Women's Hoops: Rice vs. Grambling State Game Notes
12/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
- Notes in PDF format
The Rice women tip off against Grambling State at 7 pm on Wednesday before taking a two week break from the regular season for final exams.
Quick Facts
Rice (6-2) vs. Grambling State (4-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2000, at 7 pm, Autry Court (5,000), Houston. Non-conference game.
Radio/Internet
None
Television
None
Series
Rice trails in the series with Grambling, 1-0. The only meeting resulted in an 83-63 Lady Tiger victory at Autry Court on Dec. 4, 1994.
On The Web
Rice: www.RiceOwls.com
WAC: www.wacsports.com
Probable Starting Lineups (2000-01 scoring, rebounding averages)RICE LADY OWLS (6-2) F 24 Kara Liggett 5-10, So.-1L, Bristow, Okla. 9.1p, 3.6rF 44 Aarika Florus 6-1, Jr.-2L, Mont Belvieu 8.1p, 4.8rC 22 Kenya Tuttle 6-1, Sr.-1L, Houston 6.6p, 9.1rG 14 Kate Beckler 5-8, Fr.-HS, Granada Hills, CA 10.1p, 1.6rG 21 Kim Lawson 5-7, So.-1L, Houston 8.3p, 3.8r
Grambling State Lady Tigers (4-2)F 24 Chovanique Kibble 6-0, So., Houston 8.2p, 5.8rF 32 Shrieka Evans 5-10, So., Lisbon, La. 18.5p, 3.2rC 52 Kimberly Raney 6-2, So., Houston 1.8p, 1.8rG 11 Veronika Marks 5-4, So., Monroe, La. 9.3p, 2.3rG 22 Natalie Thomas 5-9, Jr., Kornack 7.2p, 4.3r
Tip Off
The Rice women tip off against Grambling State at 7 pm on Wednesday before taking a two week break from the regular season for final exams... The Lady Tigers defeated the Lady Owls in their only previous meeting, an 83-63 decision on Dec. 3, 1994 at Autry Court... The game marks Rice's third straight at home after playing five consecutive away from the friendly confines of Autry Court.
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 122-88 record, bringing her total as a head coach to 149-116. 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). Grambling State: David Rusty Ponton (Southern, 1986) is now in his fifth year at the helm for the Lady Tigers. During his tenure as a head coach, he has recorded a 77-19 ledger at Grambling State. Ponton is aided by assistant coach Sharon Perkins.
About the Lady Tigers
Grambling (4-2) enters Wednesday's game on a four-game winning streak and is averaging 83.5 points a game. Shrieka Evans leads her team with 18.5 points a game, followed by Sherwanda Boston, who is chipping in 11.7 points a game off the bench. Defensively, though, the Lady Tigers are giving up 80.5 points a game, while allowing their opponents to shoot 46.6 percent from the floor, including 39.3 percent from long range.
The 2000 Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational
The Lady Owls defeated Iona in the first round and Memphis in the championship game to win their home tournament for the first time since 1997. Against Iona, Rice had their highest offensive output since 1997, beating the Gaels 94-53 with five players scoring in double-digits. Memphis defeated Eastern Kentucky 89-66 in first-round action to set up the championship game with Rice. The Lady Owls' defense stepped up in the championship game, holding the Lady Tigers to just four points for almost 13 minutes to start the game. The Rice women went on to win 70-58 to claim the title. EKU defeated Iona 81-71 to take the third-place trophy. Members of the all-tournament team were: Megan Cobb, Iona; Candice Finley, EKU; Melissa Bush, Memphis; Jennifer Rigg, Rice. Co-MVP's were Rice's Kenya Tuttle and Kara Liggett.
Tournament Highlights
The Rice women recorded a number of highlights and bests against Iona. The Lady Owls 12 three pointers and 29 three-point attempts are both team records for a single game... The 94 points scored by the Rice women are the most since Nov. 14, 1997, when they scored 115 in their season opener against Texas Southern... Rice scored 55 points in the second half against Iona, five more than the team managed in their 50-46 win at UNC-Greensboro on Nov. 25... Sophomore Kim Lawson and freshman Lindsey Maynard each recorded career highs against Iona, scoring 18 and 13 points, respectively... Sophomore Kara Liggett's 18 points against the Gaels were her season best and just three off her career high, while her five steals were the most in her collegiate career.
Home Sweet Home
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 46-9 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.
Final Exams
After Wednesday's game, the Lady Owls won't face another regular-season opponent until Dec. 21 when they travel to New Mexico State. The team will have an exhibition game against Houston Flight on Dec. 12, then final exams begin on the Rice campus, running through Dec. 20. After Christmas, the Rice women wrap up the non-conference slate against Texas Tech, currently ranked eighth in both polls, at Autry Court on Dec. 28, then travel to South Bend, Ind. to face Notre Dame, currently fourth in both polls, on Dec. 31.
Injury Update
Junior Jennifer Rigg suffered an ankle sprain in the second half of the championship game of the Gene Hackerman Rice Invitational. She will miss the Grambling State game, but with the Lady Owls' two-week break from the regular season, can return for the New Mexico State game on Dec. 21.
