CCU

Women's Basketball Opens 2005 at South Carolina State on Monday

       

Women's Basketball Opens 2005 at South Carolina State on Monday

More Information:  

Game 10

Coastal Carolina (3-6) at South Carolina State (5-5)

Date: Monday, Jan. 3

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Smith-Hammond-Middleton Center,

Orangeburg, S.C.

Series: South Carolina State leads 9-5

TV/Radio: THE TEAM 93.9 FM (Joe Cashion)

Live Stats: None

Coastal Opens the New Year at South Carolina State

The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team (3-6) opens the 2005 portion of its schedule with a non-conference game against in-state rival South Carolina State University Monday, Jan. 3. The game will be at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Center in Orangeburg, S.C., and will be broadcast on THE TEAM 93.9 FM in Myrtle Beach and on www.GoCCUSports.com with Joe Cashion on the call. The Lady Chanticleers are coming off a 61-53 loss to Campbell University in the consolation game of the South Carolina Classic in Columbia, S.C.

Scouting South Carolina State

The Lady Bulldogs (5-5) finished in third place in the Georgia Tech/Atlanta Marriott Northwest Holiday Invitational. South Carolina State fell to Alcorn State 76-60, but defeated Mississippi Valley State 55-51 in the third place contest. Against the Delta Devilettes, Melany Denson led SCSU with 19 points while Evana Morency picked up her second straight double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

Series vs. South Carolina State

South Carolina State leads the season series with Coastal Carolina 9-5 and won the last contest between the two teams 62-52 Dec. 13, 2003. For a complete game story and stats on this contest, turn to page 5 of the game notes. The Lady Chants last win over the Bulldogs was an 83-50 win during the 1998-99 season. Head Coach Alan LeForce is 2-2 all-time against SCSU.

Coastal vs. the MEAC

Coastal is 7-17 all-time against schools in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Coastal is 5-9 against South Carolina State, 1-1 against Hampton, 0-1 vs. Morgan State and 1-6 against North Carolina A&T.

Common Opponents

Coastal Carolina and South Carolina State already have faced common opponents on the non-conference schedule. Both teams have played Savannah State University with the Lady Chants winning 73-45 and SCSU splitting with the Tigers, winning 68-55 in Orangeburg and falling 66-60 in overtime at Savannah. Against the College of Charleston, SCSU defeated the Cougars 62-53 at home, while Coastal lost 59-54 in Myrtle Beach. Both teams also have faced South Carolina in Columbia, as Coastal fell 70-50 and South Carolina State lost 85-45.

10 or More for Tyler

Junior Jasmine Tyler (Jacksonville, Fla./Okaloosa C.C.) had scored in double figures in her last four games, including an 11-point, five-rebound performance against Campbell Dec. 30. Tyler leads the team with six double-figure scoring efforts and had a career-high 15 points against UNC Wilmington Nov. 30.

Turner Has a Block Party

Junior Kim Turner (West Memphis, Ark./Hiwassee C.C.) had three blocked shots for the third time this season against the College of Charleston Dec. 19. Turner has 14 blocked shots on the season and had two blocks against Campbell Dec. 30.

Laug Makes Most of Her Chances

Sophomore Vanessa Laug (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) had a career high 15 points off the bench in a 73-45 win over Savannah State Dec. 16. She connected on five of her seven field-goal attempts and was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. She is now averaging 5.1 points per game and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Coastal Jumps on Tigers in Win

Coastal got off to a hot start in its 73-45 win over Savannah State Dec. 16. The Lady Chants lead 11-0 just 2:50 into the game and had a 22-point lead (30-8) at the 7:41 mark. Coastal led by as many as 28 points in the first 20 minutes on its way to its largest winning margin since last year’s season opener against Anderson in which the Lady Chants won 76-48.

Young Has Career Day vs. Tar Heels

Junior Demaria Young (Memphis, Tenn./Walters State C.C.) had a career-high 16 points in a 94-52 loss to fifth-ranked North Carolina Dec. 12. Young was 6-of-13 from the field and hit three three-pointers. She upped her scoring average from 5.3 to 7.4 points per game.

The Comeback Kids ... Almost

Coastal Carolina almost came back from an 18-point deficit in its 67-65 loss to Appalachian State Dec. 2. The Lady Chants were down 25-7 with 8:42 left in the first half, but cut the lead to eight at the half. Coastal outscored ASU 38-32 in the second half and tied the game twice, the last with 7:22 left. Junior Amber Rose (Bloomington Springs, Tenn./Upperman) had a shot to win with two seconds left, but her shot was blocked.

Brown Makes a Statement

Senior Courtney Brown (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) came off the bench to score 18 points and eight rebounds Dec. 2 against Appalachian State. Brown was 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. She also added two assists, two steals and two blocked shots. On the year, Brown is averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds a game.

LeForce Earns His 100th Victory at Coastal in Win over UNCW

Coastal head coach Alan LeForce earned his 100th victory at Coastal Carolina with a 51-47 win over UNC Wilmington Nov. 30. LeForce is the only coach in Division I to win 100 games in both men’s and women’s basketball and only the second coach in all NCAA divisions. He has an overall 101-105 record at CCU. LeForce is the winningest head coach in Coastal women’s basketball history, passing Gina Markland Feb. 23, 2004. Overall, LeForce is 341-285 in 22 years as a head coach.

Tyler Makes It Happen In All Phases Against Campbell

Juniors Jasmine Tyler (Jacksonville, Fla./Okaloosa C.C.) put together a complete game in leading the Lady Chanticleers to their win over Campbell, Nov. 23. Tyler led the Lady Chants with CCU game-highs of 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in 31 minutes off the bench. For the season, she is now averaging 9.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals a contest.

Chanticleers Picked Eighth in the Big South

The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team was selected to finish eighth in the Big South Conference’s annual preseason poll, as voted by the League’s Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors. The announcement was made at the Westin Hotel in downtown Charlotte as part of the 2004-05 Basketball Tip-Off Media Luncheon.

For the second year in a row, Liberty was unanimously selected to win its eighth-straight regular-season crown, which set a Conference record. The Lady Flames have gone undefeated in Conference play for two straight years, and have won 38 consecutive Big South contests, dating back to the 2001-02 season. High Point was voted second, while UNC Asheville, Radford and Charleston Southern round out the top five. Birmingham-Southern placed sixth in the women’s poll, followed by Winthrop at seventh and Coastal Carolina eighth.

Hi, My Name is ...

Coastal will have seven new players on the roster this season and will have a whole new starting lineup. All five starters from the 2003-04 season exhausted their eligibility, including Coastal’s all-time leading scorer Nikki Reddick. The lineup for the Appalachian State game featured a true senior (Lucia Popovici), a redshirt junior (Amber Rose), two junior-college transfers (Kim Turner and Jasmine Tyler) and a sophomore (Alisha Dill). Turner and Tyler join junior Demaria Young, junior Kristy Yurichak, freshman C.J. Ware and redshirt freshman Samantha Carver as eligible newcomers. Sophomore Joanna Pekonen also is a newcomer on the roster, but will not be eligible until 2005-06 due to the NCAA transfer rule.

Dill Dishes Out Eight Assists Against Anderson

Sophomore Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) had a career high eight assists in Coastal’s 77-74 loss to Anderson Nov. 19. Her previous career best was four last season at Appalachian State Jan. 3 and Winthrop Feb. 21. Dill also added eight points, five rebounds and three steals in the game.

Turner Makes Debut in Style

Junior Kim Turner (West Memphis, Ark./Hiwassee C.C.) scored 16 points and added five rebounds in her first career game in a Coastal uniform, a 77-74 loss to Anderson Nov. 19. Turner added five rebounds and had two blocked shots. Juniors Jasmine Tyler (Jacksonville, Fla./Okaloosa C.C.) and Demaria Young (Memphis, Tenn./Walters State C.C.) each had eight points in their debuts.

Senior Leadership

Coastal has two seniors on the squad this season. Redshirt senior Courtney Brown (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) averaged 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds last season while playing in 24 games. Brown also missed four games due to injury last season. Senior Lucia Popovici (Edmonton, Alberta/Jasper Place) is penciled in as a starting center after averaging 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 2003-04. The two have combined to average 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season.

Coastal Adds SIze to Roster

Coastal has eight players on its 2004-05 roster that are six feet or taller, led by junior Kristy Yurichak (Walton Hills, Ohio/Lakeland C.C.), who is 6-4. Sophomore Joanna Pekonen (Lappeenranta, Finland/Lafayette), who is ineligible to compete in games this season, is 6-3. Coastal has two 6-1 players and four players at six feet.

Carver Returns to Court

Redshirt freshman Samantha Carver (Flemingsburg, Ky/Fleming County) will make her return to basketball this season after missing all of 2003-04 to rehabilitation of a torn ACL. In high school, Carver averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds a game and was named a Louisville Courier-Journal All-State honorable mention.

Injury Update

Junior Kristy Yurichak (Walton Hills, Ohio/Lakeland C.C.) is out for the South Carolina State game (back). Junior Jasmine Tyler (Jacksonville, Fla./Okaloosa C.C.) is probable (ankle).

Radio Broadcasts

The Coastal Carolina women’s baskeball team will have at least 11 games on radio this season, tipping off with a home game against Savannah State University Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. All Coastal women’s basketball radio broadcasts are on "THE TEAM" 93.9 FM in Myrtle Beach. All games also will be available on Coastal Carolina’s athletic website at www.GoCCUSports.com.

Game Day Central

All the Coastal women’s basketball games this season will have a Game Day Central link on www.GoCCUSports.com, which will feature roster, schedules and stats for both teams as well as links to any live audio or live stats. Just click on the G under the women’s basketball schedule for access to the Game Day Central.

Up Next

Coastal will return to Kimbel Arena Wednesday, Jan. 5, to face Coker. The game is part of a doubleheader with the men’s team and will begin at 5 p.m. The game can be heard on THE TEAM 93.9 FM and on www.GoCCUSports.com.