2007-08 Southern Connecticut
State University Women's Basketball
Game 15/16 • No. 17 SCSU (10-4, 6-3 NE-10)
Jan. 10/12, 2008 • Moore Fieldhouse
vs. Le Moyne (7-6, 4-5 NE-10) • 5:30 p.m.
Internet audio: www.sportingnewsct.com
vs. American Int'l (8-5, 5-4 NE-10) • 1:30 p.m.
New Haven, Conn.

View full notes as .pdf.


SECOND TIME AROUND
Looking to rebound from a Jan. 5 loss to No. 23 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce, the No. 17 Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team concludes its three-game homestand by playing host to Le Moyne and American International in a pair of Northeast-10 Conference games on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Owls defeated Le Moyne and lost to AIC on the road earlier this season. Don Boyle will have all of Thursday's action against Le Moyne live on the internet at www.sportingnewsct.com.

LAST TIME OUT
Johannah Leedham scored a game-high 24 points and added seven rebounds on Jan. 5 to lead No. 23 Franklin Pierce to an 83-64 victory over No. 10 SCSU in NE-10 play at Moore Fieldhouse. Senior forward Rochelle Johnson established a new SCSU record for career blocked shots with her 74th and 75th career blocked shots.

SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Picked to finish 13th in the Northeast-10, Le Moyne has won four of their last six to pull a game over .500 at 7-6 and currently sits seventh in the conference (4-5). Most recently, the Dolphins defeated AIC 52-46 on the road on Tuesday night. Vanessa Holden (13 points, six rebounds) and Courtney Coryea (10 points, eight rebounds) led the Le Moyne attack. On the season, Kim Wagoner (13.0 points per game) and Coryea (11.3) are both averaging double digits for the Dolphins, while Coryea leads the club in rebounding (7.8 per game).

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Picked to finish third in the Northeast-10, American International has dropped two of its last three to fall to 8-5 and currently ranks sixth in the conference (5-4). Most recently, the Yellow Jackets fell at home, 52-46, to Le Moyne on Tuesday night. Jen Moussette (12 points) and Stacy Boisvert (10) both tallied double figures for AIC in defeat. On the season, Alexis Castro (17.9 points per game) and Boisvert (11.8) are both averaging double digits for the Yellow Jackets, while Castro also leads the team in rebounding (7.0 per game).

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST LE MOYNE
The Owls and the Dolphins last met earlier this season on Nov. 28 at Ted Grant Court in Syracuse, N.Y. In that game, senior forward Kate Lynch led all scorers with 26 points and snagged eight rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double while leading No. 11 SCSU to an 84-52 win. Senior guard Michelle Martinik added a career-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds of her own. Kim Wagoner was the only Dolphin in double figures with 12 points.

PREVIOUSLY AGAISNT AMERICAN INT'L
Earlier this season, Alexis Castro struck for a school-record 38 points on Dec. 8 to lead American International to a 67-57 victory over No. 8 SCSU at Butova Gymnasium. Senior forward Kate Lynch led SCSU with 20 points in defeat. Sophomore forward Jacqueline Johannes finished one shy of her career high with 14 points for SCSU.

RO-JECTED
Senior forward Rochelle Johnson entered SCSU's Jan. 5 game against Franklin Pierce tied with Debbie Petrasek for the most blocked shots in school history. Johnson wasted no time making the record her own, as she recorded career swat number 74 when she sent back a Johannah Leedham layup just 1:45 into the contest. Later in the game, Johnson would add her 75th career block as well.

REST IS FOR THE WEAK
This weekend's games are the final contests in a stretch that saw the Owls play three home games in eight days as well as five games in 12 days overall. The span has included a two-game trip to Pensacola, Fla. as well as a pair of nationally ranked opponents.

NATIONALLY PROMINENT
The Owls are ranked 17th in the nation in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, as announced on Jan. 8 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The sixth weekly poll of the regular season saw SCSU rdrop seven spots after spending three consecutive weeks at No. 10. This marks the 28th 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.

OWLS ON THE HONOR ROLL
Senior forward Kate Lynch was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Honor Roll for the week ending on Jan. 6. It was the sixth honor roll selection of the season for Lynch. In all, the Owls have had 11 honor roll selections so far this season.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
The Owls currently lead the Northeast-10 in scoring offense. SCSU is averaging 76.1 points per game, 3.5 points more than Stonehill (72.6 points per game). The Owls also rank third in the conference in scoring margin. SCSU is averaging 12.7 points per game more than their opponents and trails only Franklin Pierce (+18.2 scoring margin) and Stonehill (+15.6) in that department.

FROM THE LINE, THE FIELD OR THE ARC
SCSU currently leads the Northeast-10 free-throw percentage. On the season, the Owls have shot 257-for-336 (.765) from the charity stripe. In addition, the Owls have shot 93-for-260 (.358) from three-point range and 358-for-840 (.426) from the floor, good for second and third in the conference, respectively.

MOVING UP THE LADDER
Senior forward Kate Lynch currently ranks sixth on the SCSU all-time scoring list with 1,471 career points. She currently sits 270 points behind Kristen Breen (1995-99), SCSU's all-time scoring leader with 1,741 career points. Most recently, Lynch led the Owls with 22 points against Franklin Pierce on Jan. 5. Next up on the list is Geraldine Artis in fifth with 1,494 points, 23 in front of Lynch.

LEADING THE WAY
Senior forward Kate Lynch leads the Owls in a plethora of statistical categories this season, including scoring (23.1 points per game) and rebounding (6.9 per game). In addition, she ranks first in minutes (32.8 per game), field goals (105), free throws (94), blocks (17) and steals (34).

THAT'S WHY THEY CALL THEM “FREE” THROWS
Senior forward Kate Lynch currently holds a career free-throw percentage of .806 (342-for-412). 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 4-for-6 from the free-throw line against Franklin Pierce on Jan. 5.

MISS AMERICA
An All-America selection a year ago, senior forward Kate Lynch has prominently positioned herself among the nation's best again this season. Through Jan. 6, Lynch was tied for third in the nation in scoring (23.1 points per game).

CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE
Senior forward Kate Lynch currently ranks among the top five players in the Northeast-10 in three statistical categories. Through Jan. 8, the Rumford, R.I. native leads the conference in scoring (23.1 points per game) and three-point field-goal percentage (.513) and ranks fifth in blocks per game (1.21).

RENEWING OLD ACQUAINTANCES...
SCSU's game against Delta State on Jan. 1 marked the first meeting between the two programs since they clashed in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Tournament at the end of the 1976-77 season. The Owls are now winless in four tries all-time against the Lady Statesmen.

... AND MAKING NEW ONES
The very next day, Jan. 2, SCSU tipped off against West Florida for the first time ever. The Argonauts became the 147th unique opponent in SCSU history as well as the 121st different program to suffer at least one defeat by the Owls.

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, 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.

RALLYING POINT
At Massachusetts-Lowell on Dec. 6, SCSU recorded its largest comeback win of the season after trailing 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 is tied for third in the Northeast-10 with 10.93 steals per game. Lynch ranks seventh in the conference with 2.43 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 53 (3.79 per game, 10th in the conference). Senior guards Michelle Martinik (51 assists, 3.64 per game) and Kaylie Schiavetta (29 assists, 2.07 per game) are also both averaging more than two assists per game. As a team, SCSU is dishing out 16.29 assists per game, which is good for fourth 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 29 three-point field goals in 82 attempts from behind the arc (.354). She currently ranks fourth in the Northeast-10 in three-point field-goals per game (2.07).

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 57-4 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. SCSU is currently 5-2 on the home hardwood in 2007-08.

FAMILIAR FACES
Senior guard Michelle Martinik has played in every game during her SCSU career (114 games over three seasons). She sits 11 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 (112 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 the pair of weekend games, the Owls return to the court on Jan. 19 when they visit Assumption in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Laska Gymnasium in Worcester, Mass.