Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Hoops Hosts UNC Monday in Coliseum Annex
1/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2002
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WFU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEWS & NOTES
Game #18
Mon., Jan. 21, 2002
Wake Forest (8-9, 2-5 ACC) vs. #17/16 North Carolina (14-4, 4-2 ACC)
Joel Coliseum Annex (3,008)/Winston-Salem, N.C.
Tipoff: 7:06 pm
TV: Shown regionally on the ACC TV package, locally on Fox Sports Net South. Beth Mowins calls the play-by-play, with Leah Secondo providing color analysis.
Radio: 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 8-9 after defeating Clemson at home, 58-46, on Thursday. North Carolina is 14-4 overall with a 4-2 mark in the ACC. UNC lost to Georgia Tech, 81-62, in its last outing on Thursday.
The Series: UNC is one of Wake Forest's oldest rivals, as the Tar Heels own a 47-10 lead in a series that began in 1974.
The Rankings: WFU is not ranked. UNC is ranked 17th by AP, 16th in the ESPN/USA Today poll (as of 1/14).
The Coaches: WFU head coach Charlene Curtis is 38-90 in her fifth season with the Deacons, and owns a 200-240 career mark in her 16th season as a head coach. Tar Heel head coach Sylvia Hatchell is 318-164 in her 15th season at Carolina, and owns a career record of 590-244 in her 27th year overall.
Up Next: Wake Forest travels to Maryland for a 7:30 tipoff against the Terrapins on Thursday, Jan. 24 at Cole Field House.
Demon Deacons and Tar Heels: Round Two in 2002
The Wake Forest women's basketball team (8-9, 1-5 ACC) looks to make it two in a row against league opponents as it hosts nationally-ranked North Carolina (14-4, 4-2 ACC) in a regionally-televised contest on Monday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 7:06 pm in the Joel Coliseum Annex.
The Demon Deacons won its second ACC game of the season Thursday night against Clemson, using a strong defensive effort to hold down the Tigers, 58-46. Also on Thursday, the Tar Heels dropped their second league contest of the year, as Georgia Tech came into Chapel Hill and pulled off an 81-62 upset over UNC.
Although North Carolina leads the overall series with WFU, 47-10, the Deacons have won their home game with the Tar Heels in the each of the last two seasons. WFU and UNC squared off in Chapel Hill last month, with the 'Heels holding court at home, 90-68.
The 2001-02 campaign marks the 31st season of women's basketball at Wake Forest University. The Demon Deacons' all-time record is 323-446.
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.
Jam Joel, Take Two
Monday's game with North Carolina is being promoted as "Jam Joel II", although fans will need to move the jam party next door to the Joel Coliseum Annex. It is the fourth consecutive season WFU has hosted "Jam Joel", selling tickets for $1.00 (those with WFU IDs admitted free) in an effort to break the attendance record.
The first Jam Joel, scheduled for Jan. 3 versus Georgia Tech, was postponed until the next afternoon due to a snowstorm that shut down businesses and schools and put a halt to travel plans.
Fans who purchased tickets for "Jam Joel" but were unable to attend to make-up game may use those tickets for Monday's game with UNC at the Annex.
Wake has set a new record each season on "Jam Joel" beginning in 1999. Last year, a record 4,457 fans saw the Deacs defeat North Carolina at home for the second straight year.
WFU has already posted the third-best single-game attendance mark earlier this season, with 4,198 fans watching the UNC Asheville game on Middle School Day.
The 200-Win Plateau
Although it took nearly three weeks and five games to notch No. 199, Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis reached the 200-career win plateau just one week later with a 12-point win over Clemson in the team's last outing. She joins eight other coaches in the ACC to reach that level, and now owns a 200-240 career mark in her 16th season as a head coach.
Movin' Next Door...
The Joel Coliseum Annex will host just its third Wake Forest women's basketball game on Monday night. The Deacons first played in the arena on Feb. 8, 1998, dropping a seven-point game to Florida State. Last season, Wake defeated Georgia Tech, 79-71, in the Annex. Wake Forest will play one other game in the Annex this season, hosting Maryland on Feb. 24.
Tonia Brown - The Three-Point Threat
Guard Tonia Brown has drained a team-high 39 three-pointers, including a single-game career best six versus Florida State on Jan. 10. After hitting 11 treys in the first nine games of the season, Brown has connected on 28 three-pointers (3.5 per game) over the last eight contests. She is shooting 41.1 percent (28-of-68) from beyond the arc in that same stretch. For the entire season she is shooting 36 percent from long range (39-of-109).
Just midway through her sophomore year, Brown already ranks in ninth place on Wake's career three-pointers list (59), ninth in three-point attempts (185) and ninth in career three-point percentage (.319).
Brown ranks third in the ACC in three-pointers per game (2.29) as well as fifth in percentage (.358). In conference games only, she leads the league in three-pointers per game (3.71) and ranks third in percentage (.419).
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. Her career coaching record of 200-240 (38-90 at WFU) also includes stints at her alma mater, Radford, as well as 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 Tar Heels
The Tar Heels, ranked in the top 25 all season, have put together a 14-4 overall mark with a 4-2 ACC record. UNC suffered a 19-point loss to Georgia Tech in its last outing, 81-62, and were outrebounded by the Yellow Jackets, 60-35.
Despite that loss, UNC still ranks as the ACC's top team in scoring offense, averaging 85.4 points per game. It also ranks second in scoring margin, defeating its opponents by 17.6 points an outing.
North Carolina also leads the league in blocked shots, turnover margin, three-point field goals made, and field goal percentage defense.
Tar Heel senior Nikki Teasley ranks third in the ACC in scoring (16.3 ppg) and also leads the conference with 2.59 three-pointers per game.
Sophomore Chrystal Baptist tops the ACC chart in rebounding (9.3 rpg). The 'Heels have four players averaging double figure scoring while Baptist is nearly averaging a double-double (9.3 points, 9.3 rebounds).
In Wake's first game with UNC, Baptist did post a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards, while Coretta Brown led all scorers with 23.
The Series with North Carolina
North Carolina is Wake Forest's most-played rivalry, as the two teams meet for the 58th time ... after first meeting in the 1973-74 campaign, the Deacs and Tar Heels have played at least one time every year since ... UNC won the first 25 games, with Wake then reeling off six straight victories from 1987-1990, its longest winning streak in the series ... Carolina then won 18 straight from 1991-99 ... the home team has pulled off the victory in the last six meetings ... North Carolina owns a 22-3 advantage on its home court and a 17-6 series lead at WFU, although the Deacs have won their last two home games against the 'Heels ... Sylvia Hatchell is 24-10 versus Wake as UNC's head coach ... Wake's Charlene Curtis is 2-7 against the Tar Heels.
Free Throw Woes
Wake Forest has struggled from the charity stripe this season, connecting on just 59.6 percent of its shots from the line. The Deacons' opponents are averaging nearly 69 percent from the stripe, and have gone to the line 75 more times than WFU (285-360).
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. After averaging around the 60 percent mark in the next three games, the Deacs enjoyed a solid outing against Clemson, shooting 75 percent (12-16).
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. Brown further proved her worth at the line against the Tigers, nailing four straight foul shots in that victory as well.
Youth Movement
Even with four seniors on the roster, the overall makeup of the WFU women's basketball team is still quite young. One of Wake's most common starting lineups so far this season has consisted of one senior, one junior and three sophomores, while a pair of sophomores - Eafton Hill and Tonia Brown - lead the Deacs in scoring.
Also, a freshman or sophomore has led the Deacs in scoring in 15 of 17 games this season. In fact, 26 of Wake's 38 points scored against top-ranked UConn were posted by either sophomores or freshmen.
Two members of this year's freshman class - Meredith Bell and Erin Ferrell - have each led the Deacs in scoring at least once this season.
Last year's freshman class of Hill, Brown, Tracy Alston and Bianca Brown is proving that the experience they gained last season is paying dividends this year, as all four have started at least four games this season and have each led the Deacs in either scoring, rebounding or assists at least once so far this year. In fact this sophomore group provided the production for the Deacons' win over Clemson, as they were the top four scorers, Hill was the leading rebounder, and Alston and Tonia Brown led the team in assists.
Shooting Roller Coaster Continues
After struggling with its shooting in the early goings of the season, Wake Forest started to warm up on the offensive end of the floor. The Deacons shot below 40 percent in the first four games of the year, but posted a five-game streak of 40 percent or better shooting before taking a downward turn for four straight games, hitting a season-low 21 percent against NC State on Dec. 30. The roller coaster continues, however, as the Deacs shot 43.8 percent against Georgia Tech, including a season-best 43.8 percent from beyond the arc, could only manage 34.6 percent against Duke. The Deacs then posted a 43 percent night against Florida State, including 41 percent from three-point land, and followed that up with a 33.9 percent outing at Virginia before posting its best performance of the season thus far, 53.8 percent against Clemson. That goes down as the high est shooting percentage in a game since shooting over 54 percent from the field in a 77-57 win over Coppin State on Dec. 2 of last season.
Among the League Leaders (as of January 18)
* LaChina Robinson ranks sixth in the league in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and is third in offensive boards (3.12). She also ranks fifth in blocked shots (1.18).
* Tonia Brown ranks 11th among the top scoring leaders with 13.9 points per game. She also ranks third in three-pointers per game (2.29), third in three-point percentage (.358) and sixth in steals (2.06).
* In ACC games only, Brown leads the league in three-pointers made (3.71), percentage (.419) and is sixth in total scoring (16.9 ppg).
* Senior Adell Harris ranks sixth in assists (4.12 apg) and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.30).
Coming Up Next
Wake Forest travels to College Park, Md. for a Thursday night matchup with the Terrapins on Jan. 24 at 7:30 pm.
