2012-13 La Salle Explorers
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2012-13 La Salle Explorers Women’s Basketball La Salle Athletic Communications • Phone: 215-951-1637 • Fax: 215-951-1694 Women’s Basketball Contact: Michelle Serabian • [email protected] GoExplorers.com n Facebook.com/LaSalleAthletics n Twitter.com/GoExplorers_com n YouTube.com/LaSalleAthletics Albany Great Danes (5-2) @ La Salle Explorers (1-7) 2012-13 Schedule Tom Gola Arena • Philadelphia, Pa. November Wed., Dec. 5, 2012 • 7 p.m. Sun. 11 LOYOLA-CHICAGO L, 56-50 In-Game Updates @ExplorerGameDay Thu. 15 NORTHEASTERN L, 76-45 Sat. 17 DREXEL L, 56-53 The Series Tue. 20 @ Lehigh W, 49-48 • The Explorers own a 2-1 advantage all-time over Albany. Sat. 24 @ North Carolina L, 85-55 • Albany won a high-scoring affair last season at SEFCU Arena, 81-76, behind 26 points and 20 Wed. 28 @ Georgetown L, 69-61 rebounds from Julie Forster. Fri. 30 @ Penn5 L, 65-56 • Brittany Wilson scored 17 and Jordan Mosley hit 16 to lead four Explorers in double figures. La Salle Notes December • The Explorers are coming off of a strong defensive effort in a 49-44 loss at Villanova, holding Sun. 2 @ Villanova5 L, 49-44 the Wildcats to a five-point win (their narrowest of the season) and their lowest point total. Wed. 5 ALBANY 7:00 PM • Wilson scored a game-high 23 at Villanova on Sunday, her seventh 20+ point game. Sun. 16 FLORIDA 1:00 PM That surpassed her season total of six 20-point games last season. Wed. 19 @ Central Conn. St. 7:00 PM • Shanel Harrison has been hot shooting as of late, averaging 11.8 ppg in the last four games after shooting just 5.5 ppg prior to the North Carolina contest. Sat. 22 @ Fairfield 2:00 PM • Wilson (21.5 ppg) remains the only A-10 player averaging more than 20 points per game. Sat. 29 SAINT PETER’S 1:00 PM • Wilson is ranked in the top 15 in the Atlantic 10 in eight categories (see page 3). • The squad is picked to finish ninth in the 16-team Atlantic 10 this season. January The Opponent Wed. 2 @ Rutgers 7:30 PM • Albany toppled crosstown rival Siena, 65-48, on Saturday to move to 5-2 on the season. Mon. 7 @ Richmond^ 7:00 PM • Megan Craig leads the squad in scoring with 12.3 ppg. Sat. 12 RHODE ISLAND*(DH) 4:30 PM • Julie Forster adds 9.4 ppg and pulls down a team-best 9.0 rpg. Wed. 16 @ Dayton* 7:00 PM • Two-time defending America East Defensive Player of the Year Ebone Henry is 185 points away Sun. 20 BUTLER* (CBS-SN) 2:00 PM from becoming Albany’s all-time leading scorer. Sun. 27 @ Temple*5 2:00 PM • The squad won the America East title last year, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Wed. 30 @ Massachusetts* 11:45 AM Probable Starters (Based on Last Game) # Name Yr Pos Ht Hometown/Previous School PPG RPG February 01 Brittany Wilson R-Sr. G 5-10 Pawtucket, R.I./Northeastern 21.5 7.8 Sun. 3 GEO. WASHINGTON* 1:00 PM 03 Michea Bryant Jr. G 5-5 Cheltenham, Md./Bishop McNamara 3.5 1.6 Wed. 6 FORDHAM* 7:00 PM 14 Ebonee Jones Sr. G 5-10 Odenton, Md./Arundel 7.8 4.9 Sun. 10 @ Xavier* 2:00 PM 31 Jess Koci Jr. G 5-11 Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan 1.0 3.3 Wed. 13 SAINT LOUIS* 12:00 PM 33 Shanel Harrison Sr. G 6-0 Washington, D.C./Virginia Tech 8.6 6.5 Sun. 17 @ VCU* 1:00 PM Off the Bench Wed. 20 @ Saint Joseph’s*5 7:00 PM 02 Siobhan Beslow R-Fr. F 6-0 Chantilly, Va./Westfield 1.0 2.0 Sun. 24 CHARLOTTE* 1:00 PM 04 Nikki Ortiz Sr. G 5-5 Manchester, Conn./Manchester 1.0 0.5 Wed. 27 DUQUESNE* 7:00 PM 05 Arielle Ward Fr. F 5-11 Springfield, Mass./E. Longmeadow 2.0 3.3 March 10 Jordan Mosley So. G 5-9 Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek 5.8 2.9 Sun. 3 @ St. Bonaventure* 1:00 PM 12 Alicia Cropper R-Jr* G 5-8 Brooklyn, N.Y./Providence 8.1# 2.8# Fri.-Sun. 13 Indigo Dickens So. F 6-3 Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake 0.4 0.8 8-10 Atlantic 10 First Three Rounds 15 Karynda DuPree Fr. F 6-4 Milwaukee, Wis./Wis. Lutheran 1.0 3.4 (Hagan Arena • Saint Joseph’s University) 42 Leeza Burdgess R-Jr. F/C 6-5 Miami, Fla./Pittsburgh 6.3# 7.2# Sat. 16 Atlantic 10 Championship Head Coach: Jeff Williams (Howard ’87, Third season) (Barclays Center • Brooklyn, N.Y.) Associate Head Coach: Ervin Monier (St. Mary’s (Texas) ’85, Third season) Assistant Coach: Erin Dickerson (Northwestern ’09/Third season) * Atlantic 10 game; 5 Big 5 game; Assistant Coach: Shayla Scott (Pittsburgh ’11, Second season) (DH) - Doubleheader with men’s team Director of WBB Operations: Morra Gill (Dillard ’02, First season) *Sitting out due to NCAA transfer | # - Average from last season played at previous school Media Information Please direct all questions and interview and credential requests Siobhan: shih-VON Alicia: a-LEESH-a Koci: COACH-ee (24 hours in advance) to: Michea: muh-SHAY Karynda: kuh-RIN-duh Shanel: shuh-NELL Michelle Serabian Monier: mone-YAY [email protected] 1 2012-13 La Salle Women’s Basketball Jeff Williams enters his third season at the helm of the La Salle women's basketball program in 2012- 13. He brought the Explorers to back-to-back Atlantic 10 Tournament berths, advancing to the second round in 2012. His 2011-12 squad went .500 in A-10 play, knocking off Xavier for the first time in eight years and then toppling the Musketeers again in the A-10 tournament. The Explorers put together a six-game win streak, the best since 2005-06, and started league play 3-0 for the first time since 1996-97. Under his tutelage, Brittany Wilson picked up All-Big 5 First Team and Atlantic 10 Third Team honors and Jada Payne was named Atlantic 10 All-Rookie. In the first year of Williams’ tenure, the Explorers went 6-8 in the conference and qualified for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Individual accomplishments included senior Ashley Gale being named to the Atlantic 10 Second Team and All-Defensive Team, while earning the league's 'Most Improved Player' award, and also earned All-Big 5 First Team honors. Jess Koci earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors after being one of the league's top rebounders as a freshman. Williams spent the prior seven seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, including the last four as the Jeff Williams Associate Head Coach. Williams helped guide the Panthers to postseason appearances in the past five sea- sons, including three straight NCAA Tournament trips with Sweet Sixteen showings in 2008 and 2009. He was Howard ’87 • 3rd Season formally introduced at a press conference on Wednesday, March 23, 2010 and became the program's eighth head coach. Year Overall A-10 Williams has over 20 years of college coaching experience, including 16 as a women's basketball 2010-11 10-20 6-8 coach at Howard (1995-2000), Georgia Tech (2001-03) and Pittsburgh (2003-10). He recruited or coached six 2011-12 14-17 7-7 players who reached the WNBA, including Pitt All-American Shavonte Zellous, who was named to the WNBA 2012-13 1-7 0-0 all-rookie team in 2009. Three of his recruiting classes have been ranked in the top 15 nationally and his teams have reached seven NCAA and three WNIT Tournaments. TOTAL 25-44 13-15 Under the tutelage of head coach Agnus Berenato, Williams helped Pittsburgh to unprecedented suc- cess during his seven-year tenure. Williams recruited and signed a pair of players--Zellous and Philadelphia's Atlantic 10 Tournament/Seed Marcedes Walker (University City HS)--who would provide the most successful run in the program's history. 2010-11 1st Round/#9 Two years after a six-win first season, the staff led the Panthers to a then school-record 22 wins and WNIT ap- 2011-12 2nd Round/#8 pearance in 2005-06. In 2006-07, the Panthers broke the school record for wins (24) and advanced to their first NCAA Tour- nament appearance in program history. The success rewarded Pittsburgh with its first national ranking in the Associated Press poll in nearly 20 years. Walker earned All-Region honors for the second straight year in 2007-08, leading Pitt to its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen and tying the school record with 24 wins. The team also defeated a top 10 opponent for the first time in program history and captured four wins over top 15 teams that season. Walker, who Williams worked with directly when he coached the post players, became the second player in program history to accumulate over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. One season later, the Panthers returned to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and won 25 games, marking the fourth straight year the team had tied or broken the school record. Pitt was ranked #14 in the final AP ranking, its highest in program history. Zellous was named an AP All- American and was the school's first WNBA draft pick, going #11 overall to the Detroit Shock. In his final season at Pitt, the Panthers reached the WNIT, making it a program-record five straight postseason appearances. Williams first worked with Berenato at Georgia Tech.