Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Basketball To Open Season Against Hampton
11/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2004
Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's basketball team will open the 2004-05 season Friday night at Hampton University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Hampton University Convocation Center.
The meeting between the two teams will also mark the beginning of a new era for the Deacs, with Mike Petersen officially taking the court for the first time as head coach of Wake Forest. In the team's exhibition debut, the Demon Deacons defeated the Netherlands National Team, 100-49. The game marked the first time since 1985 that the Demon Deacons have scored 100 points.
Formerly at the University of Minnesota as the Associate Head Coach of the men's squad, Petersen returns to the women's coaching ranks in his fourth appointment as a women's at the helm. Boasting 11 years experience, Petersen has a reputation of turning around struggling programs and bringing in extremely strong recruiting classes.
Coming into this year, the Deacs will return four starters including second team All-ACC selection Liz Strunk. Strunk, who was the first Deacon to earn All-conference honors since the 1996 season led the team in rebounding, minutes, field goal percentage and field goals. In the exhibition game, Strunk was one of six Deacs to score in double digits with the game-high 18 points.
Also returning for the Deacs in starting positions will be Cotelia Bond-Young, Erin Ferrell and Porsche' Jones, all of which hit double-digits in the exhibition game. Additionally, Jones found seven of the teams 18 steals, while Bond-Young notched five.
The last time the Pirates and the Deacs met, Wake took the game, 63-43, with four players in double-digits, including Bond-Young, Ferrell and Strunk. The Pirates, who are only returning five players from last season, will also be taking the court for the first time this season on Friday.
