Women's Basketball: Lady Owls Host Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational
11/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
- Notes in PDF Format
Quick Facts
Rice Hosts Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 1-2, 2000, 5/7 pm (CST), Autry Court (5,000), Houston. Friday: Eastern Kentucky vs. Memphis, 5 pm; Iona vs. Rice, 7 pm. Saturday: Consolation game, 5 pm; Championship game, 7 pm.
Radio/Internet
Broadcast via KTRU 91.7 FM and available on the internet (www.ktru.org) with Jose Luis Cubria and Derek Gosnay.
Television
None
Series
Rice trails in the series with Memphis, 1-0, and has not played Iona and Eastern Kentucky.
On The Web
Rice: www.RiceOwls.com
Iona: www.iona.edu
Eastern Kentucky: www.ekusports.com
Memphis: www.gotigersgo.com
WAC: www.wacsports.com
Probable Starting Lineup (2000-01 scoring, rebounding averages)RICE LADY OWLS (4-2)F 32 Starla James 2.8p, 2.7rF 44 Aarika Florus 9.0p, 4.5rC 22 Kenya Tuttle 6.2p, 8.2rG 5 Jennifer Rigg 9.3p, 4.8rG 21 Kim Lawson 7.2p, 4.0rTip Off
Iona Gaels (2-2)F 3 Jessica Attinelly 10.3p, 5.5rF 20 Karen Culbertson 16.3p, 6.5rC 41 Katie Smith 1.0p, 1.5rG 14 Renee Gaudette 4.5p, 2.8rG 33 Megan Cobb 15.8p, 5.0r
The 2000 Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational at Autry Court features Memphis (4-0) and Eastern Kentucky (3-1) in Friday's 5 pm game, while the host Lady Owls (4-2) take on Iona (2-2) at 7 pm, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. The consolation and championship games are set for 5 and 7 pm, respectively, on Saturday... Friday's game marks the Rice women's first at home since opening the season on Nov. 10 with a 61-56 win against South Carolina. They have played five consecutive away from Autry... This weekend marks the first meeting for Rice with Iona and potential second-round opponent Eastern Kentucky. The Lady Owls have played Memphis just once, falling to the Lady Tigers 62-61 a year ago in the championship game of the Memphis tournament.
Meet the Coaches
Rice: Cristy McKinney (North Carolina State, 1979) is in her eighth season as the head coach of the Rice women. During her tenure at Rice, McKinney has posted a 120-88 record, bringing her total as a head coach to 147-116. Last season, McKinney guided the Rice women to their most successful season ever. For the first time in history, the Lady Owls won the WAC tournament and received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the second round after an upset of ninth-ranked UC-Santa Barbara. The Rice women finished the year with a program high 22 wins for their third consecutive season with 20 or more victories. McKinney is assisted by eighth-year assistant coach Wooly Hatchell (South Carolina, 1982), fifth-year assistant Shanice Sandford (Oklahoma State, 1993) and first-year assistant Marla Brumfield (Rice, 2000).
Iona: Now in her fourth year, Michele Brusseau (New Hampshire, 1991) is 31-55 as the head coach of the Gaels. She is assisted by Deb Reardon and Joanne Guzman.
Eastern Kentucky: Larry Joe Inman (Austin Peay, 1970) is in his 21st year as a head coach, recording a 349-218 mark. He has a 188-145 record in his 13 seasons with Eastern Kentucky. Inman is assisted by Joanna Bernabei and Chrissy Roberts.
Memphis: Joye Lee-McNlis (Southern Mississippi, 1984) is in her 10th tear as the head coach of the Lady Tigers, where she has a 171-101 record. She is aided on the sidelines by Blair Savage, Maurice Stafford, and Brenda Welch-Nichols.
About the Gaels
Iona (2-2) has four players averaging in double-digit scoring with Karen Culbertson leading the way with 16.3 a game. Megan Cobb is right behind her, chipping in 15.8 an outing. The Gaels are averaging 67.5 points a game but are giving up 72.5 points to their opponents. Michelle Fahy leads her team's rebounding efforts, grabbing 8.5 boards a game. Iona is coming off a 94-67 loss at Long Island University.
About the Colonels
Eastern Kentucky (3-1) is averaging 95.0 points a game and has five players averaing double-digits in scoring. Candice Finley leads the Lady Colonels' scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game, followed by Mikki Bond with 12.3 points per contest. The Colonels are also out-rebounding their opponents by almost 12 boards a game. Teresa McNair leads EKU's rebounding efforts with 6.8 boards per game.
About the Lady Tigers
Tiffany Adkins leads the way for Memphis (4-0), scoring 22.0 points and grabbing 7.0 reabounds a game. Her point total accounts for 27.6 percent of the Lady Tigers' offensive output. Shannon Hamp is the only other player in double-digitd, chipping in 11.3 a game. Memphis is averaging 79.8 points a game while holding its opposition to 64.0 points. The Lady Tigers' 4-0 record marks their best start since the 1988-89 season.
Recap - Arizona 84, Rice 71
After Arizona opened the game with a 13-4 run, the Rice women closed the gap on the strength of their outside shooting, and tied the game at 15-15 with 12:09 remaining in the half. The game was tied three more times before the Lady Owls surged ahead 31-24 with 6:59 on the clock. The Wildcats battled back and took a narrow 41-40 lead into the lockerrooms at halftime. The Wildcats slowly took control of the game in the second, holding the Lady Owls to just .278 (10-36) from the floor, while pushing their lead to 21 points with 3:47 on the clock. Rice finished the game on a 12-4 run for the final margin. Freshman Kate Beckler led the Rice shooters for the third time this season, scoring 17 points. Junior Aarika Florus and sophomore Kara Liggett were next with 11 points. Kim Lawson, also a sophomore, finished with her first career double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Kenya Tuttle led the Rice rebounding efforts with 11, and dished out a career best five assists.
The 1999 Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational
Michigan was crowned the 1999 Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational champions after defeating Rice 63-47 in the tournament's championship game. The Wolverines were led by Alayne Ingram's 19 points and LeeAnn Bies 18 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Kirra Jordan led the Lady Owls with 18 points (9-14 from the floor) and 11 rebounds. She was also second on the team with three assists. Massachusetts defeated New Mexico State in the consolation round, 65-38. Jennifer Butler led the Minutewomen with 15 points and 10 boards as her team out-rebounded the Roadrunners 51-33. In the first round of play, Michigan dispatched of New Mexico State 84-55, shooting .564 (31-55) from the floor, while Rice held off a late UMass rally and won 59-58. Michigan's Bies headed up the all-tournament team with MVP honors. Others receiving all-tournament recognition were Ingram (Michigan), Jordan (Rice), Marla Brumfield (Rice), Butler (UMass), and Melanie Maynes (New Mexico State).
Home Sweet Home
After playing their last five games on the road, the Rice women are happy to return to Autry Court. Their home floor has proven to be a decided advantage for the Lady Owls over the previous five seasons, including this year, as they have posted a 44-9 record, including last year's 11-2 mark. While defending their territory last season, the Rice women forced 24.4 turnovers a game, which includes 12.1 steals, and held their challengers to just 52.5 points. When they were in unfamiliar territory, though, they posted a 35-34 record over the same time.
All-Tournament
Two Lady Owls were honored at the UNC-Greensboro/Marriott Classic. Sophomore Kim Lawson was named the tournament MVP after leading Rice to victory against the host Spartans. Junior Jennifer Rigg was named to the all-tournament team after totaling 35 points and 18 rebounds over two games.
On the Horizon
After five consecutive games on the road, the Rice women play four of their six remaining non-conference games, plus an exhibition game, at Autry Court. In addition to hosting the Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational this weekend, the Lady Owls host Grambling on Dec. 6 before taking a break for final exams. The only on-court action Rice will see in a two-week period is against Houston Flight on Dec. 12.
Tough Non-Conference Schedule
The Rice women tune-up for the 2001 WAC schedule by taking on three teams currently ranked in the top 15 in both the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and the AP poll, and another team which received votes in both polls. The Lady Owls have already faced Louisiana Tech, currently eighth in the coaches poll and ninth in the AP poll, falling 85-54 in Ruston, La. On Nov. 28, they traveled to Tucson, Az., where they lost to Arizona, which is 30th in the coaches poll and 49th in the AP poll. Rice wraps up the non-conference season against Texas Tech on Dec. 28 at Autry Court and Notre Dame on Dec. 31 at Indiana. The Lady Raiders are ranked 10th both polls, while the Irish are fourth in the coaches poll and sixth in the AP poll. Texas Tech and Notre Dame faced off in the mid-east regional semifinals of the 2000 NCAA tournament.
TV Time
The Lady Owls will make at least two appearances this year on Fox Sports Net in regionally televised games. Rice's game against SMU on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2001 at Autry Court has been moved up to a 1 pm start time for TV. Also, the Lady Owls' game at TCU has changed dates to accommodate the television schedule, with the game now set for Monday, Feb. 12, 2001 at 7:30 pm. Fox Sports Net will also air the championship game of the 2001 WAC women's basketball tournament.
The WNIT
After hosting a postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament game in 1999, the Lady Owls hosted South Carolina in the first round of this year's preseason WNIT, defeating the Lady Gamecocks 61-56. The Rice women then traveled to Ruston, La., where they fell to future WAC foe, and eventual WNIT champion, Louisiana Tech 85-54. Rice was one of seven 2000 NCAA tournament participants in the 16-team field, including Louisiana Tech, Texas, Purdue and Virginia. The Lady Owls have a 2-2 record in the WNIT post-season tournament
The Future's Looking Up...
Although the 2000-01 season has just begun, the Rice coaching staff is continuing to add height to their 2001-02 lineup. Coach Cristy McKinney signed Katy Taylor High School standout Michelle Woods to a national letter-of-intent to don the Blue and Gray next year. Woods currently stands at 6-1 and received preseason all-America honors from Street and Smith heading into her senior year. Woods will join Johnetta Hayes (6-4) and Elisa Inman (6-2), who are sitting out this season after transferring to Rice, in a lineup that will feature at least seven players measuring 6-0 or taller. The Lady Owls currently have five players standing at 6-0 or taller. McKinney has one more scholarship to offer for next season.
Notes From The Nest
Freshman Kate Beckler led the Lady Owls in scoring for the third time this season, chalking up 17 points at Arizona... Senior Kenya Tuttle dished out a career high five assists against the Wildcats... Also at Arizona, sophomore Kim Lawson had the first double-double of her career with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds... At UNC-Greensboro, Tuttle posted her first career double-double with 10 points a career best 16 rebounds. Junior Aarika Florus grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in Rice's victory In the first round of the UNCG/Marriott Classic, junior Jennifer Rigg had the best night of her career, scoring 26 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking two shots. She was 14-16 from the charity stripe, with the 14 makes equaling the mark for the fourth most in a game at Rice Sophomore Starla James made her first career starts at the UNCG tournament Junior Daneesh McIntosh has equaled her career best of eight rebounds in three of the Lady Owls' five games this season Beckler made her collegiate debut in high style on Nov. 10 against South Carolina in the first round of the preseason WNIT. She scored a team high 19 points, while hitting 5-12 from long range. Beckler's 12 three-point attempts are a single game record for Rice. Rigg also dished out seven assists in the opener.
WAC Picks
The Rice women were predicted to finish fourth in the WAC by the league coaches, tallying 44 points and receiving one first-place vote. SMU is favored to successfully defend their 2000 regular season title, receiving six of the nine first-place votes and receiving 61 points. Hawaii was picked second with 51 points and one first-place vote, while TCU was tabbed for third with 47 points and a vote for first.
2000-01 WAC Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll
School (first-place votes) Points1. SMU (6) 612. Hawaii (1) 513. TCU (1) 474. RICE OWLS (1) 445. Nevada 386. Tulsa 317. Fresno State 298. UTEP 149. San Jose State 9
Hey, Isn't That...
Rice watchers will see a familiar face in an unfamiliar role on the sidelines this year. Former standout Marla Brumfield returned to her alma mater over the summer to take on assistant coaching duties for the 2000-01 season. Brumfield is Rice's all-time leader in steals with 311 and ranks in the top five in seven other categories. On April 25, she became the first player at Rice and in the WAC to be drafted into the WNBA, when she was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Lynx.
The 2000 NCAA Tournament
The Lady Owls' 67-64 win against ninth-ranked UC-Santa Barbara in the first round of the NCAA tournament was historical for many reasons. In addition to being their first victory in their first-ever NCAA tournament, the W was also the Lady Owls' first over a top-10 opponent. The last time they beat a ranked opponent was when they closed out the 1997-98 regular season with consecutive wins over 15th-ranked Hawaii and 16th-ranked Utah. The game also brought Rice's win total to 22, the most in a single season in program history. The victory marked the biggest upset of the NCAA tournament, as the 13th-seeded Lady Owls were the lowest seed to advance to the second round. In the second round, though, the Rice women were overpowered by North Carolina 83-50 to bring to an end the most successful season in school history.
The 2000 WAC Tournament
On March 10, Rice won the 2000 WAC Tournament title to claim the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Owls, the third-seeded team, defeated sixth-seeded Fresno State 65-47, second-seeded Hawaii 76-73 in the semifinals and top-seeded SMU 71-67 to claim their first conference crown. In the championship game, senior Marla Brumfield led all scorers with 27 points, including 16 in the first half, giving the Lady Owls their first NCAA Tournament berth. Rice led by as many as 21 points in the first half and 17 in the second half but had to hold off a late rally by SMU. Brumfield made two free throws with 35 seconds left to give the Owls a 67-61 lead, but a basket by SMU's Katie Remke and two free throws by Anika Calvert cut the margin to two with 10 seconds to go. Senior Kirra Jordan made two free throws with nine seconds left and Calvert scored with a second remaining, but Brumfield then sealed the win with two more free throws. Against Hawaii, the Lady Owls and the Wahine battled through 12 ties and combined to shoot 60-70 from the free-throw line, before Kim Smallwood secured the victory with a blocked Hawaii shot with seven seconds showing and draining two clutch free throws with three ticks left. Rice set a WAC tournament record by holding Fresno State to just 14.3 percent (3-21) shooing in the first half of their game, and equaled the record for fewest points allowed in a half with 12. After averaging 20.3 points over three games, Brumfield was named the tournament's MVP, while Jordan was also named to the all-tournament team.
