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Women's Basketball Hosts South Carolina State Tuesday Night

       

Women's Basketball Hosts South Carolina State Tuesday Night

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Coastal Returns Home to Host South Carolina State         The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team (3-0), fresh off a road win Saturday afternoon, returns to Kimbel Arena Tuesday, Nov. 20 to host South Carolina State (0-2) at 6 p.m. The game can be heard on www.GoCCUSports.com with Chris Burgin and Randy Clemens on the call. Coastal is coming off a 51-41 win at Stetson, starting the season at 3-0 for the fourth time in school history.   Scouting South Carolina State         The Bulldogs fell to Big South opponent Winthrop 70-58 in Orangeburg in their last contest. Sophilia Hipps scored 25 points, while Sasha Sales added 11 in the loss. After two contests, Hipps is averaging 23.5 points per game. South Carolina State fell to Mercer 58-55 in its season opener.          The Bulldogs are coached by Tonya Mackey, who is in her fourth year in Orangeburg. She has a 30-58 record in her career and at the school.   Series vs. South Carolina State       The Bulldogs hold a 10-5 series advantage and has won the last three meetings with the Lady Chanticleers. SCSU defeated Coastal 77-68 in the last meeting Jan. 3, 2005. Coastal’s last win over the Bulldogs came in the 1997-98 season, when the Lady Chanticleers won 74-55. The last time the two teams met in Kimbel Arena, the Bulldogs came away with a 62-52 win in 2003-04.   Doin’ It With Defense       Coastal held Stetson to 41 points on 31.5 percent shooting in the 10-point win Nov. 17. The Lady Chants also forced the Hatters to go 3-of-16 from three-point range. On the year, Coastal’s opponents are averaging 48.3 points per game and shooting 32.1 percent from the field.   Chants Start 3-0       For the fourth time in school history, Coastal has started the season with three straight wins. It is the first time since 2003-04 that the Lady Chants have open with three straight victories.   If Coastal were to beat South Carolina State and Southern Virginia this week, the Lady Chants would set a school record for a winning streak to start the season.   Lady Chants Garner Co-Player, Freshman of the Week       Coastal Carolina’s Vicky Blanchard and Tiffany Rodd of Winthrop have been named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Co-Player of the Week in women’s basketball, while Sydnei Moss from Coastal was tabbed New Balance Freshman of the Week for games played through Nov. 11.         Blanchard posted 18 points, nine boards and two steals in leading the Lady Chanticleers to a 59-58 win over Wofford on Nov. 11. With Coastal Carolina down by one in the closing seconds of the game, Blanchard put in the game winning bucket with :11 seconds left as CCU held on to pick up the win. For the game she connected on 73-percent of her shots on 8-of-11 from the floor, put in two shots from the charity stripe and ripped down nine boards.         Moss came up big in her first collegiate game against Wofford. In the closing seconds of the contest, Moss ripped down an offensive rebound and put it back up to cut the Terrier lead to one. She then stole the in-bounds pass and found an open Blanchard for the game-winning shot with just :11 seconds left to play. In just 20 minutes of action, she recorded eight points, seven rebounds, two steals and dished out two assists.   Coastal Signs Epley to National Letter-of-Intent       The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball program and head coach Alan LeForce have announced the signing of Taylor Epley (Newburgh, Ind./Castle) to a National Letter-of-Intent, it was announced Nov. 15.         Epley, a 6-0 forward, is starting her senior season at Castle High School in Newburgh, Ind. Last season, she averaged nine points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots per game. She also helped Castle to an Indiana 4A State Championship as a sophomore. Last year, Epley helped Castle earn a Sectional championship as a junior. She also is a member of the National Honor Society.   Chants On Fire from Charity Stripe vs. CofC         Coastal went 18-of-20 from the free-throw line in the 63-46 win over the College of Charleston Nov. 14. The 90 percent from the line is the highest by a Coastal team since the Lady Chants went 12-of-13 (.921) against Furman Dec. 14, 2001. Coastal made 13 of 14 free throws in the second half, including going 8-for-8 in the last two minutes. Then in the win over Stetson, Coastal was 12-of-14 from the free-throw line, led by senior C.J. Ware’s (Decatur, Ga./Lakeside) 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.   Lyons Tames Cougars with Three-Point Barrage         Sophomore Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) scored Coastal’s final 13 points of the first half, turning a 24-16 deficit into a 29-25 halftime lead vs. the College of Charleston Nov. 14. Lyons ended the game with 22 points, seven rebounds and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. She is averaging 14.0 points per game after three contests.   Stull Nets Career High vs. C of C         Sophomore Amanda Stull (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated) scored a career high 12 points on four field goals and four free throws in a 63-46 win over the College of Charleston Nov. 14. Stull added four rebounds and four assists in the win. She is averaging 10.0 points in two contests against the College of Charleston.     Defense Stingy in Win over Cougars         Coastal had allowed 10 field goals in the first 12:53 of the game in its 63-46 win over the Cougars. Coastal clamped down and did not allow a field goal for the final 7:07 of the first half and the first 2:05 of the second half. Coastal forced 19 Cougar turnovers and had a 42-34 rebounding advantage.   Comeback Kids Win over Wofford         Coastal was trailing Wofford by seven points with 2:50 left and down five with 40 seconds remaining, but scored the final six points, including a layup from senior Vicky Blanchard (Eutawville, S.C./Holly Hill-Roberts (Walters State C.C.)) with 11 seconds left to get the 59-58 win Nov. 11. Freshman Sydnei Moss (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) had a layup with 19 seconds left off a missed free throw. She then had a steal and fed Blanchard for the winning hoop. It was Coastal’s first one-point win since a 66-65 win over UNC Greensboro Dec. 6, 2003, while the Lady Chants improved to 17-17 all-time in season openers.    Rookie Roundup         Coastal had four players making their collegiate debut Nov. 11 against Wofford. Freshman Sydnei Moss (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) had eight points and seven rebounds, while getting a key layup and steal in the last minute of the 59-58 win. Freshman Courtney Grambley (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) had seven points and seven minutes in the win over the Terriers. Freshman Katie White (St. Charles, Ill./East) had four rebounds and a blocked shots in the opener, while classmate Kate Jasinski (Toledo, Ohio/Penn (Ind.)) had a rebound and an assist in the win. Freshman Jessica Noll (Myrtle Beach, S.C./St. James) played her first game against the College of Charleston Nov. 14 and scored three points.   Lyons Hot From Behind the Arc         Sophomore Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) set the school record for three-point field goals by a freshman last season, and she started right where she left off in this year’s season opener against Wofford.  Lyons went 4-of-7 from three-point range, scoring 16 points in helping the Lady Chants to a 59-58 win. Lyons was two triples away from her career high, which was set Nov. 26, 2006 vs. Howard.   Blanchard Helps Lady Chants Win Opener         Senior Vicky Blanchard (Eutawville, S.C./Holly Hill-Roberts (Walters State C.C.)) scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the 59-58 win over Wofford Nov. 11. She also scored the game-winning layup with 11 seconds left to give Coastal its first lead since the 16:38 mark of the second half.   Chanticleers Picked Sixth in the Big South         The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Big South Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll, the conference announced at its annual Media Day Oct. 9 in Charlotte, N.C.         Coastal earned 77 points and were five points away from the fourth spot. Radford was picked to win the League, garnering 16 first-place votes and 162 points. Liberty earned the second spot with nine first-place votes and 156 points. Defending Big South Tournament champion UNC Asheville was picked third with 113 points. Defending regular season champion High Point followed in fourth with 81 points. They were followed by Winthrop (80 points), Coastal and Charleston Southern (31).         Liberty’s Megan Frazee was selected the Big South Player of the Year, getting 112 points and 17 first-place votes. She was joined on the team by Radford’s Kelli Darden and Corrie Fertitta, UNC Asheville’s Ashton Barton and Winthrop’s Ashley Fann.   Head Coach Alan LeForce         Coastal head coach Alan LeForce (Cumberland (Ky.) ’57) is starting his 11th season as the Lady Chanticleers’ mentor. He has a 146-138 record at CCU and a 386-318 overall record in 25 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.   Coastal Returns Three All-Freshman Team Members         Three members of last year’s Big South All-Freshman Team returns to the Lady Chanticleers’ lineup this season. Sophomores Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River), Devin Rivers (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela) and Amanda Stull (Rushville, Ind./Rushville Consolidated) doubled the number of All-Freshman Team members in Coastal history. Lisa O’Connor (1997-98), Brooke Weisbrod (1997-98) and Nikki Reddick (1999-2000) were Coastal’s previous All-Freshman Team members.         Lyons averaged 7.9 points, which is second on the team, and 2.3 rebounds a game. She had a season high 30 points in an 85-78 win over Howard Nov. 26 and hit five three-pointers against second-ranked North Carolina Dec. 18. Lyons was a two-time Big South Freshman of the Week and set the school record for three-pointers in a season by a freshman (44). She scored in double figures 10 times this season and had seven rebounds in a game twice.         Rivers averaged 3.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game her freshman season. She was second on the team in blocked shots with 19. Rivers was selected the Big South Freshman of the Week Dec. 18 and had eight points, eight rebounds and three steals in a win over North Greenville Dec. 13. Rivers had nine rebounds Jan. 15 against Radford and tied a Coastal high with five steals Jan. 4 against Coker.         Stull averaged 4.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 2006-07. She was a two-time Big South Freshman of the Week honoree and shot 45.1 percent from the field. She scored nine points in a game twice and grabbed eight rebounds in a win over Savannah State Jan. 9. Stull had 37 steals on the year and had four in a win over Winthrop Jan. 31. She also had a season-high eight assists in a win over Converse Dec. 31.       Coastal Looks to Replace Scoring Load from Last Year       The four Coastal Carolina seniors on last year’s squad accounted for 34.4 of the 62.7 points (54.9 percent) scored, led by Alisha Dill’s 22.5 points per game. Dill was sixth in the country in points per game last year. Sophomore Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) is the team’s top returning scorer, as she averaged 7.9 points per game.   Youth Will Be Served on Lady Chants Roster       Eleven of Coastal’s 14 players on its 2007-08 roster are either freshmen or sophomores athletically. There are three seniors on the roster, C.J. Ware (Decatur, Ga./Lakeside), Vicky Blanchard (Eutawville, S.C./Holly Hill Roberts) and Joanna Pekonen (Lappeenranta, Finland/Makelanrinne (Lafayette)).   All CCU Games to be Broadcast on the Internet       For the second straight year, the Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team will have every regular-season and post-season game broadcast on the internet. Beginning with the season opener Nov. 11 against Wofford, all 27 games will be available on www.GoCCUSports.com. The broadcast will start 10 minutes prior to tipoff.       Describing the action will be Chris Burgin who enters his first year as “Voice of the Lady Chanticleers.” Burgin comes to Coastal Carolina after spending the last eight years as play-by-play voice for future Big South Conference rival Presbyterian College. During his tenure with the Blue Hose, Chris handled the broadcasts for football; men’s and women’s basketball; along with baseball and softball. He was behind the microphone when the PC football team won the South Atlantic Conference championship and recorded the school’s first NCAA football playoff appearance in 2005. Burgin was also witness to a Division II “Sweet 16” trip by the men’s basketball team in 2003 and numerous appearances in the postseason by the women’s basketball squad. Burgin, a 1992 graduate of the University of South Carolina, is currently employed by SportsRadio 1410 WPCC in Clinton.       In addition, every post-season game, beginning with the 2008 Advance Auto Parts Big South Tournament March 14 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        Coastal Carolina will video stream all home games this season on THE EDGE, the Big South’s streaming website. Coastal will also have every game of the Big South schedule on THE EDGE as well as every game of the 2008 Advance Auto Parts Big South Tournament in Asheville, N.C.       The video stream of women’s basketball games and all Big South events, which will also be available on a video-on-demand basis for subscribers of The EDGE, requires a high-speed internet connection (DSL, cable or above), Microsoft Windows Media Player 9.0 or greater downloaded and installed, and a screen resolution of 800x600 or greater, among other requirements. An annual subscription of The EDGE costs $69.95 and runs one year from the date of sign-up and includes live sporting events and championships, interviews and exclusive access to on-demand video and features.   Consistency in the Coaching Staff       For the third consecutive season, Coastal will have the same coaching staff on the bench. Head Coach Alan LeForce is in his 11th year at Coastal and in his 26th year as a collegiate head coach. Assistant coach Frank Moorhead is in his sixth season with the Lady Chants, while assistant coach Mark Kost starts his fifth season. Assistant Coach Shameka Montgomery starts her third season on the CCU bench.   Last Year’s 18 Wins Ties CCU’s D-I Record       Coastal Carolina earned its 18th regular-season win in a 60-53 victory over Charleston Southern March 3. The 18 wins tied the 1999-2000 season for the most regular-season wins by a Coastal team as a Division I school.   Up Next             Coastal hosts Southern Virginia Saturday, Nov. 24 at 2 p.m.