Marquette University Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Pair Of National Division Foes
1/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2000
MILWAUKEE -
COMING UP Conference USA National Division foes South Florida and Houston come to Milwaukee this weekend, as the Marquette women's basketball team (14-4, 6-1) looks to bounce back from its first Conference USA loss of the season. On Fri., Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. (CT), the Golden Eagles host the Bulls in a game that will be televised live from the Milwaukee Arena by ESPN Regional, and carried regionally by Midwest Sports Channel. Marquette then faces Houston in the Milwaukee Arena on Sun., Jan. 30, at 2 p.m.
ABOUT MARQUETTE Following its first league loss of the season at Memphis this past Sunday, Marquette attempts to rebound and protect its one-game lead in both the C-USA and American Division standings. The loss at Memphis also snapped a 10-game winning streak in conference games. However, Marquette is still defending a 17-game home-court winning streak, which is tied for 10th-best in the nation.
Marquette is currently shooting 42% from the field, 29% from behind the arc and 67% from the free throw line. Marquette's opponents have converted 38% of their field goals, 28% of their attempts from three-point land and 70% of their free throws.
The Golden Eagles are out-scoring opponents by 4.1 points per game, 67.9-63.8, and are outrebounding their opponents by 1.5 rebounds per game, 40.4-38.9.
Marquette has been giving opponents something to think about lately: After starting the same lineup for 38 straight games dating back to the first game of the 1998-99 season, the Golden Eagles have trotted out six different lineups in the past nine contests. The lineup at Memphis this past Sunday - G- Kiesha Oliver and Kristi Johnson, F - Lisa Oldenburg and Heidi Bowman, C- Abbie Willenborg - accounts for 86% of the points (58.2 ppg) and 65% of the rebounds (26.3 rpg) this season. That lineup has been the most consistent one for Marquette this season, having compiled an 8-4 mark in 12 games.
Oldenburg paces Marquette with 16.9 points, 1.7 blocks and 2.4 steals per game, and shoots 59% from the field. Willenborg grabs 8.9 rebounds per game and shoots 73% from the line. Johnson shoots 33% from behind the three-point arc while dishing out 3.3 assists per contest.
ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA After opening the season at 10-1, head coach Jerry Ann Winters have struggled during league play, having lost seven in a row. The Bulls head into this week's game with a 10-8 overall mark and are 1-6 in C-USA, following home losses to Southern Miss and Tulane last weekend.
The Bulls are led by the C-USA Player of the Year candidate Monica Echeverria. The 5-10 senior transfer from Central Florida Community College is averaging 16.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 steals per game while seeing action at a number of positions. Junior guard Shannon Layne shoots 40% from three-point land and averages 11.1 points and 4.6 rebounds. She and point guard Dione Smith, a 5-5 senior who adds 5.3 points, 3.6 boards, 3.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game, have both started all 18 contests for South Florida.
Winters has a record of 242-191 (.559) in 16 seasons as a head coach. Her four-year mark at the helm of the Bulls is 44-56 (.440).
Marquette has an unblemished 5-0 all-time record against South Florida, with the most recent of those victories coming a year ago, when the Golden Eagles prevailed 74-69 in Tampa. Four starters reached double-digits for Marquette in that contest, led by Lisa Oldenburg's 24 points. Sonya Swick, now an undergraduate assistant coach for South Florida, led the Bulls with 18 points and nine rebounds.
ABOUT HOUSTON Head coach Joe Curl's Lady Cougars have rebounded from a slow start during the conference season, where they have already surpassed last season's win total. Following an 86-76 victory over Southern Miss on Jan. 23, Houston enters the week at 3-4 in C-USA and 6-11 overall. The Lady Cougars battle DePaul in Chicago on Jan. 28 before arriving in Milwaukee.
Curl is in his second season at Houston, where he has compiled an 11-33 (.250) mark. He is 135-91 (.597) in eight seasons as a head coach.
Houston features a wide-open attack that sees Curl using a rotation as deep as 12 players in most games. Cathy Lida, a 6-1 swing player from Chambery, France, paces Houston with 9.6 points and 1.8 steals per game, and converts 33% of her three-point attempts. Two-time All-C-USA candidate ShaRonda Lasseter patrols the lane for Houston and adds 9.0 points and a team-high 4.6 rebounds per game. Nine different players have led Houston in scoring at least once this season.
Marquette holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series with Houston. The Golden Eagles got double-doubles from both Lisa Oldenburg and Abbie Willenborg last season, when Marquette downed the Lady Cougars 90-64 in Houston. Three other Golden Eagles joined Oldenburg and Willenborg in double-digit scoring in the contests, while Angela Curl led Houston with 20 points
LAST WEEK
Marquette 72, UAB 69 (ot)
Abbie Willenborg hit a layup with 10 seconds left and then iced the game with a pair of free throws as Marquette came from behind to defeat UAB 72-69 in overtime at the Milwaukee Arena this evening. Fellow seniors Kiesha Oliver and Lisa Oldenburg paced the Golden Eagles, with 22 and 21 points, respectively, and helped Marquette extend its current home-court winning streak to 17 games. The Golden Eagles also remained undefeated in Conference USA action at 6-0 and were 14-3 overall. Following the loss, UAB was 11-6, 3-3.
The Lady Blazers opened an 18-8 lead by utilizing red-hot three-point shooting. UAB's Jackson sisters, 6-2 sophomore Deanna and 5-9 senior Lisa, each hit a pair of treys in the first eight minutes as each of the Blazers' first six field goals was a three.
Marquette chipped away at the lead behind the slashing of junior Heidi Bowman, who had 10 of her 14 points in the opening half. However, every time Marquette cut into the lead, the Lady Blazers found the open player for a three. UAB went 8-15 from behind the three-point arc in the first half, and hit 12 in the game. Deanna Jackson led the first half charge for UAB with 12 points and eight boards. The Lady Blazers took a 32-23 advantage into the intermission.
"UAB came out firing, which is not their personality," Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell said. "But they were feeling it and getting open looks."
As they have in several other games this season, the Golden Eagles mounted a furious comeback after the break. Oliver found success on several dribble-drives to the hoop while Oldenburg and Willenborg worked the low-post game to help Marquette take its first lead with 4:41 left in the contest. It was the Marquette defensive effort, however, that paved the way for the comeback. Deanna Jackson was held to only four points and two rebounds in the second half and the Lady Blazers committed 13 turnovers in the second 20 minutes. Marquette also had a 40-33 advantage on the boards over UAB, which came into the game as the top rebounding team in C USA.
"We went to a man defense in the opening of the second half, and that's what got us back in the game," Mitchell said. "We adjusted to follow the game plan in the second half."
The remaining minutes of regulation were a back and forth affair. Bowman, who hit a three-pointer this past Sunday to provide Marquette with a 62-59 victory at UNC Charlotte, couldn't convert this evening, as her three point attempt as the buzzer sounded was long.
The overtime session was more of the same, as the teams traded baskets. Oliver's three off a motion play with 13 seconds left was long, but Willenborg hauled in the offensive rebound for the quick put-back. The 6-2 senior center then grabbed a Holly Holland airball on the other end of the floor and hit the subsequent free throws for the final outcome.
"I challenged the seniors at halftime," Mitchell said. "If you can get on to your leaders and they respond, then that filters down through the team. They responded."
Oliver's 22 points was a season high for the 5-9 guard, who also collected six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Oldenburg's 17 points came on 7-9 shooting from the field and went along with seven boards, two assists, four blocks and three steals. Willenborg had 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, a block and three steals. The Lady Blazers were led by Mia Thrash, who had 17 points. Deanna Jackson had 16 points and 10 boards, while Lisa Jackson tallied 14 points and Holland 11.
Memphis 80, Marquette 68
The Memphis Lady Tigers converted 30-33 free throws and got 20 points from Tiffany Adkins in sending Marquette to its first Conference USA loss of the season on Jan. 23, 80-68, in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. After taking a three-point lead into the break, Marquette had trouble finding offensive flow in the second half in the face of a smothering Memphis press. Abbie Willenborg had a game-high 25 points to lead Marquette, which is now 14-4, 6-1. Memphis improved to 10-8, 4-3 with the win.
"We knew coming into this game that this was going to be a tough place to play," Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell said. "The crowd was enthusiastically behind Memphis the whole way, creating a hostile environment for us and that played a factor. Hopefully our team and fans can generate that type of enthusiasm over our last four home games. It was an exciting place, but we were on the wrong end of it. We need that electricity at home. It's also a tough chore to stop a team that is shooting like they did from the line."
Willenborg dominated a frenetic, physical first half that saw a number of lead changes. The 6-2 senior center poured in 20 points to stake the Golden Eagles to a three-point halftime advantage. Kiesha Oliver pushed a defiant Marquette fast break, that withstood waves of Tiger defenders and a sympathetic fieldhouse crowd. Oliver ended the opening frame with seven points. Memphis, which got into early foul trouble with its four primary post players picking up two fouls each, was led by Adkins. The transfer from Ole Miss dropped in nine points, going 5-5 from the charity stripe.
However, Memphis came back early in the second frame and pulled away late by virtue of 22 second-half free throws and 12 Marquette turnovers after the break. Memphis limited Willenborg to only five points after the break, and the Golden Eagles found no other alternative as they struggled to break the Lady Tigers' full-court defense. Yolanda Reed, Memphis senior point guard, spearheaded that defense and also chipped in 17 points and seven assists.
"We had trouble finding any kind of offensive consistency in the second half. Obviously, we had some success in the beginning by going to Abbie, but we couldn't get into our half-court offense enough after the break to get good looks at the basket."
Willenborg concluded the contest with a season-high 25 points and eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Oliver ended the game with 10 points, while Lisa Oldenburg chipped in 13.
IN THE POLLS Marquette was not ranked in either the USA Today / Coaches' Poll or the AP Poll this week, but was among the top teams receiving votes in both polls.
Several Marquette opponents did receive national recognition this week: Notre Dame is #5 by both the AP and the coaches, while C-USA foe Tulane is #20 in the coaches' poll and #22 in the AP poll. Drake is receiving votes in both polls, while Arkansas State is getting votes in the coaches' poll.
HEAD COACH TERRI MITCHELL Now in her fourth season as head coach, Terri Mitchell is 78-29 (.729) at the helm of the Golden Eagles. Marquette's 14 wins this season make Mitchell the first head coach in the program's history to earn 10 wins or more in each of her first four seasons. She is also the first coach in the program's history to lead the team to a regular-season title, three-consecutive 20-win seasons and three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Mitchell was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year following the 1997-98 season after leading the Golden Eagles to a 22-7 mark and a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
In her debut season of 1996-97, Mitchell led Marquette to a 21-10 record, an 11.5 game turnaround from the Golden Eagles' 8-20 season the year before. The jump marked the largest improvement by a first-year head coach in NCAA Division I that year.
A 1989 graduate of Duquesne, where she was also a four-year letterwinner for the Duchesses' basketball team, Mitchell started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arizona State during the 1989-90 season. After a one-year stint as the Director of Camps and Promotions for Future Stars International, Mitchell came to Marquette as an assistant coach in 1991. She served as an assistant at the university until she was named head coach on June 6, 1996.
Mitchell is assisted by Tracey Tarkington, Jon Cain, Michelle Nason and special assistant Kelly Johnson.
ER After missing the previous seven games while rehabilitating from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her right knee, freshman forward Rachel Klug (Cedar Grove, Wis. / Cedar Grove) is expected to be available for action this weekend. The 6-2 forward had been averaging 1.3 points in 3.6 minutes per game before the injury.
SOLID GOLDENBURG As the weather outside has turned frigid over the past week, Oldenburg (West Allis, Wis. / Hale) has heated up, as she is shooting 65% from the field in the past three games. One of Marquette's three captains, she had a strong overall performance in the UAB victory with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, four blocks and three steals. She came back with 13 points and three assists at Memphis. Oldenburg leads Marquette with 16.9 points, 1.7 blocks and 2.3 steals per game, and a 59% field goal percentage. She also is converting 72% of her free throws.
K.O. PUNCH Oliver (Racine, Wis. / Park) led the Golden Eagles' second-half comeback against UAB, tossing in a season-high 22 points to go along with six boards. She had one of her top shooting games of the season in that contest, going 9-16 from the field with a pair of three-pointers. Oliver followed that game with 10 points, four boards, two assists and two steals when she returned to the starting lineup against Memphis. Oliver is averaging 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, and is shooting 69% from the line.
WILLEN' AND ABLE Willenborg (Arlington Heights, Ill. / Hersey) scored the final four points of the game to secure Marquette's overtime win against UAB on Thursday. The 6-2 senior center finished the UAB game with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, a block and three steals. She then had a season-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals at Memphis. Conference USA's all-time leading rebounder, Willenborg is currently averaging 16.1 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game. She is shooting 44% from the field and a team-high 73% from the line and also averages 2.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per contest.
STAT PACK Several Golden Eagles were ranked among the statistical league leaders coming into this week. Abbie Willenborg is ninth in scoring (16.1 ppg), fifth in rebounding (8.9 rpg), eighth in field goal percentage (44%), 11th in free throw percentage (73%), and fifth in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). Lisa Oldenburg is second in the league in field goal percentage (59%), is sixth in scoring (16.9 ppg), tenth in rebounding (6.9), 13th in free throw shooting (72%), seventh in steals (2.3 spg) and second in blocked shots (1.7). Kristi Johnson is tenth in assists (3.3 apg), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (33%), tied for sixth in three-point field goals made (1.6 3FGpg) and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.44). Kiesha Oliver is ninth in blocked shots (0.83 bpg).
As a team, Marquette is fifth in scoring defense (63.8 ppg), fifth in scoring margin (+4.1), fifth in free throw percentage (67%), third in field goal percentage (42%), second in field goal percentage defense (38%), fourth in three-point field goal percentage defense (28%), fifth in rebounding margin (+1.4), first in blocked shots (5.4 bpg) and fourth in assists (15.0 apg).
GOLDEN EAGLES ON THE AIR Select Marquette women's basketball games will be broadcast live on the Marquette Basketball Radio Network by WJYI-1340 AM and WISN-1130 AM this season.
Kent Sommerfeld and Kareeda Chones will call all the action for at least 16 games this season, with at least two others being simulcast. WJYI will carry at least 14 games, with WISN airing at least four. Additional games from the postseason may be added.
The Golden Eagle Pregame Show will start approximately 5-10 minutes before the scheduled tip-off on most dates.
The following games will be carried by WJYI:Jan. 28 South Florida 7 p.m.Feb. 3 at Southern Miss 7 p.m.Feb. 13 at Louisville 1 p.m.Feb. 18 UNC Charlotte 7 p.m.March 3-6 C-USA Tournament TBA The following games will be carried by WISN:Jan. 30 Houston 2 p.m.Feb. 20 Saint Louis 2 p.m.(The broadcast schedule is tentative and subject to change.)
The Golden Eagles will be featured on two nationally-televised games this season. Marquette's Sat., Feb. 5, game at Tulane will be aired by espn2 at 3 p.m. Midwest Sports Channel will pick up FOX Sports Net's broadcast of the Golden Eagles' final game of the regular season, at DePaul on Sat., Feb. 26, at 11 a.m. Midwest Sports Channel also will air the ESPN Regional telecast of the South Florida contest at the Milwaukee Arena this Friday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m.
QUOTING TERRI MITCHELL: "It's never good to lose, but hopefully we can learn something from having faced that type of adversity. Now we have to see how the team will react, and we've got two big tests this week. Both South Florida and Houston will bring athletic teams to the Arena. We'll have to concentrate on running our game plan to get things done."
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Marquette assistant sports information director Josh Sutter at (414) 288-6980 or at: joshua.sutter@marquette.edu
