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March 23 Women's Basketball Notebook
 

 
 
 
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3.23.2005

March 23 Women's Basketball Notebook


Khara Smith
  • March 23 Women's Basketball Notebook
  • March 23 Women's Basketball Overall Stats
  • March 23 Women's Basketball Highs & Lows

    2005 NCAA TOURNAMENT

    Saturday, March 19
    KANSAS CITY REGION (Minneapolis, Minn.)
    (8) USC 65, (9) Louisville 49

    TEMPE REGION (Seattle, Wash.)
    (10) Oregon 58, (7) TCU 55

    Sunday, March 20
    CHATTANOOGA REGION (College Park, Md.)
    (5) DePaul 79, (12) Virginia Tech 78

    CHATTANOOGA REGION (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
    (7) Boston College 65, (10) Houston 43

    Tuesday, March 22
    CHATTANOOGA REGION (College Park, Md.)
    (13) Liberty 88, (5) DePaul 79

    2005 WNIT TOURNEY

    Thursday, March 17
    Nebraska 66, Marquette 57
    USF 61, Florida 56

    Friday, March 18
    Wake Forest 100, Charlotte 75

    Monday, March 21
    Wake Forest 78, USF 63

    CONFERENCEUSA.COM
    For the latest news on Conference USA women’s basketball and the league’s 18 other sports, visit the official website at: www.conferenceusa.com.

    2005 PEPSI C-USA TOURNEY
    The 2005 Pepsi C-USA Women’s Basketball Tournament was held March 3-6 at the Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte served as host for the four-day event. The semifinals were televised on the C-USA Television Network, while the championship game was carried on ESPN2.

    Thursday, March 3
    (9) Memphis 76, (8) East Carolina 67
    (5) USF 68, (12) Southern Miss 47
    (6) Charlotte 63, (11) Cincinnati 46
    (7) Marquette 78, (10) UAB 53

    Friday, March 4
    (1) DePaul 78, Memphis 55
    (4) TCU 65, USF 57
    (3) Houston 75, Charlotte 73 (OT)
    (2) Louisville 69, Marquette 54

    Saturday, March 5 (SEMIFINALS)
    TCU 87, DePaul 77
    Louisville 54, Houston 48

    Sunday, March 6 (CHAMPIONSHIP)
    TCU 60, Louisville 41

    2004-05 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
    N22 – Jenni Dant, DePaul
    N29 – Sandora Irvin, TCU
    D6 – Sancho Lyttle, Houston
    D6 – Sakellie Daniels, Charlotte
    D13 – Ezria Parsons, USF
    D20 – Missy Taylor, Louisville
    D27 – Khara Smith, DePaul
    J3 – Lakethia Hampton, Tulane
    J10 – Lesley Juedes, Marquette
    J10 – Sandora Irvin, TCU
    J17 – Sandora Irvin, TCU
    J24 – Jazz Covington, Louisville
    J31 – Khara Smith, DePaul
    F8 – Sandora Irvin, TCU
    F14 – Jennifer Jackson, East Carolina
    F21 – Sancho Lyttle, Houston
    F28 – Jenni Dant, DePaul
    F28 – Jessica Dickson, USF

    ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
    First Team
    Jazz Covington, Louisville
    Jessica Dickson, USF
    Sandora Irvin, TCU
    Sancho Lyttle, Houston
    Khara Smith, DePaul

    Second Team
    Sakellie Daniels, Charlotte
    Jenni Dant, DePaul
    Jennifer Jackson, East Carolina
    Carolyn Kieger, Marquette
    Christina Quaye, Marquette

    Third Team
    Victoria Crawford, Memphis
    Natasha Lacy, TCU
    Lakethia Hampton, Tulane
    Joann Overstreet, Houston
    Allie Quigley, DePaul

    All-Freshman Team
    Allie Quigley, DePaul
    Mia Johnson, Saint Louis
    Yuliya Tokova, Louisville
    Shannon Stueber, Southern Miss
    Erin Carney, DePaul

    Coach of the Year
    Doug Bruno, DePaul

    Player of the Year
    Sandora Irvin, TCU

    Freshman of the Year
    Allie Quigley, DePaul

    Defensive Player of the Year
    Sandora Irvin, TCU

    Sixth Player of the Year
    Anne Stephens, Cincinnati

    FOURTH SEED TCU EARNS 2005 C-USA TOURNEY CROWN
    Sandora Irvin and Ashley Davis led the TCU Horned Frogs to a 60-41 win over Louisville on March 6 in the championship game of the 2005 Pepsi Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament. Davis, the Horned Frogs’ top three-point shooter, went scoreless in 10 minutes of play in the first half, but ignited TCU’s offense as she scored all 13 of her points in the second half. The 2005 C-USA Player of the Year, Irvin also found her offensive touch in the second half, scoring 14 of her game-high 21 points. The victory gave TCU its second conference tournament championship in three seasons and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

    DE PAUL CLAIMS C-USA REGULAR SEASON TITLE
    Following a 77-56 victory over Marquette on Feb. 27, DePaul set a Conference USA record with 13 consecutive league victories to finish the C-USA season with a 13-1 record. The then-ranked No. 12 Blue Demons claimed their first Conference USA title since the league’s inaugural season in 1995-96. The league championship is the sixth in DePaul’s 31 seasons of women’s basketball. DePaul claimed the North Star Conference title three times before taking the 1991-92 Great Midwest and 1995-96 Conference USA championships. DePaul closed the 2005 season with a perfect 14-0 record at home. The victory was also the 23rd straight at home, extending the school-record home-floor winning streak. The Blue Demons have won 39 straight at home over unranked opponents and are 41-1 in the last three seasons.

    WOODEN AWARD FINALIST LIST
    The John R. Wooden Award Committee has named TCU's senior Sandora Irvin and DePaul's junior Khara Smith as two of 17 finalists for its honor. The Women's Wooden Award, presented annually to the nation's top female collegiate basketball player, will be presented Saturday, April 9, during a national CBS telecast airing live at 1 p.m. (EST) from The Los Angeles Athletic Club.

    A panel of more than 200 voters comprised of sports media members and women's college basketball experts from around the country will have until 2 p.m. Monday, March 28, to cast their votes for both the five-member All-America Team and Wooden Award recipient as the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player in the United States. The Wooden Award opts for the March 28 deadline because it allows voters to evaluate players up until the Elite Eight has been determined.

    LIEBERMAN’S LIST
    DePaul senior guard Jenni Dant was named a finalist for the sixth annual Nancy Lieberman Award given to the nation's top point guard. After playing the off guard position for the first three seasons of her career, Dant moved into the point guard role for her senior campaign. Dant is second in scoring for the No. 17 Blue Demons and is the lone active senior on the roster. She has led the club that also starts two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior to a 26-5 record while averaging 14.7 points and 4.06 assists per game. Twice this season she has recorded games of at least 10 assists, including a career-high 11 helpers against Charlotte on Jan. 16. It was the most assists in a game by a DePaul player since the 1995-96 season.

    The Nancy Lieberman Award enters its sixth year and continues building national recognition. The criterion for the award is the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman during her career. Sportswriters from across the country select three finalists and one winner at the end of March 2005. The three finalists and one winner will be announced during the Final Four Weekend (April 3-5, 2005) and the winner will be invited to attend the award luncheon in Detroit, Mich.

    PROGRAM MILESTONES
    Louisville joined two other C-USA teams this season in tallying the program’s 500th victory, Houston and Southern Miss. The Cards posted a 69-54 victory over Marquette in the quarterfinals of the 2005 Pepsi C-USA Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 4. Houston, led by 2004 C-USA Coach of the Year Joe Curl, tallied its 500th victory in program history on Jan. 1 with a 48-46 victory over Texas A&M–Corpus Christi. On Feb. 5, the Cougar men’s basketball team earned their 1,000th program victory with a win over Memphis. Curl challenged men’s head coach Tom Penders to remain exactly 500 wins ahead of the women. Another milestone was reached on Feb. 5 as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles defeated Tulane, which catapulted the school to its 500th win.

    BILLBOARD BRUNO
    2005 C-USA Coach of the Year Doug Bruno of DePaul was named one of 20 finalists for the 2005 Naismith Award, which was announced on March 3. The Naismith Award is the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men’s and women’s college basketball coaches of the year. The 20 finalists will be on the ballot in March when the Board of Selectors votes to select this year’s top collegiate coach in the nation. The winner will be recognized at the Naismith Awards Banquet on April 8 in Atlanta.

    IRVIN NAMED ONE OF FOUR NAISMITH TROPHY FINALISTS
    TCU star Sandora Irvin was named one of four finalists for the 2005 Naismith Trophy presented by Cingular Wireless, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced March 20. LSU's Seimone Augustus, Duke's Monique Currie and Ohio State's Jessica Davenport were also selected to the final ballot. The winner will be recognized at the Naismith Awards Banquet April 8 in Atlanta.

    This year, Cingular is making the selection process unique by giving college basketball fans an unprecedented voice in deciding who wins the Naismith Trophy. Fan voting, through the power and ease of wireless text messaging, will account for 25 percent of the Board of Selectors' final vote. Fans can text message "PLAY" to "26222" to receive the final ballot. Voting for the Naismith Trophy will end Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. CST.

    Earlier in the season, three Conference USA women’s basketball players were named to the midseason Naismith Trophy candidate list. Joining Irvin was Houston’s senior center Sancho Lyttle and DePaul’s junior forward Khara Smith. All three players were also chosen for 2005 C-USA Preseason All-Conference Team and to the 2005 Naismith Trophy preseason list.

    IRVIN NAMED SENIOR CLASS FINALIST
    The Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award Organizing Committee named TCU forward Sandora Irvin one of 10 finalists for the honor. Other finalists include Jacqueline Batteast (Notre Dame), Steffanie Blackmon (Baylor), Shyra Ely (Tennessee), Temeka Johnson (LSU), Caity Matter (Ohio State), Janel McCarville (Minnesota), Kendra Wecker (Kansas State), Tan White (Mississippi State) and Tanisha Wright (Penn State). Earlier in the season Irvin was joined by Houston’s Sancho Lyttle and DePaul’s Charlene Smith as nominees for the fourth annual Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, designed to honor the attributes of seniors who remain committed to their university and elect to pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.

    The Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award is presented annually to the nation's senior player of the year for NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball. From the preseason candidate list, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the award in February. When the season reaches the NCAA Championship in March, nationwide fan balloting will be coupled with results from voting by coaches and media to determine the male and female winners. Legendary sportscaster Dick Enberg, who initiated the idea for the award and now serves as honorary chairman, will announce the winner during the CBS telecast of the NCAA Men's Final Four.

    THE MONTH OF IRVIN
    TCU senior forward Sandora Irvin was named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Player of the Month for her December performance, the WBCA announced Jan. 10. Irvin averaged 22.5 points, 13 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 2.8 steals in TCU's eight games during the month. She tallied a career-high 32 points vs. Oklahoma in an 81-65 victory on Dec. 9. Irvin scored at least 20 points in six of the eight contests and was in double digits in the rebounds category in all but two games. The Frogs went 4-4 during the month, with two of the losses coming from ranked opponents, then-ranked No. 9 Tennessee and No. 23 Utah.

    RETIREMENT PARTY
    Former UH standout and C-USA Player of the Decade Chandi Jones had her No. 13 jersey retired on Feb. 5, immediately following the Cougars 92-47 victory over Saint Louis at Hofheinz Pavilion. Jones, who wrapped up her collegiate career in 2003-04, is one of the most heralded C-USA women’s basketball players of all-time as well as one of the most celebrated student-athletes in Cougar history. Among her many accolades, Jones was a three-time C-USA Player of the Year, 2001 C-USA Freshman of the Year, Kodak All-American, Associated Press All-American, four-time All-C-USA First Team selection, among other honors.

    ROAD-BLOCK
    Instead of frogs being known for their ability to line the highway pavement, this Horned Frog is lining her own road on NCAA statistical charts. Senior forward Sandora Irvin broke the NCAA Division I career record for blocked shots on Feb. 5 in a 74-64 victory against Memphis in Fort Worth, Texas. Irvin came into the game with 426 blocks, just two shy of tying Genia Miller from Cal State Fullerton's mark established in 1991. Irvin also set the NCAA's single-game record for block shots against UAB on Jan. 16 with an impressive 16 rejections. The original record of 15 was held by Amy Lundquist from Loyola Marymount.

    ROGER THIS
    Memphis’ forward Raven Rogers became just the third Tiger since 1998 to hit the 500 career rebound mark with four boards at Nebraska on Dec. 30. Since 1998, Memphis has had only two other 500-career-rebounders (Melissa Abraham, who finished with 685, and Shannon Hamp, who finished with 567). Rogers currently has 624 boards for her career after posting four against East Carolina in the first round of the C-USA Tournament on March 3 and three against then-ranked No. 11/12 DePaul in quarterfinal action.

    ROOKIE RADAR
    DePaul’s Allie Quigley ranks third overall in three-point field goal percentage (.487). Quigley helped her then-ranked No. 15 Blue Demons to an 84-81 overtime victory over TCU on Feb. 13, as the rookie was one of five Blue Demon players to post a double-figure scoring effort. Quigley nailed 10 points in the team’s tenth consecutive win. Another freshman this season to standout was Saint Louis’ Mia Johnson, who joins Quigley on C-USA’s 2005 All-Freshman Team ranked fifth in the league with a 17.1 scoring average. Johnson scored 444 points this year, the fifth-highest single-season total at SLU. She was one of the top scoring freshmen in the country, tallied at least 20 points on 10 occasions and reached double figures in scoring 24 times. Johnson sank 64 3-pointers and set a school record with 110 free throws made.

    CRAWFORD JOINED THE RANKS
    Memphis’ Victoria Crawford became just the 17th Tiger in history to hit the 1,000-point career mark, after the senior posted 13 points in Memphis’ loss to Western Kentucky on Dec. 20. The 2004 C-USA Sixth Player of the Year, Crawford is just the third Tiger in as many years to hit that mark, following Princess Swilley (2003-04) and Shannon Hamp (2002-03). Crawford, who set a new Memphis and C-USA record with 207 free throws converted last year and 261 attempted, is currently fourth on the Memphis’ career free throws attempted list (667). Crawford is also tied for second in school history for career free throws made (498) with Tamika Whitmore (1976-80).

    BALANCED POWER
    DePaul won its second regular season Conference USA title on Feb. 20. Overall, nine different schools have won at least a share of a regular season championship in the last 10 years of the league.

    10TH ANNIVERSARY AWARDS
    Conference USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. In conjunction, the league is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference’s 19 sports. Women’s Basketball is the latest sport to have its All-Decade team released and the squad is led by former Houston star Chandi Jones, a three-time C-USA Player of the Year, who was named the Player of the Decade. The Women’s Basketball Coach of the Decade award was won by DePaul’s Doug Bruno, who led the Blue Demons to their second regular season title this season. Voting on the awards was done by each of the league’s current women’s basketball coaches. DePaul and Tulane were the only schools to produce multiple members of the team with two players apiece. Seven other schools had one representative on the squad.

    C-USA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-DECADE TEAM
    Chandi Jones, Houston (2000-04) - PLAYER OF THE DECADE
    Valerie King, Cincinnati (2001-2004)
    Khara Smith, DePaul (2001-present)
    Lenae Williams, DePaul (1998-02)
    Sara Nord, Louisville (2000-04)
    Abbie Willenborg, Marquette (1996-2000)
    Tamika Whitmore, Memphis (1995-99)
    Sandora Irvin, TCU (2001-05)
    Grace Daley, Tulane (1996-2000)
    Janell Burse, Tulane (1997-2001)
    Deanna Jackson, UAB (1998-02)

    C-USA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH OF THE DECADE
    Doug Bruno, DePaul (1976-78, 1988-present)

    AROUND C-USA

    CHARLOTTE (22-9, 9-5 C-USA)
    The Charlotte 49ers saw their season end with a 100-75 WNIT first-round loss to ACC foe Wake Forest. The 49ers' 22 wins is the third highest single-season total in school history. Junior Sakellie Daniels paced the 49ers with 26 points. Freshman Sabrina Gregory tossed in 15 points. While, Whitney Hoey scored a career-high 10 points in the final game of her freshman season. This season, Pam Brown and Daniels have both scored their 1,000th career point, which is the first time in school history that two players have reached the 1,000-point plateau in the same season. Also this season, Monica League became the program's all-time career leader in games played (121), games started (120) and minutes (3,769).

    CINCINNATI (9-19, 4-10 C-USA)
    Cincinnati was eliminated from the C-USA Tournament by host Charlotte, 63-46, on March 3. The Bearcats shot just 30 percent from the floor and committed 21 turnovers in the game. UC finished the season with an overall record of 9-19. The 2005 Sixth Player of the Year Anne Stephens led her Bearcat squad in scoring with 12.0 points per game, while sophomore Toni Slaughter topped the team in rebounding, averaging 6.6 boards per game.

    No. 17 DE PAUL (26-5, 13-1 C-USA)
    After a 2005 C-USA regular-season championship and its highest NCAA Tournament seed in school history with a No. 5 slot, the Liberty Flames closed the door on the Blue Demons with an 88-79 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Tuesday evening. For the second consecutive season, DePaul pulled off a win in the first round only to be upset in the second round, as last year’s Blue Demon squad was beat by top-seeded Tennessee in Tallahassee, Fla. The program is 5-10 all-time in NCAA Tourney action with five second-round appearances. 2005 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Khara Smith leads DePaul with 21 double-doubles, while averaging 18.4 points and 11.8 rebounds. The first team All-Conference USA honoree is also a finalist for the Wooden Award and Wade Trophy for the nation’s top player.

    EAST CAROLINA (10-18, 6-8 C-USA)
    East Carolina fell to Memphis in the first round of the 2005 Pepsi Conference USA Tournament March 3, 76-67. Jennifer Jackson, who was named second-team All C-USA, played in her 109th career game for the Pirates with her 76th start. She recorded her 71st double-digit game of her career with 12 points. Jackson finishes her career as the fifth all-time scorer in ECU's history with 1,490 points. Shanita Sutton recorded her 67th start and has played in 106 career games. Sutton tied a career-high in points (20) and recorded a game-high (10) points for her third double-double of her career. Sutton recorded one block and finished her career with 65, which places her seventh all-time.

    HOUSTON (21-9, 10-4 C-USA)
    UH bowed out of the NCAA Tournament after suffering a 65-43 loss to seventh-seeded Boston College on March 20. The Eagles scored 16 unanswered points over a seven-minute span in the first half to open up a 20-point lead and never looked back. Sancho Lyttle ends the season as one of the nation's leading rebounder with 12.1 rebounds per game. KiKi Harris added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Daphne Andre chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds for the Cougars. This was Houston's second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after being eliminated by UC-Santa Barbara last year in the second round. Last season, Houston gained their first win in the NCAAs with a 62-47 victory over UW-Green Bay in the first round. Houston ends the season with a 21-9 record.

    LOUISVILLE (22-9, 11-3 C-USA)
    The eighth-seeded Women of Troy used a 65-49 victory over ninth-seeded Louisville in the first round of the Kansas City Regional. Louisville's first tournament appearance in four years ended quickly. Sophomore center Jazz Covington, who averaged nearly 18 points per game, had a frustrating afternoon and finished with 13 points after some late lay-ups once the game was out of reach. She also topped the team in field goal percentage and ranks second in the conference, connecting on 56.7 percent. Covington became just the second women's basketball player and fourth player overall in Louisville history to score 1,000 career points as just a sophomore. She needs just seven rebounds to register 500 career rebounds.

    MARQUETTE (18-12, 8-6 C-USA)
    Marquette’s effort wasn’t enough to topple Nebraska in a 66-57 loss in the 2005 Postseason Sportsview.tv WNIT First Round Game on March 17. In the Golden Eagles final C-USA action, Marquette advanced to the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament. Leading the Golden Eagles is sophomore center Christina Quaye and junior guard Carolyn Kieger. Quaye topped the 20-point mark nine times this season and leads the team in scoring at 15.7 per game. Kieger falls just behind Quaye in scoring and leads the conference in assists per game. Against UAB in the first game of the C-USA tourney, Kieger became the 17th player in school history to pass the 1,000-point mark. She is one of just three players in school history to have 1,000 points and 400 or more assists.

    MEMPHIS (13-16, 5-9 C-USA)
    After reaching the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament for the eighth time in 10 years, the Memphis Tigers fell to then-ranked No. 12 DePaul, 78-55, on March 4. Senior Victoria Crawford, who was named Third Team All-C-USA for the second consecutive year, led her squad with 16 points and eight rebounds. In addition to Crawford being named Third Team in 2004, she also received the league's Sixth Player of the Year Award. Crawford averaged 15.0 points, while senior Raven Rogers posted 7.6 rebounds per game, both marks topped the team.

    SAINT LOUIS (4-23, 3-11 C-USA)
    The Billikens completed the 2004-05 season with a 4-23 overall record and a 3-11 mark in Conference USA. Saint Louis guard Mia Johnson was selected to the 2005 C-USA All-Freshman Team, after the 5-foot-9 shooting guard ranked fifth in the league with a 17.1 scoring average. Johnson scored 444 points this year, the fifth-highest single-season total at SLU. She was one of the top scoring freshmen in the country, tallied at least 20 points on 10 occasions and reached double figures in scoring 24 times. Johnson sank 64 three-pointers and set a school record with 110 free throws made. She ranked 12th in the league in assists and led all freshmen in assists and steals.

    SOUTHERN MISS (9-19, 3-11 C-USA)
    Fifth-seeded USF used a record-setting defensive effort to advance to the quarterfinals of the Pepsi C-USA Women’s Basketball Tournament posting a 68-47 victory over 12th-seeded Southern Miss on March 3 at Dale F. Halton Arena. The Bulls notched a tournament record in game two for steals with 19 and forced the Golden Eagles to make a tournament record 36 turnovers. Freshman Shannon Stueber, who was named to the 2005 C-USA All-Freshmen Team, led the young squad in scoring this season with 15.1 points per game, while classmate Emer Foley averaged 6.7 rebounds per game.

    TCU (23-10, 10-4 C-USA)
    C-USA Tournament champion TCU saw its season come to a close on March 19 in Seattle at Bank of America Arena. The No. 10-seeded Oregon Ducks downed No. 7 TCU 58-55 in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship, putting the Horned Frogs' final record at 23-10. The Frogs climbed back into the national rankings March 7 after defeating Louisville 60-41 for the Conference USA Tournament championship the previous day. TCU currently stands in at No. 24 in both The Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls. At the helm of the Frogs is TCU standout Sandora Irvin. For the 2004-05 season, Irvin is averaging 20.1 points, 12 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots, 2.1 assists and 2.5 steals. She ranks 11th in the nation in scoring, second in rebounding and third in blocks.

    TULANE (11-16, 3-11 C-USA)
    Tulane closed out the 2005 regular season with a 79-49 win over Southern Miss, the largest margin of victory since the Green Wave defeated Southeastern Louisiana by 43 on December 19, 2002. Tulane ends its season 11-16, 3-11 in Conference USA. Leading the Wave this season was senior Lakeithia Hampton, who was named to the All-Conference USA Third Team. Hampton tallied three double-doubles and reached double figures in 19 of 22 games in which she played. She became the 17th player in Tulane women's basketball history to score 1,000 points as she ended her Green Wave career ranked No. 9 on the school's all-time lists for rebounds with 610 and No. 10 for free throws made with 254. This season marks the first time Tulane has failed to qualify for the Conference USA Tournament.

    UAB (7-21, 4-10 C-USA)
    UAB closed out its 2005 season with a 78-53 loss to Marquette in the opening round of the Conference USA Tournament on March 3. Sophomore Carmen Guzman led all scorers with 22 points, including 15 in the second half for the Blazers. Guzman was also UAB's leading rebounder with seven. Additionally, sophomore Crystal McFadden had 15 points, six rebounds and a team-high four steals in the contest.

    USF (21-11, 9-5 C-USA)
    USF ended the best season in its 33-year history on March 21 with a 78-63 loss to Wake Forest in the second round of the Sportsview.tv Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Bulls finish the season with a 21-11 record setting a new record for wins in a season. Anedra Gilmore led the way for the Bulls with a game-high 16 points and five assists while logging a full 40 minutes of action. The 5-6 senior point guard finishes her stellar career with 365 career assists in just two seasons (60 career games), which puts her in fifth place all-time on the career assist list at USF just one handout from sharing fourth. Bull leader Jessica Dickson has been the go-to girl this year, netting 16.9 points per game, which is tops on the team. On Feb. 26, in the team’s win over Southern Miss she became the 14th player in school history to score 1,000 career points and the first woman to accomplish the feat prior to the end of her sophomore year.

    HONEY, I’M HOME!
    Following an easy 77-56 defeat of Marquette on Feb. 27, the then-ranked No. 12 Blue Demons extended the school’s best home-court win streak with 23-straight, which is currently the second longest active streak in the country. The Blue Demons broke Louisville’s seven-game home winning streak with a 70-60 victory at Freedom Hall on Feb. 5. Western Illinois defeated Southern Utah on Feb. 21 to stay perfect in Mid-Continent Conference action and extend the nation's longest home-court winning streak at 39 games.

    2004-05 RANKED WINS
    N27 TCU def (3) Georgia, 64-63
    N28 TCU def. (13) Michigan State, 80-75
    N30 (24) Houston def. (14) Purdue, 63-60
    J9 Marquette def. (18) DePaul, 63-57
    M5 TCU def. (11) DePaul, 87-77

    OVERTIME GAMES
    USF fell to No. 8 Connecticut on Dec. 1, 75-65, in the first C-USA overtime game for the 2004-05 season. The overtime game marked first extra session in the Huskies’ on-campus Pavillion.

    NCAA LEADERS
    Below is the latest 2004-05 NCAA statistical report through games of March 14. The next report is scheduled for March 24.

    INDIVIDUAL
    Scoring
    10. Sandora Irvin, TCU 20.1 ppg
    24. Sancho Lyttle, HOU 19.1 ppg
    31. Khara Smith, DPU 18.4 ppg
    37. Jazz Covington, LOU 17.9 ppg

    Rebounds
    1. Sancho Lyttle, HOU 12.4 rpg
    2. Sandora Irvin, TCU 12.0 rpg
    4. Khara Smith, DPU 11.8 rpg

    Assists
    8. Anedra Gilmore, USF 6.2 apg
    9. Carolyn Kieger, MAR 6.2 apg
    T15. Joann Overstreet, HOU 6.0 apg
    21. Natasha Lacy, TCU 5.8 apg

    Blocked Shots
    3. Sandora Irvin, TCU 4.5 bpg

    Steals
    8. Joann Overstreet, HOU 3.5 spg
    22. Sancho Lyttle, HOU 3.0 spg

    Field-Goal Percentage
    4. Khara Smith, DPU 61.9
    16. Jazz Covington, LOU 56.7

    Free Throw Percentage
    30. Jessica Dickson, USF 84.3

    Three Point Field Goal Percentage
    4. Allie Quigley, DPU 48.7

    Three Point Field Goal Made Per Game
    19. Allie Quigley, DPU 2.6
    26. Mia Johnson, SLU 2.5

    TEAM
    Scoring Offense
    1. DePaul 82.9
    26. Charlotte 71.7

    Scoring Defense
    T28. USF 55.6

    Scoring Margin
    2. DePaul 21.6

    Field Goal Percentage
    9. DePaul 47.0
    30. Louisville 44.3

    Field Goal Percentage Defense
    10. TCU 35.1

    Rebounding Margin
    2. DePaul 12.0
    22. TCU 6.3

    Three Point Field Goals Per Game
    10. DePaul 7.3

    Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
    11. DePaul 37.9

    Won-Loss Percentage
    13. DePaul 86.2

    Assists Per Game
    1. DePaul 19.6
    23. Charlotte 16.4
    27. Marquette 16.2

    Blocked Shots Per Game
    4. TCU 6.6

    Steals Per Game
    13. DePaul 11.8
    16. Houston 11.7
    20. TCU 11.4
    23. USF 11.3

    2005 C-USA SIGNEES
    Charlotte:
    Danielle Burgin C 6-5 Asheville, N.C. /Asheville
    Traci Ray G 5-5 Cypress, Texas/Cy-Fair

    Cincinnati:
    Jill Stephens C 6-3 Mineral Wells, W.Va./Parkersburg South
    Michelle Jones F 6-1 Cincinnati, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame
    Angel Morgan G 5-8 Springfield, Ohio/Springfield North
    Kahla Roudebush G 5-8 Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern
    Shelly Bellman G/F 5-10 Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glendorf

    DePaul:
    Erin Cattell F 6-1 Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg

    East Carolina:
    Jessica Slack G 5-11 Thornville, Ohio/Sheridan
    Erica Gilley G/F 5-11 Lexington, N.C./Lexington Senior
    Cherie Mills C 6-4 Ayden, N.C./Louisburg JC
    Impris Manning G 5-9 Thomasville, N.C./Thomasville
    Alicia Person G 5-9 Henderson, N.C./Southern Vance

    Houston:
    Sha'Ratta Hawkins G 6-0 Houston, Texas/Jesse H. Jones
    Nikita Robertson G 5-7 Reserve, La./East St. John's
    Nakazi Glover G/F 5-11 Bellaire, Texas/Bellaire
    Nichelle Roberts* F 6-1 Houston, Texas/Westfield/Kansas
    Ryan Meyers G/F 6-0 Arlington, Texas/Arlington/Grayson Co. CC
    Sha'Quaylon McKinney*F/C 6-3 Dallas, Texas/Skyline/Trinity Valley CC

    Louisville:
    Angel McCoughtry F 6-1 Lenoir, N.C./Patterson
    Neka Mixon G 6-0 Long Beach, Calif,/Long Beach Wilson
    Chauntise Wright C 6-3 Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara

    Marquette:
    Krystal Ellis G 5-9 Racine, Wis./St. Catherine
    Erin Monfre G 5-11 Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South
    Marissa Thrower F 5-11 Detroit, Mich./Renaissance

    Memphis:
    Paris Leonard G 5-8 Memphis, Tenn./Wooddale
    Sherika Montgomery C 6-2 Plantersville, Miss./Shannon

    Saint Louis:
    Amanda Kemezys C 6-4 Belleville, Ill./Belleville East
    Evelyn Ruff G 5-7 Saint Louis, Mo./Gateway Tech

    Southern Miss:
    Pauline Love F 6-1 Luxora, Ark./Rivercrest
    Ashley Boehnel G 5-10 Kiln, Miss./Hancock
    Amber Eugene G 5-7 St. Rose, La./Destrehan
    Rachael Manuel C 6-4 Grays Lake, Ill.
    Kendra Reed F 5-10 Bay St. Louis, Miss.
    Ashley Harrell G 5-10 El Dorado, Ark./El Dorado

    TCU:
    Brittany Purdom F 6-4 Rialto, Calif./Etiwanda
    Micaela Younger C 6-2 Dover, Del./Caesar Rodney

    Tulane:
    Kendra Barnes F 6-2 Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa
    Ashley Langford G 5-5 Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg
    Sasha Staidum G 5-7 Houma, La./Ellender
    Megan Valicevic G/F 5-11 The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands

    UAB:
    Tamika Dukes F 6-0 Birmingham, Ala./Huffman
    Britney Jones G 5-7 Chicago, Ill./Marshall
    Brianna Barry F 6-1 Flint, Mich./Flint Southwestern Academy

    USF:
    Shantia Grace G 5-8 Sarasota, Fla./Riverside
    Jessica Jackson G 5-6 Roswell, Ga./Roswell

    TOURNAMENT MVPS
    With numerous tournaments dotting the schedules of most C-USA teams, a number of league squads and individuals have fared well by claiming tournament titles and MVP honors.

    Moran Realty Classic (DePaul)
    Champion: DePaul - MVP: Jenni Dant

    Miami Jam (Florida International)
    Champion: USF - MVP: Ezria Parsons

    Houston Classic (Houston)
    Champion: Houston - MVP: Sancho Lyttle

    Tiger Classic (Memphis)
    Champion: Memphis - MVP: Victoria Crawford

    Rainbow Wahine Classic (Univ. of Hawaii)
    Champion: TCU - MVP: Sandora Irvin

    Mildred & Roger White Invitational (Northwestern)
    Champion: Houston - MVP: Joann Overstreet

    DoubleTree Classic (Tulane)
    Champion: Tulane – MVP: D’Aundra Henry

    Blue Sky Restaurant Classic (Valparaiso)
    Champion: DePaul – MVP: Khara Smith

    Blazer Invitational (UAB)
    Champion: UAB – MVP: Carmen Guzman

    LOOKING AHEAD TO 2005-06
    The 2005-06 season will see the introduction of six new programs to Conference USA. Marshall University, Rice University, Southern Methodist University (SMU), the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the University of Tulsa and will all begin competition in C-USA beginning with the 2005-06 season. These six schools will join current members East Carolina University, University of Houston, University of Memphis, Southern Mississippi University, Tulane University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

    For more information about the future of Conference USA, please check out the website: www.conferenceusa2005.com

    2005 FINAL FOUR IN INDY
    Butler University and the Horizon League host the 24th edition of the Women’s Final Four in Indianapolis. The RCA Dome showcases the final two days of NCAA Tournament for the first time in the event’s history. With Indianapolis playing host to the 2006 Men’s Final Four, it becomes the fourth city to host the Men’s and Women’s Final Four in back-to-back years (Lexington, Ky., 1985 men’s and 1986 women’s; Atlanta, 2002 men’s and 2003 women’s and New Orleans, 2003 men’s and 2004 women’s). For the third consecutive year, ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast all 63 games of the 2005 Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

     

     

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