Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels to Duke on Sunday
1/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2002
WFU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RELEASE
Game #14
Sun., Jan. 6, 2002
Wake Forest (6-7, 0-3 ACC) vs. #11/10 Duke (11-3, 3-0 ACC)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)/Durham, N.C.
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 6-7 and searching for its first ACC victory of the 2001-02 campaign at 0-3. WFU is also looking to halt a three-game losing skid. Duke is 11-3 overall and is undefeated in ACC play with a 3-0 mark.
The Series: Duke leads the overall series 36-18 and has won 18 straight.
The Coaches: WFU head coach Charlene Curtis is 36-88 in her fifth season with the Deacons, and owns a 198-238 career mark in her 16th season as a head coach. Duke's Gail Goestenkors is 217-81 in her 10th season as a head coach, all at Duke.
Noteworthy: These two teams met in the first round of the ACC Tournament last season, with the Deacs taking the defending (and eventual) champions to overtime before falling, 75-68.
Up Next: ACC action continues as WFU returns home to host Florida Sate on Thursday, Jan. 10. Tipoff is set for 7:00 pm at Joel Coliseum.
Women's Basketball Travels to Durham in Search of ACC Win No. 1
The Wake Forest women's basketball team (6-7, 0-3 ACC) faces a quick turnaround in conference play and heads down the road to Durham, N.C. to take on the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2002 at 2:00 pm in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Demon Deacons are looking to halt a three-game losing streak and pick up their first ACC win of the season against the 11-3 (3-0 ACC) Blue Devils, who are ranked 11th (AP)/10th (USA Today/ESPN) in the national polls. WFU fell to Georgia Tech on Friday afternoon at home, a game that was delayed from Thursday night due to bad weather. It was Duke who ended the Deacons' season in 2000-01, as the two teams went into overtime in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils won the game, 75-68 and went on to capture their second straight conference title.
Duke will be the fourth ranked team Wake Forest has faced so far this season. The Deacons have fallen to top-ranked Connecticut, No. 18 North Carolina and No. 25 NC State.
The 2001-02 campaign marks the 31st season of women's basketball at Wake Forest University. The Demon Deacons' all-time record is 321-444.
Injury Update
* Sophomore forward Eafton Hill returned to action against Georgia Tech for the first time since Nov. 26 due to a broken bone in her right foot. The team's leading scorer last season, Hill saw limited action, playing 13 minutes.
* Freshman guard Meredith Bell dressed for the Georgia Tech game after bruising her right knee during the NC State game last Sunday, but did not see any action.
* Junior forward Heather Miller has been out of action since preseason with a stress fracture in her back. It is not known at this time when she will return to the court.
Demon Deacon Details
Wake Forest returns 11 letterwinners and three starters from last year's squad which produced an 11-17 record, its best in four seasons. The team's top returning scorer a year ago, 6-0 forward Eafton Hill, returns for her sophomore campaign after earning ACC All-Freshman honors in 2001.
Although she was sidelined for eight games with a broken foot, Hill was the team's leading scorer (12.5 ppg) through the first four contests of the year. A strong shot-blocker, Hill was averaging an ACC-high 2.0 blocks per game before not having enough games to qualify for the rankings.
The senior class consists of two point guards and two centers. LaChina Robinson, who stands 6-4, is the most experienced Deacon on the roster with 97 appearances and 80 career starts. She reached a milestone in the Deacs' win over Radford (Nov. 21), posting her first double-double with 15 points and 20 rebounds. She leads the team and ranks among the leaders in the ACC in rebounding (7.0 rpg), and also has a team-high 17 blocked shots (1.31 bpg). Another 6-4 senior, LaTisha Pearson, has seen limited action in her career but had a career-best performance against UNC Asheville (Dec. 19) with seven points and eight rebounds. Val Klopfer, a 5-4 senior, is the team's most experienced point guard (2.4 apg last season), but classmate Adell Harris has presented a strong challenge for playing time at the point as well as the shooting guard position, currently averaging 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.8 assists per outing.
Junior Tiffani Listenbee has already stepped into a much larger role this season. A 6-1 forward, Listenbee was the team's Most Improved Player last season and already broke her career scoring record with 15 points in the season opener versus ASU (Nov. 19). She set another career best with 10 rebounds at Valparaiso (Dec. 22). Junior Johanna Bj?rklund is the tallest player on the team (6-5) and provides depth at center. Slowed in the early goings with an ankle sprain, Bjorklund saw a season-high nine minutes of action versus UNCA, scoring six points. A third junior, 5-10 forward Heather Miller, is sidelined in the early goings with a nagging back injury.
In addition to Hill, the sophomore class consists of three other players who saw significant action last year. Point guard Bianca Brown got early starting nod, although Harris has started the last six games at that spot. Shooting guard Tonia Brown is counted on heavily for point production, and has already delivered by breaking her career high three times this season. She is currently the team's leading scorer (12.7 ppg) with double figures in nine outings this season, including a 24-point performance at Western Michigan (Dec. 21). Forward Tracy Alston, a 5-10, is a smothering defender and strong rebounder at the small forward position who got her first starting nod in place of Hill at Western Carolina. Alston had a career-best night against Connecticut (Nov. 26), pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds and dishing five assists. She set a new career scoring high (10 points) at High Point (Dec. 16).
This year's freshman class consists of 5-9 shooting guard Meredith Bell, 6-0 post player Erin Ferrell and 6-1 guard/forward Jennifer Johnson. All three have seen significant action this season and are making an impact. Ferrell was the team's top scorer with a 16-point effort at Western Carolina (Nov. 29) and leads the squad in field goal percentage (.475). Johnson is an all-around player who is contributing 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds an outing, and scored a team-high 16 points at North Carolina (Dec. 5). Bell, an ACC Rookie of the Week in December, is a strong shooter who has already knocked down 18 three pointers this season and is averaging 6.1 points per game.
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 two wins shy of reaching the 200 career victories plateau. Her career coaching record of 198-238 (36-88 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 Blue Devils
The Duke women's basketball team has put together an 11-3 mark this season, with a 3-0 record in ACC play so far. The Blue Devils, ranked in or near the top 10 all season, have already defeated league opponents Virginia, Georgia Tech and Maryland by an average of 22 points.
Duke has faced three ranked opponents this season, defeating No. 7 texas tech in the season opener and No. 6 Louisiana Tech. Duke fell to second-ranked Tennessee in its last loss on Dec. 27. Other Blue Devil losses came at the hands of Toledo and South Carolina.
Last year's ACC Rookie of the Year, Alana Beard, leads a Blue Devil contingent that currently has four players averaging double-figures in scoring. As of the Jan. 3 ACC statistics, the 5-11 guard leads the league in scoring with 18.3 points per game. Sophomore 6-4 forward Iciss Tillis is scoring 14.7 points an outing and ranks third in the league with an 8.5 rebounding average. 6-0 freshman Monique Currie is averaging 14.1 points while junior guard Sheana Mosch contributes 11.4.
As a team Duke is outscoring its opponents by over 20 points per game (85.4 to 64.4) and pulling down nearly six more rebounds (41.5 to 35.7) than the opposition.
The Series with Duke
Duke is Wake Forest's second-oldest rivalry (behind North Carolina) as Sunday's game marks the 55th meeting between the two schools (Wake and UNC have met 57 times) ... Duke leads the series 36-18, and has won 18 consecutive contests, dating back to a 70-69 Wake win in the 1993 ACC Tournament ... the first meeting between the two schools took place in the 1974-75 season, a year before Duke's women's program became an official varsity sport ... the two teams have met at least once every year since the 1976-77 campaign ... Wake's longest winning streak in the series is five games (1987-90), while Duke's longest streak is its current 18-game streak ... the two teams have had some close battles over the years, as 14 games have been decided by five points or less ... none, however, went into overtime before last year's battle in the ACC Tournament ... Duke leads the series 17-7 in games played at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Deacon-Devil Connections
* Wake Forest freshman Erin Ferrell and Duke rookie Monique Currie were high school teammates at The Bullis School in Maryland, where Ferrell's father, Wayne, coached them to a 27-2 record and back-to-back conference championships last season.
* Deacon junior Heather Miller has an older brother, John, who was a senior starter on the Duke football offensive line this past season.
The Last Meeting with Duke ... March 1, 2001
Georgia Schweitzer scored 27 points and hit key foul shots in overtime as No. 4 Duke overcame a miserable start to beat Wake Forest 75-68 in the opening round of the ACC women's tournament.
The top-seeded and defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Blue Devils fell behind by 15 points against a team that had lost eight straight and trailed by nine at the half before being pushed into an extra period.
Wake Forest's Bianca Brown tied it up at 62-62 with a three-point play with 26.2 seconds left in regulation and Duke held the ball for one last shot. But freshman star Alana Beard lost the ball as she dribbled toward the basket as time expired to sent it into a five-minute overtime.
Duke trailed twice in the extra period, but two free throws by Schweitzer with 1:59 left put the Blue Devils ahead to stay at 69-68.
The all-conference senior then made three more from the line over the final 27.9 seconds and grabbed a key rebound and got a steal to help close out the Demon Deacons (11-17).
Schweitzer finished 14-for-16 from the free-throw line, making six straight over the final 1:39 of regulation to keep Duke in it.
Olivia Dardy had a career-high 30 for Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons turned it over 31 times.
The halftime comeback was the third best in ACC tourney history. Florida State overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Maryland last year and Duke was down 20 against Virginia in 1995 and went on to win in overtime.
Top seeds had gone 19-0 all-time against No. 8 or No. 9 seeds heading into the game, but the Blue Devils came dangerously close to becoming the first casualty, falling behind big in the first half.
Duke could do nothing right in the opening 20 minutes, shooting 27 percent, going 6-for-13 from the foul line and turning it over 13 times.
The ACC's top shooting team went more than 4 1/2 minutes without a basket to start the game and missed 13 of its first 16 shots as the Demon Deacons built a 23-8 lead 8:44 before the break.
At one point, Duke went eight minutes without a point.
But the Demon Deacons managed just four more points the rest of the period as the Blue Devils closed within nine.
Duke's 18 points at halftime was its lowest total of the season. The previous low was 23 against LSU on Nov. 11. The Blue Devils went on to win that game 56-45. - Dave Droschak (AP)
Tonia Brown Stepping Up in Starting Role
Sophomore Tonia Brown has certainly made an impact in the first half of the 2001-02 campaign. After serving as a backup to senior starter Kristen Shaffer last season, Brown has stepped into the starting shooting guard position this year and is currently the team's leading scorer with 12.7 points per game. She has been the team's top scorer in eight of 13 games this season and has posted nine double-figure games, including a career-best 24 points in the win over Western Michigan. Brown has also drained a team-high 23 three-pointers, including a single-game career best five against Georgia Tech in the team's last outing. In fact, Brown led the Deacons last season with 20 total three-pointers, and has already passed that mark at the midway point of this season.
Brown, who has natural point guard abilities as well, also ranks second on the team with an average of 2.3 assists per game. She's also stepped up her rebounding numbers, averaging 5.0 boards a game - a mark which currently ranks second on the team. She also ranks first on the team with 24 steals.
Johnson All Over the Court
Freshman Jennifer Johnson doesn't lead the Demon Deacon squad in any particular statistic, but the 6-1 guard/forward has already made an impact in several areas of Wake's game this year.
Johnson, who is averaging just over 17 minutes of playing time, always seems to be in a position to make something happen. In her collegiate debut against Appalachian State, Johnson grabbed a key offensive rebound in the closing seconds to help preserve a four-point Deacon victory. At North Carolina in her ACC debut, Johnson scored 16 points and pulled down six rebounds.
Johnson has a solid perimeter game as well, with a quick-release shot that currently ranks her third on the team with 10 three-pointers. She ranks second on the team in scoring against ACC opponents (10.7 ppg) and has at least one trey in all three league games so far this season.
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 Deacs rebounded in its last outing however, shooting 43.8 percent against Georgia Tech, including a season-best 43.8 percent from beyond the arc as well.
Wake's 51 percent shooting at High Point was its best performance since shooting over 54 percent from the field in a 77-57 win over Coppin State on Dec. 2 of last season.
The SWAT Team
Wake Forest set a new single season record and ranked third in the ACC last season in the blocked shot category, averaging 3.71 rejections a game (104 total). Through 13 games this year, the Deacons have blocked 53 total shots, an average of 4.1 a contest. In contrast, Wake's opponents have blocked 30 shots the entire season (2.3 bpg), with seven of those coming in one game courtesy of top-ranked Connecticut.
Senior LaChina Robinson leads the Deacon "swat" team with 17 blocked shots so far this year. Her single-game career best of three rejections at High Point moved her into sixth place on Wake's all-time blocked shots chart, as she currently owns 69 career blocks. Before missing eight games due to injury, sophomore forward Eafton Hill led the ACC in blocks per game (2.0) through the first four games of 2001-02. She already ranks eighth on the career list with 43.
Coming Up Next
Wake Forest is now well underway in its ACC schedule, as the Deacons return home to host Florida State on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 7:00 pm. The Seminoles will present another tough challenge, as they have appeared in the national rankings a few times this season and continue to receive votes in the polls.
