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Rice University Athletics
Women's Basketball: Lady Owls Host Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational
12/2/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Rice (3-2) vs. Massachusetts (0-5) Friday, Dec. 3, 1999, 8 pm (CST), Autry Court (5,000), Houston.
Non-conference game.
Note: Michigan (5-0) and New Mexico State (2-1) play in the opening game of the Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational at 6 pm.
Radio/Internet
Internet only (www.ktru.org) with Craig Ackerman (play-by-play) and Alison Broadfoot (color).
Television
None.
Series
This is the first meeting between Rice and Massachusetts.
Contacting Massachusetts Head Coach: Joanie O'Brien (Penn State, 1986). Career: 121-114, ninth season. At UMass: Same. Women's Basketball SID: Kathy Connors. Office: 413-545-2439. SID Fax: 413-545-1556. E-Mail: kmc@admin.umass.edu
On The Web
Rice: www.RiceOwls.com
UMass: www.umassathletics.com
WAC: www.wac.org
Probable Starting Lineups (1999-2000 scoring, rebounding averagesRICE LADY OWLS (3-2, 0-0 WAC)F 23 Kim Smallwood 5.0p, 5.0rF 33 Kirra Jordan 13.6p, 7.2rF/C 22 Kenya Tuttle 5.4p, 5.6rG 21 Kim Lawson 7.2p, 0.8rG 25 Marla Brumfield 13.0p, 4.0r
Massachusetts Minutewomen (0-5, 0-0 Atlantic 10 Conference)F 32 Amber Sneed 3.8p, 2.6rF 43 Caroline Nehls 10.2p, 5.6rC 21 Jennifer Butler 6.8p, 8.8rG 15 Kathy Coyner 8.6p, 3.4rG 45 Alison MacFarland 10.8p, 6.0r
Tip Off
After four consecutive games away from Autry Court, the Lady Owls (3-2) return home to host Massachusetts (0-5) in the first round of the 1999 Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational... The game tips off at 8 pm or 30 minutes after the completion of the Michigan vs. New Mexico State game, which begins at 6 pm... Friday's meeting marks the first between the Lady Owls and the Minutewomen... The game marks the first for the Rice women at Autry Court since their season opener on Nov. 19, a 66-51 victory over Illinois State... The winners of Friday's two game will meet in the championship game at 7 pm Saturday at Autry Court, while the losers will compete in the consolation game at 5 pm...
Meet the Coaches
Rice: Cristy McKinney (North Carolina State, 1979) is in her seventh season as the head coach of the Rice women. During her tenure at Rice, McKinney has posted a 97-78 overall record which brings her total as a head coach to 124-106. Last season, McKinney guided the Rice women to their second-straight NCAA post-season appearance, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 1999 Women's National Invitation Tournament. She has led the Rice women to six of their seven best finishes in league play. McKinney is assisted by seventh-year assistant coach Wooly Hatchell (South Carolina, 1982), fourth-year assistant Shanice Sandford (Oklahoma State, 1993) and third-year assistant Shane Brown (Eastern Kentucky, 1991. Massachusetts: Joanie O'Brien (Penn State, 1986) is in her ninth year as coach of the Minutewomen, who have recorded a 121-114 record during her tenure. O'Brien is aided by assistant coaches Jill Rooney and Jackie Moore.
About the Minutewomen
Massachusetts opened the season with three losses on the road. The Minutewomen returned home to take on Boston College, currently ranked in the top-25 of both polls, falling 60-45, then lost a heartbreaker to New Hampshire, a 60-58 overtime decision. Massachusetts is led by Alison MacFarland and Caroline Nehls, who are averaging 10.8 and 10.2 points a game, respectively. Leading the rebounding efforts is Jennifer Butler, who is averaging 8.8 boards a game as her team is out-rebounding its opponents for the season, 204-182.
Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational Game One
The first game of the 1999 Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational features New Mexico State (2-1) and Michigan (5-0). The Roadrunners opened the 1999-2000 season at home with a 75-65 overtime win against Adams State, before losing to state rival New Mexico 59-48. The team rebounded for a commanding 67-38 win over UC-Colorado Springs. The Wolverines bring their perfect 5-0 record to Autry Court, having won their season openers at Colorado and Colorado State, then taking three at home.
Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational 1998
Rice hosted Florida A&M, Texas Tech and Wisconsin in last year's tournament. The Lady Owls held off FAMU 76-73 to advance to the championship game against the Lady Raiders, who entered the tournament ranked 12th nationally. Texas Tech prevailed 79-57 in the finals with 26 points from future all-America Angie Braziel to bring Rice's 19-game home win streak to a halt. Current Owl Marla Brumfield was named to the all-tournament team.
Rice Recap
Senior Marla Brumfield broke out of her recent slump to lead Rice past Sam Houston State 74-69 Monday at Huntsville. Despite stellar shooting in the first half by the Lady Owls, the Bearkats stayed in the game on the strength of 13 of 16 shots from the free throw line and took a 35-29 advantage into the lockerroom. Rice made .520 of its first-half shots and held a 16-11 rebounding edge at the break. The Lady Owls stepped up their intensity in the second half and, with 13:14 remaining, went on an 11-0 run to reclaim the lead for good. The Bearkats closed the lead to two with 33 seconds remaining, but three consecutive free throws by Kim Smallwood iced the game for the Lady Owls. Brumfield had 15 points in the half and was seven-of-eight from the charity stripe in the second to help her team pull away down the stretch. Brumfield finished with game highs of 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Senior Kirra Jordan was the only other Owl to score in double digits, adding 13 points, and led the team with four steals. Smallwood finished with 11 boards and dished out three assists.
Upcoming Milestones
Two milestones are on the horizon for the Rice women's program. With 973 career points, Kirra Jordan is set to become just the 11th member of the Rice 1,000-point club. Head coach Cristy McKinney is approaching her 100th win at the helm of the Lady Owls' program. She currently has 97 Rice victories and has an opportunity to reach the mark at Autry Court as the Lady Owls are embarking on a four-game home stand.
They're Freshmen?
Just four games into the season, true freshmen Kim Lawson and Kara Liggett have both made an impact for the Lady Owls. Lawson took over the starting point guard duties at Texas Tech and has posted 13 assists, including five against Samford. The Missouri City guard is also fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.2 points a game while sinking .429 (12-28) of her shots. Liggett stepped up her game several notches at Memphis, coming off the bench to score a game-high 18 points. The native of Bristow, Okla., was seven of 11 from the floor, draining three of her six three-point attempts. Liggett matches her classmate's shooting from the floor, also hitting .429 (12-28).
Campaign Trail
Senior Kirra Jordan has already begun her campaign for post-season honors after returning to the power forward position, where she earned all-WAC honors as a sophomore. After spending last year playing small forward, Jordan is leading the Lady Owls with 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. She is shooting .466 (27-58) from the floor and .700 (14-20) from the charity stripe. The Missouri City native is also responsible for seven of Rice's 13 blocks this season, including three swats against both Illinois State and Memphis.
Behind The Line
The reliable three-point attack which was sometimes missing from Rice's offensive arsenal last season (the Lady Owls finished last year shooting 106 of 370 behind the arc, making .286 of their three-points) has returned in the hands of senior Jenny Cafferty and is being reinforced by freshmen Kara Liggett and Kim Lawson. Cafferty leads Rice with eight three's this season and has been accurate on .471 (8-17) of her long-range bombs. Liggett and Lawson have each added four shots for the season.
Senior Record Watch
Now in their fourth year in the Blue and Gray, seniors Marla Brumfield, Jenny Cafferty, and Kirra Jordan are already a major part of the Rice history books and are looking to improve on their current standings and break into new record lists. Brumfield currently ranks in the top 10 in nine career categories, including third in steals (236), fourth in field goal attempts (1,181) and field goals made (459), having surpassed former letter winner Brenda Conaway in the season opener, and fifth in free throws made (314) and free throws attempted (460). She is also currently the sixth most prolific scorer in Rice history with 1,286 points. After posting two three-block games, Jordan has moved up to fifth all-time with 66, and she ranks ninth in field goals made (379). Over the course of her senior season, she will have an opportunity to enter the top 10 of six other categories, including becoming just the 11th person to score 1,000 career points as she currently has 973. Despite missing most of her junior season with an injury, Cafferty ranks seventh all-time in three pointers made (57), tying her with former letterwinner Gina Cafagna, and 10th in attempts (163).
TV Time
The Lady Owls have had two of their Western Athletic Conference home games picked up by Fox Sports-TV. The Tulsa game has been moved to Sunday, Feb. 13 at 2 pm, while the Hawai`i match-up is now scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 20 at 3:30 pm.
WAC Picks
In October, the Rice women were picked to finish third in the upcoming Western Athletic Conference season by league coaches, receiving 38 points. Rice is coming off a 20-12 season in which it finished third in the WAC Mountain Division with a 9-5 mark. Last season, the Lady Owls advanced to the WAC tournament semifinals before earning a berth in their second-straight WNIT. Hawai`i is predicted to win the WAC crown this year, receiving 45 points and five first-place votes from the league coaches. Rainbow Wahine coach Vince Goo returns 10 letterwinners and four starters from last year's squad, which tied for third in the WAC Pacific Division with a 9-5 conference mark, 17-10 overall. SMU was a close second to Hawai`i in the poll, receiving 43 points and two first place votes. The Mustangs finished second in the Mountain Division during the regular season with a 11-3 record, 20-11 overall, and claimed the 1999 WAC tournament title.
Team Points1. Hawai`i (5) 452. SMU (2) 433. RICE OWLS 384. TCU (1) 335. Fresno State 226. UTEP 197. Tulsa 178. San Jose State 7
Recovery Ward
Coach Cristy McKinney has three Owls available to her this year after they missed all or most of last season with injuries. Senior Jenny Cafferty returns to the Rice lineup after missing most of last season with costochondritis. Cafferty is one of the Owls' top three-point shooting threats, ranking in the top-10 at Rice in career three-pointers made, attempted and three-point shooting percentage, despite averaging just over 13 minutes a game. Recovering from reconstructive knee surgery are sophomore Daneesh McIntosh and freshman Sarah Bracken. McIntosh saw playing time in four games before suffering a torn ACL in early December, forcing her to miss her sophomore season while receiving a redshirt. Bracken had surgery over the 1998 Thanksgiving break and is making for her first appearance in a Rice uniform this year.
History Makers
In the four years since 1999 seniors Jennifer Hamilton, Suzanne Koy and Charonda Wilson came to Rice, and especially in the last two seasons since Ashley Duncan joined the squad, the Owls set numerous single game and season records and developed a winning tradition. As freshmen in 1995-96, Hamilton, Koy and Wilson struggled through Rice's seventh consecutive losing season, finishing the year 13-14. Over the past three seasons, the Owls have enjoyed three consecutive winning seasons, the best run since joining the NCAA. In 21 years, the program has a total of eight seasons of finishing above .500. As juniors, the foursome was a part of the Owls' best season ever as the team finished 21-9 overall and was a perfect 13-0 at Autry Court. During that memorable year, Rice set seven season records including games won (21) and win streak (seven games). In 1998-99, Rice set six single season records and topped four of its marks from the previous year. Overall, Duncan, Hamilton, Koy and Wilson have had a hand in setting 16 single game records.
Landmark Season
With their 62-60 overtime victory at Baylor, Rice reached the 20-win mark for the second consecutive season and only the third time in school history. In 1997-98, the Owls finished the year with a 21-9 mark, tying the school record for wins in a season. The only other time Rice has posted 20+ wins was in the 1981-82 season when the Owls finished 21-8 in their final year of AIAW competition. The 32 games played in 1999 also marked the longest season in Rice history.
In the 1999 WNIT
Rice's 65-58 win against Miami marked the program's first-ever national post-season tournament victory. With the 62-60 overtime win at Baylor, the Lady Owls moved into the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament, where they fell to eventual WNIT champion Arkansas 76-70 in Fayetteville, Ark. Last year marked the second consecutive time the Rice women received a bid in the WNIT, and the first time for a Rice basketball team, men or women, to host a national post-season tournament. In 1998, the Lady Owls made their first post-season appearance since joining the NCAA when they lost in the first round of the WNIT at Oklahoma State, 75-52.
The Winning Numbers
During the 1998-99 season, the Lady Owls were a perfect 14-0 when they led at the half and a perfect 11-0 when they produced a higher shooting percentage than their opponents. Rice was also 13-2 when scoring 70 or more points. On the defensive side, the Owls were 15-1 when they held their opponent to fewer than 60 points. In general, when Rice won, it won BIG. With 20 victories last year, the Owls' average margin of victory was +18.7 points, and they won eight games by 20 or more points.
Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational Michigan vs. New Mexico State Probable Starting Lineups (1999-2000 scoring, rebounding averages)
Michigan Wolverines (5-0, 0-0 Big 10)
F 11 Stacey Thomas 14.1p, 9.8rF 34 Ruth Kipping 4.4p, 3.0rC 25 Alison Miller 10.4p, 6.6rG 24 Anne Thorius 8.4p, 4.8rG 40 Alayne Ingram 10.6p, 3.0r
New Mexico State Roadrunners (2-1, 0-0 Big West Conference)F 33 Carrie Saidat 4.7p, 7.3rF 44 Darci Arvizu 7.3p, 2.0rG 03 Stella Candelaria 6.7p, 1.3rG 10 Laura Mendoza-Govan 5.0p, 2.3rG 12 Mari Sanchez 11.3p, 1.0r
