Women's Basketball To Battle McNeese State On Tuesday
Dec 21, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2009
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University women's basketball team will look to make it six wins in a row on Tuesday, Dec. 22, when the Green Wave play host to non-conference foe McNeese State at 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena.
The team enters the midweek matchup 7-2 on the year riding the crest of a five-game winning streak after defeating South Alabama, Prairie View A&M, Longwood, South Florida and Stephen F. Austin over the last five ballgames. During the winning streak, the Green Wave have won three games by a combined 11 points while posting a 15-point win over Longwood on Dec. 5 and an 84-51 thrashing of Stephen F. Austin on Sunday afternoon.
"Right now, the team is playing very well," Tulane head women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton said. "We're getting very good play not only from our starters but from the players off the bench. The biggest concern for us right now is this being the third game in six days and trying to stay focused before going on break.
"I do think we played very well against Stephen F. Austin. I thought we played very intense for 40 minutes. We just need to take that momentum into the game against McNeese State."
As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 70.4 points, 34.7 rebounds, 17.7 assists, 12.7 steals and 3.4 blocks per game. Senior guard Chassity Brown leads the team in scoring with a 14.1 point-per-game average while junior forward Brittany Lindsey and sophomore post player Brett Benzio follow with respective averages of 11.5 and 10.0. Lindsey, however, has not played in the last three games after suffering a shoulder injury late in Dec. 4's 67-63 win over Prairie View A&M.
Benzio leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.7 per game, while freshman guard Olivia Grayson paces the club with 3.9 assists a night and junior guard Roshaunda Barnes headlines the Wave with 3.3 steals per ballgame.
Tulane is hitting 45.5 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 233-of-512 attempts, including 50-of-130 from beyond the 3-point arc (.385). The Green Wave defense has held opponents to a 38.7 shooting percentage (196-of-506) and a 32.5 clip from 3-point land (38-of-117). Tulane opponents are averaging 60.7 points, 37.9 rebounds, 11.1 assists, 8.7 steals and 2.8 blocks per game.
"The team has adjusted well playing a four-guard lineup," Stockton said. "The good thing for us is that our guards are playing very well and it gives them more minutes on the court. We've changed our style a little bit and we've also changed our defensive pressure a little bit with the absence of Brittany.
"I'm really proud of how different players have stepped up. Danielle Nunn is playing very well. Having Janique (Kautsky) back, she has come in and made an impact on the game. I think we're doing some really good things."
McNeese State, meanwhile, comes to town 3-7 on the year and looking to snap a three-game losing streak including a 68-66 loss to Centenary on Saturday in Lake Charles.
As a team, the Cowgirls are averaging 64.7 points, 41.6 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 12.6 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. Kiara Johnson is one of three McNeese State players to average at least 10 points a game with 15.2 a game while Candace LaCombe and Kendra Wells follow closely with 15.0 and 14.7 points, respectively. Wells leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.8 per game, and in steals with 28 while Brooke Froeba paces the Cowgirls with 31 assists.
McNeese State is hitting 36.6 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 232-of-634 attempts, including a 34-of-143 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.238). The Cowgirls' defense has allowed opponents to post a 42.0 shooting percentage (222-of-529) and a 38.2 clip from 3-point land (50-of-131). McNeese State opponents are averaging 65.7 points, 37.0 rebounds, 13.2 assists, 9.2 steals and 4.0 blocks per game.
Tuesday's game marks the 18th time Tulane and McNeese State will meet on the hardwood and the Green Wave trail in the all-time series, 5-12. The Cowgirls won the first meeting between the two teams, 80-58 back on Dec. 11, 1976, and won the next eight contests through 1988. The Green Wave, however, have won five of the last seven matchups and each of the last three. The last time the two teams met, Tulane handled McNeese State to the tune of 90-34 - the fifth largest margin of victory in Green Wave women's basketball history - on Dec. 1, 2001.
Following the McNeese State game, the team will enjoy a break for the holidays and will return to action on Monday, Dec. 28 when the Green Wave play host to North Dakota State, Long Island and Texas Tech in the 2009 Tulane/DoubleTree Classic. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
