making eight of its first nine shots and UNC hitting seven of its first nine. After six minutes of play, Carolina led 21-19. The pace slowed down considerably, however, and at halftime UNC led 37-33 after shooting 46.7 percent from the floor to Wake Forest's 43.8.
The Tar Heels held onto the lead throughout the second half, but Wake closed the margin to one point on two occasions. UNC's lead was just two with 6:20 remaining in the game before the Tar Heels outscored the Demon Deacons 15-5 down the stretch to claim a 12-point win, the largest margin of the game.
UNC senior guard Juana Brown and sophomore guard Coretta Brown scored 20 points each - with four three pointers each - to pace the Tar Heels. Also for Carolina, freshman center Candace Sutton scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Wake's senior forward Olivia Dardy came off the bench to lead Wake Forest with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The double-double was her second of the season and 11th of her career.
Keyword: "Improvement"...
While the Deacs would obviously like to be above .500 in the win column, the buzzword surrounding the program this season has been "improvement".
"Wake Forest was very well prepared and they have made excellent improvement since last year," Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said last week after the Deacons fell to the fourth-ranked Blue Devils, 66-58.
The most obvious improvement, of course, is in the win column, where the Deacs have already posted four more victories (11) than all of last season. It is also the first time in four seasons that Wake Forest has recorded double-figures in victories.
Looking at the most current statistics, Wake Forest has already surpassed its season totals from a year ago in steals, blocks and offensive rebounds. The team has consistently been averaging above last years' totals in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and rebounding average as well. The chart at left compares WFU's numbers between last season and today.
Attendance on the Rise...
More and more people are watching Wake Forest basketball - both at home and on the road - but especially in games played in Winston-Salem. With three dates remaining on the home slate, the Deacons are currently averaging 1,160 spectators at its home games - up 30 percent from a season ago. It is the first time since the 1994-95 campaign that WFU has drawn over 1,000 at home contests.
The average attendance is up on the road as well - thanks in part to the 10,027 fans who filled Gampel Pavilion at UConn to see Wake played the then top-ranked Huskies - a mark which set a new WFU record for attendance at a road game. Currently an average of 2,922 fans are watching the Deacs on the road.
For WFU Basketball, the Difference is Home and Away...
Wake Forest fans attending men's or women's basketball games at Joel Coliseum this season have not left disappointed. The two teams combined are 17-2 this year at '"the Joel", with the lone loss being a two-point heartbreaker suffered by the women's team against Western Michigan on Nov. 25. The Wake women had a five game home winning streak snapped in its last outing against Duke, while the Deacon men's team has posted a 12-0 record while playing on its homecourt (prior to its Feb. 6th game with UNC).
However, both teams are still searching for their first ACC road win of the season. The Deacons' next opportunities to notch that first road victory both come at Florida State. The men take on the 'Noles this Saturday at noon, while the women travel to Tallahassee the following Thursday. The Wake Forest squads defeated FSU in earlier meetings at home this season.
Close Calls...
Nearly half (10 of 22) of Wake Forest's games this season have been decided by 10 points or less, and the Deacons' last six ACC contests have been decided by 12 points or less. (WFU's last outing at UNC was a 10-point-or-less game until the closing seconds). The Deacons have posted a 6-4 record in those 10 outings, and have gone 2-4 over the last stretch of close ACC contests.
Comparing the average scoring output of Wake Forest and its opponents this season, the opponents are scoring 3.5 points more than Wake. While the Deacs would obviously like to be on the positive side of that statistic, that margin is the lowest in four seasons - an end result of the number of close games this season. WFU has not outscored its opponents in the season totals since the 1995-96 campaign.
Senior Class Stepping Up...
There are three seniors on Wake Forest's active roster, and the trio has played an integral role in the Deacons' 11 wins so far this season. The three seniors - Olivia Dardy, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, and Kristen Shaffer - are three of the team's top four scorers (Shaffer 11.3, Dardy 10.2, Kirkpatrick 10.1 ppg) while also holding two of the team's top three rebounding numbers. Kirkpatrick is first on the squad with 6.0 boards a game, while Dardy is third with 5.2. A senior has led the team in scoring in 16 of 22 games, and has been the rebounding leader nine times. The trio has also posted some of the team's best numbers from the line, and combined they are shooting over 76 percent from the stripe (126-of-165).
In the key games or crucial situations, it is usually one or all three members of the senior trio that has stepped up to make the big plays...
- Although the Deacs lost by two to Western Michigan, Kirkpatrick shot a career-best 3-of-3 from three-point range. (She had only scored 10 treys in the previous three seasons combined.)
- At High Point, Dardy scored a team-high 15 to help the Deacs rally from a halftime deficit and win, 60-52.
- The three seniors were the team's top scorers (Shaffer 16, Dardy 15, Kirkpatrick 12) in the ACC opener versus Virginia, a game that WFU led at halftime.
- Dardy's 24 points and 10 rebounds keyed a 22-point, second-half comeback that resulted in a 77-68 overtime win at Quinnipiac.
- All three posted double-figure scoring in a 73-71 win over UNC, and Kirkpatrick's two free throws with eight seconds remaining helped seal the victory.
- The only double-figure Deacons versus FSU, were, you guessed it, the three seniors, as Shaffer set a team season-best with 26 points, and Dardy posted her 10th career double-double.
- Dardy posted game-highs in points (19), blocks (3) and steals (3) versus Coastal Carolina, while Kirkpatrick put up 16 points and seven rebounds in the win.
- The senior trio all posted double-figure scoring in the win over Georgia Tech as Shaffer had 20, Kirkpatrick 13 and Dardy 10. The three also combined for 10 assists.
- Shaffer scored a game-high 21, while Kirkpatrick grabbed a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in the double-overtime loss at Virginia. Dardy also contributed 10 points and eight boards.
- Dardy posted her second double-double of the season (and 11th of her career) with a team-high 16 points and 13 rebounds at UNC.
Listenbee Making an Impact...
Head coach Charlene Curtis has adjusted her starting lineup only once this season, and that was to move 6-1 forward/center Tiffani Listenbee into the starting center spot in place of LaChina Robinson. Since starting the last eight contests, Listenbee has been making more of an impact. The sophomore is currently averaging 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds so far this season, but is contributing 3.8 points and 4.9 rebounds over the last eight games in which she has started. She had one of her best games of her career in Wake's outing versus Duke on Feb. 4, tallying nine points and a game-high and career-best 12 rebounds against the Blue Devils.
Kirkpatrick an All-Around Player...
Through the season, senior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick has, at one point or another, topped the Deacs' cumulative stats in scoring, offensive rebounding, total rebounding, steals, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and minutes played. One of four Deacons to have started every game this season, "Mocky" currently leads the team in four areas - field goal percentage (.544), average minutes (29.8), offensive rebounds (61) and steals (27). Kirkpatrick pulled down her 500th career rebound against Georgia Tech on Jan. 25, and currently ranks 11th all-time at Wake Forest with 527 career rebounds. She is just the 11th player in Wake Forest history to reach the 500-rebound level.
Statistical Bits 'n' Pieces...
Seniors Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Kristen Shaffer played their 100th game in a Wake Forest uniform on Jan. 18 at Maryland ... the duo has also played every game of their collegiate careers (105) ... all seven of sophomore LaTisha Pearson's field goals have taken place on the road (App State, UConn, Arizona State, Duke and NC State), as she netted a career-high four points at both Duke and NC State... three Deacons have assist-to-turnover ratios of 1.0 or better - Val Klopfer (56-37, 1.51), Tonia Brown (36-28, 1.29) and Adell Harris (33-30, 1.10) ... through 22 games, five different players have been the scoring leader, seven have been the rebounding leader and seven have led the squad in assists at least once ... Olivia Dardy, Eafton Hill, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Kristen Shaffer are the only players who have led the team in all three categories at one point or another.
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 (3.7 bpg), Wake Forest is on target to break the school record for blocks in a season. The previous record is 93, set in the 1987-88 campaign. Through 22 games this season, Wake has 82 blocked shots.
The zero-block performance against Clemson on Jan. 11 was the first time this season the Deacs did not record a block, while they've held five opponents to zero blocks.
Wake Forest currently ranks third in the ACC (all games included) in blocks per game, while the team's leading blocker, Eafton Hill, ranks fourth in the league (all games) with 1.27 a contest.
Scheduling Notes...
Thursday's game marks Wake Forest's eighth game against a ranked opponent this season ... the Deacons are currently riding a three-game losing streak, tying its longest losing streak of the season ... the longest win streak of the yearis four games ... the Deacs have played three of their "home" games at alternative sites - the Dec. 9 and Jan. 22 games vs. Virginia and Coastal Carolina took place at Reynolds Gym on campus, while the Jan. 25 contest with Georgia Tech is 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 at Arizona State on local station COX9, while its game at Clemson was shown on tape delay by College Sports Southeast ... 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.
