Women's Basketball To Host 15th Annual Tulane/DoubleTree Classic
Dec 28, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2010
Video Interview With Coach Stockton
Coach Stockton's Comments Prior To The Tulane/DoubleTree Classic
Tulane Women's Basketball Game Notes in PDF Format 
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University women's basketball team returns to action after its holiday break on Wednesday, Dec. 29, when the Green Wave open play in the 15th Annual Tulane/DoubleTree Classic against Nicholls State in Fogelman Arena. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.
The annual event was originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Dec. 28, but inclement weather and travel issues forced the Tulane administration to push things back a day. Joining Tulane and Nicholls State in the DoubleTree Classic are Charlotte and Old Dominion, and the 49ers and Lady Monarchs will square off in game two on Thursday at 5 p.m.
The winners of the Tulane/Nicholls State and Charlotte/Old Dominion contests will advance to play for the tournament title on Thursday at 3 p.m. The losing teams of both games, meanwhile, will meet in the consolation contest on Thursday at 1 p.m. Tulane is 25-3 all-time in the DoubleTree Classic, earning team titles from 1996-2002, in 2004 and 2006, and again from 2008-09.
"This has always been a good tournament for us," Tulane head women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton said. "We're able to get teams from all over the country to come down here, and it's always very, very competitive. We've got a great sponsorship with DoubleTree. I don't think too many tournaments have been able to have the same sponsor for over 15 years. It should be very competitive and we're excited to play again.
"We've been very fortunate over the years with this tournament in that we've never had any travel issues because of the weather. This year was kind of unique. We really had a lot of problems getting teams in. Luckily, Nicholls is local, but trying to get these teams from the north in has been challenging. But we're going to adjust. The teams have all been very cooperative and our facilities people have done a great job of turning this thing around. Hopefully, it won't change the game at all."
Live stats for all four games are available for free on the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com via GameTracker. In addition, live video steaming for each of Tulane's games is available to paid members of the All-Access Pass, and both Green Wave contests will also be broadcast live on the flagship radio station of Tulane Athletics, WIST AM 690.
The Green Wave enter the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic 8-2 on the year after looking to build on the momentum of a 78-67 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 20 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 70.7 points, 39.7 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 8.8 steals and 3.9 blocks per game. Sophomore guard Olivia Grayson leads the team with 13.7 points per game followed by seniors Roshaunda Barnes and Tiffany Aidoo with respective averages of 13.4 and 12.3. Junior center Brett Benzio paces the squad with 6.6 rebounds per game and has a team-best 12 blocks. Grayson headlines the club with 47 assists while Barnes has a team-leading 31 steals.
Tulane is connecting at a .410 clip from the field, hitting 253-of-617 shots from the floor and 43-of-139 shots from beyond the 3-point arc (.309), while allowing opponents to shoot .383 overall (239-of-624) and .383 from 3-point land (54-of-170). Green Wave opponents are averaging 62.4 points, 42.6 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.0 blocks per game.
"The great thing for us is that our goal for after Christmas was to have everybody back (healthy) and we pretty much have all of our returners back," Stockton said. "The Monroe game was the first time we had them all (together). The thing now is to try and find a way to use everybody in a way that we can maximize their abilities. I think we go nine deep and we're really solid. Our practices have been very competitive and hopefully you'll see a big difference in us in the next couple of weeks in how we improve."
Nicholls State comes to town 5-6 on the year and riding the crest of a three-game winning streak after downing Bethune-Cookman, Georgia State and Southern in its last three outings.
As a team, the Colonels are averaging 61.4 points, 31.4 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 11.7 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Ricshanda Bickham and K.K. Babin are tied for the team lead with identical 14.4 point-per-game averages while Alisha Allen follows closely with a 13.4 scoring average. Allen paces NSU with 5.6 rebounds per contest, Bickman has a team-best 42 assists and Babin headlines the squad with 31 steals.
Nicholls State is hitting 36.1 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 229-of-634 attempts, including a 75-of-231 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.325). The Colonels' defense has allowed opponents to tally a 42.2 shooting percentage (272-of-645) and a .299 clip from 3-point land (41-of-137). Nicholls State's opponents are averaging 64.9 points, 45.9 rebounds, 12.5 assists, 7.5 steals and 2.4 blocks per game.
"They're a different team," Stockton said of the 2010-11 Colonels and the teams from years past. "I think Nicholls is playing very well right now. They're shooting the ball very well. When you look back to where they were two years ago, it wasn't a very competitive game. This one will be. We're going to have to be ready to play. I think it's going to be a great tournament because all of the teams in it are very competitive. It's anybody's game."
Wednesday's game marks the 41st meeting between Tulane and Nicholls State on the hardwood, and the Green Wave hold a 28-12 advantage in the all-time series. Tulane is 9-0 against the Colonels under head coach Lisa Stockton, including a 108-66 victory the last time the two teams played - on Dec. 17, 2008, in Thibodaux, La.
The Green Wave have won 12 straight games against Nicholls State and are 20-1 against the Colonels at home. The lone home loss to NSU came in the initial meeting back on March 5, 1976, when the Colonels defeated Tulane 49-44 in the LAIAW State Tournament.
Charlotte heads to The Big Easy 10-2 on the year and winners of its last seven contests dating back to an 89-58 victory over North Carolina A&T on Nov. 30. While Tulane and Charlotte have not played each other recently, the two teams share a deep history as both were members of the Metro Conference and Conference USA before the 49ers left for the Atlantic 10 for the 2005-06 season.
If the two teams were to meet on Thursday, it would be the 23rd meeting on the hardwood where the Green Wave hold a 14-8 advantage in the series. The Green Wave are 8-2 against the 49ers at home and had a string of 12 straight wins against Charlotte from 1995-2002. The 49ers, however, have won the last three head-to-head meetings, including a 62-35 win in the last matchup on Jan. 28, 2005 in North Carolina.
Old Dominion, meanwhile, enters the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic 5-4 overall, winners of two of its last three games and looking to build on the momentum of a 71-47 victory over Stony Brook on Dec. 21 in Norfolk, Va. If Green Wave and Lady Monarchs meet in day two of the tournament, it would be the first time the two teams have ever played.
"We certainly knew when we scheduled this that both Charlotte and Old Dominion have great pasts but they've also had good teams recently," Stockton said. "Old Dominion has had one of the best schedules of any team in the tournament, and Charlotte has a very good RPI and has beaten some very good teams. It's going to be competitive. It's going to be some contrasts in styles with some bigs and some smalls. I think it'll be a fun tournament to watch, even the games that we're not in. I hope our fans come out to watch because I think the game between Old Dominion and Charlotte will be very competitive."
Single-game tickets to future home contests are available through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. Floor seats are $15 while reserve and general-admission tickets can be purchased for $10 and $5, respectively. In addition, groups of 10 or more fans can purchase reserved tickets for $8 each and general admission seats go for $3 each.
The Tulane Athletics Ticket Office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center, and tickets can be purchased in person, over the phone at (504) 861-WAVE (9283) via the Internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
2010 TULANE/DOUBLETREE CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Dec. 29
Game 1: Tulane vs. Nicholls State, 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: Charlotte vs. Old Dominion, 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 30
Consolation Game: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 1:00 p.m.
Championship Game: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 3:00 p.m.
