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Women's Basketball Takes on Radford in Virginia Saturday

       

Women's Basketball Takes on Radford in Virginia Saturday

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Date: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 Time: 3 p.m. At: Radford, Va. – Dedmon Center Series: Radford leads 35-12 Radio: THE TEAM 93.9 FM (Chris Burgin and Randy Clemens) Live Stats: Game Day Central at www.GoCCUsports.com Live Video: www.BigSouthSports.com   Opening Tip Coastal Carolina has played to a 2-2 record in the Big South Conference and looks to go above .500 Saturday at Radford. The Chanticleers earned their first road conference win of the season at Winthrop (Jan. 19) with a 51-34 win, led by redshirt freshman Courtney Grambley’s 14 points. Radford is 3-2 in league play after defeating Presbyterian 75-36 Jan. 19. Radford is in fourth place in the Big South, while Coastal Carolina sits in fifth place in the league.   Scouting the Highlanders (4-12, 3-2 Big South) Radford returns home after a four-game road trip and will play in the Dedmon Center for the first time this season, after playing the first part of the home schedule at Peters Hall due to renovations. The Highlanders played through a tough non-conference schedule where they finished 1-10, but have pieced together a nice 3-2 record in conference play. Taleia Monton is averaging 13.1 points a contest, while teammate Johnette Walker adds 12 points an outing. Walker ranks among the nation’s best (15th) in steals, having collected 54 steals this season and leads the Big South in the category. Series vs. Radford Series Record: Radford leads 35-12 Last season, the Chanticleers dropped both games to the Highlanders, but came away with one bright spot in sophomore Sydnei Moss. The North Augusta native averaged 11.5 points in two games and shot 81.8 percent from the field. Averaging only 14 minutes of play in both contests, Moss went 9-for-11 from the field and was 5-of-5 from the foul line. The Chants also had an advantage in the paint and blocked 12 shots in two outings.   CHANTICLEER NOTEBOOK   And Then There Were Three... The Chants had three or more players hit double figures in scoring during every game of conference play. In four league contests, sophomore Sydnei Moss is the only consistent scorer for the Chanticleers, averaging 13 points.   Moss Boosting Offense From Bench Sophomore Sydnei Moss has provided a much-needed lift in the past four games off the bench for the Chants, averaging 13 points and 6.3 boards per contest. Moss led the team in scoring with 18 points and added nine rebounds in the Big South opening win over UNC Asheville (Jan. 3). The North Augusta native then scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds against High Point (Jan. 5), followed by 11 points and six rebounds at Charleston Southern (Jan. 10). Moss recorded her fourth-straight game in double figures scoring 13 points at Winthrop (Jan. 17).   Grambley Picks Up Offense After scoring seven points in two Big South games, redshirt freshman Courtney Grambley netted a career-high 14 points against Winthrop (Jan. 17) in her third league game. Grambley came off the bench five minutes into the first half to spark the Chanticleer offense with eight points in the opening frame. Grambley continued to put points on the scoreboard, shot 50 percent from the field and pulled down six rebounds in the game.   Defense Getting it Done In Coastal Carolina’s 10 wins this season, the Chants have limited their opponents to 45.5 points per game and their strong defense has forced teams to shoot 31.1 percent from the field. When Coastal Carolina is on the losing end, it has surrendered 70.3 points per game to its competition. On the glass, Coastal Carolina holds a 422-383 advantage over opponents when it is victorious, but slips behind 303-220 on boards in its seven losses. They have also generated 210 opponent turnovers, posted 34 blocks and average 10.3 steals per game in 10 victories this season.   Silent 17 Junior Amanda Stull is 17-of-17 from the free throw line in league play. Stull has scored 50 percent of her points at the free throw line in Big South action.   Getting to the Line The Chants are shooting 67.3 percent from the free throw line to sit in third place in the Big South. However, the significant number here is Coastal Carolina has gone to the line 358 times, the most in the conference. The Chanticleers were sent to the foul line 34 times (24-of-34) at Alabama State (Dec. 29) and went 25-for-29 at Wofford (Nov. 19). The second most attempts in the league belongs to UNC Asheville, who is shooting 58.6 percent on 345 attempts (202-of-345). Winthrop leads the BSC at 68.4 percent (154-of-225).   First Impressions Count! Coastal Carolina is 9-2 when leading at the half. The Chanticleers are averaging 29.8 points in the first half and limiting opponents to 18.4 points in the opening frame. The Chanticleers have edged out opponents by one point in the first half twice, but gave up the lead on both occasions (at College of Charleston 32-31, vs. High Point 37-36). On the season, Coastal Carolina is averaging 27.3 points in the first 20 minutes, while shooting 35.8 percent from the floor.   30 Minutes and Counting... In the first four Big South games, Coastal Carolina has four players averaging more than 30 minutes. Junior Kendra Reynolds averages 35 minutes and classmate Amanda Stull is playing 33.8 minutes, while sophomore Kate Jasinski has earned 32 minutes a game.   Road Testing the Chants Coastal Carolina is 3-5 on the road this season after picking up its first road victory  since South Carolina State (Dec. 16) with a 51-34 victory at Winthrop (Jan. 17).The Chanticleers have allowed their opponents to score an average of 68.4 points and grab 46.3 rebounds in the five losses. The scoring margin road is -9.4, while the rebounding margin sits at -13 in eight road games.   Stull Accepting Charity, Reynolds Wants In Junior Amanda Stull has gone to the free throw line 96 times in 17 games. Stull earned her way to the line 18 times at Alabama State (Dec. 29), where she converted 13 freebies. On the season, she is second in the Big South shooting 81.3 percent from the charity stripe. The Rushville native has gone 78-for-96, which includes two 8-for-8 performances against Wofford (Nov. 19) and Southern Virginia (Nov. 30), and a 7-for-7 outing against UNC Asheville (Jan. 3). Junior Kendra Reynolds is getting used to being at the line too after sitting out the first 10 contests due to NCAA transfer rules. During the past seven games, Reynolds has gone 21-for-26 at the foul line to shoot 80.8 percent this season.   Rookie Roundup Even as a junior, Kendra Reynolds is still a rookie for the Chanticleers, but Reynolds is playing as a veteran. Reynolds has picked up three double-doubles in eight games and set a personal best of 18 points at Charleston Southern (Jan. 10). Freshmen Olivia Irick and Taylor Epley have earned playing time as well. Irick is averaging four points a game and has knocked down 10 three-pointers, while Epley is adding 1.8 rebounds per contest.   S-E-N-I-O-R-S? Coastal Carolina’s 2008-09 roster lists no seniors. This is the first time in Head Coach Alan LeForce’s 12 years he will be missing that senior leadership. However, the 2008-09 squad is rich in talent and experience. LeForce believes this is one of the most talented groups he and his staff have ever assembled at Coastal Carolina.   Up Next LIBERTY Date: Monday, Jan. 26, 2009 Time: 7 p.m. At: Vines Center - Lynchburg, Va. Series Record: Liberty leads 36-47 Liberty at a Glance: The Lady Flames lead the Big South with a 4-0 record. Liberty started the season 3-7, but have rebounded with a seven-game win streak. The Lady Flames are led by Megan Frazee who is averaging 20 points in nine games, followed by her teammate Moriah Frazee who averages 10 points per game.