Women's Basketball To Host Central Connecticut State
Dec 17, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2005
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University women's basketball team will celebrate its return to New Orleans on Sunday, Dec. 18, when the Green Wave play host to Central Connecticut State at 2 p.m. in Fogelman Arena.
The game is the first major sporting event held in the city since Aug. 26 when Tulane's volleyball and women's soccer teams hosted season-opening games at their respective on-campus facilities. Admission to Tuesday's game is free to the public in celebration of Tulane's continuing return to normalcy following the upheaval caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Tulane brings a 3-1 record into Sunday's game after splitting a pair of games in the Mission Management & Trust Fiesta Bowl Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona on Dec. 3-4 in Tucson, Ariz.
As a team, the Green Wave average 70.2 points per game and 42.5 rebounds per game. Tulane is shooting at a .412 clip (93-of-226), including a .293 showing from beyond the 3-point arc.
Sophomore forward Jennifer Sands paces an evenly-balanced offense with 13.5 points per game, while sophomore guard Nikki Luckhurst is close behind with a 12.5 average. Rookie post player Kendra Barnes leads Tulane in rebounding with 6.8 boards per game, while Sands and Luckhurst both average 6.0 a piece.
Three Green Wave players have at least 10 assists through the first four games of teh season, and freshman pointguard Ashley Langford leads the Green Wave with 14 (3.5 APG).
Central Connecticut State enters the weekend contest 2-5 on the season and looking to snap a four-game losing streak, including a 54-51 loss at Columbia in their last outing on Dec. 8.
The Blue Devils are averaging 59.1 points per game and 37.9 rebounds an outing. Central Connecticut connects at a .374 clip from the field, including a .233 percentage from 3-point land. Gabrielle Guegbelet paces the Blue Devils with 17.1 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, while Kim Boone is second on the squad in both scoring and rebounding with averages of 12.1 and 5.9, respectively. Six Blue Devil players have double-digit assist totals, and Denee Burgess leads CCSU with 19.
Sunday's game marks the first time Tulane and Central Connecticut State have met on the hardwood. It marks the third of eight first-time opponents Tulane will take on during the 2005-06 season. Against teams they had never played before, the Green Wave are 1-1 with a 65-64 loss to Chicago State in the opening round of the Mission Management & Trust Fiesta Bowl Classic on Dec. 3, and a 65-63 victory over Lehigh in the tournament's consolation game.
Following Sunday's game, the Green Wave will take a short break for the holiday's before returning to action on Wednesday, Dec. 28, when Tulane opens play in the DoubleTree Classic at 6 p.m. vs. Samford in Fogelman Arena.
