Nov. 10, 1997
ASU Women's Hoops Completes Exhibition Slate
ASU's final chance at a tune up comes this week when it hosts Myjava (Slovakia) on Friday, Nov. 14. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the University Activity Center.
THE RETURNEES: Senior guards Rameeka Lowe (Seattle, Wash.) and Stephanie Freeman (Austin, Texas) return to lead ASU in its 23rd season of women's basketball. Lowe, a shooting guard, assumed the point guard duties for the final 14 games of 1996-97, averaging 7.5 ppg with 47 steals. Freeman is the squad's leading returning scorer, averaaging 7.8 ppg last season. In the frontcourt, the Sun Devils return sophomores Kristine Sand (Sandvika, Norway) and Rachel Holt (Buckeye, Ariz.) Sand averaged 5.5 ppg off the bench and shot 75 percent from the free throw line. Holt avergaed 3.3 ppg, but came on strong late in the season. Reserve guard Spring Steed (Fairfield, Calif.), a senior, also returns.
WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?: Nine newcomers don the maroon and gold for the first time this year, almost outnumbering the returning letterwinners (5) two to one. The nine new faces are the most on an ASU team since the Pac-10 began sponsoring women's basketball in 1986-87. New names to keep an eye on include junior point guard Rechelle (Georgie) Lang, freshmen guards Leaf Newman (Perris, Calif.) and Ebony Edwards (Chandler, Ariz) and freshman center Jennifer Bennett (Spokane, Wash.).
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION: Myjava comfortably handled USC (81-58) Nov. 9 in Los Angeles, after falling 78-62 to UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 7. UCLA defeated Myjava 66-63 on Nov. 6. The foreign squad will face Fresno State (Nov. 11) and UNLV (Nov. 12) before its date with the Sun Devils this week.
PROBABLE ASU STARTERS Pos. Name Cl. Hometown 1996-97 Avg. F Kristine Sand So. Oslo, Norway 5.5ppg, 2.0rpg F Stephanie Freeman Sr. Austin, Texas 7.8ppg, 4.3rpg C Rachel Holt So. Buckeye, Ariz. 3.3ppg, 1.6rpg G Rameeka Lowe Sr. Seattle, Wash. 7.5ppg,3.0rpg, 5.0apg G Rechelle Lang Jr. TeKuiti, New Zealand 9.3ppg, 3.8rpg, 3.3apg
ASU & EXHIBITIONS: ASU is 2-1 in exhibition games under Charli Turner Thorne. The Sun Devils fell to Ruzomberok 75-57 on Nov. 13, 1997, but bounced back to defeat the Mexican National Team 74-66 on Nov. 17.
LAST TIME OUT: Paced by 19 points from senior guard Stephanie Freeman and 17 points from sophomore forward Kristine Sand, ASU edged Kilsyth 69-67 Nov. 8 at the UAC.
Sand drained a pair of free throws with 0:10 left to put the Sun Devils ahead 68-67. On the ensuing possession, Kilsyth guard Jo Hoey fouled senior guard Rameeka Lowe, who connected on one of her free throws for the winning margin.
ASU trailed 17-4 eight minutes into the game, but turned to its pressure defense to help close the gap. Fueled by a 13-2 run, the Sun Devils pulled to within two (19-17) with 5:21 left in the half.ASU trailed 31-26 at the half.
Andrea Cartledge led the Australians with 19 points, four assists and four steals.
Freeman went 3-for-6 from three-point range and added a pair of steals. Sophomore Rachel Holt paced all rebounders with eight boards. Junior Rechelle Lang contributed a game-high seven assists.
Kilsyth shot 54.0 percent to ASU's 37.1 percent, but the Sun Devils owned the edge on the glass, outrebounding the Cobras 48-35.
ON THE TUBE: The Sun Devils will appear on television no less than five times (with the opportunity for more exposures) in 1997-98, a record for the program:
Nov. 20 UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Arizona Nov. 30 Dayton, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Arizona Dec. 6 SMU Tourn., 4 p.m. FOX Sports Southwest^ Dec. 21 ASU Wells Fargo, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Arizona^ Dec. 29 Oklahoma, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Arizona Jan. 17 Arizona, 2 p.m. FOX Sports Net Jan. 21 at Oregon, 1 p.m. FOX Sports Net ^ - if ASU makes it to the championship game
MAXIMUM EXPOSURE: A full radio contract, which includes coverage of each of the Sun Devils' 28 regular-season contests, is part of the ASU women's basketball package for the first time ever this season. Twenty-four games will be carried on KMVP (860 AM), and the remaining four will air on KTAR (620 AM). All but four of the games will be broadcast live.
TURNING THE CORNER: In 1996-97, head coach Charli Turner Thorne led ASU to its most wins (9) in four seasons.
KEEPING THEM AT HOME: Four players from Arizona dot the Sun Devil roster for the first time since 1986-87. ASU's players from the Grand Canyon State this year include: two-time Arizona 5A Player of the Year Ebony Edwards (Chandler), Rachel Holt (Buckeye), Michelle Tom (Winslow) and Kisha White (Phoenix).
LOOKING AHEAD: ASU takes on defending Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara in its regular-season opener Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. The game will air live on FOX Sports Arizona from the UAC.
WE MEET AGAIN: ASU freshman Jennifer Bennett (Spokane, Wash.) and UCSB sophomore Stacy Clinesmith, an All-Big West Second Team selection, were teammates at Mead High School in Spokane Wash. The duo helped Mead to the 1996 AAA Washington State Championship.
HEAD COACH CHARLI TURNER THORNE: Turner Thorne (Stanford '88), who enters her second year as the Sun Devil mentor, arrived ASU after a three-year stint as head coach at Northern Arizona University. Turner Thorne's career record now stands at 49-59 over four seasons, after guiding ASU to its most wins (9) since 1992-93 last year. She led the Lumberjacks to consecutive winning seasons in 1994-95 and 1995-96, the first coach in school history to accomplish that feat. She was 40-40 overall in her three years in Flagstaff. She previously worked as an assistant at Santa Clara and Washington. Turner Thorne, who signed a four-year contract with ASU, is assisted by Mark Lewis, Laura Hughes and Erika Hardwick.
SUN DEVILS ON THE WEB: ASU hoops fans can check out the Sun Devil women's basketball team on the World Wide Web. The Sun Devil SportsWeb features photographs, player biographies, releases and statistics. To find the Sun Devil SportsWeb, point your browser to http://www.thesundevils.com.