Marquette University Athletics
Women's Basketball Finishes December with 12th-Ranked Notre Dame
12/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2002
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After a 10 day layoff, Marquette will look to extend its five-game win streak in its contest with 12th ranked Notre Dame. MU and the Fighting Irish meet on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena.
While Marquette is undefeated in its last five and has had a lengthy layoff, Notre Dame is coming off a loss to fifth-ranked Tennessee, 77-61, on Saturday.
The last time Marquette and Notre Dame met, Marquette had its worst offensive outing of the season last year. MU was held to just 33 points in the 60-33 loss in South Bend, Ind. However, MU was struggling at this time last year, owning a 5-5 record. This year, the Golden Eagles are a surging 6-2.
Scouting Notre Dame
Ranked 12th in both major women's basketball polls, Notre Dame has jumped to a quick 7-2 record. The Irish's two losses have come to the hands of teams now ranked in the top 25 - DePaul and Tennessee.
The Fighting Irish make their living on the inside. Four players in the starting lineup are six feet or taller. Forward Jacqueline Batteast is the Notre Dame leader with 15.2 points per game and with 7.7 rebounds per game. Her presence was felt on the inside last season with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the win over MU.
Notre Dame's main threat on the outside comes from senior guard Alicia Ratay. She is hitting 45.8 percent of her three point attempts and is second on the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game.
In its loss to Tennessee on Dec. 28, the Volunteers shut down Batteast on the inside, allowing her just two points and six rebounds. Freshman Courtney LaVere, however, picked up the slack, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. LaVere is the Irish's first player off the bench. She is third on the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game and is third on the team with 4.8 boards per contest.
On the Air: The Notre Dame/Marquette game can be heard on the internet at www.gomarquette.com with Kent Sommerfeld calling the action. The game is also available at www.und.com and in South Bend, Ind. on WDND AM with Shawn Lewallen on the call.
Possible Starting LineupsMarquette Ht Yr PPG RPG 2 Carolyn Kieger G 5-8 Fr. 10.6 4.8 12 Katie O'Grady G 5-8 Jr. 9.8 1.6 22 Katie Alsdurf G 6-0 So. 10.6 4.8 44 Crystal Weaver F 5-11 Jr. 7.0 6.4 21 Rachel Klug C 6-0 Sr. 15.8 7.0
Notre Dame Ht Yr PPG RPG 4 Le'Tania Severe G 5-8 Jr. 9.3 3.4 22 Alicia Ratay G 6-0 Sr. 12.2 3.6 21 Jacqueline Battast F 6-2 So. 15.2 7.7 33 Katy Flecky F 6-2 So. 10.1 4.8 12 Teresa Borton C 6-3 So. 9.0 5.7
Scouting Iowa State
Nationally ranked in the preseason, Iowa State has started the season an uncharacteristic 4-5. A tough schedule is partially to blame. The Cyclones have losses to five teams that typically factor in the NCAA Tournament, including a loss in their last outing to no. 1 Duke.
The Cyclones are struggling on offense, scoring 68.6 points per game. Only one Iowa State player is scoring more than 10 points per game. Lindsey Wilson is the team leader at 16.4 per game.
The defense has been consistently tough. ISU is allowing 60.9 points per game. Iowa State has surrendered more than 70 points once this year, that coming in an 88-59 loss to Duke.
Senior forward Mary Cofield has been the Cyclones outside threat. She is hitting 51.5 percent of her long-range shots, averaging 8.4 points per game. Sophomore guard/forward Anne O'Neil is just outside the 10 points per game plateau at 9.9 per contest.
On the Air: The Marquette/Iowa State game can be heard on the internet at www.cyclones.com. The Iowa State radio network consists of 27 stations throughout Iowa. The flagship is KASI-AM 1430 AM in Ames.
Iowa State Ht Yr PPG RPG 10 Erica Junod G 5-7 Jr. 6.1 3.7 13 Lindsey Wilson G 5-9 Sr. 16.4 2.6 12 Anne O'Neil F 5-11 So. 9.9 5.6 43 Mary Cofield F 6-0 Sr. 8.4 6.1 45 Lisa Kriener C 6-2 So. 9.0 4.6
Calling All Scorers
Marquette has been finding production from several places in its lineup. Three Golden Eagles are averaging more than 10 points a game. Senior center Rachel Klug (Cedar Grove, Wis.) leads the effort with 15.8 points per game. Five times this season has Klug topped the 15 point mark. Freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) has become an all-around threat. She had four games in a row with 10 or more points, upping her average to 10.6. She also has topped the 10 rebound mark and was one assist away from 10 in a game as well.
Sophomore forward Katie Alsdurf (Forest Lake, Minn.) has a stretch of five games with 10 or more to up her average to 10.6. Junior guard Katie O'Grady (Chicago, Ill.) is just out of the 10 point per game margin at 9.8 per game.
In its last game against Sacred Heart, Marquette had 11 of 12 players score in a 76-49 win.
Upping the Ante
Head coach Terri Mitchell promised that her team was going to be more active this year and take more opportunities. She has held true to her promise. Through eight games, Marquette is averaging 73.6 points per game. Last year through eight games, MU was scoring 61.1 points per game. The last time Marquette averaged 70 or more through seven games was during the 1999-2000 season. The last time Marquette had a higher per game average through eight games was in Mitchell's first season as head coach. MU scored 78.4 points per game in the 1996-97 season.
The Golden Eagles are improving statistically as well. Last season, Marquette was 10th in the C-USA in scoring. This season, MU is currently fourth.
Familiarity of the Starters
The Marquette starting lineup has remained consistent all season. The quintet of guards Carolyn Kieger and Katie O'Grady, center Rachel Klug and forwards Katie Alsdurf and Crystal Weaver have been on the court at the opening tip of each game. Last year, Marquette had used five different starting lineups by the eighth game and used eight during the course of the year.
December 16 Means 91 Points
Marquette's 91 points in a 91-78 win over La Salle on December 16 was the highest output since MU's 91-63 win over Dayton, exactly one year ago to the date. In Marquette women's basketball history, those are the only two games ever played on December 16.
Four in a Row Away from Milwaukee
While technically MU's game with Chicago State was a neutral site game, Marquette has won four games in a row away from its homes in Milwaukee. The last time Marquette won four in a row on the road was against Southern Miss, Tulane, Cincinnati and Louisville in the 1999-2000 season. MU also won four in a row on the road in the 1997-98 season. For three straight seasons, from 1991-92 to 1993-94, Marquette had five game road winning streaks. MU has never won more than five on the road in a row. The Golden Eagles will put their four-game win streak on the line with its next road game at Iowa State on January 2.
Five in a Row Away from Milwaukee
Marquette currently owns a five game win streak. The last time Marquette won five in a row was last season, when the Golden Eagles won six games in a row in Conference USA play. In the 1999-2000 season, Marquette won eight in a row and had three five game win streaks. The 1997-98 season was the highlight of all win streaks, as MU won 13 in a row. In history, Marquette has won five in a row 20 times.
Double Take
Marquette played its first double overtime game in two years on December 7 against Georgia State. MU had previously played two double overtime games in school history, losing both. Senior center Rachel Klug (Cedar Grove, Wis.) scored MU's first eight points in the second overtime before fouling out, setting up the Golden Eagle victory. Three players in the game played more than 40 minutes - Klug with 43, junior forward Crystal Weaver (Kentwood, Mich.) in 42 and freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) with 41. In all, Marquette owns a 9-12 record in overtime games. In all, head coach Terri Mitchell is 6-3 in overtime games for her career.
Tournament Champions
For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, Marquette won a regular season tournament title. The Golden Eagles claimed the championship of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Invitational. MU won the OSU classic in November of 1999 in its last tourney win. Freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) was named the tournament's MVP. She averaged 15.5 points in the victories over Chicago State and Georgia State. She also had seven assists and seven rebounds in the win over Georgia State. Senior center Rachel Klug (Cedar Grove, Wis.) was also named to the all-tournament team. She scored 20 against Georgia state and had six points in limited action due to foul trouble against Chicago State.
Counting on Klug
Senior center Rachel Klug (Cedar Grove, Wis.) has had a feast or famine beginning to the 2002-03 season. Klug has scored in double figures in six of MU's eight games, scoring 16 or more points in all but one of those double figure games. She has had only two outings of less than 10, scoring five against Dayton and six while in foul trouble against Chicago State.
She has four 20-plus point efforts on the season. With a 20-point effort against La Salle, it marked the eighth time in Klug's career she scored 20 or more points and she has now been over the 10-point mark 28 times in her career. Against Georgia State, she also recorded her fourth career double double with 11 rebounds to go with her 20 points.
One Assist Away
Freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) had one of the best all-around games in Marquette history against La Salle. Kieger seemed to be around the ball constantly, was accurate with her shot and unselfish with her game. She was one assist away from a triple-double. She finished the game with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. While game-by-game records are incomplete before 1980, it seems as if there has never been a triple double recorded in MU women's basketball history.
Against Sacred Heart, Kieger tied her career high with nine assists. She was much farther away from the triple double in that contest however as she had seven points and five rebounds.
When Schwerman Hits 10 or More
Four times this season has junior sixth player Kelly Schwerman (Waukesha, Wis.) hit scored 10 or more points. Each time, Marquette came away with a win. Schwerman scored 12 off the bench against Chicago State and tossed in 10 against Georgia State. She scored 12 against La Salle and followed that up with a career high of 17 against Virginia Commonwealth. Schwerman is fifth on the team in scoring with 8.9 points per game. Last season, Marquette was 5-0 when Schwerman came off the bench for 10 or more points. Combined with this year's total, Marquette is 9-0 when Schwerman comes off the bench to score 10 or more.
O'Grady Hits Her Stride
In the first 20 minutes against Chicago State, junior guard Katie O'Grady (Chicago, Ill.) played what was perhaps the best basketball she has played in college. In the first half against the Cougars, O'Grady was 5-of-6 and was was 4-of-5 from three point land to total 17 points. She added two in the second half to finish with 19 points to set a new career high. It was the third time she topped the 10 point barrier. Against Dayton, she was 7-for-10 from the floor and set a then career high with 17 points. Against UWM, she was effective, scoring 10 points, marking the first time in her career she has scored 10 or more in back to back games. For her career, O'Grady has six career 10 or more point outings, with three coming her freshman year.
Moving Past the .500 Mark
Heading into the 2000-01 season, Marquette women's basketball owned a 346-346 all time record. With a .500 winning percentage all-time, the team last season did nothing to change that fact with a 14-14 record. Heading into this season MU had an all time record of 360-360, exactly .500. Currently, MU has an all-time record in its 28th season of 366-362 (50.2 percent).
Taking What is Free
Through eight games, Marquette is making the most of its free throw attempts. The Golden Eagles are 139-of-177 from the line this year, hitting 78.5 percent. That total leads Conference USA Last year, Marquette was 70.8 percent from the line. Senior center Rachel Klug (Cedar Grove, Wis.) is first in the league at 84.2 percent. Twice this season has a player gone 10-for-10 from the line. Klug shot that against Saint Francis (Pa.) as part of a 26-point effort. Freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) went 10-for-10 against Georgia State, scoring 16.
Spreading it Around
Freshman Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) had four assists in her collegiate debut. She continued to find open players against Wis.-Milwaukee, dishing a season high six assists. She improved her assist-to-turnover ratio against UWM, turning over the ball just twice against the Panthers. She then set a career high with seven against Georgia State. She bettered that mark with nine against La Salle and tied it against Sacred Heart. She averages 5.5 assists per game. At the 5.0 assist per game mark, she would average 143 assists in the regular season, placing her second on MU's all-time single season freshman assist leaders.
Strength of Schedule Always Difficult
Marquette owns the 43rd best overall and 52nd best non-conference schedule according to the Richie Summerville/WBCA preseason RPI release. The Golden Eagles have the fourth-toughest strength of schedule among C-USA teams according to the release. TCU has the nation's fourth most difficult schedule. Tulane is ranked 28th in the preseason strength of schedule and DePaul is 36th.
Marquette's 2002-03 schedule contains four teams ranked in the preseason USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Top 25. Notre Dame was ranked 10th in that poll. Iowa State owned an ranking of 18. C-USA schools TCU and Cincinnati were ranked 19th and 21st respectively.
Currently, Marquette is ranked 62nd in the RPI and its strength of schedule is ranked 112th. However, MU has a tough stretch ahead with Notre Dame (7-2), Iowa State (4-5), Wisconsin (2-6), Wis.-Green Bay (8-2), and DePaul (9-3) up next in the next five.
Balanced Attack
Against Wis.-Milwaukee, all 12 players played and no single MU player played more than 27 minutes. In addition, 11 of the 12 players scored and 10 hit field goals. All but one player grabbed a rebound as well. Eight players logged assists and seven different players grabbed a steal in the 73-53 victory.
Against Sacred Heart, 11 of the 12 Marquette players scored, including a season high of nine from freshman Dawneshia Smith (Milwaukee, Wis.). The same 11 players grabbed rebounds against the Pioneers. Eight players recorded assists, including nine from freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.).
The Freshman Factor
Two Marquette freshmen made a significant impact in the team's season opening contest against Dayton. Freshman guard Carolyn Kieger (Roseville, Minn.) started in her first career collegiate game. Kieger was 3-for-5 shooting on the day with eight points and four assists. Freshman center Sarah Shouse (Bowling Green, Ky.) spent 12 minutes on the floor and grabbed six rebounds, one shy of the team high. She went 2-for-5 with five points. In all, MU freshman played 52 of 200 minutes against Dayton, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. In all this season, the freshman have accounted for 17.4 points per game, 23 percent of the total MU points.
Kieger Tabbed as "Freshman of Impact"
Carolyn Kieger was named as one of women's college basketball's "Freshmen of Impact" by Women's College Hoops.com (womenscollegehoops.com). She was listed as an honorable mention selection.
The publication states that Kieger "is a true point guard and could be the one to get Marquette back in the big dance." Players were selected as a "Freshman of Impact" based on the anticipated contribution that the student-athlete will make to her team as a first-year player. Kieger was selected as one of 39 newcomers out of nearly 1,000 NCAA Division I freshmen for this season.
Golden Eagles Ink Three in Fall Signing Period
Head women's basketball coach Terri Mitchell has announced the signing of three high school players to national letters of intent. The incoming freshman class includes Danielle Kamm from Saginaw, Mich.; Jasmine McCullough from St. Louis, Mo.; and Christina Quaye from Chicago, Ill. Kamm is a small forward for Nouvel Catholic Central High School in Saginaw, Mich. She averaged 20.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game as a junior and was named to Street & Smith's High School All-America Team. McCullough is in her senior year at Rosary High School in St. Louis, Mo.. She averaged 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 steals last year as a junior and was named first-team all-state for the second straight year. Quaye is a power forward, playing her senior year, at Regina Dominican High School in Willamette, Ill. Last season, she scored 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as she was selected third-team all-state.
Marquette Picked Eighth in Preseason C-USA Coaches Poll
TCU, which captured the 2002 C-USA regular season title, and Cincinnati, which claimed the C-USA Tournament crown have both been chosen by the 14 C-USA head coaches to win the 2002-03 regular season title. Marquette, which finished eighth last season, was selected to finish in that same spot in 2002-03.
After TCU and Cincinnati, Tulane was selected third, Houston fourth, Louisville fifth, Charlotte sixth and DePaul is seventh. Following MU in the eighth spot is Memphis, South Florida, Saint Louis, UAB, Southern Miss and East Carolina.
Houston's Chandi Jones was selected by the coaches as the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year. She is joined on the preseason All-Conference team by Sandora Irvin (TCU), Valerie King (Cincinnati), Teana McKiver (Tulane) and Sara Nord (Louisville).
Golden Eagles to be Heard on WRRD and WISN
Every Marquette home game and select MU road games can be heard on WRRD 540 AM or WISN 1130 AM. All contests can be heard on the world wide web via Marquette's internet site at www.gomarquette.com.
Six MU telecasts will be carried on WRRD 540 AM. WRRD - "The Word" - is a member of the Marquette radio network for the first time this season.
In addition, seven broadcasts will be carried on WISN 1130 AM. WISN boasts one of the strongest AM signals in southeast Wisconsin and is known for its sports coverage. Kent Sommerfeld is back for his third season as Marquette's play-by-play man. Former MU star Kareeda Chones is in her fifth season with the MU radio network.
The Terri Mitchell Show
Saturday afternoons, WISN 1130 AM will carry "The Terri Mitchell Show." In its fifth year, host Kent Sommerfeld and head coach Terri Mitchell will highlight the previous weeks' action, player features, interviews and a listener call in period. The first show of the series will air on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3:05 p.m.
The Golden Eagles on TV
Currently, three MU games are schedule to hit the airwaves for local broadcast. The C-USA Television Network will team up with WMLW-Ch. 41 to carry two regular-season C-USA games. MU hosts UAB at noon on Jan. 19. The Golden Eagles visit DePaul on March 2 for a 2 p.m. start. Marquette and Wisconsin will play in a televised game on January 5 in Madison at 2 p.m. That game is to be broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
