Demon Deacons Face Clemson
2/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2001
WAKE FOREST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES
Game #24
Wake Forest (11-12, 3-9) vs. #25/22 Clemson (15-8, 6-6)
Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001 * 1:00 pm * Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,407) * Winston-Salem, NC
Broadcast:
The game will be televised on Regional Sports Networks, with Rich Brenner calling the action and Debbie Antonelli providing color commentary. On radio, 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 11-12 overall, 3-9 in the conference after falling at home to NC State, 35-69, on Thursday. Clemson is 15-8 with a 6-6 ACC mark and most recently lost to North Carolina, 100-99 in a double-overtime game, also on Thursday.
The Series:
Wake Forest and Clemson have met 42 previous times on the hardwood, with the Tigers holding a 35-7 lead in the series. Clemson has also won the last eight meetings. 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. Clemson coach Jim Davis is 312-144 in his 15th season as a head coach, and is 293-136 in his 14th season with the Tigers.
Up Next:
Wake Forest travels to Tallahassee to face the FSU Seminoles on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m. before returning to Joel for its home finale against Maryland on Mon., Feb. 19.
Wake Forest Looks to Halt Four-Game Skid Against Nationally-Ranked Clemson...
Wake Forest, 11-12 overall and 3-9 in the ACC, is searching for that elusive fourth conference victory of the season when it hosts 22nd-ranked Clemson on Sunday, Feb. 11 at Joel Coliseum. The Demon Deacons will be facing their fourth ranked opponent in the last five outings when they take on the Lady Tigers.
The number "4" is the focus on Sunday, as the Deacons, who have not posted four regular-season ACC victories in five seasons, are also looking to halt a four-game losing streak, its longest such streak of the year.
Wake Forest's record slipped under .500 for the first time this season when it lost to No. 21 NC State, 35-69, on Thursday night. Before falling to the 'Pack, the Deacons had been fighting some tough conference battles. Wake Forest had a streak of six straight ACC games which had all been decided by 12 points or less (three of the six were decided by eight points or less).
Alumni Honored Sunday in 30th Anniversary Season...
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 316-432 overall record.
Sunday's is "Alumni Day" for Wake Forest women's basketball. During halftime of the game, several former Deacons will be introduced, including WFU Hall of Fame member Jane Jackson, a letterwinner from 1977-80 who still ranks second all-time in career scoring average at WFU. Jackson is currently an attorney in Winston-Salem.
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 9.8 points a game, and averaging a team second-best 9.8 points in ACC contests only. She also leads the squad in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and is tied for first 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 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds off the bench. She is tied with Kirkpatrick for the team high in steals (27). Shaffer, the starting shooting guard, has scored in double-digits 12 times this season to hold the team scoring lead (11.0 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 20 field goals this season have been beyond the arc, and she's shooting 33 percent from three-point range (16-of-49). 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 3.3 points and 2.6 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 moved into the starting center spot in midseason, 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 11 steals. Tonia Brown, a 5-10 guard, is a scoring threat, averaging 5.0 ppg and netting a team-high 19 three-pointers. Bianca Brown, at 5-8, gives the Deacs depth at the point guard spot along with tough defensive skills - including 23 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 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She also has a team-high 29 blocked shots.
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 30-76 record at Wake Forest and is 192-226 overall.
The Series with Clemson...
Wake Forest and Clemson have met 42 previous times on the hardwood, with the Tigers holding a 35-7 lead in the series. Clemson has won the last eight meetings, with Wake's last win a 69-60 decision at home in the 1996-97 campaign. The Deacons have actually won more games (4) on the road at CU's Littlejohn Coliseum than they have at home (3).
The two teams first met in the 1977-78 season. Clemson dominated the series in the early years, winning the first 11 meetings by an average margin of 30 points. The Tigers and Deacs have only played regular season contests, never meeting in the ACC Tournament or on a neutral court.
The First Meeting:
Tigers Jump Out to Early Lead, Defensive Pressure Assures the Win, 67-45 in Clemson...
Clemson, SC/Jan. 11, 2001 - A full-court pressure defense kept the Deacons off their mark, as 16th-ranked Clemson posted a 67-45 victory over Wake Forest at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game as WFU committed turnovers on its first five possessions and got just two shots in the first five minutes of play.
Clemson held a 28-11 lead when Wake Forest went on an 8-2 run to close the half. The Deacs closed the gap to seven, as CU led by just 36-29 at the 17-minute mark of the second half. But the Tiger defense took over the again, holding WFU to two points over the next 7:14. Clemson's largest lead was the final margin of 22.
A bright spot for Wake Forest was the performance of Heather Miller, who scored a season-high 12 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds. Olivia Dardy also scored 12 points.
Wake-Clemson Connections...
Clemson has just one player from the state of North Carolina on its roster - freshman Kanetra Queen (Fayetteville). Queen played in the East-West All-Star Girls Basketball Game last summer in Greensboro, and one of her teammates on the East team was current WFU freshman Tracy Alston. Another Deacon rookie, Eafton Hill, played on the West squad in that game.
Last Time Out:
NC State's Defense Once Again Prevails, 69-35...
NC State seems to have the Deacons' number this season, as the 'Pack has handed Wake Forest its two worst conference losses this season. Wake Forest dropped a 69-35 contest to 21st-ranked North Carolina State at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in its last outing on Thursday evening.
Wake Forest was unable to get on track offensively, shooting 21% for the game, while falling victim to NC State's torrid shooting. The Wolfpack shot 53% in the first half and 48% for the game. WFU's 14 points at halftime were a season-low, while its 35 total points equalled its output from its January meeting with NC State in Raleigh, a 35-75 loss.
Ten different players scored for the Deacs who were led by LaChina Robinson's seven points off the bench. Eafton Hill led the Deacs on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds. NC State was led by Carisse Moody's game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds.
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.
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 usually do not leave disappointed. The two teams combined are 17-3 this year at '"the Joel". The Wake women had a five game home winning streak snapped on Feb. 1 against Duke, while the Deacon men's team has posted a 12-0 record before falling to top-ranked North Carolina on Feb. 6.
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...
Ten of Wake Forest's 23 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less, and prior to the NC State loss, the Deacons' last six ACC contests were decided by 12 points or less. The Deacons have posted a 6-4 record in those 10 close outings, and went 2-4 over that stretch of close ACC contests.
Comparing the average scoring output of Wake Forest and its opponents this season, the opponents are scoring 4.8 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.
Hill Posts Three Double-Doubles in Recent Four-Game Stretch...
Deacon freshman Eafton Hill, one of WFU's top scorers all season, has put up some big numbers as of late, averaging 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a game over the last seven outings. She also posted three double-doubles during that same stretch, and put together six consecutive games of double-figure scoring. That string was snapped when she produced just four points against NC State in the team's last outing on Thursday evening.
Hill scored a game-high 20 points at Maryland on Jan. 18 and pulled down 10 rebounds to notch the double-double. She followed that up with another double-double night against Coastal Carolina on Jan. 22, posting game-highs with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Against Georgia Tech on Jan. 25, she scored 15 points, including an eight-point spurt which lifted the Deacs to a second-half lead over Tech. Hill then contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds in the Virginia game for her third double-double in four outings.
Hill has recorded four double-doubles so far this season, and is the first player to post back-to-back double-doubles since Tracy Connor did it in January of 1997. Then a senior, Connor scored 12 points, 10 rebounds versus Clemson on Jan. 2, then followed it up with 11 points, 10 boards against Florida State in back-to-back home contests.
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 nine contests, Listenbee has been making more of an impact. The sophomore is currently averaging 3.7 points and 3.5 rebounds so far this season, but is contributing 4.0 points and 5.0 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...
Throughout the course of 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 (29.6), offensive rebounds (62) 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 534 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 (106) ... 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 (59-39, 1.51), Tonia Brown (37-29, 1.28) and Adell Harris (33-30, 1.10) ... through 23 games, six 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.
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, has posted 12 double-figure scoring games so far this season, surpassing her season total of 10 games from a year ago.
Included in those 12 games is a five-game double-figure scoring streak from Dec. 9 to Dec. 30. 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 that five-game stretch, Shaffer shot a sizzling 59.3 percent from the field (32-of-54).
Her performance versus Florida State on Jan. 14 was a career-best, as she scored 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range. The 26 points were the most by a Deacon in three seasons, and her three-point show tied a school record.
In a recent two-game set against Georgia Tech and Virginia, Shaffer averaged 20.5 points an outing while shooting 55 percent (18-of-33). She is currently the Deacons' leading scorer with 11.0 points per game, while shooting over 45 percent from the floor (105-of-232).
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 - and needs just nine more to do so. The previous record is 93, set in the 1987-88 campaign. Through 23 games this season, Wake has 85 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.
Climbing the Career Charts...
- Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick is currently 11th all-time with 534 career rebounds, fifth in field goal percentage (.486) and needs 23 more points to appear on the all-time top 20 scorers list.
- Val Klopfer is eighth with 61 career three-pointers, while her 193 three-point attempts is also eighth all-time and her .316 three-point percentage ranks ninth. Her assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22 is third all-time.
- LaChina Robinson owns sole possession of seventh place in career blocked shots with 50.
- Olivia Dardy is sixth all-time with 11 career double-doubles, is 13th with 480 career rebounds, 10th in three-point attempts (150) and needs 19 more points and four more three-pointers to appear on those career charts.
In the Single-Season Standings...
- Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick's current season .544 field goal percentage ranks ninth.
- Olivia Dardy's .795 free throw percentage ranks ninth.
- Val Klopfer's assist-to-turnover of 1.51 ranks as the sixth-best.
- Eafton Hill's 29 blocks is already the ninth-best season total in WFU history.
Scheduling Notes...
Sunday's game marks Wake Forest's ninth contest against a ranked opponent this season ... the Deacons are currently riding a four-game losing streak, its longest such streak of the season ... the longest win streak of the yearis also 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.
