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Women's Basketball Hosts Savannah State Tuesday Night

           

Women's Basketball Hosts Savannah State Tuesday Night

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Coastal Women’s Basketball Hosts Savannah State Tuesday Night

The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team (8-4) plays its final game before the start of the Big South Conference season Tuesday, Jan. 9 against Savannah State University (6-10). The game can be heard on www.GoCCUSports.com. Game time is at 7 p.m., in Kimbel Arena. Coastal is coming off a 77-43 win over Coker Jan. 4, its third win in a row.

Scouting Savannah State

The Tigers are coming off a 74-54 loss to Charleston Southern Jan. 8, its third loss in a row. Ivy Smith has been leading Savannah State all year long and the CSU game was no different. Smith had 24 points and six rebounds and is averaging 17.4 points and 4.1 rebounds a contest. Shaunte Carter almost had a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Savannah State has played three games against Big South teams this year, falling twice to Charleston Southern and losing 80-62 to Birmingham-Southern Jan. 6.

Savannah State is coached by Cedric Baker, who is in his fourth season with the Tigers. He has a 22-76 record at the school and in his career.

Series vs. Savannah State

Coastal has won all four matchups against the Tigers, dating back to the 2004-05 season. Last year, Coastal won both in Conway (78-42) and in Savannah (46-42). Senior Vanessa Laug (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) averaged seven points and 4.3 rebounds a game against Savannah State, while classmate Calisha Yates (Columbus, Ind./Chattanooga State C.C.) put in 10 points and 8.5 rebounds a game in last year’s contests.

Dill Fourth in Nation in Scoring Average

Senior Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) is averaging 22.7 points per game after 12 contests, good for fourth in points per game in NCAA Division I basketball. Dill set a new career high with 33 points in a 58-33 win over Campbell Dec. 11. She has scored 26 or more points on six occasions this year and now has 962 career points.

Carrie Moore of Western Michigan leads the nation with 25.6 points per game, followed by Crystal Kelly of Western Kentucky. Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris also is averaging 22.7 points a contest, but has more total points than Dill.

Dill Closing In on 1,000 Points

Senior Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) is just 38 points away from becoming the 10th player in Coastal women’s basketball history to score 1,000 points in a career. Dill moved into 10th place on Coastal’s all-time scoring list after scoring 29 points against UNC Wilmington Dec. 20. She now has 962 career points and passed Tina Boester (1992-96), who has 900 career points.

Lyons Earning National Recognition for Three-Point Shooting

Freshman Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) has reappeared on the national rankings in both three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals per game. Lyons currently is 18th in the country in three-point field goal percentage at 45.5 percent. She also leads the Big South in that category. The current leader nationally is Kaylynn Fager of Idaho State at 55.0 percent. Lyons also is 35th in the nation in three-point field goals per game (2.5/g). Chandice Crock of Santa Clara in the leader at 4.0/g.

Chants Live in Paint in Win over Coker

Coastal Carolina scored 38 of its 77 points in the paint in the 77-43 win over Coker Jan. 4. The Lady Chants also used their size advantage to grab 48 rebounds and block seven shots. Freshman Devin Rivers (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela) and senior Calisha Yates (Columbus, Ind./Chattanooga State C.C.) led the team with seven rebounds, while senior Kristy Yurichak (Walton Hills, Ohio/Lakeland C.C.) had a team-high four blocks.

Coastal Finds Range from Behind the Arc

Coastal leads the Big South and is 23rd in the country in three-point field goal percentage, shooting at a 37.8 clip from behind the line. Coastal hit 11 three pointers in a 73-43 win over Converse Dec. 31, as five different players got into the act. Freshmen Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) and juniors C.J. Ware (Decatur, Ga./Lakeside) and Victoria Blanchard (Eutawville, S.C./Walters State C.C.) each are hitting above 40 percent of their three-point attempts. The national leader in three-point field goal percentage is Montana at 42.9 percent.

Career Highs Fall in Converse Win

There were several career highs set in the 73-43 win over Converse Dec. 31. Freshman Lori Whitaker (Bloomington, Ind./North) and junior Victoria Blanchard (Eutawville, S.C./Walters State C.C.) set career highs in scoring with 10 and eight points, respectively. Senior Vanessa Laug (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) tied her career high with eight rebounds in the win. Freshman Amanda Stull (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated) set a career high with eight assists, which also is a season high for a Coastal player.

Coastal Sweeps Weekly Big South Honors for Second Straight Week

Coastal Carolina’s Alisha Dill has been named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Player of the Week in women’s basketball, while teammate Lacey Lyons was tabbed New Balance Freshman of the Week for games played Dec. 18-Jan. 1, the League announced.

Dill, a senior from Johnson City, Tenn., averaged 18.3 points per game over the holiday break to lead her Lady Chanticleers to a 2-1 record. She got her week started with 11 points against No. 2 North Carolina on Dec. 18. Two days later against UNC Wilmington, she put in 29 points as she connected on 44 percent from the floor and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. She also added 11-of-12 from the charity stripe for 92 percent in the win against the Seahawks. She closed her week out with 15 points in just 21 minutes as Coastal Carolina downed Converse on Dec. 31. In the three-game span, Dill was 41 percent from the floor on 17-of-42 shots and hit 44 percent of her shots from downtown (4-of-9). She was 17-of-20 at the line for 85 percent, and she also notched 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in the three games.

Lyons, a forward from Beverly Hills, Fla., averaged 15.7 points per game and shot 52 percent from the floor for Coastal Carolina during the holiday break. She scored in double figures in each of the three contests, including 19 points against No. 2 UNC on Dec. 18. She connected on 16-of-31 from the floor in the three-game span and was 50 percent from downtown on 12-of-24 shots. She also finished with five boards, two blocks and one assist for the Lady Chants.

Freshman Racking Up Big South Honors

Coastal Carolina freshman Amanda Stull (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated), Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) and Devin Rivers (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela) have each won Big South Freshman of the Week honors this season. They become the 11th trio in Big South history to earn the honor by one team in the same season. Last season, Liberty’s Megan Frazee, Moriah Frazee and Rebecca Lightfoot all earned the honors.

Dill Ices Win from Free-Throw Line

Senior Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) set a Coastal season high by going 11-of-12 from the free-throw line in the 66-59 win over UNC Wilmington Dec. 20. This included hitting four clutch free throws in the final minute to extend the Coastal lead from one to five. On the year, Dill is hitting 69.7 percent from the line, but is 90.9 percent in the last five minutes with a 10 or under scoring margin.

Lyons Finds Form vs. #2 Tar Heels

Freshman Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) went 7-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, for 19 points against #2 North Carolina Dec. 18. Lyons upped her scoring average to 9.6 points per game and leads the team with 30 three pointers. Also, only two players have scored more points against the Tar Heels this season than Lyons - Tennessee’s Candace Parker (27) and Gonzaga’s Jami Bjorklund (21).

Coastal Sweeps Big South Awards

Coastal Carolina’s Alisha Dill has been named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Player of the Week in women’s basketball, while teammate Devin Rivers was tabbed New Balance Freshman of the Week for games played Dec. 11-17, the League announced.

Dill, a senior from Johnson City, Tenn., averaged 28.0 points per game to lead the Lady Chanticleers to a 2-1 record on the week. She got her week started with 33 points on 13-of-26 for 50 percent from the floor and 5-of-13 from downtown as CCU downed Campbell, 58-33 on Dec. 11. Two days later, the guard connected on 10-of-18 from the field (56 percent) and added two treys and two free throws for 24 points to lead the Lady Chants to the win over North Greenville. She capped her week off with 27 points, including five treys in Coastal’s game against UNC Greensboro on Dec. 16. For the week, Dill hit 32-of-66 shots from the floor for 49 percent and shot 43 percent from beyond the arc (12-of-28), and posted 14 boards, seven assists and seven steals. Dill currently ranks No. 2 in the country in scoring, averaging 24.8 points per contest.

Rivers, a center from Miami, Fla., averaged 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 points per game on the week. She got her week started with seven boards against Campbell on Dec. 11 and followed that performance with a career-high eight points and eight rebounds against North Greenville two days later. On Dec. 16 at UNCG, she closed her week out with three points and two rebounds in the loss to the Spartans.

Dill Also Block Shot Leader

Senior Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) blocked three UNC Greensboro shots in the 64-54 loss Dec. 16. She now has 11 blocks on the year, good for the team lead.

Ware Sets Career High In Rebounds

Junior C.J. Ware (Decatur, Ga./Lakeside) set a career best by grabbing eight rebounds in a 64-54 loss to UNC Greensboro Dec. 16. The point guard led all players with the eight boards and now is averaging 3.6 rebounds a game.

Defense Especially Tough From Outside the Arc

The Coastal Carolina defense is holding its opponents to just 24.6 percent from three-point range this season. This includes holding UNC Greensboro to just 2-of-10 from three in a 64-54 loss Dec. 16. Meanwhile, the Coastal offense is shooting 37.8 percent from behind the arc, led by freshman Lacey Lyons’ (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) 45.5 percent. .

Ware in Giving Mood

Junior C.J. Ware (Decatur, Ga./Lakeside) tied her career high with seven assists in a 74-46 win over North Greenville Dec. 13. The junior point guard leads the team with 3.3 assists per game and also is averaging 3.6 rebounds a contest.

Coastal Defense Stingy in Win over Campbell

The Coastal Carolina defense held Campbell to just 20 percent shooting and 33 points in the 58-33 win over the Fighting Camels Dec. 11. Campbell was just 1-of-15 from three-point range and was held to its lowest scoring output in school history. Coastal’s defense forced Campbell into 22 turnovers and senior Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) led the charge with three steals.

Coastal now has given up 39.2 points in the five games at Kimbel Arena this season. Coastal started the home campaign with a 90-31 win over Southern Virginia and held North Greenville to 46 points Dec. 13.

Dill Feeling It in Win over Camels

Senior Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) continued her breakout senior campaign with a 33-point outburst against Campbell Dec. 11. Dill was 13-of-26 from the field, hit five-three pointers and had five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Dill became the third player in the Big South this season to score 30 or more points, joining freshman teammate Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) and Liberty’s Megan Frazee. She also has scored 26 or more points in a game six times this season.

Lyons Named Big South Freshman of the Week

Coastal Carolina freshman women’s basketball player Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) was selected as the Big South Conference New Balance Freshman of the Week for games played Nov. 20-26, the League announced.

Lyons, a forward from Beverly Hills, Fla., posted 15.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, including 30 points against Howard, to lead the Lady Chanticleers to a 2-1 record on the week. She got things going with 11 points and seven boards in CCU’s 90-31 win over Southern Virginia on Nov. 20. Against IPFW on Nov. 25, she put in five points and notched one board for Coastal. The next day against Howard, Lyons caught fire as she was 10-of-12 from the floor (83 percent), 6-of-8 from three-point land (75 percent) and was perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line for Coastal Carolina. She also chipped in six boards in the contest as CCU dropped the Lady Bison, 85-78. For the week, she was 56 percent from the floor on 15-of-27 shots, 59 percent from beyond the arc on 10-of-17 tries and was perfect from the line, connecting on all six attempts.

Coastal Puts Up Points Against Howard

Coastal Carolina shot 48.3 percent from the floor, including 54.5 percent from three-point range, in its 85-78 win over Howard Nov. 26. The 85 points were the highest scored by Coastal against a Division I opponent since Feb. 1, 2003 in a 96-94 triple-overtime win over Radford.

De-Fense, De-Fense

Coastal Carolina held Southern Virginia to 31 points Nov. 20, the second lowest point total in school history by an opponent. Southern Virginia shot 25.5 percent and went 1-of-15 from the three-point line. The school record for lowest points in a game by an opponent is 23 by Coker during the 1982-83 season.

Stull Named Big South Freshman of the Week

Coastal Carolina freshman women’s basketball player Amanda Stull (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated) was selected as the Big South Conference New Balance Freshman of the Week for games played Nov. 13-19, the League announced.

Stull, a guard, connected on all four of her shots from the field and posted eight points in Coastal’s 70-56 win over the College of Charleston Nov. 16. She also dished out two assists and came up with three steals and one rebound for the Lady Chants in the win.

Stull becomes Coastal’s first Big South Freshman of the Week since Whitney Shearer was named on Feb. 5, 2001.

Coastal Improves in Season Openers with Win over CofC

Coastal Carolina improved to 8-2 in season openers under head coach Alan LeForce with its 70-56 win over the College of Charleston Nov. 16. Coastal shot 51 percent from the field in winning its second straight opener on the road.

New Kids on the Block

Coastal played four newcomers in the win over the Cougars and they combined for 21 points and eight rebounds. Junior Victoria Blanchard (Eutawville, S.C./Walters State C.C.) made her first career start and had seven points and two assists. Freshman Amanda Stull (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated) was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for eight points while adding two assists. Freshman Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) hit two big three-pointers for six points, while freshman Devin Rivers (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela) had five rebounds and three assists.

Chanticleers Picked Fourth in the Big South

The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Big South Conference’s annual preseason poll, as voted on by the League’s Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors and media panel. The announcement was made Oct. 10 in Charlotte, N.C., as part of the 2006-07 Tip-Off Media Luncheon.

Coastal received 117 points in the preseason poll. Liberty was picked to finish first for the 10th year in a row, as the Lady Flames garnered 21 first-place votes and finisihing with 202 points. The Lady Flames were followed by High Point (178 points, four first-place votes), Winthrop (136 points), Coastal, Radford (115 points, one first-place vote), UNC Asheville (100 points), Birmingham-Southern and Charleston Southern (44 points apiece).

Head Coach Alan LeForce

Coastal head coach Alan LeForce (Cumberland (Ky.) ’57) is starting his 10th season as the Lady Chanticleers’ mentor. He has a 133-131 record at CCU and a 373-311 overall record in 24 seasons as a head coach. LeForce is the all-time winningest women’s basketball coach in CCU history and is the only coach to win 100 games in both Division I men’s and women’s basketball.

New Faces for the Chants

Coastal Carolina has eight players on its roster that will play their first Division I season. Five of the eight newcomers are true freshmen, as Lauren Grochowski (Naperville, Ill./Central), Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River), Devin Rivers (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela), Amanda Stull (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated) and Lori Whitaker (Bloomington, Ind./North) are just out of high school. Elizabeth Weaver (Unicoi, Tenn./Unicoi County) redshirted her first season at CCU, while Victoria Blanchard (Holly Hill, S.C./Holly Hill-Roberts) transferred from Walters State Community College. Heather Hummel (Franklin, Pa./Rocky Grove) transferred from Slippery Rock and will have one season of eligibility remaining.

Laug Starts Redshirt Senior Campaign

Redshirt senior Vanessa Laug (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) started her fifth season Thursday night against the College of Charleston. Laug redshirted during the 2002-03 campaign with a knee injury after playing four games for the Lady Chants. Laug has 213 points and 209 rebounds in her Coastal career.

All CCU Games to be Broadcast on the Internet

The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team will have every regular-season and post-season game broadcast on the internet during the 2006-07 season, the first time in school history that every minute of CCU women’s basketball will be on the air. Beginning with the season opener Nov. 16 against the College of Charleston, all 28 games will be available on www.GoCCUSports.com. The broadcast will start 10 minutes prior to tipoff.

In addition, every post-season game, beginning with the 2007 Advance Auto Parts Big South Tournament March 8 in Asheville, N.C., will be broadcast on both www.GoCCUSports.com and THE TEAM 93.9 FM in Myrtle Beach.

 

Big South to Video Stream All Women’s Basketball Conference Games

For the first time in League history, the Big South Conference will video stream live its women’s basketball home Conference games free on the its premium content website, The Big South EDGE presented by Aéropostale, it was announced by Big South Commissioner Kyle B. Kallander. All Conference games involving Big South members will be available exclusively online beginning with the 2006-07 season, and the webcasts will utilize a one-to-three camera production with home audio, when available.

Coastal’s first game on the EDGE will be Jan. 13 against Liberty in Kimbel Arena at 2 p.m.

CCU Signs Four Student-Athletes to National Letters-of-Intent

The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball program has signed four student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent, head coach Alan LeForce announced Nov. 9.

"We feel like we’ve added another strong class," LeForce said. "We think this group is every bit as good as the recruiting class last year. We’ve had two straight strong recruiting classes and that’s the way you build a program. We feel very good about it. We’ll still be young as we’ll have 10 freshmen and sophomores for next season, but they are good players."

The following is a list of the student-athletes coming to Coastal Carolina in 2007-08.

Name Pos. Ht. Hometown

Courtney Grambley F 6-1 Morrow, Ohio

Kate Jasinski G 5-6 Birmingham, Ala.

Jessica Noll F 6-0 Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Katie White C 6-3 St. Charles, Ill.

Coastal Loses Scoring from Last Season

Coastal Carolina graduated 59.6 percent of its scoring off last year’s team, including two double-digit scorers in Amber Rose (11.5 ppg) and Kim Turner (11.0 ppg). Coastal does return Alisha Dill and Calisha Yates, who averaged 11.3 and 9.4 points per game, respectively.

Injury Report

Freshman Lauren Grochowski (Naperville, Ill./Central) is out for tonight’s game with an injury.

Ware Controls Point

Junior C.J. Ware (Decatur, Ga./Lakeside) will be the starting point guard for the Lady Chants to start the season. Ware was second on the team with 61 assists last season and added 35 steals. Ware started 26 of Coastal’s 28 games in 2005-06 and averaged 2.8 points per game.

Up Next

Coastal starts Big South Conference play Saturday, Jan. 13 with a 2 p.m., matchup against defending League champion Liberty. The game can be heard on www.GoCCUSports.com. Also, the game will be streamed live on THE EDGE at www.BigSouthSports.com.