Marquette University Athletics
The Al McGuire Center Debuts
1/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Upcoming Game
Jan. 4 vs. Columbia, 7 p.m.
Al McGuire Center; Milwaukee
Years worth of waiting is finally coming to a conclusion. The Marquette women?s basketball team will get the opportunity to play on campus for the first time since the early 1990s. However, the team will not be playing at the Marquette Gym. The Golden Eagles will tip off at the Al McGuire Center for the first time on Sunday, January 4 at 7 p.m. against Columbia. The start time has changed from its original 2 p.m. scheduled tip.
While all eyes in the building may be focusing on the structure itself, the team inhabiting it is worthy of a look as it has started 8-3. Columbia brings a 6-4 team that just had a five-game winning streak snapped by Villanova, one of the better teams in the country.
Scouting Columbia
Marquette and Columbia are familiar with each other. While not having played each other, the two teams had a look and what the other brings when they both played in the Dead River Company Classic in Orono, Maine.
Since a pair of losses in that tournament and a 1-3 start, Columbia rattled off five wins before dropping a 70-40 decision to Villanova.
Sue Altman started the season on fire, scoring 17.2 points per game. The Columbia offense runs through her. She?s accurate, hitting 47.7 percent on the year and 43.5 from behind the arc. She has been the team?s leading scorer on nine outings, albeit that she?s coming off a nine-point game against Villanova. She has three 20 or more point games this season.
Edytte Key is the Lions biggest performer on the glass. Not a starter earlier in the year, she has worked her way into the lineup grabbing 9.5 points per game. She scores 9.2 per game. She has five games with 10 or more rebounds.
Head coach Jay Butler is 61-133 in his Columbia career, which spans eight seasons. He owns a 104-211 career mark in his 14th season.
On the Air: The Marquette/Columbia contest will be carried on www.gomarquette.com with Kent Sommerfeld calling the action.
Probable Starters
Marquette Ht Yr PPG RPG 2 Carolyn Kieger G 5-8 So. 12.8 3.031 Kelly Schwerman G 5-9 Sr. 14.5 2.624 Danielle Kamm F 6-2 Fr. 7.0 5.744 Crystal Weaver F 5-11 Sr. 7.6 6.655 Sarah Shouse C 6-5 So. 3.5 2.4Columbia Ht Yr PPG RPG 10 Lizzi Chorney G 5-4 Sr. 6.3 2.433 Nicole Lesko G 5-10 Jr. 6.0 4.434 Sue Altman G 5-9 Sr. 17.2 5.942 Erin Jaschick F 6-1 Jr. 5.0 3.932 Edytte Key C 6-4 Jr. 9.2 9.5
Series History
Have never met.
Shouse Earns first Start and Sets Career High in Points
Sophomore center Sarah Shouse was placed in the starting lineup against Notre Dame. It was the first time she?s been on the court at the first tip. Shouse responded to the starting nod by scoring a career high 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 from the line.
O?Grady Scores Double Figures off the Bench
Senior guard Katie O?Grady scored double figures in back-to-back games as a reserve. She led the bench in scoring with 11 against Notre Dame and scored 14 against Dayton. It was the third game in a row that she scored 10 or more points, putting in 10 in a start at Toledo. It is the second time in her career that she has had a string of three games with 10 or more points.
Up at the Half
Through 11 games this season, Marquette has not trailed at the half. Even in its three losses, Marquette held the lead or was tied at the halftime break. The Golden Eagles were knotted up with St. Bonaventure at the midway point. That is the only thing keeping them from owning the halftime lead in every game this season.
Multiple Career Highs Set Against Dayton
Three Marquette players tied or set career highs against Dayton. Senior guard Kelly Schwerman perhaps had the biggest impact against the Flyers. She bettered her career scoring high by five, tossing in 25 points in the win. Schwerman hit five three pointers in the win. Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger tied her career high with nine assists, a mark she has on two previous occasions. Senior forward Crystal Weaver tied her rebounding mark for the third time in her career, grabbing 11.
Golden Eagles Clutch Down the Stretch
While many of Marquette?s victories are the double digit variety, the Golden Eagles are good at pulling away from teams down the stretch. Wins over Maine, Virginia Commonwealth, Wagner, Toledo and Dayton have been by an average of 11.6 points. In all, the Golden Eagles had their lead cut to eight or less with seven minutes or less before a furious finish by Marquette.
Schwerman Becomes MU?s All-Time Free Throw Shooter
Senior guard Kelly Schwerman moved into first place on Marquette?s all-time free throw shooting list. Oddly enough, Schwerman did it following an 0-1 free throw performance against Toledo. A career 81.7 percent free throw shooter at the time she set the record, Schwerman?s miss was her 175th career attempt, the minimum number needed to qualify for Marquette?s career list. Schwerman?s totals have been above 80 percent for her entire career, setting her career up with an 88.9 shooting percent as a freshman. She is currently an 81.6 percent free throw shooter.
Kamm Has Big Week against SBU, Toledo
Freshman forward Danielle Kamm had the most successful rebounding game of any Marquette player this season against St. Bonaventure. She grabbed 13 boards, seven of which were offensive. Thanks to the rebounding windfall, Kamm increased her rebounding average by nearly a full rebound per game to 5.9, second best on the team.
Two nights later, Kamm had a successful offensive game, scoring a career best 12 points in the Golden Eagles? eight point win over Toledo. Her scoring average increased to 7.2 as a result.
O?Grady Earns First Start
Senior guard Katie O?Grady has been an on again, off again starter for her entire career. She earned five starts as a freshman, three as a sophomore and 13 as a junior. O?Grady was placed in the starting lineup against Toledo and she responded with 10 points. She returned to a reserve role against Dayton, but racked up a season high 14 points in the win.
Kieger Ties Career High Against St. Bonaventure
Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger scored 23 points against St. Bonaventure, to tie her career high set in an overtime loss to Southern Miss last season. Kieger scored 16 of her 23 points in the first half, the best first half total by an MU player this year. Kieger was also perfect from behind the arc, hitting all four three point attempts.
Schwerman Moves into Top Five of Threes Made
Senior guard Kelly Schwerman hit five three-point field goals against Dayton to raise her career total to 121 (she?s currently at 124 threes made). That total passed her former teammate Heidi Bowman for the fifth spot. Bowman hit 119 in her career. Lori Goerlitz is the all-time Marquette leader with 223. Schwerman is in the top five of career three-point percentage, sitting fourth with 37.5 of her career three attempts made. Schwerman?s next target on the list is Courtney Romeiser, who hit 152 threes in her career which spanned from 1990-93.
Taking Care of the Glass
Heading into its matchup with Virginia Commonwealth, Marquette had outrebounded its opponent just once on the year. VCU came in averaging over 41 rebounds per game, but MU held the Rams to 34 boards and grabbed 41 of their own. Marquette had five players grab five boards or more during the contest. That was the first time since MU?s first-round WNIT win against Toledo that it accomplished such a feat. Since the VCU contest, MU has owned a rebound advantage in the three contests since, including a plus-12 against Dayton.
Turnovers Convert to Two Points
Marquette has forced it?s opponents to 20.1 turnovers per game. What Marquette has done with those turnovers is equally impressive. The Golden Eagles have 230 points off turnovers (20.9 points per game) and have 25 or more points off turnovers three times this season. Marquette had 31 points off miscues against Wagner and 30 against Evansville.
Collective Defensive Effort
Marquette has recorded 125 steals on the season, but no single player has stood out amongst the thieves. Seven players have 10 or more steals and three have 20 or more. Of the 11 steals against Virginia Commonwealth, eight different players had a swipe. Five times this season have seven or more players recorded at least one steal. Katie O?Grady became the first MU player since the middle of last season to have five or more steals in a game when she swiped five balls from Notre Dame.
Protecting the Rock
Marquette turned the ball over a season-low eight times against Wagner. Marquette didn?t have a game in 2002-03 with fewer than 10 turnovers. The last time Marquette had eight or fewer turnovers in a game was on January 25, 2002, when it defeated Southern Miss, 68-59.
Schwerman Finds Her Way
After a 13-for-41 start to the season, senior guard Kelly Schwerman found her accuracy against Iowa. Schwerman, Marquette?s leading scorer with 13.6 points per game, connected on 6-of-13 from the field to raise her season total to 35.2 percent. She was 4-of-9 from three-point range, raising her season average to 37.8. She is currently a 41.3 percent field goal shooter and a 38.8 percent three point shooter.
Can?t Keep it Away From Them
Against Iowa, Marquette had a nose for the ball. The Golden Eagles forced 27 turnovers. Schwerman became the first player since late last season to have five or more steals in a game. She swiped five Iowa turnovers. Four players had two or more steals against the Hawkeyes.
Off to a Hot Start
Marquette was 6-1 for the second time in school history. Marquette was also 6-1 in the 1999-2000. In the 1999-2000 season, Marquette won seven games before losing a second time.
MU was 4-0 earlier this season, tying the school record for victories at the beginning of the year. Marquette started 4-0 in the 1979-1980 season before obtaining its first loss.
MU?s 8-2 start matches the best 10-game beginning since the 1999-2000 season.
Marquette Duo Earns All-Tournament
Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger and freshman forward Christina Quaye were named to the Dead River Company Classic All-Tournament Team following Marquette?s two-game sweep and tournament title. Kieger scored a season-high 20 against Oakland and added 11 in the win over Maine to earn MVP honors. Quaye scored nine and 12 points, respectively, as she provided a solid performance in the middle.
Senior guard Kelly Schwerman was honored with the Walter Hunt Award at the pre-tournament banquet for being the most outstanding student amongst the four teams participating. Schwerman owns a 3.97 GPA and is a finance and accounting major.
Golden Eagles Win Second-Straight Regular-Season Tournament
MU?s win in the Dead River Company Classic provided its second-straight regular-season tournament win. Marquette claimed the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Invitational tournament crown last season. Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger was the MVP of that tournament, as well as claiming that title for two straight tournaments.
Marquette now owns a 61-69 tournament record, including post-season contests. In all, it has claimed tournament titles in seven tournaments.
Defense Strong in Dead River Classic
The Marquette defense turned it up a notch in claiming wins over Oakland and Maine in the Dead River Company Classic. MU held Oakland to a 27.3 percent shooting outing, tied for the 17th lowest shooting performance by an opponent in the Terri Mitchell era. MU stifled Maine with a 31.5 percent shooting day. Marquette is holding its opponents to 39.9 percent shooting this season.
The defense has stepped up all season. Marquette?s 4-1 start is attributable to the intense defensive pressure. The Golden Eagles have slumped offensively at seasons? beginning, hitting 36.1 percent, the lowest total in Conference USA. However, MU?s relentless efforts with their back to the goal have proven worthwhile.
Block, Block, Block, Block
Sophomore center Sarah Shouse has an added element to her defensive resume. She is now a dominating shot blocker. Shouse set a career high with three blocks against Maine. Heading into the week, she was second in Conference USA in blocks with 1.8 per game.
Kieger Competent In Oakland Contest
Guard Carolyn Kieger had her third straight double-figure scoring outing in as many games with 20 points against Oakland. She hit 7-of-12 on the day to become the first Marquette player this season to hit the 20-point mark.
Tough Losses
With just three losses on the year, the early portion of the Marquette season has been successful. However, the Golden Eagles are a mere handful of points away from being undefeated. In the three losses, Marquette has lost by a total of 15 points.
Bench Gets into the Act
The Marquette bench scored a season-best 23 points against Iowa. All but one player found the scoring column. The bench was led by guard Katie O?Grady and forward Efueko Osagie who chipped in seven each off the bench. Marquette is averaging 16.3 points per game (163 points) off the bench this season. O?Grady set a season high for an MU player off the bench with 11 against Oakland before bettering that mark with 14 against Dayton. She topped double figures in back-to-back games with 11 against Notre Dame.
Quaye Not Quiet Against Evansville
It took just two games for a Marquette freshman to make a considerable impact on a game. Forward Christina Quaye scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in MU?s win over Evansville, 71-55. She scored 11 of those 15 points in the first 10 minutes of the contest.
Freshmen Making an Impact
Marquette starts a pair of freshmen and all three first-year players are making an impact. Forwards Christina Quaye and Danielle Kamm serve as starters and are scoring 7.3 and 7.0 points per game respectively. Including forward Jasmine McCullough?s time off the bench, MU freshmen have contributed 549 of the 2,200 minutes this season.
Coming up Big
Sophomore guard Carolyn Kieger sank two of the biggest free throws of her career in the 60-57 win over Drake. Her two shots came with 8.7 seconds left, putting Marquette up by three. On the previous possession, she hit a running layup to regain the lead for Marquette. Kieger scored the final four points of the contest, while Marquette scored the last seven.
Shouse Shines in Season Openers
Sophomore center Sarah Shouse set a career best with seven points against Drake. She was 3-of-4 from the floor in her 11 minutes of action. Her previous career best was five points in the season opener last year against Dayton.
Moving to the Al
The 2003-04 season marks the end of Marquette women?s basketball at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Golden Eagles will play half the season at the Arena and move to the Al McGuire Center on January 4, 2004, in a game against Columbia.
From Long Range
Last season, Marquette set a single season record for three-point percentage as a team, hitting 38.1. The team returned its top two long-range shooters from a year ago, guards Carolyn Kieger and Kelly Schwerman. Schwerman set the single season mark at 42.7 percent; Kieger trailed at 42.6. The Golden Eagles are currently hitting 32.0 percent from three-point range this season.
Long Ball Defense
Marquette shut down Drake for the first 20 minutes from beyond the three point arc. While giving up a very respectable 2-of-17 three pointers for the game, MU held Drake to 0-of-10 for the first half. Marquette is holding its opponents to 35.1 from three-point range this season.
Double Digits on the Glass
Senior forward Crystal Weaver grabbed 10 boards against Drake and a career best 11 against Maine and Dayton. She is Marquette?s top rebounder at 6.7 boards per game. She hit double figures in rebounds four times last year. She currently has seven career 10+ rebound games.
Success From the Line
The Golden Eagles set a new mark last season from the free throw line, hitting 76.7 percent. That trend continued to begin the 2003-04 season. Marquette is currently hitting 71.8 percent from the line this season.
Two Sign in Early Signing Period
Head women's basketball coach Terri Mitchell has announced the signings of Sveta Kovalenko, a 6-foot-3 forward from Chassel, Mich., and Savanna Anderson, a 6-foot-1 guard from Oshkosh, Wis., to national letters of intent.
Kovalenko plays for Julie Filpus at Houghton High School in Houghton, Mich. Her team is currently finishing up the regular season and is headed for post- season play as this season's district champion. She has led Houghton to three previous Michigan regional tournament appearances in previous seasons. She was named a Class C First-Team All-State team member by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan and was listed no. 16 on the top 100 Players list by the Detroit Free Press. She currently averages 19.1 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and is a 58 percent field goal shooter. She was a 19.1 points per game score, All-Conference MVP as a junior and All Upper Peninsula. As a sophomore, she scored 13.4 points per game, grabbed 7.4 boards per game and was named first-team all- conference and second-team all Upper Peninsula.
Anderson is a big guard that will offer Marquette a different look on the perimeter. At 6-foot-1, Anderson can do everything a traditional guard can do, but she has the size to help with outside rebounding. Playing for Terri Schumacher at Oshkosh West High School, Anderson helped lead her team to an undefeated season in 2002-03 and a state championship for Oshkosh West. She averaged 11.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a junior, leading her to an All-State Honorable Mention selection by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She was also placed on the Watch List by the Wisconsin Women's Basketball Yearbook of high school basketball players who should be successful in college.
Marquette Picked Eighth in Preseason C-USA Coaches Poll
TCU, which captured the 2003 C-USA Tournament title, and DePaul have both been chosen by the 14 C-USA head coaches to win the 2003-04 regular season title. Marquette, which finished in a tie for seventh last year, was selected to finish eighth in 2003-04.
After TCU and DePaul, Cincinnati was selected third, Charlotte fourth, Houston fifth, Tulane sixth and Louisville is seventh. Following MU in the eighth spot is Memphis, Saint Louis, East Carolina, Southern Miss, UAB and USF.
Golden Eagles to be Heard on WJYI and WISN
Every Marquette home game and select MU road games can be heard on WJYI 1340 AM or WISN 1130 AM. All contests can be heard on the world wide web via Marquette?s internet site at www.gomarquette.com. Thirteen MU telecasts will be carried on WJYI 1340 AM. In addition, two regular season broadcasts will be carried on WISN 1130.
The Terri Mitchell Show
Tuesday nights at 7 p.m., WJYI 1340 AM will carry ?The Terri Mitchell Show.? In its sixth 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 Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. The show will air three times in the rest of November and December (Nov. 18, Dec. 9 and Dec. 16). Beginning January 13, the show will air weekly through March 2.
The Golden Eagles on TV
Currently, three Marquette games are scheduled to be aired on television. The Conference USA Television Network will team up with WMLW-Ch. 41 to carry two regular-season C-USA games. MU hosts Louisville at 1 p.m. on Jan. 11 in the first C-USA TV telecast. The Golden Eagles host DePaul on February 29 for a 2 p.m. start in the second C-USA broadcast of the year. MU and DePaul also meet on February 8 in a regional telecast on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. More television dates will be announced as the season progresses.
