Lady Bears Host Hofstra on Sunday
11/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2006
WACO, Texas -
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#19/#18 Baylor (1-0) vs. Hofstra (1-0)
Sunday, Nov. 12 - 2 p.m.
Ferrell Center - Waco, Texas
OVER THE AIRWAVES
TV: None
Webcast: FREE for all WNIT games.
Radio: KRZI-ESPN - 1660 AM
Radio Talent:
Rick May (Play-by-play)
Lori Fogleman (Color analyst)
BAYLOR Lady Bears
IN THE POLLS
19 - Associated Press
18 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
Angela Tisdale - Jr., G, 5-5 - 9.0 ppg, 3.0 apg
Jhasmin Player - So., G, 5-10 - 7.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Jessica Morrow - So., G, 6-0 - 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Rachel Allison - So., P, 6-0 - 10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Bernice Mosby - Sr., P, 6-1 - 15.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg
HOFSTRA Pride
IN THE POLLS
NR - Associated Press
NR USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
Cigi McCollin - Sr., G, 5-7 - 17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Jeanell Hughes - Sr., G, 5-9 - 4.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
Lizanne Murphy - Sr., F, 6-1 - 19.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg
Lana Harshaw - Sr., F, 6-0 - 15.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg
Vanessa Gidden - Sr., P, 6-3 - 22.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg
PRESEASON WOMEN'S NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT (WNIT)
The Preseason WNIT field is filled with 16 high-caliber teams. The tournament got underway on Thursday, Nov. 9 with four contests while four more were played on Friday, Nov. 10. The field has now been trimmed to eight teams: Baylor/Hofstra, Stanford/BYU, Purdue/Hartford and Iona/N.C. State.
Second-round games will be played on Nov. 12-13, semifinals on Nov. 15-16 and the championship is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 19. All games are played on home campuses, which are determined after each round.
Second-round games
Sunday, Nov. 12
Hofstra at Baylor (2 p.m. CT); Iona at N.C. State (2 p.m. ET); Hartford at Purdue (5 p.m. ET)
Monday, Nov. 13
BYU at Stanford (7 p.m. PT).
FREE WEBCAST FOR ALL WNIT GAMES
For Lady Bear fans that can't be at the Ferrell Center, all WNIT games that Baylor is involved in will be available via FREE video streaming at: www.baylorbears.com.
HEAD COACH Kim Mulkey
When Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey accepted the position of women's basketball head coach at Baylor University, few could have predicted the dramatic and prestigious turn the program was about to take. In just six years at Baylor, the former All-American and Olympic Gold medalist has guided the Lady Bear basketball program to the pinnacle of women's basketball, the 2005 NCAA national championship, five NCAA Tournament appearances and six 20-win seasons.
The 2005 national title was Baylor's first for a women's team sport and is the only basketball national title, men's or women's, in the Big 12 Conference's 10-year history.
In winning the 2005 title, Mulkey became the first person, man or woman, to win a basketball national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
En route to the NCAA championship, the Lady Bears won their first Big 12 Conference championship and were the league's tournament champion as well. Mulkey has produced amazing results since taking over the reins of the program on April 4, 2000, averaging 26.1 wins a season. In her seven years at the program's helm, she has posted an impressive 158-45 (.778) record which ranks her No. 7 nationally in winning percentage. Since taking over a squad that was just 7-20 the season prior to her arrival, Mulkey has guided the Lady Bears to six postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the 2003 WNIT finals. In 2004, the Lady Bears made their first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 and have now played in three straight Sweet 16s.
SECOND APPEARANCE IN PRESEASON WNIT
Baylor is making its second appearance in the Preseason WNIT. The Lady Bears hosted first and second round games in 1998, winning their first round contest against Louisiana-Monroe (84-65) before losing in the second round to 22nd-ranked Florida, 70-58.
IF BAYLOR WINS
If the Lady Bears win against Hofstra on Sunday, they would host a WNIT semifinal round game on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. The winner of the Baylor/Hofstra contest will face the victor of the Stanford/BYU game. If the Lady Bears lose, their next contest would be a home game on Tuesday, Nov. 21 versus LSU at 7 p.m.
ON NOVEMBER 12TH
Baylor has never played a game on Nov. 12.
SCOUTING HOFSTRA
First year head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey inherited a team that was coming off a 19-12 season, a trip to the Women's National Invitation Tournament and returned four senior starters and 11 players overall.
The Hofstra Pride enters the contest with a 1-0 mark after posting a 79-72 road win over Wichita State on Friday night. The Pride sports a starting lineup that consists of five seniors: guards Cigi McCollin and Jeanell Hughes, forwards Lizanne Murphy and Lana Harshaw and center Vanessa Gidden.
Two Pride players posted double-doubles while in all, four scored in double figures. Murphy and Harshaw each registered double-doubles with Murphy, at 6-1, tallying 19 points and 10 rebounds while Harshaw managed 15 points and 10 boards. Gidden led all scorers with 22 points on the night, she also added eight rebounds. McCollin completed the Pride's double-digit scoring with 17.
SERIES RECORDS VS. HOFSTRA
Sunday's contest marks the first meeting between the Lady Bears and the Pride.
BAYLOR VS. COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Baylor has only played one other Colonial Athletic Association member, Virginia Commonwealth (VCU). The Lady Bears lost to VCU, 91-84, on Dec. 30, 1992 in the Central Florida Holiday Classic in Orlando, Fla.
BAYLOR IN THE RANKINGS
The Lady Bears are ranked in both major preseason polls. They are listed at No. 19 in the AP Poll which extends their school-record streak to 49 straight weeks. BU is ranked No. 18 in the Preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.
THE YOUNGSTERS VS. THE VETERANS
A look at the two rosters shows some glaring differences. Hofstra is a veteran team with five seniors, all of whom started the first game, two juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen. Baylor on the other hand, only has three upperclassmen on its squad. The Lady Bears' starting lineup is comprised of one senior (Bernice Mosby), a junior (Angela Tisdale), and three sophomores (Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow, Jhasmin Player).
Baylor's roster lists seven newcomers including Mosby and six freshmen.
HOME SWEET HOME
Baylor will play only three games away from the Ferrell Center during its 2006-07 non-conference schedule. At least eight games will be in the friendly confines of the Ferrell Center (North Texas, LSU, Texas A&M-CC, Southeast Missouri, Sam Houston State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, North Carolina A&T and Prairie View A&M).
The Lady Bears will spend their Thanksgiving break in the Bahamas as they compete in the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. They will face Central Florida (Nov. 24) and then play the winner of the South Dakota State/Virginia contest on Nov. 25. Baylor's only other non-conference road trip will be to southern California to play UCLA on Dec. 17.
AFTER ONE GAME
Baylor posted an 84-47 victory in its season opener against North Texas.
After one game, three players are averaging double-digit scoring and two more are just one point below that mark. Senior All-America candidate Bernice Mosby leads the way with 15.0 a game while freshman Danielle Wilson tallies 14.0 and sophomore Rachel Allison averages 10.0. Point guards Angela Tisdale (junior) and Latara Darrett (freshman) average nine apiece.
Mosby is averaging a double-double with 14.0 rebounds a game to go with her 15 points. Wilson and Allison each pull down eight a game.
Wilson, whose wing span reaches 82 1/4", managed to block five shots against North Texas.
