Junior guard Alisha
Mosley is averaging a
team-leading 11.4 ppg.
| |
Deacons Return Home to Begin Four-Game Homestand
Women's basketball squad begins slate against UMBC on Dec. 29.
December 28, 1998
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-After yet another roadtrip, the Wake Forest women's
basketball team returns home to begin a four-game homestand with contests
against Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and No. 6 North Carolina. The
Demon Deacons (4-7, 1-1 ACC) have played just two home games in their first
11 contests, and they will be looking to use the home-court advantage to
snap a three-game losing streak. The UMBC game marks the Deacs' last
non-conference tilt of the season. Wake hosts UMBC at 7 pm on Tues., Dec.
29th at Reynolds Gym, then takes on the Tar Heels on Sat., Jan. 2nd at 4 pm
at Joel Coliseum. Both games will be broadcast locally on WXII Newsradio
830 AM and cybercast on the WFU athletics webpage at
www.wakeforestsports.com.
Scouting Wake Forest (4-7, 1-1 ACC)
The Deacs dropped three games in five days before the holiday
break, falling to Furman at home on Dec. 17th (72-59) and losing to No. 9
Colorado State (84-69) and Pittsburgh (53-46) in the California Oakland
Tribune Classic on Dec. 20th and 21st. Wake Forest squandered an early
seven-point lead vs. Furman and had no answer for the Paladins' Jackie
Smith, who racked up 31 points. Only one Deacon registered double figures
on the night - senior point guard Heidi Coleman, who hit 6-of-9 shots
(including 3-of-5 threes) for 15 points. Sophomore forward Olivia Dardy
grabbed six rebounds, while junior guard Alisha Mosley dished five assists.
In the opening game of the Oakland Tribune Classic, the Deacs gave
one of their best efforts of the year but fell short against a powerful
Colorado State team. Wake shot a season-high 48.3 percent from the floor,
including 50 percent from three-point range, and outrebounded the Rams
33-27. However, CSU forced 21 turnovers and shot 55 percent from the
floor, and five Rams netted double figures. Alisha Mosley had an
outstanding game for the Deacs, scoring 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting
(including 4-of-4 threes) and dishing four assists. Freshman center
LaChina Robinson grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Unfortunately, Wake
followed up that strong game with a poor effort vs. Pittsburgh in the
consolation game. The Deacs committed 24 turnovers and shot just 31
percent from the floor vs. Pitt, netting just 46 points. Alisha Mosley
scored 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and dished three assists. Senior
forward Emon McMillian grabbed seven rebounds. For her strong performance,
Mosley was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Scouting UMBC (4-4)
The Retrievers (4-4) have not played since a Dec. 12th win over
Central Connecticut. After a 1-3 start, UMBC has won three of its last
four. Freshman guard Jami Lange, and effective three-point shooter, leads
the team with 16.4 points and 3.3 assists per game, while senior center
Monica Logan averages 8.3 points and a team-high 14.5 rebounds per contest.
The Retrievers average 60 points per game on 42 percent shooting, but
commit an average of 21 turnovers per game. UMBC is very efficient from
the charity stripe, going to the line over 19 times per game and hitting 73
percent of their free throws.
Scouting UNC (13-1, 2-0 ACC)
Ranked No. 6 in this week's AP and USA Today polls, the Tar Heels
stood at 13-1 heading into Tuesday night's game vs. George Mason. Carolina
also hosts Hampton on Thursday night before traveling to WFU on Saturday.
UNC's only loss this year came on a 86-68 decision to No. 12 UCLA back on
Nov. 28th, and the team has posted two wins over top 20 teams - No. 11
Kansas (76-58) and No. 11 Alabama (90-75). Through 14 games, the Tar Heels
are averaging an ACC-high 84.6 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting,
while forcing over 21 turnovers per game. Sophomore guard Nikki Teasley
averages 16.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.1 steals per outing,
while senior forward Chanel Wright (14.6 ppg), sophomore guard Juana Brown
(14.5 ppg), and sophomore guard (and Winston-Salem native) LaQuanda
Barksdale (12.5 ppg) all average double figure scoring as well. Teasley,
Brown, and Barksdale are all three-point threats, and Barksdale leads the
team in rebounding with 9.1 caroms per game.
Series History
Wake Forest and UMBC have met twice before, with the Deacs winning
both previous outings. Wake topped the Retrivers 89-57 in Winston-Salem in
the 1990-91 season, then earned a 65-59 win in Baltimore the following
year. North Carolina holds an impressive 42-8 all-time record vs. the
Deacs, and UNC has won the last 16 straight meetings. Last year, the Tar
Heels swept Wake 90-59 in Winston and 78-53 in Chapel Hill. WFU's last win
over UNC came in the 1990-91 season, when they swept the Heels 77-65 on
the road and 66-62 at home.
Mosley Named to All-Tournament Team in California
Alisha Mosley's two-game totals of 31 points, seven assists, five
rebounds, and two steals earned the junior guard a spot on the Oakland
Tribune Classic All-Tournament Team on Dec. 21st. It marked the second
such honor for a Deacon this year - sophomore forward Olivia Dardy earned
all-tourney honors at the Warner's Classic on Nov. 28th.
Looking for Leaders to Emerge
In the hopes that the leadership of the Demon Deacon team will
emerge naturally, head coach Charlene Curtis has elected not to appoint
team captains for the 1998-99 season. However, game captains will be
selected for each contest by the coaching staff.
Fountain of Youth
The Demon Deacons feature an extremely youthful squad this season,
with 10 of 14 players on the roster in only their freshman or sophomore
years of eligibility. This young squad is anchored by four seasoned
veterans, however, including two fifth-year players (Heidi Coleman and
Emon McMillian), one true senior (Jenn Miklic), and one junior (Alisha
Mosley).
Early Scoring Burst Tails Off
Last season, despite a strong defensive game, the Deacons
consistently struggled to put points on the board. No player finished the
season averaging in double figures, and the team as a whole averaged just
57.4 points per game. This year, the Deacs have shown moderate improvement
in the scoring department, averaging 66 points per game in their first 11
outings - an increase of 15 percent. Two players are averaging in double
figures - junior guard Alisha Mosley (11.4 ppg), and sophomore forward
Olivia Dardy (10.5 ppg) - and seven players have recorded at least one
double-digit scoring outing thus far (the above two plus senior guard Heidi
Coleman, senior forward Emon McMillian, sophomore forward Brenda Mock
Kirkpatrick, and freshman centers LaChina Robinson and Elizabeth
Biedrycki). However, scoring has tailed off considerably over the past
month. After averaging 77 points per outing in their first five games, WFU
has averaged just 56.8 points over its last six contests, including two
games in which the team netted less than 50 points.
Interior Improvements
The Deacs have benefitted from a stronger inside game this season
with the return of some key players and the addition of some new faces.
Three returning forwards - senior Emon McMillian and sophomores Olivia
Dardy and Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick - have demonstrated much-improved inside
games this year, ranking as the team's top three rebounders and three of
the top five scorers. All three have led the team in scoring or rebounding
at least once. In addition, freshman centers LaChina Robinson and
Elizabeth Biedrycki have provided the size and defensive presence in the
paint that Wake lacked last year. The rookie duo has combined for 6.3
points and 6.2 rebounds in just over 22 minutes per game.
Preseason Prognostications
The Deacons were picked to finish ninth in the 1998-99 ACC Media
Preseason Poll, released October 26th. Duke was the favorite to finish
first, collecting 207 points and 17 of 24 first-place votes. Virginia
placed second, followed by 1998 champion North Carolina, NC State, Clemson,
Florida State, Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Wake.
Coleman Closing in On Three-Point Shooting Records
Senior point guard Heidi Coleman already ranks as one of the top
three-point shooters in school history, and she is closing in on the Wake
Forest records for threes made and attempted in a career. In her career as
a Deacon, Coleman owns a 36.0 three-point shooting percentage and ranks
second all-time in three-pointers made (164) and attempted (455). Both
career marks are held by Nicole Levesque '94, who went on to play with the
WNBA's Charlotte Sting.
Coleman currently holds the school single-season records in both
categories, hitting 61-of-179 treys as a sophomore in 1996-97. Last year
she nearly matched those record-setting marks, posting the second-highest
single-season numbers for threes made (57) and attempted (166). Coleman
also ranks as the school's eighth all-time assist leader with 258 assists
in her career. The all-time record of 488 is also held by Levesque.
Raining Threes
Wake Forest has utilized an arsenal of three-point shooters this
season to rank as one of the top long-distance shooting teams in the ACC.
As of Dec. 22, WFU led the ACC and ranked 22nd in the nation in threes per
game (6.3), and the Deacs ranked second in the ACC in three-point
percentage (36.9). Senior guard Heidi Coleman remains Wake's top
three-point threat (see above), ranking third in the league in three-point
percentage (21-49, 42.9) and threes per game (1.9). Junior guard Alisha
Mosley ranks fifth in the ACC with a 36.0 percentage (18-50) and sixth with
1.6 treys per game. Reserve guards Janae Whiteside (4-23), Adell Harris
(3-9), and Val Klopfer (4-12) have also contributed some clutch threes. In
addition to backcourt players, however, two of the Deacs' post players can
step out and hit a big three when needed. Sophomore forward Olivia Dardy
(14-31, .452) has been deadly from three-point range, while sophomore
forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick (4-8, .500) has demonstrated the ability to
hit a few threes herself when left open.
Guards Boast Strong Assist-to-Turnover Ratio
Another area of dramatic improvement this year is in the Deacon
guards' assist-to-turnover ratio. Last season, only one Deac registered a
positive A/TO ratio for the season (senior point guard Heidi Coleman was
57-to-55) and the backcourt as a whole stood at -1.13. This year, however,
Wake has three backcourt players with strong assist-to-turnover ratios.
Coleman owns an impressive +1.58 ratio (30-to-19), while junior shooting
guard Alisha Mosley owns a +1.85 ratio (37-to-20), and sophomore reserve
guard Janae Whiteside holds a +2.22 (20-to-9). The three boast a combined
+1.81 ratio on the season, while the backcourt as a whole checks in at
+1.63.
Mosley Stepping it Up
Sophomore guard Alisha Mosley has been one of the Deacs' top
offensive weapons in the first 11 games, averaging a team-high 11.4 points
and 3.4 assists per outing. Mosley has scored in double figures seven
times this year (including a career-high 23 points in the season opener vs.
Virginia Commonwealth) and she has led the team in scoring four times
(including the last two games). More impressively, Mosley has led the team
in assists in seven of the first 11 games, setting a new career best with
six set-ups vs. FDU. She ranks among the ACC's top five three-point
shooters (18-50, 36.0%) and boasts an impressive 1.85 assist-to-turnover
ratio on the year (37-to-20). She was recently named to the Oakland
Tribune Classic All-Tournament Team after totalling 31 points and seven
assists in two games. An ACC All-Freshman pick in 1996-97, Mosley averaged
7.6 points and 2.1 assists per game last year.
Dardy A Versatile Threat Off the Bench
Sophomore forward Olivia Dardy continues to rank among the ACC
rebounding leaders this season with a team high 7.5 boards per game (7th in
the ACC), and she also ranks second on the team in scoring (10.5 ppg) and
boasts a 45.2 three-point shooting percentage (14-31). On the season,
Dardy has notched three double-doubles (five double-digit scoring games and
three double-figure rebound games overall). Earlier this year, Dardy
earned All-Tournament honors at the Warner's Classic, racking up 31 points
and 21 rebounds in two games to help Wake to a runner-up finish. She also
earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors on Dec. 13th for her 17-point,
15-rebound outing in Wake's victory over Maryland. A versatile player who
can play either the three, four, or five position, Dardy has the ability to
score both in the paint and from three-point range. Last season, she lead
the team in scoring and rebounding in ACC games (8.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and was
named to ACC Athlete magazine's All-Freshman Team.
Kirkpatrick Emerging as Force in the Frontcourt
Sophomore forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick has been particularly
impressive in the early season, emerging as yet another inside weapon for
the Deacs. A true leader on the court with a tremendous work ethic,
Kirkpatrick posted four straight double-figure outings in an eight-day span
(FDU-Virginia), averaging 13.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game over that
stretch. She netted a career-high 15 points in the win over Fairleigh
Dickinson, then repeated the feat the next day with 15 points vs. East
Carolina. At West Virginia, she collected 13 points and a career-high 13
rebounds, and at Virginia, she scored 10 points - including two
three-pointers - and pulled down six caroms. For the year, Kirkpatrick is
averaging 8.8 points (fifth on the team) and 4.5 rebounds (third). She is
shooting a team-best 51.3 percent from the floor (39-76) and has also shown
to be a threat from behind the three-point arc (4-8, 50.0%).
Freshman Centers Come up Big vs. Providence
Two of the Deacs' three 6'4" freshman centers - LaChina Robinson
and Elizabeth Biedrycki - have seen significant action in the team's first
11 games, and both turned in huge performances in the win over Providence.
Robinson, a solid defensive player and shot-blocker, has started every game
at center, averaging 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. She exploded
for 17 points in the win over the Friars, hitting 6-of-9 from the floor and
5-of-9 from the line, and she also grabbed six rebounds. Biedrycki, a
skilled rebounder who can also score down low, has shared time with
Robinson in all eight games, averaging 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per
outing. She tallied season highs in both points and rebounds vs.
Providence with 12 and eight, respectively, all in just 15 minutes of court
time.
Rookies Bring Perimeter Depth Too
Three other rookies have bolstered the Deacon perimeter game as
well. Val Klopfer is a skilled ballhandler and a talented playmaker who
has ably relieved Heidi Coleman of some playing time. at the point guard
position She has played in nine games, averaging 1.8 points in just under
eight minutes of court time, including two six-point outings. Adell Harris
is a versatile and athletic guard with pinpoint passing skills. She has
played just under nine minutes per game in all 11 contests, contributing
2.0 points per game and a season-high seven points vs. East Carolina.
Swing player Liz Rogers, a tenacious competitor, has appeared in nine games
and averaged just over three minutes a contest. She recorded six points
and five rebounds in just eight minutes vs. FDU.
ACC Leaders
Senior point guard Heidi Coleman continues to rank among the ACC's
top three-point shooters this season. Her 42.9 three-point percentage is
third-best in the ACC, and she ranks third in threes per game at 1.9.
Junior guard Alisha Mosley ranks fifth in three-point percentage (.360) and
sixth in treys per game (1.6).Sophomore forward Olivia Dardy ranks seventh
in the ACC in rebounding (7.5 rpg).
Team Rankings
Through games of Dec. 22nd, Wake Forest leads the ACC and ranks
22nd in NCAA Division I in three-pointers per game (6.3) and ranks second
in the ACC in three-point percentage (36.9). Other ACC team rankings: 8th
in scoring (66.0 ppg), 6th in scoring defense (67.0 ppg), 8th in scoring
margin (-1.0), 9th in field goal percentage (.393), 7th in field goal
percentage defense (.404), 8th in free throw percentage (.632), 9th in
blocks (2.3 bpg), 9th in steals (6.5 spg), 8th in turnover margin (-2.5),
and 6th in rebound margin (+4.1).
Honors and Awards
Olivia Dardy (So, F) - Fairfield-Warner's Classic All-Tournament
Team, 11/28; ACC Co-Player of the Week, 12/14. Alisha Mosley (Jr, G) -
California Oakland Tribune Classic All-Tournament Team, 12/21.
Tip-Ins
The Deacs held Maryland to a 27.4 field goal percentage - the
lowest by an opponent this year...Wake shot a season-high 48.3 percent vs.
No. 9 Colorado State...Wake Forest has outrebounded eight of its first 11
opponents and owns a +4.1 rebounding margin on the year...the Deacs hit 11
threes in the win over FDU, just two treys short of the school record, and
drained 10 threes vs. Virginia...the 10 turnovers Wake committed vs.
Davidson were the lowest total by the Deacons in over a year, while the 22
assists vs. FDU were the most in over a year...the season-opening win over
VCU snapped a 16-game losing streak for the Demon Deacons, the longest in
school history...Wake hit an impressive 83.3 percent of its foul shots
(20-24) in the win over VCU - the best team mark in the ACC this
year...Wake struggled from the free throw line vs. Maryland, hitting just 9
of 26 attempts. On the year, the Deacs have hit just 63 percent of their
foul shots. Top charity-stripers on the team include Heidi Coleman (14-17,
.824) and Janae Whiteside (8-10, .800).
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. GP/GS PPG RPG Other
F 5 Emon McMillian 6-1 Sr. 11/11 8.9 5.4 1.3 spg
F 12 Jenn Miklic 6-0 Sr. 10/9 1.9 1.9 0.8 apg
C 34 LaChina Robinson 6-4 Fr. 11/11 3.7 3.7 0.8 bpg
G 11 Alisha Mosley 5-6 Jr. 11/10 11.4 2.6 3.4 apg
G 22 Heidi Coleman 5-6 Sr. 11/11 9.0 3.7 2.7 apg
Key Reserves
F 32 Olivia Dardy 6-1 So. 11/2 10.5 7.5 2.0 apg
F 50 Brenda Mock
Kirkpatrick 6-0 So. 11/0 8.8 4.5 0.7 apg
C 33 Elizabeth Biedrycki 6-4 Fr. 11/0 2.6 2.5 0.4 bpg
G 21 Janae Whiteside 5-7 So. 11/1 2.7 0.9 1.8 apg
G/F 20 Kristen Shaffer 5-10 So. 11/0 2.2 1.0 0.5 spg
