Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels to Virginia This Weekend
1/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2002
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WFU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES
Game #16
Sun., Jan. 13, 2002
Wake Forest (7-8, 1-4 ACC) vs. Virginia (8-7, 1-3 ACC)
University Hall (8,394)/Charlottesville, Va.
Tipoff: 2:00 pm
Broadcast: Locally on the flagship station of WFU athletics, WBRF 98.1 FM. Carter Blackburn calls the action with Roper Halverson providing color commentary. Also available worldwide on the internet at: WakeForestSports.com
Records: Wake Forest is 7-8 after posting its first ACC victory of the 2001-02 campaign and halting a four-game losing streak with a win over FSU in its last outing. Virginia is 8-7 overall, 1-3 in the league and has dropped two straight to Clemson and Georgia Tech.
The Series: In the most lopsided rivalry of the Wake program, Virginia leads the series 49-1 and has won 47 straight since 1978.
The Rankings: Neither team is ranked.
The Coaches: WFU head coach Charlene Curtis is 37-89 in her fifth season with the Deacons, and owns a 199-239 career mark in her 16th season as a head coach. Virginia's Debbie Ryan, in her 25th season as a head coach (all at UVa), is 552-204 overall.
Up Next: Wake Forest returns home for a date with Clemson on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 pm in Joel Coliseum.
Demon Deacons Look For Second Straight Win, Travel to UVa
The Wake Forest women's basketball team (7-8, 1-4 ACC), fresh off its first conference victory of the 2001-02 season, travels to Charlottesville, Va. to play the Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday at 2:00 pm in University Hall.
The Demon Deacons halted a four-game losing streak on Thursday night, withstanding a late Florida State rally to defeat the Seminoles, 77-73. Virginia (8-7, 1-3 ACC) has dropped two straight, against Clemson (79-68) and Georgia Tech (92-61). The Cavaliers' lone ACC victory came against NC State (68-52) on Jan. 2.
Virginia is one of Wake's oldest rivalries and the Cavaliers own the most lopsided series record against the Demon Deacons, 49-1. UVa has won 47 straight since Wake's lone victory - a 60-59 win in Charlottesville - in 1978.
Wake Forest's game in Charlottesville last season was a notable battle, as the Deacs took the 24th-ranked Cavaliers to double-overtime before falling, 76-73. WFU actually led for most of that game, as Virginia was able to tie it up in the closing seconds of regulation and the first overtime. Unfortunately, that loss was a turning point in the Deacons' season, as it triggered a nine-game losing streak to close out the year.
The 2001-02 campaign marks the 31st season of women's basketball at Wake Forest University. The Demon Deacons' all-time record is 322-445.
Injury Update
Wake Forest appears to be in its best shape of the season, as junior forward Heather Miller, who will miss this season with a stress fracture in her back, is the only player listed on the injury report right now.
Gunning for 200
Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis notched her 199th career victory against Florida State on Thursday night, and will be going for No. 200 against Virginia on Sunday. She would join seven other coaches in the ACC who have reached the 200 career win plateau.
Tonia Brown - The Three-Point Threat
Guard Tonia Brown has drained a team-high 33 three-pointers, including a single-game career best six versus Florida State in the team's last outing. Over the last six games, Brown has connected on 22 three-pointers (3.7 per game) and is shooting 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from beyond the arc in that same stretch. For the entire season she is shooting 36 percent from long range (33-of-93).
Just midway through her sophomore year, Brown's performance against the Seminoles moved her into ninth place on Wake's career three-pointers list (53), ninth in three-point attempts (169) and ninth in career three-point percentage (.314).
Brown ranks third in the ACC in three-pointers per game (2.20) as well as percentage. In conference games only, she leads the league in three-pointers per game (4.0).
Brown finished her rookie season last year as the Deacons' leader with 20 total three-pointers, and had already passed that mark by the 13th game of this season.
Head Coach Charlene Curtis
Head coach Charlene Curtis (Radford '76) is in her fifth season at the helm of the Demon Deacon program and just one wins shy of reaching the 200 career victories plateau. Her career coaching record of 199-239 (37-89 at WFU) also includes stints at her alma mater, Radford, and Temple.
Curtis' head coaching career began at Radford, where she posted a 121-53 mark in six seasons and was twice named Big South Coach of the Year. She then spent four seasons at Temple, producing a 41-97 record and four Atlantic-10 All-Rookie players. Before coming to WFU, Curtis spent two seasons at the University of Connecticut, serving as an assistant coach under Geno Auriemma and helping guide the Huskies to two BIG EAST titles and an NCAA Final Four appearance.
Curtis' coaching career also includes stints as an assistant coach at Virginia (1981-83), Georgetown (1984) and USA Basketball (1989-92, '94).
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.
Scouting the Cavaliers
In Debbie Ryan's 25th season as head coach, Virginia has put together a 8-7 record, and like the Deacons, have just one ACC victory thus far. The Cavaliers have a young team, listing just one senior - Telisha Quarles - with previous collegiate experience, and five freshman who all see significant playing time.
Quarles, a 5-8 guard, currently leads the team with 15.8 points per game. Freshman 6-0 forward Brandi Teamer is nearly averaging a double-double with 14.6 points and a league-leading 8.9 rebounds a contest. Freshman guard/forward LaTonya Blue is scoring 9.9 points a game while pulling down 6.0 rebounds.
Virginia has faced just one ranked opponent, Duke, this season, falling to the Blue Devils at home by 34 points (107-73). The Cavaliers have not been ranked this season although they have received votes in both polls.
The Series with Virginia
Virginia is one of Wake's oldest and most familiar rivalries, as the two teams have met 50 times on the hardwood over the last 26 seasons ... the Cavaliers have won all but one of those games, with Wake's lone victory a 60-59 win in Charlottesville in the 1977-78 campaign - Debbie Ryan's first year as Virginia's head coach ... since then, the Wahoos have won 47 straight contests ... last year's double-overtime game in Charlottesville marked just the second game in the series that went beyond regulation.
Deacon-Cavalier Connections
* Five players from the state of Maryland - all freshmen - are on the rosters of these two teams, including Wake's Meredith Bell (Waldorf), Erin Ferrell (Gaithersburg), and Virginia's LaTonya Blue (Baltimore), Jocelyn Logan-Friend (Cheverly) and Lynette O'Reggio (Laurel).
* Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis served as an assistant coach under Debbie Ryan at Virginia from 1981-83. Curtis also earned her master's degree from Virginia while working as a coach for the Cavs.
* Three current Deacons call Virginia their home state - Tonia Brown (Roanoke), Heather Miller (Bassett) and LaChina Robinson (Alexandria). Coach Curtis is also a native of Roanoke.
The Last Meeting with Virginia ... Jan. 28, 2001
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The University of Virginia women's basketball team got a pair of last minute game-tying shots from sophomore forward Marcie Dickson at the end of regulation and the first overtime en route to a 76-73 double overtime ACC win over Wake Forest at University Hall.
With the Cavaliers down by three and only eight seconds remaining in regulation, Dickson took an inbounds pass from freshman guard Chelsea Whitaker under the basket and converted a short jumper and was fouled. After a Wake time out, she made the free throw to send the game to overtime. Then, at the end of the first overtime, Dickson grabbed a loose ball after a Schuye LaRue miss and fired a jumper from the free throw line to tie the game and send it into double overtime.
In the second extra period, the Cavaliers got the lead for the first time since 6:14 remained in regulation as LaRue drove to the hoop with 3:18 to play. LaRue, who scored all of Virginia's 7 points in the second overtime, made one of two free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining to put the `Hoos up by three. Chalois Lias then deflected two Wake Forest passes, giving the Demon Deacons the ball at half court with 1.4 seconds left.
The Deac's last-second shot went in and came out, giving UVa the win.
Wake Forest looked as if it would break the Cavaliers' 46-game winning streak over the Demon Deacons when they went up by five with under a minute remaining in the game. But Virginia clawed its way back into the contest, as Whitaker hit a driving layup and the Cavaliers forced a five-second count on the ensuing inbounds play, setting up Dickson's heroics. Dickson ended up with 21 points, a new career high.
Wake Forest outrebounded the Cavaliers, 59-39, and had four players score in double figures. Kristen Shaffer led the Demon Deacons with 21 points and Eafton Hill registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Olivia Dardy added 10 points for Wake Forest.
Four Cavaliers scored in double figures. In addition to Dickson's 21 points, LaRue netted 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Anna Crosswhite and Anna Prillaman each netted 10 points for Virginia.
Tonia Brown Stepping Up Her All-Around Game
Sophomore Tonia Brown's three-point shooting has already been mentioned, but it's also worth noting that the 5-10 guard has emerged as the team's top scorer this season, averaging 13.8 points per game (17.6 ppg in ACC contests). With last year's leading scorer, Eafton Hill, sidelined for eight games with an injury, Brown has taken on a greater responsibility of producing points and has responded well.
After serving as a backup to senior starter Kristen Shaffer last season, Brown stepped into the starting shooting guard position this year and has been the team's top scorer in 10 of 15 games this season and has posted 11 double-figure outings, including a career-best 28 points in the win over Florida State on Thursday.
Brown, who has natural point guard abilities as well, ranks second on the team with an average of 2.3 assists per game. She's also stepped up her rebounding numbers, averaging 4.7 boards - a mark which currently ranks third on the team. She also leads the squad with 29 steals.
Free Throw Woes
Wake Forest has struggled from the charity stripe this season, connecting on just 59 percent of its shots from the line. The Deacons' opponents are averaging over 69 percent from the stripe, and have gone to the line 74 more times than WFU (257-331).
Wake's best performance from the foul line this season came on Dec. 30 against NC State, when it shot over 78 percent (18-of-23). But the team followed that up with a 47 percent outing against Georgia Tech (7-of-15), its second-worst performance of the year. In its last game at Duke, WFU shot 60 percent, but went to the line just 10 times.
Two Deacons - junior Tiffani Listenbee and sophomore Bianca Brown - gave clutch performances at the line in the closing seconds of the Florida State game to help seal a four-point victory. After missing two free throws earlier in the game, Listenbee hit two straight with 27 seconds left, then Brown followed up with two of her own at the 0:14 mark.
Harris Dishing the Assists
Senior guard Adell Harris leads the team with 63 assists, 29 more than anyone else on the team. She also owns a team-best 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio (63-42), a mark which currently ranks sixth in the ACC. After bringing a career ratio of 0.92 into this season, Harris has improved her assist-to-turnover mark to a positive 1.05, a mark which ranks her eighth among Wake's all-time assist leaders. She also needs just 21 more assists to rank among the top 10 in that category as well.
Harris has led the team in assists in 10 games this season. Her total of 10 assists against Florida State was the most by a Deacon since Harris herself set a Joel Coliseum record with 10 dishes against Georgia Tech in 1999.
Coming Up Next
Wake Forest returns to Winston-Salem for a two-game homestand, hosting Clemson on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 pm at Joel Coliseum. On Monday, Jan. 21, the Deacons host North Carolina in a 7:00 pm tip at the Coliseum Annex. Anyone who purchased tickets for the postponed "Jam Joel" game on Jan. 3 versus Georgia Tech may use those tickets for the UNC game.
