2013-14 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 Facebook.com/LaSalleAthletics Twitter.com/GoExplorers_com YouTube.com/LaSalleAthletics 2013-14 Schedule La Salle (12-14, 7-4) at Duquesne (17-10, 9-5) A.J. Palumbo Center Pittsburgh, Pa. November Feb. 26, 2014 7:00 PM Fri. 8 TEMPLE5 L, 60-47 Sun. 17 @ Rutgers L, 59-57 Sun. 24 @ Manhattan W, 72-62 Mon. 25 @ Fairfi eld L, 64-59 Quick Hits... Sat. 30 CENTRAL CONN. W, 71-60 • Alicia Cropper drained a game-high 24 points in an 84-69 setback to #22 Dayton last December Mon. 2 PENN5 L, 64-54 Wednesday; Micahya Owens added 14 and Jasmine Alston scored 10. Thu. 5 @ William & Mary W, 73-59 • The Explorers had a bye last weekend, and are playing for the fi rst time in a week. Sun. 15 VILLANOVA5 L, 83-47 • The Explorers jumped out to a 7-4 A-10 record but have dropped three straight, the Fri. 20 vs. FIU# L, 84-58 Sat. 21 vs. Tenn. St.# W, 66-58 fi rst three-game skid of the season. They are 3-7 in the last 10 games. Sun. 29 @ Dartmouth% W, 54-43 • Cropper is draining a team-best 16.4 ppg in league play, ranking sixth in the A-10. Mon. 30 vs. Binghamton% L, 57-56 • The Explorers are holding A-10 opponents to a league-low 20.1% from long range; they recently held Fordham without a 3-point fi eld goal in 13 attempts. January Thu. 2 @ Rhode Island* W, 50-44 (OT) • The Explorers boast the number one scoring defense (56.9 ppg) in A-10 play, and will Sat. 4 @ George Mason* W, 65-50 play the number two scoring defense in Duquesne (60.0 ppg). Wed. 8 VCU* W, 63-58 • Jasmine Alston ranks fi rst in the A-10 with 1.0 steals per game in league games; she Sat. 11 MASSACHUSETTS* W, 78-41 Wed. 15 @ St. Bonaventure* L, 58-35 is also dishing out 3.9 apg in A-10 games to rank seventh. Sun. 19 SAINT JOSEPH’S*^5 L, 64-52 • The Explorers have two of the A-10’s top offensive rebounders - Leeza Burdgess Sat. 25 @ G. Washington* W, 77-68 (3rd; 3.4 orpg) and Siobhan Beslow (T-9th; 2.5 orpg). Wed. 29 RICHMOND* L, 56-39 • The Explorers are 15-17 all-time against the Dukes. Their last win at the Palumbo February Center was in January 2006. Sat. 1 @ Saint Louis* L, 53-43 Wed. 5 GEORGE MASON* W, 66-60 Sat. 8 RHODE ISLAND* W, 50-42 2013-14 Numerical Roster Wed. 12 @ Saint Joseph’s* L, 76-63 Probable Starters (Based on previous game) Sat. 15 @ Fordham* L, 43-42 # Name Yr Ht Hometown/Previous School PPG RPG APG Wed. 19 DAYTON* L, 84-69 02 Siobhan Beslow R-So. 5-11 Norfolk, Va./Westfi eld 4.6 6.0 0.7 Wed. 26 @ Duquesne* 7:00 PM 11 Jasmine Alston Fr. 5-8 LI City, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin 6.0 5.4 3.0 March 14 Alicia Cropper R-Jr. 5-8 Brooklyn, N.Y./Providence 14.4 5.3 2.6 Sat. 1 ST. BONAVENTURE* 1:00 PM 34 Micahya Owens Fr. 5-11 Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro 13.2 4.8 1.4 Wed.-Sun. 42 Leeza Burdgess Gr. 6-4 Miami, Fla./Pittsburgh 8.9 7.1 0.5 5-9 Atlantic 10 Championship Off the Bench 03 Khristin Lee R-Jr. 5-9 Birmingham, Ala./Alabama 8.8 4.6 2.4 Atlantic 10 Championship - March 5-9 (Hosted by Richmond Coliseum; Richmond, Va.) 05 Arielle Ward So. 5-11 Springfi eld, Mass./E. Longmeadow 0.8 0.5 0.1 # - Gator Holiday Classic (Gainesville, Fla.) 13 Indigo Dickens Jr. 6-2 Washington, D.C./Wilde Lake 2.0 1.6 0.1 % - Blue Sky Classic (Hanover, N.H.) 22 Deja Bullock Fr. 6-0 Magnolia, N.J./Triton 1.8 2.3 0.4 * Atlantic 10 game; 5 - Big 5 game ^ Televised on CBS-SN 31 Jess Koci Sr. 5-11 Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan 0.4 1.3 0.1 55 Lisa Mintzer Fr. 6-4 Havertown, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara 2.1 2.4 0.0 Media Information Head Coach: Jeff Williams (Howard ’87, Fourth season) Please direct all questions and Associate Head Coach: Ervin Monier (St. Mary’s (Texas) ’85, Fourth season) interview and credential requests Assistant Coach: Shayla Scott (Pittsburgh ’11, Third season) (24 hours in advance) to: Assistant Coach: Morra Gill (Dillard ’02, Second season) Michelle Serabian Director of WBB Operations: Kate Popovec (Northwestern ’13, First season) [email protected] 1 2013-14 La Salle Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jeff Williams Howard ’87, Fourth Season Jeff Williams enters his fourth season at the helm of the La Salle women's basketball program in 2013-14. In Williams' third year on 20th and Olney, two players under his watch earned Philadelphia Big 5 honors. Brittany Wil- son was a First Teamer and also the city's scoring champion, averaging 18.3 ppg, and Shanel Harrison earned Second Team honors. He brought the Explorers to back-to-back Atlantic 10 Tournament berths in 2011 and 2012, advancing to the second round in 2012. His 2011-12 squad went .500 in A-10 play, knocking off Xavier for the fi rst 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 fi rst time since 1996-97. Under his tutelage, Wilson picked up All-Big 5 First Team and Atlantic 10 Third Team honors and Jada Payne was named Jeff Williams Atlantic 10 All- Rookie. Howard ’87 • 4th Season In the fi rst year of Williams’ tenure, the Explorers went 6-8 in the conference and qualifi ed for the Atlantic 10 Tourna- ment. Individual accomplishments included senior Ashley Gale being named to the Atlantic 10 Second Team and All- Year Overall A-10 Defensive Team, while earning the league's 'Most Improved Player' award, and also earned All-Big 5 First Team honors. 2010-11 10-20 6-8 Jess Koci earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors after being one of the league's top rebounders as a freshman. 2011-12 14-17 7-7 2012-13 8-21 4-10 Williams spent the prior seven seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, including the last four as the Associate Head 2013-14 12-14 7-7 Coach. Williams helped guide the Panthers to postseason appearances in the past fi ve seasons, including three straight NCAA Tournament trips with Sweet Sixteen showings in 2008 and 2009. He was formally introduced at a press confer- TOTAL 44-73 24-33 ence on Wednesday, March 23, 2010 and became the program's eighth head coach. Williams has nearly 20 years of college coaching experience, including six as a women's basketball coach at Howard Atlantic 10 Tournament/Seed (1995-2000), Georgia Tech (2001-03) and Pittsburgh (2003-10). He recruited or coached six players who reached the 2010-11 1st Round/#9 WNBA, including Pitt All-American Shavonte Zellous, who was named to the WNBA all-rookie team in 2009. Three of his 2011-12 2nd Round/#8 recruiting classes have been ranked in the top 15 nationally and his teams have reached seven NCAA and three WNIT Tournaments. Under the tutelage of head coach Agnus Berenato, Williams helped Pittsburgh to unprecedented success during his seven-year tenure. Williams re- cruited and signed a pair of players--Zellous and Philadelphia's Marcedes Walker (University City HS)--who would provide the most successful run in the program's history. Two years after a six-win fi rst season, the staff led the Panthers to a then school-record 22 wins and WNIT appearance in 2005-06. In 2006-07, the Panthers broke the school record for wins (24) and advanced to their fi rst NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The success rewarded Pittsburgh with its fi rst 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 fi rst NCAA Sweet Sixteen and tying the school record with 24 wins. The team also defeated a top 10 opponent for the fi rst 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 fi nal AP ranking, its highest in program history. Zellous was named an AP All-American and was the school's fi rst WNBA draft pick, going #11 overall to the Detroit Shock. This past season, Pitt reached the WNIT, making it a program-record fi ve straight postseason appearances. Williams fi rst worked with Berenato at Georgia Tech. There he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to their second-ever NCAA trip in 2003 after a WNIT appear- ance in 2002.