2007 Southern Connecticut State University Women's Basketball
Game 12/13 • No. 10 SCSU (9-2, 6-2 NE-10)
Jan. 1/2, 2008 • UWF Fieldhouse
vs. No. 2 Delta State (9-0, 0-0 GSC) • 2 p.m.
at West Florida (5-6, 0-0 GSC) • 4 p.m.
Pensacola, Fla.
Full game notes (PDF file).
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR
Winners of three in a row and eight of their last nine, the No. 10 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team migrates south to ring in 2008 as they head to Pensacola, Fla. for a pair of games against Gulf South Conference opponents. The Owls will battle the Lady Statesmen of No. 2 Delta State on New Year's Day before tipping off against the Argonauts of West Florida on Jan. 2.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior forward Kate Lynch scored 19 points and added eight rebounds on Friday night to lead No. 10 SCSU to a 73-61 victory over Pace in Northeast-10 Conference play at Goldstein Fitness Center. Senior forward Rochelle Johnson tied her career high with 12 points for SCSU. Stephanie Klingele led Pace with 15 points.
SCOUTING THE LADY STATESMEN
After an appearence in the NCAA South Regional Final a year ago, Delta State was ranked fifth in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Poll and has climbed into the No. 2 position by winning their first nine games. Most recently, the Lady Statesmen capped off the fifth annual Lloyd Clark Classic with a 68-51 win over Lynn on Dec. 18 at Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland. Delta State's Jennifer Rushing led all scorers with 18 points while Lamaesha McAdory grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. On the season, Lakira Boyd leads the Lady Statesmen in scoring (13.3 points per game), while McAdory leads the club in rebounding (6.1 per game).
SCOUTING THE ARGONAUTS
Picked to finish fourth in the Gulf South Conference East Division, West Florida has lost three in a row on the road to drop their record below .500 at 5-6. Most recently, Laura Davis scored 12 points, but the Argonauts shot 23.3% from the floor to fall 56-42 at Tampa on Dec. 16. Sheena Walton led three Tampa players in double figures as she posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. On the season, Chelsea Patterson (12.5 points per game) and Dominique Boykins (10.2) are both averaging double digits for West Florida. Tara Russ leads the Argonauts with 7.4 rebounds per game. West Florida will host Henderson State and Arkansas-Monticello on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30, respectively, before entertaining SCSU.
RENEWING OLD ACQUAINTANCES...
SCSU and Delta State have met three times previously, but have not played each other since they clashed in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Tournament at the end of the 1976-77 season. The Lady Statesmen won that game, 75-49, and have defeated the Owls in all three meetings.
... AND MAKING NEW ONES
Wednesday afternoon will mark the first ever meeting between SCSU and West Florida.
REST IS FOR THE WEAK
Tuesday and Wednesday will be the first time this season the Owls have played on back-to-back days. It also kicks off a stretch of three games in five days and five games in 12 days for SCSU. The last time the Owls played in back-to-back games was March 21-22, 2007 when they defeated Drury and California-San Diego in the national quarterfinal and national semifinal, respectively. SCSU has won both games the previous seven times it has played on back-to-back days, dating to the end of the 2002-03 season.
NATIONALLY PROMINENT
The Owls are ranked 10th in the nation in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, as announced on Dec. 18 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The fourth weekly poll of the regular season saw SCSU ranked No. 10 for the second week in a row. This marks the 26th consecutive week the Owls have been nationally ranked. The last time SCSU did not appear in the Top 25 was the eighth week of the 2005-06 season.
SCORING IN BUNCHES
The Owls currently lead the Northeast-10 in scoring offense. SCSU is averaging 79.3 points per game, 6.8 points more than Stonehill (72.5 points per game). The Owls also rank second in the conference in scoring margin. SCSU is averaging 18.5 points per game more than their opponents and trails only Stonehill (+19.4 scoring margin) in that department.
FROM THE LINE, THE FIELD OR THE ARC
SCSU currently leads the Northeast-10 in three-point and free-throw percentage. On the season, the Owls have shot 219-for-286 (.766) from the free-throw line and 75-for-204 (.368) from three-point range. In addition, the Owls have shot 289-for-662 (.437) from the floor, good for second in the conference, behind only Franklin Pierce (.466).
MOVING UP THE LADDER
Senior forward Kate Lynch currently ranks sixth on the SCSU all-time scoring list with 1,421 career points. She currently sits 320 points behind Kristen Breen (1995-99), SCSU's all-time scoring leader with 1,741 career points. Most recently, Lynch scored a game-high 19 points at Pace on Dec. 21. Next up on the list is Geraldine Artis in fifth with 1,494 points, 73 in front of Lynch.
LEADING THE WAY
Senior forward Kate Lynch has led the Owls in scoring in each of the first 11 games this season and has yet to score less than 19 points. In addition, she has led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in six of their 11 contests. On the season, Lynch is averaging 24.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to lead SCSU in both categories. Most recently, she tallied 19 points and eight rebounds at Pace on Dec. 21.
THAT'S WHY THEY CALL THEM “FREE” THROWS
Senior forward Kate Lynch currently holds a career free-throw percentage of .803 (317-for-395). If maintained, that figure will put Lynch in the SCSU record books for highest career free-throw percentage, topping Amy Staniszewski, who connected to the tune of .783 (166-for-212) from the charity stripe from 1984 through 1986. Most recently, Lynch went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line at Pace on Dec. 21.
CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE
Senior forward Kate Lynch currently ranks among the top five players in the Northeast-10 in four statistical categories. Through Dec. 27, the Rumford, R.I. native leads the conference in scoring (24.9 points per game) and three-point field-goal percentage (.515), ranks fourth in steals per game (2.82) and is tied for fifth in blocks per game (1.18).
NICE TO MEET YOU
SCSU's 79-67 victory over Clayton State on Dec. 16 marked the first ever meeting between the two programs. In fact, it was the first time the Owls had ever faced any of the teams currently in the Peach Belt Conference. Clayton State became the 146th unique opponent in SCSU history as well as the 120th different program to suffer a defeat at the hands of the Owls.
REACHING MILESTONES
A trio of SCSU seniors reached significant career milestones against Clayton State on Dec. 16. With 11:09 remaining in the first half, guard Kaylie Schiavetta dished out her 100th career assist as she set up a layup by Rochelle Johnson. Schiavetta recorded 18 of her assists over her freshman and junior campaigns at Massachusetts. With 4:33 remaining in the game, guard Michelle Martinik knocked down her 100th career three-pointer. Finally, on a free throw with 3:06 remaining, forward Kate Lynch became the sixth player in SCSU history to record her 1,400th career point.
HAVE A DAY
Senior guard Kaylie Schiavetta set a pair of career highs in SCSU's 79-67 victory over Clayton State on Dec. 16. The Northport, N.Y. native scored 17 points to bump up her career high for the third time this season and the second time in as many games. Schiavetta also collected a career-high rebounds, eclipsing her previous high of four, which she had accomplished twice before.
ELITE COMPANY
With a free throw with 3:06 remaining against Clayton State on Dec. 16, senior forward Kate Lynch became the fourth player in SCSU history to notch 1,400 career points. She is only the second player in program annals to tally 1,400 career points and 500 career rebounds, joining Debbie Petrasek, who racked up 1,683 points and 596 rebounds from 1989 through 1994.
SHE'S ALL OVER THE PLACE
Senior guard Michelle Martinik really filled out the stats sheet in SCSU's 83-58 victory over Merrimack on Dec. 14. The Monroe, Conn. native scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists, narrowly missing her first career triple-double. Martinik also collected two steals, shot 6-for-9 from the foul line and hit a three-pointer on the evening.
DOUBLING UP
Senior guard Michelle Martinik matched her career-high with 10 rebounds and scored 11 points to notch her second double-double of the season against Merrimack on Dec. 14. The Owls now have four double-doubles on the season.
OWLS ON THE HONOR ROLL
Senior forward Kate Lynch and senior guards Michelle Martnik and Kaylie Schiavetta were all named to the Northeast-10 Conference Honor Roll for the week ending on Dec. 16. It was the fourth honor roll selection of the season for Lynch, as well as the second for Martinik. In all, the Owls have had nine honor roll selections so far this season.
RALLYING POINT
At Massachusetts-Lowell on Dec. 6, SCSU faced its biggest deficit of the season when it trailed the River Hawks by 13 points with 13 minutes to play in the first half. From that point, the Owls went on a 28-8 run over the remainder of the half to take a lead they would not relinquish as they went on to a 75-61 victory.
MULTI-PRONGED ATTACK
Six Owls scored in double figures in SCSU's 106-40 victory over Felician on Dec. 3. Senior forward Kate Lynch led all scorers with 27 and sophomore forward Sarah Houseknecht tied her career high with 15 points. Also in double digits were senior guard Michelle Martinik (18 points), junior guard Lexi Allen (11), senior guard Kaylie Schiavetta (10) and senior forward Rochelle Johnson (10).
GRAND THEFT BASKETBALL
SCSU recorded a season-high 23 steals against Felician on Dec. 3, which led to 57 points off of turnovers for the Owls. Senior forward Kate Lynch led the way with eight steals. On the season, SCSU ranks second in the Northeast-10 with 11.55 steals per game. Lynch ranks fourth in the conference with 2.82 steals per game.
WELCOME ABOARD
With a jump shot with 5:30 remaining in the game against Felician on Dec. 3, freshman guard Katie Spydell notched her first career field goal for the Owls. Just 1:06 later, she would follow that up with her first career three-point field goal to set a new career high with five points.
HANGING A HUNDRED
SCSU's 106-40 victory over Felician on Dec. 3 marked the first time the Owls had reached the 100-point plateau since Nov. 18, 1995, when they posted a 101-77 victory at Molloy. It was the first time SCSU had scored 100 points at home since Feb. 27, 1979, when they defeated Northeastern 100-62. The 106 points was the most scored by an SCSU team since the 1973-74 season, when they twice posted 109 points in 109-41 and 109-27 victories over Rhode Island and Connecticut, respectively.
DISHING IT OUT
Freshman guard Logan Lentz handed out a career- and game-high eight assists against Felician on Dec. 3. In that game, all but one Owl registered an assist as the team posted a season-high 30 helpers. Lentz leads the Owls in assists on the season with 42 (3.82 per game, ninth in the conference). Senior guards Michelle Martinik (40 assists, 3.64 per game) and Kaylie Schiavetta (25 assists, 2.27 per game) are also both averaging over two assists per game. As a team, SCSU is dishing out 16.55 assists per game, which is good for third in the Northeast-10.
DUAL HONORS
SCSU picked up a pair of Northeast-10 Conference awards for the week ending on Dec. 1. Senior forward Kate Lynch averaged 27 points and 8.5 rebounds over two games to earn Player of the Week honors and freshman forward Logan Lentz garnered Freshman of the Week accolades as she averaged 5.5 points, four assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals over the week's pair of games.
RAINING THREES
Senior guard Michelle Martinik knocked down a team season-high five three-point field goals on her way to a career-best 19 points against Le Moyne on Nov. 28. On the season, Martinik leads the Owls with 26 three-point field goals in 68 attempts from behind the arc. She currently ranks third in the Northeast-10 in three-point field-goals per game (2.36).
LUCKY NUMBERS?
SCSU's 84-61 victory over St. Michael's on Dec. 1 marked the second consecutive game in which the Owls scored 84 points, as well as the second contest in a row in which senior guard Michelle Martinik scored 19 points (her career high). Martinik also scored 19 on Nov. 28 as SCSU won 84-52 at Le Moyne.
CENTURY CLUB
Senior forwards Kate Lynch and Rochelle Johnson each played in their 100th career game at SCSU on Nov. 20 against Bentley. Both forwards have played in every Owls game since their freshman season of 2004-05, when they each missed two contests.
PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Senior forward Kate Lynch posted All-American numbers as a junior in 2006-07 and got the 2007-08 season started in much the same manner. Lynch poured in a game-high 22 points, snagged four rebounds, dished out a game-high five assists, garnered two steals and recorded a block in SCSU's season-opening, 92-71 win over St. Anselm on Nov. 17.
CAREER HIGHS ALL AROUND
Four Owls set or matched career highs in SCSU's season-opening, 92-71 victory over St. Anselm on Nov. 17. Junior guard Lexi Allen more than doubled her previous career high as she scored 20 points. The Southbury, Conn. native also matched career bests with five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore forward Jacqueline Johannes more than tripled her previous career high with 15 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds as well. Senior forward Kate Lynch matched her career high with five assists. Sophomore forward Sarah Houseknecht set new career bests with 15 points and five rebounds. The Olean, N.Y. native also matched a career high by dishing out one assist.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
In their season-opener agaisnt St. Anselm on Nov. 17, the Owls showed they could still score from a number of angles despite losing four of their top six leading scorers from a year ago. Kate Lynch (22 points), Lexi Allen (20), Sarah Houseknecht (15) and Jacqueline Johannes (15) all scored in double figures in SCSU's 92-71 victory.
NEWCOMER FITS RIGHT IN
Freshman guard Logan Lentz wasted no time making herself at home on the court for SCSU. The Chambersburg, Pa. native tallied six points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal while starting and playing 29 minutes in her collegiate debut against St. Anselm on Nov. 17.
LIGHTING IT UP
The 92 points scored by the Owls on Nov. 17 agaisnt St. Anselm was the most points scored by an SCSU team since Nov. 15, 2003 when they defeated Green Mountain 92-29 in their season-opener. The previous time the Owls had scored more than 92 was on Jan. 29, 2000, when they defeated Franklin Pierce 94-64. SCSU would surpass this point total on Dec. 3, when they defeated Felician 106-40.
OPENING ON A GOOD NOTE
With their 92-71, season-opening win over St. Anselm on Nov. 17, the Owls have now won their last eight season openers. SCSU has not lost the first game of the season since the 1999-2000 campaign, which they began with a 64-58 loss to Assumption. The Owls also won eight consecutive season openers from 1977 through 1984.
HASN'T LOST A STEP
Junior guard Lexi Allen returned to the floor in an SCSU uniform for the first time in over a year on Nov. 6 for an exhibition at Connecticut. Allen, who missed all of 2006-07 due to injury, showed she had not lost her touch over the layoff. The Southbury, Conn. native played every minute of the game against the Huskies, scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed five rebounds. In her first regular season game back in the lineup, Allen notched a career-high 20 points and matched her career highs in both rebounds (five) and assists (three).
PROTECTING THE HOUSE
The Owls are 57-3 at the Moore Fieldhouse dating back to the beginning of the 2004-05 season, including perfect 15-0 regular season home campaigns in 2006-07 and 2004-05. The Owls are 11-1 in postseason play at Moore Fieldhouse over the past two seasons.
FAMILIAR FACES
Senior guard Michelle Martinik has played in every game during her SCSU career (111 games over three seasons). She sits 14 contests in back of Anabel Perdomo and Kristi Stolle, who share the school record with 125 career games played. Senior forwards Kate Lynch and Rochelle Johnson have both played in every Owls game since missing two contests each in their freshman campaigns (109 career games played for each).
BEGINNING WITH THE BEST
The Owls got a tune-up for the defense of their national championship by traveling up I-91 to the Hartford Civic Center and visiting Division I preseason No. 2 nationally ranked Connecticut in an exhibition game on Nov. 6. SCSU fell 119-58, but several Owls had solid outings. Junior guard Lexi Allen led the way with a team-best 19 points to go with five rebounds. Senior forward Kate Lynch finished right behind Allen with 16 points and four rebounds of her own. Sophomore forward Jacqueline Johannes made it a trio of Owls in double figures with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
PICKED A PAIR OF SECONDS
SCSU was selected second in a pair of preseason polls to start the year. The Owls received 12 first place votes and were picked second behind only North Dakota (12 first place votes) in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches poll, as selected by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). SCSU was also picked second in the Northeast-10 Conference Coaches Poll and received four first place votes. Bentley garnered five first place votes and was selected as the conference's preseason favorite.
DEFENDING THE CROWN
SCSU will look to defend last season's NCAA National Championship in 2007-08. The last Division II team to repeat as national champion was California Polytechnic-Pomona who successfully defended their 2000-01 title in 2001-02.
FANCYING A FOUR-PEAT
The Owls will be looking for their fourth consecutive Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship in 2007-08. After sharing the title with Merrimack in 2004-05, SCSU won the league outright in both 2005-06 and 2006-07. The only other team to win four NE-10 regular season championships in a row was Bentley, who rattled off six consecutive titles from 1995-96 through 2000-01 as well as a conference-record seven championships in a row from 1987-88 through 1993-94.
TIC-TAC-TOE
SCSU is also the two-time defending champion of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament and will be looking for their third title in a row this season. Bentley is also the only squad to win three consecutive NE-10 Tournament titles. The Falcons captured a conference-record four consecutive titles from 1998 through 2001 and also won the tournament three straight times from 1992 through 1994.
FILLING THE HOLES
SCSU will need some new faces to step up in the scoring department in 2007-08. The Owls have lost four of their top six scorers from a year ago. However, the club does return its top scorer from last season, senior forward Kate Lynch (18.0 points per game in 2006-07).
UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP
The 2007-08 campaign marks head coach Meghan Brown's first season at the helm for the Owls. A four-year player at St. John's, SCSU is the first head-coaching position held by Brown. After beginning her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at SCSU in 1996-97, Brown has made stops as an assistant at Lynn, Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Miami and, most recently, Yale.
ON DECK
After spending New Year's in Florida, the Owls return to the court on Jan. 5 in the first game of a three-game homestand when they host Franklin Pierce in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Moore Fieldhouse in New Haven, Conn.
