Princeton University Athletics
Women's Hoops Face ACC Challenge This Weekend
December 18, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2003
Fresh off a 21-point win over Wagner on Wednesday, the Princeton women's basketball team looks to string together two in a row for the first time this season when Wake Forest comes to town this Friday.
The Lady Tigers host two teams from one of the nation's top basketball conferences this weekend in rare meetings with the ACC's Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. Princeton has not played an ACC team in women's basketball since eight seasons ago when Wake Forest defeated the Tigers 81-62 in Jadwin Gym.
Princeton (2-5) faces Wake Forest (5-3) on Friday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. and Georgia Tech (6-1) on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. Friday's game will be shown on Patriot Television and both games can be heard on Princeton's internet broadcast.
In the weekend's first ACC showdown, the Tigers meet a 5-3 Wake Forest squad that averages over 11 points more than its opponents. Although they were picked to finish last in the conference, the Demon Deacons come off two straight wins over North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M, who they each defeated by more than 30 points. Wake has scored 87 points in its last two games, led by four players in double-figure scoring. Liz Strunk and Tonia Brown both average approximately 11 points and five rebounds while shooting a team-best 77% from the free-throw line. The Deacons bring two players off the bench who average over 10 points per game.
The Tigers encounter an even greater challenge in Georgia Tech two days later. Picked to finish fourth in the ACC, the Yellow Jackets come off one of their best seasons to date when they earned an NCAA bid in 2002-03. They return four starters from that team and are 6-1 so far this year, their only loss coming to West Virginia on Nov. 28.
Georgia Tech boasts All-America candidate Fallon Stokes who leads the team and conference in scoring with 20.3 points per game. The senior forward also adds 7.1 rebounds per game. Fellow senior Alex Stewart adds a complete game of 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals and a team-high 5.0 assists per game. Megan Isom is Tech's long-range threat with 13 three-pointers made this season.
The Tigers rely on point guard Katy O'Brien, who has been the leading scorer the last two times out with four three-pointers in each game and who averages over four assists per game. Princeton has three players in double-figure scoring, led by Katy Digovich's 12.1 points per game. Becky Brown adds 11.1 points per game while Casey Lockwood averages 10.9 points and 8.3 boards per game.
Princeton vs. Wake Forest * Friday, Dec. 19 * 7 p.m.
(Not So) Great Expectations - Wake Forest and Princeton were both picked to finish last in their respective conferences this season. The Demon Deacons finished 13-15 overall and 3-13 in the ACC last year.
Streaky Deacons - The Deacons won their first three games of the season against Loyola, Hampton and Nicholls State. They then fell to Purdue, Marshall and Duke before winning their last two.
Lucky Number 87 - Wake Forest scored 87 points in each of its last two games, both wins over North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M.
Four Scores and Seven ... Starters - The Deacs have four players averaging double-figures in points and have used seven different starters in eight games.
The Fab Four - Liz Strunk, Tonia Brown, Bianca Brown and Keila Evans have started all eight games.
The Leader of the Pack - Sophomore forward Strunk leads Wake in scoring with 11.5 points per game. She also has a second-best 5.0 rebounds per game.
Downtown Brown - Tonia Brown is in third place for Wake Forest's all-time three-point field goals made and attempted. She has made 5 for 20 this season and is tied for second in scoring with 10.8 points per game.
More Brown - She also has a team-high 5.1 boards per game, a second-best 24 assists and a 77% free-throw percentage (23 for 30).
Sixth Man - Erin Ferrell, who started just one game this season, came off the bench to average 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds and record a team-best 6-for-9 shooting behind the arc.
Super Sub - Cotelia Bond-Young has not started this season but is third in total minutes played with 184 (23.0 minutes per game). She has a team-high 27 assists, averages 10.1 points and is tied with Strunk for the lead in three-pointers made (seven).
Stealing the Show - The Deacs average 11.1 steals per game, led by Bianca Brown with 17 and Strunk and Porsche Jones with 14 each.
Familiar Face - Bianca Brown is from Montclair High in Montclair, N.J.
Princeton vs. Georgia Tech * Sunday, Dec. 21 * 1 p.m.
ACC News - Georgia Tech was picked to finish fourth in the ACC this season. The Yellow Jackets meet Wake Forest on January 29 and February 29.
Back to Work - Georgia Tech returned four starters from last year's team that had the best season in school history and qualified for its second NCAA tournament.
High Honors - Senior Fallon Stokes was named the ACC Player of the Week twice this season and is an All America candidate. She scored her 1,000th career point against Georgia State when she had a season-high 25 points.
Road Rules - Tech enters Jadwin at the end of a five-day trip, which began at Old Dominion on Thursday.
The Road to Princeton - The Yellow Jackets dropped just one game, a 75-61 loss to West Virginia. They defeated Fla. Atlantic, James Madison, Southwest Missouri, Davidson, Georgia State and UCF.
Scoring Machine - Stokes leads the ACC with 20.3 points per game. She is 53 for 110 from the field (.482) and 36 for 52 from the line (.692) but 0 for 8 behind the arc.
Fallon the Leader - Stokes was the leading scorer in five of seven games and the leading rebounder in three. She averages team-highs of 7.1 boards and 32.9 minutes.
Senior Moments - Senior Alex Stewart averages 12.0 points as the only Yellow Jacket besides Stokes in double figures. She also has 5.3 rebounds per game, 16 steals - 10 more than any of her teammates - and 35 assists.
Consistent Generosity - Stewart's 5.0 assists per game is the fourth highest in the ACC and last year she led the conference with 5.55 per game.
Megan "Ice" Isom - Junior guard Megan Isom has hit 13 three-pointers this season and averages 8.9 points per game. She led the ACC with 1.87 three-pointers per game last season.
Solid Starter - Jessica Williams adds 4.7 points per game off 50% shooting and has 5.4 boards per game.
Shot Blocker - Sophomore Kasha Terry has 12 blocks this season, including a career-high four vs. Georgia State.
Free Shots - Megan Harpring, Mallorie Win and April Johnson all average at least 83% from the line.
History Lesson - Princeton and Wake Forest have met five times with the Deacs leading the series 4-1. Wake Forest has won the last three, most recently a 81-62 win in 1996. This is the Tigers first meeting with Georgia Tech.
Princeton Basketball Notebook
Triple Threat - Princeton has three players scoring in double figures - Katy Digovich with 12.1, Becky Brown with 11.6 and Casey Lockwood with 10.9.
Ultimate Depth - Every player on the Princeton roster has played in at least four games and has scored at least five points.
Rookie Time - The Tigers with the most minutes-played are freshmen - Digovich (231) and Lockwood (216).
On The Line - Lockwood and Digovich are hot from the free-throw line, shooting 82% and 71%.
It's Raining Threes - Katy O'Brien has a team-high 14 three-pointers, eight of which came in her last two games. She shot 4 for 7 from long range against Wagner. O'Brien is shooting 52% behind the arc while Digovich has made 9 of 21 and Lockwood 6 of 17.
On the Boards - Lockwood is among the conference leaders in rebounds with 8.4 per game. She is tied with Brown for a team-high 20 offensive rebounds and has 39 defensive rebounds, nearly twice as many as any other Princeton player.
Clean Dishes - O'Brien leads Princeton with 27 assists, 15 more than any of her teammates.
Center Blocks - Brown has five blocks in six games this year while backup center Maureen McCracken and Digovich each have four.
Senior Subs - McCracken and Opila, the only seniors on the team, have made the most of their time off the bench. They are both shooting 50% from the floor in just over 10 minutes per game.
Legal Robbery - Lockwood and O'Brien are tied for the lead in steals with 11 each. O'Brien had six in Princeton's game against Hofstra.
Getting Younger - Junior Karen Bolster is no longer on the Princeton roster, leaving the Tigers with just two seniors and no juniors.
The Honor Roll - Lockwood was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll after the first three games while Digovich earned all-tournament honors at Vanderbilt, averaging 16.5 points in the two games.
Upward Bound - Princeton has a combined 20 wins in the past two seasons after finishing just 2-25 overall in 2000-01.
Returning Stengths - Brown was the team's on-floor leader last season, when she averaged team-highs in scoring (14.9 points) and rebounding (6.2 rebounds) and had four double-doubles.
The New Crew - This year's freshmen class is the most highly-touted in years with 6-0 forward Digovich leading the crew. She had 1,960 points and 1,028 rebounds in high school and was an honorable mention McDonald's All-American.
More Mickey-D's - Freshman wing Lockwood was also a McDonald's All-American candidate at Marin Catholic, where she set the school record for scoring in a eason.
Quick Dishes - Freshman Slemp was the three-time leader in steals and assists at Marion Senior, where she was also a track star.
Freshmen Five? - Head coach Richard Barron says it is possible for five freshmen to be in the starting lineup at some point this season. Rounding out the lineup would be Elyse Umeda, a four-year high school starter from Hawaii, and Kelli Hughes, a 6-2 swing player.
Spanning the Country - This season's Tigers meet opponents from 11 different conferences including the SEC, ACC and Big 12. Trips to Nebraska, Tennessee and Montana are all on the schedule.
Happy Holiday - Princeton takes a short break after Sunday's game until its trip to Montana after Christmas.
New Year, New League - The Tigers' second game in the New Year is their first conference game of the season. They face Penn on Jan. 9, 2004.