Women's Basketball To Host 14th Annual DoubleTree Classic
Dec 27, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2009
NEW ORLEANS - Across the world, many anticipate the holiday season and the festivities accompanying the upcoming new year. Fans of the Tulane University women's basketball team now have long become accustomed to another annual event which continues on Monday, Dec. 28, when the Green Wave host the 2009 DoubleTree Classic in Fogelman Arena.
The Green Wave kick off the 14th annual event on Monday at 6 p.m. when they take on Long Island while Texas Tech and North Dakota are slated to do battle a little later at 8 p.m. The winner of Monday's matchups will play in the Tulane DoubleTree Classic championship game on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 8 p.m. The consolation game, meanwhile, is slated for Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Tulane enters Monday's game 8-2 on the year and on a six-game winning streak after defeating South Alabama, Prairie View A&M, Longwood, South Florida, Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State over the last six ballgames. As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 70.9 points, 36.0 rebounds, 17.8 assists, 12.5 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.
Senior guard Chassity Brown leads the team in scoring with a 14.0 point-per-game average while junior forward Brittany Lindsey and sophomore post player Brett Benzio follow with respective averages of 11.5 and 9/9. Benzio leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.3 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 44.7 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 257-of-575 attempts, including 58-of-152 from beyond the 3-point arc (.382). The Green Wave defense has held opponents to a 38.0 shooting percentage (216-of-569) and a 30.7 clip from 3-point land (42-of-137). Tulane opponents are averaging 59.1 points, 37.7 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 8.8 steals and 2.7 blocks per game.
Long Island, meanwhile, comes to New Orleans 7-4 on the year and winners of four of its last five games, including a 73-54 decision over Bryant in the Blackbirds' last outing on Dec. 13.
As a team, the Blackbirds are averaging 69.0 points, 40.6 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 9.5 steals and 2.8 blocks per game. Chelsi Johnson is one of three Long Island players to average at least 10 points a game with 14.9 a game while Ashley Palmer and Kiara Evans follow closely with 14.3 and 11.6 points, respectively. Johnson leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.2 per game, while Evans paces the squad wtih 75 assists and 28 steals.
Long Island is hitting 43.7 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 284-of-650 attempts, including a 39-of-121 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.322). The Blackbirds' defense has held opponents to a 40.3 shooting percentage (263-of-652) and a 31.4 clip from 3-point land (43-of-137). Long Island opponents are averaging 63.4 points, 36.9 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.2 blocks per game.
Not to be left out, Texas Tech comes to town 10-1 on the year, and North Dakota sports a winning record itself at 7-5. Tulane has never played Long Island or North Dakota, but does have a history with Texas Tech.
The Green Wave and the Red Raiders have played each other three times and Texas Tech has won each meeting, including a 77-50 decision on Jan. 29, 2006, in Lubbock, Texas. In addition, the Tulane women's basketball team made the Texas Tech campus its home during the Fall 2005 semester when Hurricane Katrina forced the University to set up operations in various schools across the region.
Tulane is 22-4 all-time in the DoubleTree Classic, winning 10 of the previous 13 events. Last season, the Green Wave downed Alabama State, 78-48, in the opening game on Dec. 20 before defeating Providence in the championship game, 68-46, the next night. Benzio was named MVP after averaging 9.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the Wave's victories.
For ticket information to the 2009 Tulane DoubleTree Classic, as well as tickets to any future Green Wave athletics event, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
