Dec. 22, 1997
ASU Women Host Oklahoma in Final Non-Conference Clash
- Arizona State Sun Devils (3-5) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (4-4)
- Monday, Dec. 29 * 7 p.m. MST
- University Activity Center (14,198) * Tempe, Ariz.
- FOX Sports Arizona * KMVP 860 AM
Following a week's rest from competition, the Sun Devils host Oklahoma on Monday, Dec. 29 in their final non-conference tilt of the season. ASU is coming off a 56-52 loss to then-No. 23 Auburn in the Championship game of the Wells Fargo Classic Sunday night and will play its third straight home game versus the Sooners.
MEDIA INFO: The ASU-Oklahoma matchup will be broadcast live by FOX Sports Arizona, with Trey Bender (play-by-play) and Michele Timms (color) on the call. The contest will also be carried over the airwaves by KMVP 860 AM, with Kevin Ray (play-by-play) and Jacinda Sweet (color) calling the action.
SERIES RECORDS: ASU and Oklahoma have never met on the hardwood.
PROBABLE STARTERS ASU Sun Devils Pos. Cl. Ht. PPG RPG Notable #55 Stephanie Freeman F Sr. 5-10 14.6 4.0 37.5 3FG%; 3.0 spg #20 Kisha White F Jr. 6-0 6.4 3.0 started last 2 games #54 Rachel Holt C So. 6-3 9.8 5.5 59.6 FG% #21 Rameeka Lowe G Sr. 5-7 5.1 4.8* 3.8 rpg #3 Rechelle Lang G Jr. 5-9 5.6 4.5* 3.5 rpg * - assists per game OFF THE BENCH #4 Leaf Newman G Fr. 5-9 8.3 3.6 17.1 min. #14 Kristine Sand F So. 6-0 6.3 3.1 18.8 min. #32 Michelle Tom G Jr. 5-8 6.0 2.5 1st eligible on Dec. 20 #50 Kellie McDanal F Fr. 6-4 1.0 1.0 scored her 1st pts. vs. LIU #30 Spring Steed G Sr. 5-10 0.6 0.6 6.1 min.
QUOATABLES: Auburn Coach Joe Ciampi -- "This game we'll take with us for the rest of the season. We faced adversity from every angle... I was very impressed with Arizona State's pressure on the ball. Their pressure on our point guards broke us down." ASU Coach Charli Turner Thorne -- "I'm not big into moral victories, but I am very proud of our effort (against Auburn). Our players accepted the task and they executed well. We stayed even on the boards and Auburn is a good, thick rebounding team."
INJURY REPORT: FR G Ebony Edwards missed the Wells Fargo Championship game after suffering a sprained right knee with six minutes left in the first half against LIU. Edwards' status is day-to-day, and she will be examined by doctors again Monday. FR center Jennifer Bennett is out for at least two weeks with a stress fracture in her left leg. Doctors found the fracture in a bone scan completed on Dec. 16.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA: The Sooners (4-4) are coming off a 67-62 win over Miami on Dec. 20, their second victory in a row. In her second season in Norman, Coach Sherri Coale owns a 9-22 slate. Oklahoma is paced by sophomore forward Phylesha Whaley's 18.4 points, team-leading 9.1 rebounds and 88.2 free-throw percentage (60-of-68). Junior forward Michele Workman is also scoring in double digits (12.8ppg), and the Sooners are posting 68.1 points per contest. On the glass, Oklahoma averages 43.5 boards a game.
LAST TIME OUT: Sophomore center Conswella Sparrow scored a game-high 17 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) to lead No. 23 Auburn (8-1) to a 56-52 victory over Arizona State Sunday at the University Activity Center in the championship game of the Wells Fargo Classic.
Sophomore guard Tiffany Krantz added 12 points for Auburn, and Tiger center Krisztina Bernath tied a career-high with three blocks.
For the Sun Devils, who were making their fourth appearance in their tournament's championship game in four years, sophomore center Rachel Holt (Buckeye, Ariz.) scored 10 points (on 4-of-8 shooting) and recorded seven rebounds. Junior guard Rechelle Lang (TeKuiti, New Zealand) also scored 10 points (on 4-of-9 shooting) for ASU.
Auburn's 56 points was its second-lowest output on the season. The Tigers came into the game averaging 78.2 points.
The contest was evenly matched in the beginning of the first half. ASU trailed until junior guard Michelle Tom (Winslow, Ariz.) hit a shot from the perimeter to tie the game at eight points apiece. The battle continued, and Auburn led by only one point (26-25) going into the break.
The Tigers came out fired up in the second half, and pulled ahead 34-27. However, the Sun Devils came within one point (37-36) on a trey by sophomore Kristine Sand (Oslo, Norway) at the 11:21-mark. ASU could not overcome the deficit, and Auburn went on a 6-0 run late in the half to take a nine-point lead, its biggest of the game.
Senior Stephanie Freeman (Austin, Texas) drained a three-pointer to bring the Sun Devils within three, but Auburn held ASU and scored one more point to bring its margin of victory to four points.
Auburn had 22 turnovers compared to ASU's 15. The Tigers recorded 38 rebounds, and ASU brought down 36 boards.
DEVILS SURPASS CENTURY MARK: The Sun Devils recorded their third win in record-setting fashion, (with five players tallying career- or season-high point totals) in an opening-round 118-56 victory over Long Island in the Wells Fargo Classic. The 118-point effort marked the first time an ASU women's team has reached the century mark since the 1992-93 season. That squad posted a 119-72 win over Marquette (also in ASU's tournament). The offensive output also ties as the second-most points ever by Sun Devil women, and was just three points off of the UAC record (121 points by the ASU men during the 1988-89 season).
TURNOVER TALES: ASU turned the ball over just 15 times in its last outing (vs. Auburn), the least number of turnovers comitted by Sun Devils under Coach Charli Turner Thorne. In fact, ASU has posted less than 20 turnovers three other times (all during 1996-97) in Turner Thorne's tenure, with 16 against New Mexico on Dec. 11, 1996.
HOLT EMERGES AS A FORCE: Sophomore Rachel Holt (Buckeye, Ariz.) has emerged to make quite a name for herself in ASU's last three games. The Sun Devils' 6-foot-3 starting center has averaged 14.3 points (on 16-of-23 shooting -- 69.6%) and 8.3 rebounds vs. New Mexico, Long Island and Auburn. Holt played an average of 27.7 minutes in the contests. Holt's numbers of late are the opposite of those from her first three games, where she scored a total of 14 points and grabbed a combined 11 rebounds.
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENTS: The Sun Devils are shooting 32.1 percent (36-of-112) from three-point range, a marked improvement from their performance last season when they connected on just 26.9 percent of their treys. ASU shot a season-high 71.4 percent (5-for-7) from three-point land against LIU, the third time it has eclipsed the .400-mark this year. The Sun Devils were 7-for-17 (.412) against UC Santa Barbara in their opener and went 5-for-11 (45.5%) vs. New Mexico State.
STARTING LINEUPS: Coach Charli Turner Thorne has gone to three different lineups in ASU's seven games. All three lineups have produced a win:
Nov. 20, 29 & 30, Dec. 5 Dec. 6 & 10
#14/F Kristine Sand #40/F Jennifer Bennett
#55/F Stephanie Freeman #55/F Stephanie Freeman
#54/C Rachel Holt #54/C Rachel Holt
#21/G Rameeka Lowe #21/G Rameeka Lowe
#3/G Rechelle Lang #3/G Rechelle Lang
Dec. 20 & 21
#20/F Kisha White
#55/F Stephanie Freeman
#54/C Rachel Holt
#21/G Rameeka Lowe
#3/G Rechelle Lang
FREEMAN MAKES ALL-TOURNEY TEAM: In ASU's two games at the Southwestern Bell/Cotton Bowl Classic, SR F Stephanie Freeman went 11-of-25 (44.4%), shot 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from beyond the arc, was 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the free-throw line, and averaged 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.5 steals, landing herself on the inaugural event's all-tournament squad.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP DEFINED: SR F Stephanie Freeman (Austin, Texas), ASU's sole three-year letterwinner, continues to lead the squad offensively with 14.6 points per game. Freeman has paced the Sun Devils in scoring in five of their eight games, tying FR G Ebony Edwards with a team-high 18 points vs. UCSB. Freeman also leads the squad in steals (3.0), three-point percentage (37.5) and free-throw percentage (78.8). She has five 15-point games on the year.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: Four of ASU's 1997-98 opponents were ranked in the Dec. 14 Associated Press Top 25, and one more received at least four votes. Pac-10 rivals Arizona (7th), Stanford (12th) and Washington (14th) are rated in the top-15, and the Sun Devils met No. 23 Auburn in the Wells Fargo Classic. In addition, Marquette (4 votes) received multiple votes.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: SO C Rachel Holt (Buckeye, Ariz.) notched her first career double-double in just 23 minutes of action Dec. 20 against Long Island, pouring in 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. SR G Rameeka Lowe (Seattle, Wash.) posted her first double-double vs. UCSB, but did so "the other way." Lowe finished with 10 points and a career-high 10 assists. Six of her points came from beyond the arc, as she went 2-for-2 from three-point range.
WE GOT MICHELE: Riding the wave of WNBA excitement that captured Phoenix this past summer, FOX Sports Arizona signed Phoenix Mercury guard Michele Timms as color analyst for Sun Devil televised games. Timms, who made her debut in the ASU-Dayton game, will also serve as commentator for the ASU-Oklahoma game (Dec. 29), in the two games vs. Arizona (Jan. 17, Feb. 14) and in more to come.
DID YOU KNOW?: This year's Sun Devil lineup features just 6 1/2 years of Division I experience. And just one of those players (Stephanie Freeman) averaged more than 14 minutes a game last year. Here's the breakdown:
SR Stephanie Freeman -- 3 yrs.
SO Rachel Holt -- 1 yr.
SO Kristine Sand -- 1 yr.
SR Spring Steed -- 1 yr.
SR Rameeka Lowe -- 1/2 yr.
= 6 1/2 yrs.
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.
FREEMAN ON THE MOVE: SR G Stephanie Freeman needs 10 steals to surpass Kym Hamptom and Jovonne Smith for fifth on the ASU all-time chart. With 178 career thefts, Freeman needs just 21 steals to crack the top three.
ASU Career Steals Leaders
1. 291 Cassandra Lander 1980-83
2. 221 Molly Tuter 1994-97
3. 198 Karen O'Connor 1988-91
4. 189 Sandra Hamilton 1981-82
5t. 187 Kym Hampton 1981-84
187 Jovonne Smith 1990-93
7. 178 STEPHANIE FREEMAN 1995-pres.
8. 170 Nikki Thompson 1991-94
9. 156 Ryneldi Becenti 1992-93
ON THE TUBE: The Sun Devils will appear on television at least 12 times (with the opportunity for more exposures) in 1997-98, a record for the program and second in the Pac-10:
Nov. 20 UC Santa Barbara, (83-92) FOX Sports Arizona
Nov. 30 Dayton, (68-55) FOX Sports Arizona
Dec. 21 #23 Auburn, (52-56) FOX Sports Arizona
Dec. 29 Oklahoma, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Arizona
Jan. 8 Washington, 7 p.m. COX Sports
Jan. 17 Arizona, 2 p.m. FOX Sports Net
Jan. 22 at Orgon State, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Northwest
Jan. 24 at Oregon, 1 p.m. FOX Sports Net
Jan. 29 Stanford, 7 p.m. COX Sports
Jan. 31 California, 2 p.m. FOX Sports Arizona
Feb. 28 at California, 2 p.m. FOX Sports Bay Area
Mar. 7 USC, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Arizona
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.
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 53-63 (.448) in her fifth season, 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 (Southern Mississippi '82), Laura Hughes (Santa Clara '92) and Erika Hardwick (Washington '93).
PAC-10 PREDICTIONS: Pac-10 media tabbed the Sun Devils to finish ninth in the league this year (37 points). Defending champion Stanford was selected to finish first, collecting all 17 first-place votes. (ASU was picked to finish 10th a year ago.) Here's the complete poll, released at Pac-10 Media Day in Los Angeles on Nov. 6:
1997-98 Pac-10 Women's Basketball Media Poll
1. Stanford (17) 6. USC
2. Arizona 7. Oregon State
3. Washington 8. California
4. UCLA 9. ARIZONA STATE
5. Oregon 10. Washington State
ASU RECORD WHENOutrebound its opponent 2-0 Outscore opponent bench 2-3 Lead at halftime 3-0 Trail at halftime 0-4 Are tied at halftime 0-1 Shoot better from field than opponent 2-0 Shoot worse from field than opponent 0-5 Shoot 50% or better from field 1-0 Shoot less than 50% from field 2-5 Opponent shoots 50% or better from field 0-2 Opponent shoots less than 50% from field 3-3 Shoot more free throws than opponent 2-0 Commit less turnovers than opponent 2-2 Commit more turnovers than opponent 0-2 Commit same number of turnovers as opponent 0-1 Play at Home 2-3 Play Away 0-1 Play on Neutral Court 1-0 Conference Games 0-0 Televised Games 1-2 Play in White Uniforms 3-3 Play in Maroon Uniforms 0-2
PAC-10 STANDINGS
(through games played as of Dec. 21)
Conference Overall
School W L Pct. W L Pct.
Washington - - -- 8 0 1.000
Arizona - - -- 5 1 .833
Washington State - - -- 6 3 .667
Oregon - - -- 5 3 .625
USC - - -- 4 3 .571
Oregon State - - -- 5 4 .555
California - - -- 4 5 .444
UCLA - - -- 3 4 .428
Arizona State - - -- 3 5 .375
Stanford - - -- 2 4 .333
WHERE ASU RANKS IN THE PAC-10
(through games as of Dec. 14)
Scoring
9. Stephanie Freeman, ASU ; 14.8ppg
Steals
5. Stephanie Freeman, ASU; 2.50spg
Blocks
4. Rachel Holt, ASU; 1.33bpg
Assists (min. 3.0 per game)
5. Rameeka Lowe, ASU; 4.33apg
8. Rechelle Lang, ASU; 3.67apg
3pt. FG Percentage (min. 1.0 made/game)
7. Stephanie Freeman, ASU; 9-25--.360
FT Percentage (min. 2.0 made/game)
2. Stephanie Freeman, ASU; 26-31--.839