Daily Nexus Sports Supplement February Twelfth, Nineteen Ninety-Six Guide to the 1995-96 Cover Photo: Junior Buard Part Two: Women's Basketball Team-b^-Team Analysis Erin Alexander 2 B Monday, February 12,19% Daily Nexus Big West Women’s Basketball Hopes to Ride Wave of Sport’s Rising Popularity ★ SAT / SUN / EVES / WK DAYS ★ 5 MINUTES FROM CAMPUS ■ Hawai’i, UCSB and New Mexico State Are Conference’s Top Squads in 1996 ★ GREATTEACHERSÜ! (805) 527-9130 As women’s basketball from long distance as the moves into the post- Gauchos chase Brunton’s GET AN EXTRA S2.00 OFF Rebecca Lobo era, the Hawai’i squad for the top WITH COMPETITOR’S AD VS»00462^3| state of the game has spot in the standings. changed dramatically. Although a select group Last season’s National of players may be drawing Player of the Year helped national recognition, no guide the University of Big West squad has been Connecticut to an unde­ able to crack the top 25 feated season and an poll this year. The lack of NCAA championship. respect from national poll­ With Lobo’s perfor­ sters is nothing new to the mance, the women’s game league, however. Last sea­ moved into the public eye son the conference sent for the first tune since only one team, UC Irvine, Cheryl Miller lit up oppo­ to the NCAA tournament, nents at USC. where it was quickly Entering the 1995-96 bounced 88-55 by #4 Stan­ well as in league play. son to move into the West­ season, the Big West Con­ ford University in the first The University of the ern Athletic Conference, ference was hoping that round. Pacific ranks fourth and is the quality of the league some of the increased at­ Unfortunately, this sea­ dominant across the front­ will be greatly diminished. tention would be focused son looks no different, and line. However, the Tigers The survival of the divi­ its way. Headlining the with only six teams, not all lack depth and scoring sion will rest solely in the league is the exciting play 10, advancing to the Big power in the backcourt, hands of the UCSBs, of New Mexico State’s West tournament this sea­ which has proven costly. LBSUs and CSUFs, all of Anita Maxwell, Cal State son, fewer teams will have Rookie Head Coach Dal­ whom have recruited Fullerton’s Shayla Brad­ the opportunity to ad­ las Boychuk is keeping young talent that will shaw, University of Ha­ vance to postseason play Long Beach State compe­ hopefolly move the prog­ waii's Tania Brunton and and gain exposure. titive in the middle of the rams into the upper eche­ UCSB’s Erin Alexander, H a w a i’i to p s th e field, but the 49ers have lon of women’s hoops. who all look to vault the league’s standings with its been surging lately, win­ This year the confer­ conference to the next perfect mark of 10-0 but ning four of its last five, ence will also make level. has played many of its and could make some another change as it moves Midway through the games at home. UCSB fol­ noise in the conference its season-ending tourna­ season, the big-name play­ lows the Wahine, but un­ tournament come March. ment from the glamourous ers have not disappointed less it wins the conference UC Irvine, the Univer­ strip of Las Vegas to the anyone. Maxwell is pacing tournament, it is doubtful sity of Nevada-Reno, San snow convered streets of the Roadrunners and the that the Gauchos will Jose State, UNLV and Cal Reno, Nevada. Like the league in scoring en route make the dance even with State Fullerton round out men’s tournament, the to her third consecutive its tough non-league sche­ the current standings and women’s field will consist Big West Player of the Year dule. Last year’s regular- each team has struggled only of the top six teams honor. Bradshaw has season champion New with sub-.500 records. according to regular The archeologists were baffled. Neither of shouldered much of the Mexico State Roadrun­ As the game continues season-ending standings. them could decide which of the two was the headline responsibilities ners round out the top to emerge, the Big West This change will attempt greatest find: the perfectly preserved for a young Titan squad three positions, but except Conference needs to prog­ to prevent upsets such as 5,000-year-old mummy or the immaculate that returned only two for Maxwell, the Roadrun­ ress with it. And as Ha­ ninth-seeded Fullerton’s 1957 Chevy convertible players, while Alexander ners have been inconsis­ wai’i, UNLV and San Jose upset of #2 UCSB last Woodstock’s Pizza 928 Cmb. del Norte 968-6969 continues to bomb away tent throughout the year as State bid farewell this sea­ season. HAW AVI By Brian Berger Perfect Conference Campaign in Sight Rainbows Rebound from Last Season’s 9th-Place Finish Currently Ranked First he University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team has every­ thing going its way right now. Not only is the school located in It:-: y ■ Tone of the world’s most-desirable locations, but the Wahine QÜICKFACTS are also in first place in the Big West Conference. Hawai’i (16-2 overall, 10-0 Big West) cruised past conference ri­ Location: vals in the first half of the season and has remained perfect during its second run through league play. This season’s record shows a team Honolulu, HI that’s a far cry from last year’s squad, which finished with a 6-20 over­ w all mark and in ninth place. Head Coach: Junior college transfer Tania Brunton has sparked the Wahine at­ tack. The senior forward, who missed most of last season due to a Vince Goo knee injury, leads the squad with 17.9 points per game, which places A her fourth in the league. (172-81,9th year) Joining Brunton across the frontline are senior forward Nani ii l f Flores and junior center Kendis Leeburg. The 6’2” Flores has re­ 1994-95 Finish: turned to Hawai’i after spending a year at the University of Illinois- Chicago and leads the Wahine with 8.9 rebounds per game. Flores’ 6-20 overall, 4-14 mark ties her with two others for third place in the Big West, behind i New Mexico State’s Anita Maxwell and UC Irvine’s Leticia Osegu- in the Big West era, each of whom averages 10.5 rebounds. Leebuig has done a solid job at securing the UH post, where she tops the squad in field goal (9th place) N percentage (.506) and blocked shots per game (18). “[Kendis] has lost a lot of weight, is very fit and trim this season 1995-96 Record: and is playing well,” said University of Hawai’i Head Coach Vince JV u Goo. 16-2 overall, 10-0 The Hawai’i backcourt is led by shooting guard Nani Cockett. Like Brunton, the 5’11” sophomore competed in only four games Big West last season due to a knee injury. This season, however, Cockett has added extra firepower for the Wahine, ranking second on the team with a 14.2 ppg average. A major factor in UH’s success is its schedule. The team has played 13 of its 18 games at home in the Special Events Arena, where it has an 11-2 mark. But to their credit, the Wahine have also been success­ ful on the road with a perfect 5-0 record. However, the team still has games remaining at Long Beach State, UNLV, New Mexico State and UCSB. I The bout against the Gauchos on Friday will be a rematch of the Jan. 21 contest in which Hawai’i defeated Santa Barbara 64-57. The game will also mark the final league matchup between the two schools, since the Wahine will move to the Western Athletic Confer­ ence next season. The move could not come at a better time, according to Goo. Big West Media Guide “There are some things that we will miss: especially the flood wa­ ters in Santa Barbara, driving through fog in Stockton, thé quarter- RAINBOW BRITE: Off to a perfect start in Big West play, Ha­ mile hike to the locker room in Las Cruces and the snow and icy wai’i has rallied behind the success of senior forward Tania slddWallW til ’ReW * ------ "--------- ------------------- ~ ' -Brunton,who averages 17.9 ppg and 3.4assists per game.. Daily Nexus Monday, February 12,1996 3B VC SANTA BARBARA By Brian Berger Gauchos Gunning for NCAA Tourney UCSB Bets on Backcourt and Bench to Spur Squad Currently Ranked Second wning the identical record of last year’s squad at the same point in the season, the UCSB women’s basketball team QUICK FACTS- O must carefully look ahead in order to avoid last season’s dis­ appointing conclusion. The Gauchos stand at 15-5 overall, 11-1 in the Big West, which Location: places them only half a game behind top-seeded University of Ha­ ufi waii, a team that dealt Santa Barbara its lone league loss with a 64-57 Goleta, CA home victory Jan. 21. However, UCSB has rebounded nicely from the defeat and will take on UH Friday night in the Thunderdome. Head Coach: After opening the season with a victory over the University of A Maryland at the Hawkeye Classic Tournament, UCSB dropped a Mark French pair of games to #5 University of Iowa and USC.