Women's Basketball Seeks End to Four-Game Slide
2/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2001
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For the second time this season, Marquette finds itself in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Consolation can be gained, however, from its previous two losses. Marquette has struggled on the road this season, winning just three times away from Milwaukee, but took the conference-leading Louisville Cardinals to overtime before suffering defeat. It then gave Cincinnati all it could handle before falling to the Bearcats on a last-second buzzer-beating three pointer.
Marquette faces no easy challenges this weekend with Houston and South Florida on the schedule. The Cougars sit second in the American Division and South Florida pulled off its first conference win of the season last weekend.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
Marquette (9-14) at Houston (15-9) Feb. 16 * 7 p.m. * Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) Radio: None, TV: None
Everything seemed to be going Houston's way this season. The Cougars had been winning games with a style and ease not seen since the early '90s and the days of Margo Graham and Pat Luckey. That is, everything was going well until the UAB contest.
Freshman guard Chandi Jones was a key component in the Cougars' success. Prior to the UAB contest, UH was 13-6 and was sitting on top of the American Division. The Coogs had already defeated preseason favorite Tulane and Jones was the nation's leading freshman scorer and Houston's bread and butter at 21.5 points per game. Then, it came to an end. Jones tore her ACL and ended her super season. With the injury, Houston lost their leading scorer and catalyst and was looking to regroup. They went on to defeat UAB, but have since lost three of their last four games.
With Jones, Houston has defeated the likes of Louisiana Tech, the nation's eighth-ranked team, and provided Louisville, Conference USA's top team, with its only conference loss of the year. Without Jones, UH's scoring has dipped to 66 points a game from 76 and have lost games to Charlotte and Saint Louis, teams lower than Houston in the standings.
Coming into the contest with MU, Houston split action with Southern Miss and Tulane. All five starters scored in double figures against Southern Miss, showing Houston still has offensive weapons. Tulane avenged an earlier conference loss by hitting 60 percent from the field and having seven players with 10 or more points.
Picking up the slack for Jones' departure is senior forward Monet Sykes. She averages 11.4 points per game. Senior guard Jessica Shanklin, who scored 22 against Southern Miss and 14 against Tulane, has her average up to 10.2 points per game. Sykes leads the team in rebounding at 6.5.
Joe Curl is in his third season at Houston. He is 27-52 at UH. Overall, in 11 seasons, he is 187-152.
Last meeting: Marquette shut down Houston in Milwaukee on Jan. 30, 2000. MU held the Cougars to 17 percent shooting in a 66-38 win. Abbie Willenborg led all scorers with 13 points, adding 13 boards. Jessica Shanklin was the high scorer for Houston with nine.
Series History: Marquette leads, 4-0.
POSSIBLE STARTERSMarquette Ht. Yr. Stats G Kristi Johnson 5-6 Jr. 5.5 ppg, 2.2 apg G Rashida Gales 5-8 So. 4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg F Heidi Bowman 6-0 Sr. 14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg F Kristin Seffern 6-2 So. 5.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg C Sarah Zawodny 6-4 Jr. 11.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Houston Ht. Yr. Stats G Jessica Shanklin 5-5 Sr. 10.2 ppg, 4.6 apg G Nicole Oliver 5-10 Fr. 3.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg F Cathy Lida 6-1 Sr. 9.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg F Monet Sykes 5-10 Sr. 11.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg C ShaRonda Lasseter 6-3 Sr. 9.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg
SCOUTING SOUTH FLORIDA
Marquette (9-14) at South Florida (4-19) Feb. 18 * 1 p.m. EST * Sun Dome (10,411)Radio: WISN, 1130 AM, Miilwaukee Internet: www.broadcast.com Commentators: Kent Sommerfeld, Kareeda Chones
TV: Fox Sports, Florida (Delay, Monday 7 EST) Commentators: Jim Louk, Ronnie Laughlin
South Florida has struggled this season and their year has been filled with off the court distractions. South Florida lost its head coach, Jerry Ann Winters, for off-the-court incidents which led to her mid-season dismissal.
In part, that has led South Florida to its 4-19 record. However, the Bulls got a pickup in its most recent contest as it handed Southern Miss a defeat at the Sun Dome, giving the Bulls their first conference win of the year. They are 1-11 in conference prior to a Friday meeting with DePaul.
The 55-52 win on Feb. 11 was the first since Dec. 30 and ended the second-longest losing streak in the program's 29-year history at 11 games. Aiya Shepard led South Florida in scoring for the 15th time this season, putting in 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
South Florida had its losing streak extended to 11 games against Tulane on Feb. 9. Shepard scored 19 in the loss.
The Bulls lack depth, as only seven players played in the USM win and eight played in the Tulane loss, with one of those eight only seeing one minute on the floor.
Shepard is the team's leading scorer on the year, with 17.0 points per game. Guard Denetrice Stinson adds 11.8 points per game and leads the way with 6.5 boards per contest.
Jose Fernandez, an assistant coach at season's beginning, is in his first year as a head coach with a 4-19 record.
Last meeting: Marquette defeated USF, 82-41, on Jan. 28, 2000, in Milwaukee. Marquette shot 52 percent from the field. Abbie Willenborg scored 20 points. Aiya Shepard led the Bulls with 13.
Series History: Marquette leads, 6-0.
POSSIBLE STARTERSMarquette Ht. Yr. Stats G Kristi Johnson 5-6 Jr. 5.5 ppg, 2.2 apg G Rashida Gales 5-8 So. 4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg F Heidi Bowman 6-0 Sr. 14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg F Kristin Seffern 6-2 So. 5.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg C Sarah Zawodny 6-4 Jr. 11.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg
South Florida Ht. Yr. Stats G Shannon Layne 5-8 Sr. 10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg G Melissa Tape 5-6 Fr. 2.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg G Aiya Shepard 5-7 So. 17.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg F Lindsay Smith 6-0 So. 6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg C Ashley Teets 6-2 So. 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
1,000-POINT CLUB
Last season, three Marquette players -- Abbie Willenborg, Lisa Oldenburg and Kiesha Oliver -- ended their careers with over 1,000 points. This season senior Heidi Bowman joined 1,000-point club with seven points against Tulane on Feb. 2. She scored her 1,000th career point on a free throw with 51 seconds left in the contest.
Needing 286 points this season, Bowman has 331 points for a total of 1,045 career points. Only one season in her career, however, did Bowman score enough points for her to reach the feat as she is currently on a personal record pace. In 1998-99, Bowman scored 331 points for the season (11.4 points per game). Last season, Bowman scored 258 points. However, Bowman is on pace to set a career best with 389 points this season.
Bowman moved into 15th place on the Marquette all-time scoring list, trailing Kerri Christianson who had 1,002. Bowman trails 14th place Kiesha Oliver by 16 points (1,061).
1,000-POINT SCORERS 1. Abbie Willenborg 1996-2000 1,818 15. Kiesha Oliver 1996-2000 1,061 16. Heidi Bowman 1997-pres. 1,045
BALANCED ATTACK
Against Louisville on Feb. 8, Marquette had four players score 10 or more points for the first time in the season. Sarah Zawodny and Kristi Johnson scored 19 points each. Heidi Bowman and Kristin Seffern scored 10 each. Also in that contest, Kelly Schwerman scored a career-high tying eight points.
ZAWODNY CONTINUES MU'S STRONG INSIDE GAME
With Marquette's inside game being filled during the duration of her career by Lisa Oldenburg and Abbie Willenborg, Zawodny spent her first two seasons backing the duo up and learning. Apparently the apprenticeship has paid off. Against, Louisville on Jan. 14, Zawodny became the first player other than Heidi Bowman to lead the team in scoring in a game this season. She scored 22 points, a career high. On two other occasions, Bowman was tied by Zawodny as MU's leading scorer. Zawodny recorded her second-consecutive 20+ scoring output with a 20-point effort against DePaul. She also grabbed 15 boards, the sixth time this year she has grabbed 10 or more rebounds. She grabbed 11 boards against Charlotte for her seventh double-digit rebound effort of the year and scored the game-winning free throws with 28 seconds remaining. She tossed in a team-high 17 points against Tulane and had a co-team-high with 19 points against Louisville. She leads the team in rebounding with 8.7 and is hitting 50.6 percent of her shots.
PLAYERS STEP UP ON THE ROAD
Three career highs were tied or broken as Marquette won two games on the road at Charlotte and Saint Louis on Jan. 26 and 28. In the Jan. 26 contest at Charlotte, freshman Katie O'Grady came off the bench to score a career high eight points. In the Jan. 28 Saint Louis matchup, sophomore Rachel Klug scored double figures for the first time in her career with 10 points and Kristin Seffern scored 13 points for the third time for her career.
At Louisville, Kristi johnson set a season best 19 points hitting five three pointers for the first time this season. Kristin Seffern set a career best with 11 boards in that contest. Against Cincinnati, Heidi Bowman hit 11-of-19 shots to tie her career high of 26 points.
MARQUETTE STARTS TO HIT OFFENSIVE GROOVE
For the first time this season, Marquette recorded two halves in one game in which it shot better than 40 percent. Against Saint Louis, the Golden Eagles shot 44 percent in the first half and 42 in the second half for a game total of 42.9 percent. Surprisingly, Marquette did not set a season high for field goal percentage in that game. MU shot 44.9 percent against Memphis and 43.8 percent against Colorado State.
The Golden Eagles did set a season best and shot over 40 percent in both halves for the second time of the year against Louisville. Marquette shot a season best 45.6 percent in the overtime loss. MU shot 46.4 percent in the first half and 44.8 percent in the second half and overtime.
MU came just short of tying its season best shooting performance against Cincinnati. MU shot 45.5 percent, with 46.4 percent shooting in the first half and 44.4 percent shooting in the second half.
ROAD WOES CURED, TEMPORARILY
After starting the season 0-5 on the road, Marquette won two road games on Jan. 26 and 28th at Charlotte and Saint Louis. In doing so, Marquette also won three-straight games for the first time this season. Since that successful road swing, MU has lost two tight games on the road.
CAREER HIGHS SET IN LOUISVILLE CONTESTS
Despite a 76-61 loss, two MU players set career highs in points. Junior center Sarah Zawodny set her career high for the fourth different time this season with a 22-point effort, hitting 8-of-11 shots. Guard Rashida Gales scored a double-figure output for the first time in her short career hitting 3-of-8 shots for 10 points.
In the 79-74 overtime loss at Louisville, Kristin Seffern set a career high with 11 rebounds and Kelly Schwerman tied a career high with eight points.
ACCURACY ENCOURAGED
At 50.4 percent, junior center Sarah Zawodny leads the team in field goal shooting. WIth a four-game pace of 68.8 percent (22-32) against Memphis, Cincinnati, Louisville and DePaul, Zawodny's field goal percentage shot up from 46.9 percent to 52.3 at that point.
STARTERS SOLIDIFIED
In the first portion of the season, Marquette used seven different starting lineups throughout the season. The most any group started was four games, however not consecutively. The quintet of forwards Heidi Bowman and Kristin Seffern, center Sarah Zawodny and guards Kristi Johnson and Rashida Gales have started 13-straight games for Marquette, earning a 5-8 mark.
BOWMAN THE SHOWMAN
Senior forward Heidi Bowman is making the most of her final collegiate year. Now 23 games into the season, Bowman has led the Golden Eagles in scoring in all but four games. On three occasions this year, Bowman has set personal collegiate bests in scoring, racking up 26 points against Michigan, Colorado State and Cincinnati.
SEEKING THE CENTURY MARK IN WINS
Head coach Terri Mitchell claimed her 95th career victory in a 56-50 win over Saint Louis. Mitchell, in her fifth season as a head coach, needs just five more wins to reach the 100 mark. Only one coach in MU history has won as many games. Tat Shiely won 111 games in 11 seasons with Marquette.
Mitchell became the second winningest coach in Marquette history against Saint Louis with her 95th win of her career, passing Jim Jabir who won 94 games in six seasons.
TALES OF TWO HALVES
Despite reversals against Saint Louis, Louisville and Cincinnati, a season long trend with Marquette has been having one very good shooting half and one not so good shooting half. The Golden Eagles are shooting 38.3 percent. So far this season, Marquette has, with just three exceptions, put together games in which it shot 40 percent or better in one half and less than 40 percent in another. In its better half, Marquette is shooting 45.4 percent (277-610), and in the other halves, the Golden Eagles are shooting 31.9 percent (209-655).
KEEP THE SCORING DOWN
Marquette is 9-2 in games in which it has held its opponents to 60 or fewer points and 0-9 in games in which it has allowed 61 or more points. In its wins, Marquette has held its opponents to as low as 43 points (against Wis.-Milwaukee) and has allowed as many as 60 (to Memphis). Marquette's only blemish to this mark is a 58-44 setback to Brigham Young. In its nine wins, Marquette is allowing its opponents to score 52.6 points per game.
POOR SHOOTING NOT ALWAYS A LOSS AND VICE VERSA
On six occasions has Marquette shot 35 percent or better in each half, with a 2-4 record in those contests. Against DePaul on Jan. 21, Marquette was 30 percent or lower in each half in a 53-48 win. Conversely to DePaul, MU shot better than 40 percent in each half to both Louisville and Cincinnati, but lost in overtime to Louisville, 79-74, and on a last-second three-pointer to Cincinnati, 63-61.
FRESHMAN IMPORTANT IN FIRST YEAR
With five first-year players on the roster, a lot is expected of the new crew. Four of the five saw significant action in the season opener against Iowa and all five have played significant minutes, with two earning starting time. Crystal Weaver and Kelly Schwerman each earned starts in the Saint Mary's Thanksgiving Classic. Schwerman started five games in a row.
All five have contributed to the Marquette cause this season, with Becky Stieber, Schwerman and Weaver each averaging at least 12 minutes per game this season. In all, the freshman five have contributed 22 percent of the Marquette scoring, 22 percent of the rebounding and 25 percent of all playing time.
LAST FIVE MINUTES OF PLAY
Many basketball games are decided in the final five minutes of play, as Marquette demonstrated on the road at Louisville and Cincinnati. In compiling a 9-14 overall record, Marquette has outscored its opponents during the final five minutes and overtime, however it has struggled in shooting during that time. Marquette has scored 16 percent of its total points this season in the last five minutes. MU's shooting percentage drops eight percent in the last minutes of the game.
What has kept Marquette's offense up in the final five minutes is its offensive rebounding. The Golden Eagles are pulling down 3.3 offensive boards in the last five minutes and have 21 percent of its offensive boards in the game's conclusion.
LAST FIVE MINUTES -- SEASONStat MU Per Gm OPP Per Gm Points 236 10.3 220 9.7 Field Goals 62-195 31.7 % 68-169 40.2 % Three-point Field Goals 11- 72 15.3 % 17- 48 35.4 % Free Throws 101-141 71.6 % 94-125 75.2 % Offensive Rebounds 76 3.3 37 1.7 Defensive Rebounds 82 3.6 69 3.0 Assists 16 0.7 34 1.5 Turnovers 42 1.8 45 2.0 Steals 23 1.0 14 0.6 Blocked Shots 16 0.7 9 0.4 Fouls 67 2.9 76 3.3
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Marquette women's basketball team pursues a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament with a schedule that includes 14 home contests, games with five NCAA tournament teams -- Notre Dame, Brigham Young, Michigan, UAB, and Tulane -- from a year ago, and the Conference USA Postseason tournament. Marquette faces the most difficult non conference schedule of any team in C-USA.
Marquette has the 22nd ranked schedule according to the The Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI College Basketball Ratings. As of games of Feb. 12, Marquette non-conference opponents are 151-89 and have an average RPI of 92.0.
"We've had an outstanding schedule in previous years, and this year is no different," head coach Terri Mitchell stated.
HOME WIN STREAK HALTED
Oregon State and Cincinnati have something in common. They are amongst the select few who have defeated Marquette on its home floor. Oregon State ended MU's 23-game home winning streak with a 64-50 decision on Dec. 2, 2000.
With a 13-0 home record in 1999-2000 and a 2-0 home record in 2000-2001 prior to the OSU loss, Marquette had amassed a 23-game winning streak at home. Marquette suffered its last home loss before the Oregon State decision on Jan. 1, 1999, a 61-58 defeat at the hands of Cincinnati.
Heading into the 2000-2001 season, Marquette has won 62 percent of all its home games in its 26 seasons. Marquette is 181-115 all-time at home and is 95-43 at the U.S. Cellular Arena. This season, Marquette is 6-4 at home.
In Terri Mitchell's five seasons, Marquette is 50-10 (.833) at home.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
With the loss to Iowa, Marquette is 13-13 all-time in season-opening contests. The Golden Eagles, had won their last three season openers, prior to the road loss to Iowa. Last season, Marquette knocked off Iowa 69-64 in the beginner in Milwaukee. In games at home to open the season, Marquette is 8-7. When opening on the road, Marquette is 5-5. On neutral courts in openers, Marquette is 0-1.
In its first road contest of the year, Marquette maintains a 6-20 record all-time. In its first home game of the season, MU has a 16-10 record.
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The Golden Eagles took third place in the lone tournament played thus far in 2000-2001. Marquette fell to Northern Iowa and defeated Southern Utah in the consolation game of the Saint Mary's Thanksgiving Classic. Scoring 20 against Northern Iowa and 15 against Southern Utah, Heidi Bowman was named to the all-tournament team, joining Jerkisha Dosty, Saint Mary's (Most Valuable Player), Jermisha Dosty, Saint Mary's, Nikki Spettel, Northern Iowa, and Sarah Mortenson, Southern Utah.
Marquette holds an all-time record of 53-65 in tournament action. The Golden Eagles have won five tournament titles in the history of the program, winning the fifth in last season's OSU Classic.
MARQUETTE SIGNS TWO IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Katie Alsdurf and Lesley Juedes signed national letters of intent with Marquette. Alsdurf and Juedes will join the Marquette women's basketball team for the 2001-2002 season.
Alsdurf, a 6-foot guard from Forest Lake High School in Forest Lake, Minn., is a three-time all-state performer and is the backbone of her high school team. Playing for Jen Hesse at Forest Lake, Alsdurf has been named a Player-of-the-Year candidate in Minnesota, an Honorable Mention All-American in 1999 and 2000 by Street & Smith and an Honorable Mention All-American by USA Today. Alsdurf is also ranked 58th by the All Star Girls Report. An exceptional student, Alsdurf is the top student in her class of 558 and plays AAU for Brian Frye with the Burnsville Blaze. She chose Marquette over Notre Dame, Penn State and Georgia.
Juedes, a 6-foot-1 forward from Ripon High School in Ripon, Wis., is her school's fourth leading scorer all-time and should be Ripon's all-time scorer after her senior season. Playing for Sheri Quamme, Juedes scored 19.8 points per game (a Ripon single-season record), 10.6 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per game as a junior. A two year starter, Juedes has been Ripon's MVP for the last two years, was first-team All-Conference in that same time period, and was first-team All-Area and Conference Player of the Year as a junior. Juedes was also a first-team All-State selection in 2000 by Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook.
MU PICKED SECOND BY C-USA COACHES
The two-time defending regular season Conference USA Champion Marquette women's basketball team is picked second in the American Division by the league's 12 coaches, the conference office announced.
Marquette, who went 22-7 overall and 14-2 in Conference USA play, trails DePaul in the American Division. The Golden Eagles return two starters from that team -- senior Heidi Bowman and junior Kristi Johnson. Bowman averaged 8.9 points a year ago, while Johnson scored 7.6 points per game and added 3.0 assists per game. Bowman and Johnson are part of a squad that has won back-to-back regular season Conference USA titles and has made four-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Last season, Marquette split its games with DePaul. The Blue Demons are coming off an 18-12 year overall with a 10-6 conference record. DePaul returns all five of its starters, including preseason All-C-USA forward Lenae Williams.
Tulane, coming off its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and second consecutive conference tournament championship, is the favorite to win the National Division and Conference USA. The Green Wave return three starters -- Sarah Goree, Kelly Scanlon and Janell Burse -- who averaged a combined 30.4 points per game last year.
Picked second in the National Division, UAB is led by Preseason Player of the Year in Conference USA, Deanna Jackson. Jackson averaged 19.0 points and 11.7 rebounds as she led the Blazers to the NCAA Sweet 16.
ON THE AIR
Two stations will alternate airing Marquette women's basketball contests this season. The Golden Eagles can be heard on WJYI 1310 AM and on WISN 1130 AM in the Milwaukee area. Five broadcasts are scheduled for WISN, while nine contests will be broadcast by WJYI. The postseason tournament and other postseason games will be aired as well, with broadcast times and stations to be determined at a later date.
Play-by-play reporter Kent Sommerfeld and analyst Kareeda Chones describe the action on both stations.
Also, broadcast games can be heard over the internet. Games on WJYI games will can be accessed on www.joy1340.com and WISN games will be carried on www.radio1130online.com. All broadcast games can be accessed on the Marquette website at www.gomarquette.com.
"The Terri Mitchell Show" will be aired at 5 p.m. on WISN and will begin on Nov. 12. Kent Sommerfeld and Terri Mitchell analyze and discuss Marquette Women's Basketball on the half-hour show.
"The Eagle's Edge," a television show, will be carried on MSC with host Kareeda Chones. The half-hour show will begin Dec. 20 and air on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.
ON THE WEB
All Marquette women's basketball information will be available on the official website of Marquette athletics, www.gomarquette.com.
Notes, stories, features, recaps and radio broadcasts can be accessed by pointing your browser at www.gomarquette.com.
PLAYER UPDATES
3 * RASHIDA GALES
Averaging 4.7 points per game this season, Rashida Gales has moved into the starting lineup in the last 13 games. Gales is hitting 31 percent of her shots on the season, with nine points against Northern Iowa, 10 against Louisville and a career high 14 against DePaul. Gales also added a four point effort against Wis.-Milwaukee and a two point, three assist night against Syracuse. She provided a defensive spark coming off the bench in the second half against Michigan and added two points. Gales had a big game off the bench against Notre Dame, scoring seven points as Marquette's second highest scorer on the night. Earned her first start of her career against DePaul, hitting 3-of-6 shots with six points. In her second career start, scored eight points against Colorado State, hitting three of four shots from the line. She hit four free throws against Memphis as part of a seven point night. She recorded a five-point, three assist night against Charlotte. Scored a combined 16 points on a homestand which included losses to Tulane and Southern Miss.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 14 vs. DePaul (1/21/01) Career 14 vs. DePaul (1/21/01) Rebs. Season 5 vs. DePaul (1/21/01) Career 6 vs. So. Fla. (1/28/00) Assists Season 3 vs. Saint Louis (1/28/00) Career 3, three times Steals Season 2, three times Career 2, three times Blocks Season 2 vs. Colorado St. (1/2/01) Career 2 vs. Colorado St. (1/2/01)
11 * KRISTIN CUFF
Kristin Cuff comes off the bench in 2000-2001 to provide a different look from the outside. Her height makes her difficult to defend from the perimeter as she has the ability to shoot from long range. Cuff watched her minutes increase from no more than six in the first four games, to 11 against Syracuse, however, she has just seven points on the year. She was 1-6 against Iowa in her collegiate debut and went 1-1 against Oregon State. Cuff ended a string of six missed shots over four games when she hit a three pointer, the first of her career, at UAB. She returned to the lineup against Louisville after a two-game absence, but did not score. Played 10 minutes against Tulane and hit a three-pointer. Cuff did not score in four minutes of action against Southern Miss.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 3 at UAB (1/5/01) Career 3 at UAB (1/5/01) Rebs. Season 4, twice Career 4, twice Assists Season 1, twice Career 1, twice Steals Season 1, twice Career 1, twice Blocks Season 1 at Iowa (11/17/00) Career 1 at Iowa (11/17/00)
12 * KATIE O'GRADY
Suffering from a foot injury at the beginning of the year limited the time of O'Grady. She saw her first action of the season against Northern Iowa, put in the game to provide a spark both offensive and defensively. While not logging many minutes or other statistics, O'Grady has seen time because of the energy she brings the team off the bench. She scored her first career points in her fourth game, hitting a three-pointer against Oregon State. Her playing time has been on the rise, logging 11 minutes against Oregon State and six against Dayton. Against the Flyers, O'Grady connected on two free throws to be perfect in that category for her young career at that point in the season. She, however, went 1-2 against BYU from the line to end her perfect streak. She saw nine minutes of action in recording a career high six points against Notre Dame. O'Grady added an offensive spark against UAB late, scoring a career-high matching six points. Likewise against Charlotte, she came off the bench to score a career high eight points. After a one-point effort against Saint Louis, O'Grady tossed in six points against Tulane.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 8 at Charlotte (1/26/01) Career 8 at Charlotte (1/26/01) Rebs. Season 1, five times Career 1, five times Assists Season 1, seven times Career 1, seven times Steals Season 3 at UAB (1/5/01) Career 3 at UAB (1/5/01) Blocks Season 0 Career 0
13 * KRISTI JOHNSON
Johnson has started every game of her career. A 7.6 points per game scorer last season and a 7.3 points per game career scorer, Johnson's production has decreased to 5.5 points per game as the season settles in. Johnson hit 3-of-10 shots from the floor, including a three pointer, against Southern Utah for her then season high of eight. She logged a season high nine points in a 4-of-8 shooting night against Dayton. Followed up the Dayton effort with her second season high in as many games, scoring 10 points and adding five rebounds against Michigan. Against Michigan, Johnson hit 3-of-7 shots including two three pointers. Johnson scored six points against Notre Dame on 2-of-7 shooting. A scoreless night against UAB was the first of this season and the first since the regular season UAB contest last year. However, Johnson rebounded with a six-point scoring effort against Memphis. Johnson logged a season-high six assists against Colorado State and tallied five against Memphis. She hit a season high 19 points, one off her career best, hitting 5-of-10 three pointers, keeping MU in the Louisville contest.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 19 at Louisville (2/8/01) Career 20, twice Rebs. Season 6, twice Career 9 vs. Louisville (1/7/00) Assists Season 6, twice Career 8 vs. UAB (1/29/99) Steals Season 2, three times Career 4 at Houston (1/21/99) Blocks Season 1 vs. Louisville (1/14/01) Career 1, six times
21 * RACHEL KLUG
Klug has proven to be a valuable role player for the 2000-2001 season, earning three starts as matchups have dictated. While seeing 10.2 minutes of action per game, Klug is one of the team's more accurate shooters, hitting 60 percent of her shots (she does not qualify for the team lead due to insufficient attempts). With a 3.3 points per game average, Klug is ninth on the team in scoring. In the season opener, Klug scored seven points against Iowa, hitting all three of her shots. After three games of two points, she tied her mark of seven against Syracuse. Klug added six points off the bench against Brigham Young and scored three against UAB. She missed her first game of the season against Memphis, but logged seven minutes in her next contest against Cincinnati. Klug had a strong game against Charlotte scoring six points and followed it up by setting or tying career highs against Saint Louis with points (10), rebounds (3), assists (1) and blocked shots (1). She followed that up with four point efforts each against Tulane and Southern Miss.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 10 at Saint Louis (1/28/01) Career 10 at Saint Louis (1/28/01) Rebs. Season 3, four Career 3, six times Assists Season 1 at Saint Louis (1/28/01) Career 1 at Saint Louis (1/28/01) Steals Season 3 vs, Syracuse (11/28/00) Career 3 vs, Syracuse (11/28/00) Blocks Season 2 at Cincinnati (2/11/01) Career 2 at Cincinnati (2/11/01)
24 * BECKY STIEBER
Stieber has become a solid all-around performer for Marquette as she has shown the ability to play a number of positions. She has a talent for driving to the basket and making a difficult shot in traffic. Stieber scored a then season high six points against Syracuse with a scoop shot in the lane and with four free throws. A 75 percent free throw shooter, Stieber is third on the team in free throw accuracy. Stieber averages 3.4 points per game, eighth on the team, and has scored in all but four contests this season. She went scoreless against DePaul ending a seven-game scoreless streak. Stieber hit two important baskets early in the contest with Notre Dame and was 2-of-2 from the floor to help up her average to 3.3. Against Colorado State, Stieber added two baskets in the paint. Against UAB, Stieber scored her first double digit game of her career, scoring 10 points, with eight in the second half, on five field goals. She hit three field goals for six points against Cincinnati in a victory. She hit her first career three pointer, her only basket of the game, against Southern Miss.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 10 at UAB (1/5/00) Career 10 at UAB (1/5/00) Rebs. Season 6 at Dayton (12/5/00) Career 6 at Dayton (12/5/00) Assists Season 1, six times Career 1, six times Steals Season 2, twice Career 2, twice Blocks Season 2 at BYU (12/19/00) Career 2 at BYU (12/19/00)
31 * KELLY SCHWERMAN
One of Marquette's quintet of valuable freshmen, Schwerman has earned starts at guard in six consecutive non-conference games. Schwerman scored a career high eight points in her collegiate debut in 18 minutes at Iowa. With a 3.6 points per game output, Schwerman is eighth on the team in scoring. She has also been steady from the free throw line, hitting a team high 89 percent from the line. She has hit all her free throws in 10 of 12 games she has an attempt. Schwerman established her career high in points in the her collegiate debut, scoring eight points against Iowa. She hit a pair of three pointers in that game. Has since approached her career high four times, but not met it. She scored seven points in both games of the St. Mary's Tournament and scored seven in consecutive games against Oregon State and Dayton. Against Southern Utah, she added four assists to her seven points. Against, Louisville, she hit three shots on consecutive possessions to score a career-high tying eight points.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 8 at Iowa (11/17/00) Career 8 at Iowa (11/17/00) Rebs. Season 4, four times Career 4, four times Assists Season 4 vs. So. Utah (11/25/00) Career 4 vs. So. Utah (11/25/00) Steals Season 2 vs. So. Utah (11/25/00) Career 2 vs. So. Utah (11/25/00) Blocks Season 1, three times Career 1, three times
33 * EBONY WILLIAMS
A starter in the first two games of the year, Williams has returned to the more familiar role of bench player and her productivity has increased. Williams struggled with her shot in the first four games of the year, hitting just 2-of-13 shots, scoring five points. Against Syracuse, however, she hit a pair of threes on three attempts for 11 points. She has led the team in rebounding three times this season. Williams did see starting time against Notre Dame, earning the distinction just seconds before introduction to fill in for Heidi Bowman, who received a cut over her eye at the end of warmups. Williams, off the bench, has scored just two or fewer points in 14 of the last 16 games, prior to an 11 point night against Syracuse. The exceptions were three points against Memphis and four against Southern Miss. Two points against Tulane ended a three-game scoring drought for Williams.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 11 vs. Syracuse (11/28/00) Career 11, twice Rebs. Season 7 vs. Wis.-Milw. (11/21/00) Career 14 vs. So. Miss (11/17/99) Assists Season 4 at Iowa (11/17/00) Career 4, three times Steals Season 2 vs. No. Iowa (11/24/00) Career 4 vs. So. Miss (11/17/99) Blocks Season 1, twice Career 4 vs. So. Fla. (1/23/98)
35 * KYLEE BOGOTT
Bogott has been limited in time, but has proven effective in her time on the floor. In the season opener, While having only taken 13 shots on the year, she has hit 62 percent of what she has taken. Bogott scored four points in nine minutes as part of a 2-for-3 shooting night in the season opener at Iowa. That marked her debut with Marquette after sitting out a season per NCAA transfer rules. Bogott earned a start in the St. Mary's Classic consolation game against Southern Utah. A selective shooter, Bogott has only attempted four shots in the last five games she has played. Bogott provided a welcome scoring option against Notre Dame, recording four point and added eight minutes down the stretch against UAB, scoring a pair. Bogott ended a five-game string without playing by seeing 10 minutes against Tulane. She scored four points in that game. She has played in just two of the last nine games.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHS (* at Ohio State)Points Season 4 at Iowa (11/17/00) Career 10 at N'western (1/11/98)* Rebs. Season 3, twice Career 8 at W. Va. (12/16/97)* Assists Season 2 at UAB (1/5/00) Career 2, twice Steals Season 1, twice Career 4 vs. Xavier (11/29/98)* Blocks Season 1 at Iowa (11/17/00) Career 2 at Mich. St. (12/30/98)*
40 * CRYSTAL WEAVER
One of Marquette's most athletic players, Weaver has shown her ability and tenacity as she is third on the team in offensive rebounding with 37 and is fourth on the team in rebounds with 61. She came off the bench in her career debut against Iowa to score seven points on 3-of-6 shooting and grab five offensive rebounds. After starting against Northern Iowa and not scoring, Weaver returned to the bench against Southern Utah to score a career high 10 points and pull down a career high six rebounds. She hit three shots in a game for the fourth time in a season going 3-of-6 against Dayton State, scoring six and getting three offensive rebounds. Weaver earned a start against Notre Dame, and hit one shot and three free throws for five points. She grabbed five boards against the Irish. She scored nine points against Colorado State, hitting a career high five free throws. She added five points against UAB and Memphis and scored six against Louisville. Came off the bench to provide six points and three boards against Charlotte. She tied for the team lead in scoring with eight points against Southern Miss. She was 4-4 in that contest. On seven occasions this season has Weaver grabbed three or more offensive rebounds.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 10 vs. So. Utah (11/25/00) Career 10 vs. So. Utah (11/25/00) Rebs. Season 6, three times Career 6, three times Assists Season 2 at BYU (12/19/00) Career 2 at BYU (12/19/00) Steals Season 2 vs. Syracuse (11/28/00) Career 2 vs. Syracuse (11/28/00) Blocks Season 1, four times Career 1, four times
41 * HEIDI BOWMAN
Bowman has become Marquette's most dangerous offensive threat. She has led the team in scoring in all but three games this season. She scored 18 against Wis.-Milwaukee and followed it up with a then season-high 20 points against Northern Iowa. After scoring 15 points against Southern Utah, Bowman was named to the Saint Mary's Classic All-Tournament Team. Bowman started slow against Syracuse, but had a strong second half to score 17 points, her second best total of the season at the time. She recorded her then lowest outing of the season in an 11-point, 4-13 effort against Oregon State, shooting 30.8 percent for the game. Bowman recorded the same numbers from the floor against Dayton, but added a free throw for 12 points. She rebounded from her mini-slump to hit a career high 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting against Michigan. Against Notre Dame, the senior didn't start for the first time since Jan. 16, 2000. Bowman was cut over her right eye in pregame warmup and was forced to miss the opening minutes of the contest due to blood. Against, DePaul in the C-USA opener, Bowman hit a three-pointer with 16 seconds and a long-range field goal with four seconds in MU's comeback effort. She scored 19 in that contest. Bowman tallied a career-high tying 26 points in the double overtime loss to Colorado State, playing a career high 40 minutes. With an all-around effort, Bowman led a trio of double-digit scorers with 17 in MU's 69-60 win over Memphis. Bowman led MU in scoring with 15 at UAB. She scored 17 on back-to-back occasions in wins over Charlotte and Saint Louis. Against the Billikens, she added a season high 11 rebounds. Bowman scored seven points against Tulane to eclipse the 1,000 career points mark. She tied her career high of 26 against Cincinnati. She is the 15th all time leading scorer at MU with 1,045 points.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 26, three times Career 26, three times Rebs. Season 11 at Saint Louis (1/28/01) Career 14 vs. Memphis (1/31/99) Assists Season 7 at Louisville (2/8/01) Career 7, twice Steals Season 2, four times Career 6 vs. Wisconsin (12/8/99) Blocks Season 2, twice Career 2, five times
44 * KRISTIN SEFFERN
A factor underneath the basket, Seffern has become a key component of the Marquette offense. Playing as both a center and forward, Seffern has the ability to extend her range to get a shot, as she did against Wis.-Milwaukee. She recorded 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting and 5-8 from the line. She added seven rebounds in that contest to lead all Marquette players in that category. A starter in all but one two contests, Seffern is averaging 24 minutes and 5.0 points per a game this season. She logged seven-rebound games against Dayton and Michigan and a seven-point performance against Brigham Young. Was part of Marquette's strong inside game against DePaul, scoring eight points on 2-of-2 field goal shooting and 4-of-4 free throw shooting. Hit her first career three pointer against Colorado State, scoring eight points. Seffern proved a valuable player against Memphis, scoring a career high 13 points. Tied her career high in scoring and set it in rebounding with 13 points and nine boards against DePaul. She again tied a career high in scoring with 13 points against Saint Louis. Seffern earned her first career double double against Louisville with 10 points and a career high 11 rebounds.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 13, three times Career 13, three times Rebs. Season 11 at Louisville (2/8/01) Career 11 at Louisville (2/8/01) Assists Season 3 vs. Wis.-Milw. (11/21/00) Career 3 vs. Wis.-Milw. (11/21/00) Steals Season 2 vs. Memphis (1/8/01) Career 2 vs. Memphis (1/8/01) Blocks Season 2 at BYU (12/19/00) Career 3, three times
52 * SARAH ZAWODNY
Zawodny is Marquette's most dominating player underneath the basket. She leads the team in rebounding with 8.7 per game and she is second on the team in scoring with 11.5 per game. The majority of her scoring comes from inside. Her ability to score near the basket has also made her a target for other teams to foul, with a team high 124 attempts. Zawodny has scored in double figures 13 times this season, posting 13 against Northern Iowa off the bench and 10 against Syracuse in a starting role. She scored 11 points, tying Heidi Bowman for the team high, against Oregon State. In her fourth game with double figures in scoring, Zawodny became the first MU player this season to record a double-double, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She followed that performance up with a then career high 14 points against Michigan and missed her second double-double by one rebound. Zawodny logged a game-high 11 rebounds against BYU, with six coming off the offensive glass. Scored six points in back to back contests with BYU and Notre Dame. Zawodny logged a near double-double at the half against DePaul, with 12 points and seven rebounds, finishing that game with career highs in points (16) and rebounds (12). She tallied her third double-double of the year, grabbing a career high 16 rebounds adding 15 points against Colorado State. She tallied 12 points in victories over Memphis and Cincinnati. She followed that up with a 22-point outing against Louisville to establish a career high. She followed that performance up with 20 points and 15 rebounds, both team bests, against DePaul. Zawodny made two game winning free throws with 28 seconds left at Charlotte as part of a 13-point effort. She hit 17 points against Tulane for her third highest output of the year at that time. Zawodny scored a team-high 19 points in an overtime loss to Louisville. She is third in conference USA with seven double doubles.
CAREER/SEASON HIGHSPoints Season 22 vs. Louisville (1/14/00) Career 22 vs. Louisville (1/14/00) Rebs. Season 16 vs. Colorado St. (1/2/01) Career 16 vs. Colorado St. (1/2/01) Assists Season 3 at BYU (12/19/00) Career 3 twice Steals Season 2, twice Career 2, five times Blocks Season 3, twice Career 3, twice