Marquette University Athletics
Women's Basketball Looks To Heat Up Down South
2/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2000
MILWAUKEE -
COMING UP After a pair of convincing victories at home this past weekend, Marquette quickly gets back on the court this week, as they meet Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Thu., Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. (CT). The Golden Eagles then head to the Big Easy, where things will be anything but: Marquette battles nationally-ranked Tulane on Sat., Feb. 5. The contest between the Golden Eagles and the 20th-ranked Green Wave tips-off at 4 p.m. in the Green Wave's Fogelman Arena, and will be telecast nationally by espn2.
STRICTLY BUSINESS Marquette's game at Tulane this coming Sat., Feb. 5, has been re-scheduled for a 4 p.m. (CT) tip-off. The game, which was originally slated to start at 3 p.m. (CT), was moved to 4 p.m. for television considerations by espn2, which will carry the game live.
ABOUT MARQUETTE After extending its home-court winning streak to 19 games this past weekend, Marquette opens its most grueling road test of the season this week. The Golden Eagles hold a one-game lead over Tulane in the overall Conference USA standings, and have a two-game margin in the American Division. However, they now have four consecutive games on the road, where they are 4-4 this season. Marquette defeated its two opponents this past weekend by an average margin of 34.5 points per game.
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 36% of their field goals, 27% of their attempts from three-point land and 69% of their free throws.
The Golden Eagles are out-scoring opponents by 7.1 points per game, 68.5-61.4, and are outrebounding their opponents by 4.0 rebounds per game, 42.4-38.4.
After starting the same lineup for 38 straight games dating back to the first game of the 1998-99 season, the Golden Eagles trotted out six different lineups over the first seven contests of the new year. However, Marquette has gone with the same starters in the past three games - G- Kiesha Oliver and Kristi Johnson, F - Lisa Oldenburg and Heidi Bowman, C- Abbie Willenborg . Those five account for 85% of the points (57.9 ppg) and 65% of the rebounds (27.4 rpg) this season. That lineup has been the most consistent one for Marquette this season, having compiled a 10-4 mark in 14 games.
Oldenburg paces Marquette with 16.6 points, 1.7 blocks and 2.3 steals per game, and shoots 56% from the field and 74% from the line. Willenborg grabs 9.1 rebounds per game. Johnson shoots 34% from three-point land while dishing out 3.1 assists per contest.
ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS The league's "other" Golden Eagles are now 10-10 overall and 4-5 in C-USA under first-year head coach Rick Reeves. Southern Miss got past UNC Charlotte 64-61 at home before falling at Saint Louis 64-57 last weekend.
Angela Atterbbery has established herself as one of the best all-around players in the league this season. The 5-6 senior guard has led Southern Miss in scoring 11 times this season and averages 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game, all of which lead the team, as does her 74% free-throw percentage. A balanced Southern Miss attack also features 5-10 junior Kim Young, 5-11 sophomore Jessica Woods and 5-6 junior Angela Johnson, who average 10.8, 10.2 and 9.9 points per game, respectively. Woods also averages 7.8 rebounds per game.
After nine seasons as the head coach at Liberty, Reeves took over the reigns of the Southern Miss program last April. He has a 13-year overall head coaching mark of 209-169 (.553) and led his Liberty squad to three consecutive NCAA appearances from 1997-99. His 1997-8 squad went undefeated (28-0) during the regular season.
Marquette took a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with Southern Miss last season, when MU earned a 63-52 victory in Milwaukee. Lisa Oldenburg, who surpassed the 1,000-career points mark in the contest, paced Marquette with 17 points, while Abbie Willenborg added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Ebony Williams pulled down a career-high 14 boards. Southern Miss was led by Atterberry, who had 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
ABOUT TULANE Head coach Lisa Stockton's high-powered Green Wave are the lone C-USA team to have garnered a national ranking this season. At 18-2 overall and 7-2 in the league following victories over Saint Louis and UNC charlotte this past weekend, Tulane is up to #20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and is #21 by the AP.
In her sixth season at the New Orleans school, Stockton has led the Green Wave to a 130-40 (.765) mark during her tenure. She has an overall head-coaching record of 193-67 (.742) in nine seasons.
The Green Wave are led by the potent inside/outside combination of Grace Daley and Janell Burse. Daley, a two-time All-C-USA First Team selection, is the leading candidate for C-USA Player of the Year honors. The 5-8 senior is among the nation's scoring leaders at 22.0 points per game and also averages 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 49% from the field and 75% from the line. Burse is a 6-5 junior center who posts 18.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest and shoots 56% from the field.
Tulane holds a 4-1 all-time series lead over the Golden Eagles. Last season in New Orleans, the Green Wave got 27 points from Kristen Koch and 25 from Daley en route to an 86-73 victory. Marquette was led by Kristi Johnson, who poured in 17 points, and Abbie Willenborg, who notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Marquette's lone victory over Tulane came during the 1997-98 season, when the Golden Eagles prevailed 77-58 in Milwaukee.
LAST WEEK
Marquette 82, South Florida 41
Marquette raced out to an 8-2 lead in the opening moments and never looked back in shutting down Conference USA foe South Florida 82-41 on Jan. 28 at the Milwaukee Arena. All three Marquette seniors reached double-digits, led by Abbie Willenborg's 20, and the Golden Eagles out-rebounded the Bulls by 23 in sending South Florida to its eighth-straight loss. Marquette, which shot 52% on the evening, improved to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in the league. South Florida, which made only 13 field goals en route to 21% field-goal shooting, fell to 10-9, 1-7.
"Everyone had an enthusiasm and a passion for us out there tonight," Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell said. "Everyone took pride in all aspects of the game. It was good to see some of our other players get out there and do some different things for us."
After South Florida cut the Marquette advantage to three points (14-11) at the 11:55 mark of the first half, the Golden Eagles ran away from the Bulls, outscoring them 24-6 the rest of the half. Kiesha Oliver led the first half charge for Marquette with 11 points.
Marquette continued to build on its lead after the break as Willenborg and Oldenburg took over inside. Oldenburg finished the game with 16 points and seven rebounds and Willenborg added eight boards to her game high 20 points as the pair of seniors went 16-26 from the field. The duo also shut down South Florida's Monica Echeverria. The 5-10 senior center, who came into the game averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds per game, was held to four points and six rebounds. The Golden Eagles owned a 56-33 advantage on the boards and also blocked nine shots. Oldenburg and Willenborg each tallied three blocks. Oliver finished the contest with 15 points, while Heidi Bowman added eight. Freshman Aiya Shepard paced South Florida with 13 points, while classmate Lindsey Smith added nine.
Marquette 66, Houston 38
Marquette hit the boards like no other Conference USA team before them and stayed ahead of the pack in the league standings with a 66-38 victory over Houston in the Milwaukee Arena on Jan. 30. The Golden Eagles set new C-USA single-game standards for most rebounds in a C-USA contest (63) and for most defensive rebounds ever by a C-USA team (43). Abbie Willenborg led the way for Marquette, tallying 13 points and 13 rebounds as the Golden Eagles improve to 16-4, 8-1. Houston, which had no players reach double figures and shot 17% on the afternoon, falls to 6-13, 3-6 with its second straight loss.
The win in the Arena also extended the Golden Eagles' home-court winning streak to 19 games, tied for the sixth-best mark in the nation.
"We love playing at home," Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell said. "But we don't really think about the streak, we just try to protect our house. This weekend, for us, was bout getting better, and we feel we're at a pretty good spot right now. Our defense has come together and we were strong on the boards today."
Marquette broke open a tie game with a 20-2 run over the final 6:29 of the first half. The Golden Eagles took advantage of the marked height advantage, with Sarah Zawodny and Abbie Willenborg combining for 13 points and 11 rebounds in the opening frame.
The Golden Eagles systematically built the lead to the final 28-point margin throughout the second half by pounding the glass and shutting down the athletic Lady Cougars. Six Golden Eagles had six or more rebounds, led by Willenborg's 13 and Kiesha Oliver's season-high 10. Heidi Bowman added nine rebounds, while both Zawodny and Ebony Williams collected seven.
Marquette held Houston to only three second-half field goals, as the Lady Cougars went 3-29 after the intermission. The 10 field goals for Houston matches an opponent single-game low for Marquette.
Despite suffering through an uncharacteristically poor shooting day from the field, Lisa Oldenburg added 11 points and six rebounds, while Zawodny tossed in nine and freshman Rashida Gales added a career-high six.
"We were trying to do a number of things and get some different combos out there," Mitchell said. "We didn't come into the game with a specific defensive goal, but the players et a goal of holding Houston to 40 points during halftime and they went after it."
Houston was led by junior guard Jessica Shanklin, who had nine points and eight rebounds.
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 #22 in the coaches' poll and #21 in the AP poll. Drake is receiving votes in both polls, while Arkansas State is getting votes in the coaches' poll and DePaul is getting votes in the AP poll.
HEAD COACH TERRI MITCHELL Now in her fourth season as head coach, Terri Mitchell is 80-29 (.734) at the helm of the Golden Eagles. Marquette's 16 wins this season make Mitchell the first head coach in the program's history to earn 15 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.
SOLID GOLDENBURG One of the most versatile players in C-USA, Oldenburg (West Allis, Wis. / Hale) is again displaying the skills that have earned her All-C-USA honors the past two seasons. The 6-2 senior forward leads Marquette with 16.6 points, 1.7 blocks and 2.3 steals per game, and a 56% field goal percentage and 74% free throw percentage. She also is averaging 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Oldenburg is the only player in C-USA to rank among the top 15 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, steals and blocks.
Despite struggling from the field against Houston (4-16), Oldenburg still turned in a solid performance with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. She also had a strong outing against South Florida with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
K.O. PUNCH Oliver (Racine, Wis. / Park) helped stake Marquette to an 18-point halftime advantage against South Florida, netting 11 of her 15 points before the intermission. The 5-9 senior guard went 7-9 from the field and also tallied six rebounds and five assists against the Bulls. She followed the game with a season-high ten rebounds against Houston. Oliver also tallied six points, three steals and two assists against the Lady Cougars.
This season, Oliver is averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, and is shooting 70% from the line.
WILLEN' AND ABLE Willenborg (Arlington Heights, Ill. / Hersey) led all players with 20 points and eight rebounds, and also had three blocks, three assist and two steals against South Florida. She also bottled up USF's Monica Echeverria, holding the Bulls' center to four points and six rebounds. The 6-2 Willenborg notched her eighth double-double of the season against Houston, getting 13 points and 13 rebounds to go with three steals and a block. Conference USA's all-time leading rebounder, Willenborg is currently averaging 16.2 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game. She is shooting 47% from the field and 73% from the line and also averages 1.9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.7 steals per contest.
IN THE LANE Bowman grabbed a season-high nine rebounds against Houston ... Rashida Gales (Burnsville, Minn. / Burnsville) set career-highs with six points against Houston and six rebounds against South Florida ... Kim Nelson (Mosinee, Wis. / Mosinee) scored the first points of her collegiate career against South Florida and came back with three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal against Houston ... 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) returned to action against South Florida ... Kristen Seffern (Van Dyne, Wis. / North Fond du Lac) was held out of the Houston game with tendinitis in her right knee ... Johnson broke a two-game drought with a pair of threes against South Florida ... Zawodny (Beavercreek, Ohio / Chaminade-Julienne) averaged 6.5 points and seven rebounds on the weekend.
STAT PACK Several Golden Eagles were ranked among the statistical league leaders coming into this week. Abbie Willenborg is eighth in scoring (16.2 ppg), fifth in rebounding (9.1 rpg), seventh in field goal percentage (47%), 11th in free throw percentage (73%), and tied for fourth in blocked shots (1.4 bpg). Lisa Oldenburg is third in the league in field goal percentage (56%), is seventh in scoring (16.6 ppg), tenth in rebounding (6.9), tied for eighth in free throw shooting (74%), tied for eighth in steals (2.3 spg) and second in blocked shots (1.7). Kristi Johnson is 14th in assists (3.1 apg), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (34%), sixth in three-point field goals made (1.6 3FGpg) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.33). Kiesha Oliver is tenth in blocked shots (0.80 bpg) and 29th in scoring (9.4 ppg).
As a team, Marquette is first in scoring defense (61.4 ppg), third in scoring margin (+7.1), fifth in free throw percentage (67%), fourth in field goal percentage (42%), first in field goal percentage defense (36%), second in three-point field goal percentage defense (27%), second in rebounding margin (+4.0), first in blocked shots (5.6 bpg) and fifth in assists (15.1 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: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: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.
QUOTING TERRI MITCHELL: "This past weekend was about us. Not to take anything away from South Florida or Houston, but we were more concerned with our effort and intensity, and getting back to what we do well. The coaches and players have recommitted themselves to winning the conference championship and we've taken the first steps.
"Now we go into one of our toughest stretches of the season. The next three weeks will say a lot about who's going to be on top, and with four straight road games, we obviously have a difficult situation. We'll take them one game at a time. You can't talk about Tulane until we face Southern Miss. And we can't look at Cincinnati and Louisville until we battle Tulane."
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Marquette assistant sports information director Josh Sutter at (414) 288-6980 or at: joshua.sutter@marquette.edu
