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Virginia Heads to ACC Tournament
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Feb. 28, 2007
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THIS WEEK
The No. 8 seed Virginia Cavaliers open play at the 2007 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament in first round action on Thursday, March 1 against No. 9 seed Clemson at 3 p.m. The Regional Sports Network (Fox Sports Net South, Comcast Sports Net, Fox Sports Net Florida, and New England Sports Network) will televise the game live.
The winner will face No. 1 seed Duke in quarterfinal action on Friday, March 2 at 3 p.m. The Regional Sports Network will also televise that game. Semifinal action is set for Saturday, March 3 at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. with the championship slated for Sunday, March 4 at 1 p.m. Fox Sports Net will televise the semifinals and championship live nationally. All games, which will be played at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum, will be carried live by XM Radio 193.
SCOUTING CLEMSON
The No. 9 seed Lady Tigers, under the guidance of second-year head coach Cristy McKinney, stand 12-17 overall after an 86-85 loss to Virginia on Feb. 25. Junior guard D’Lesha Lloyd leads CU with 14.1 ppg. Junior guard Tasha Taylor follows with 12.2 ppg, while freshman guard Lele Hardy is third with 11.6 ppg and a team-best 7.0 rpg.
SERIES VS. LADY TIGERS
Virginia holds a 32-28 series edge over Clemson since the teams’ first meeting in 1978. On Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams, Virginia picked up an 86-85 win at Clemson. Four Cavaliers netted double figures, led by sophomore Lyndra Littles’ (Washington, D.C.) double-double of 27 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
SCOUTING DUKE
The No. 1 seed and top-ranked Blue Devils, under the guidance of 15th-year head coach Gail Goestenkors, stand a perfect 29-0 overall after 67-62 win over No. 4 North Carolina on Feb. 25. Senior guard Lindsey Harding leads Duke with 14.4 ppg and 133 assists. Sophomore guard Abby Waner follows with 13.7 ppg, while senior center Alison Bales is third with 11.6 ppg and a team-best 8.0 rpg.
The only undefeated team remaining in the nation, Duke out-scores its opponents by +26.1 points. Duke finished the regular season undefeated for the first time in school and ACC history.
SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE
The No. 10 seed Eagles, under the guidance of Cathy Inglese, stand 13-15 overall after a 76-60 loss to No. 6 Maryland on Feb. 25. Senior forward Kathrin Ress is the team leader with 16.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
The No. 5 seed Seminoles, under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Sue Semrau, stand 21-8 overall after a 74-57 win at Wake Forest on Feb. 25. Senior guard Alicia Gladden is the team’s scoring leader with 14.0 ppg, while sophomore center Britany Miller follows with 13.0 ppg and a team-best 6.3 rpg.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
The No. 6 seed Yellow Jackets, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach MaChelle Joseph, stand 19-10 overall after a 75-46 non-conference win over Longwood on Feb. 25. Senior guard Stephanie Higgs is the top scorer with 15.5 ppg, while junior forward Janie Mitchell follows with 14.2 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Junior Chioma Nnamaka added 13.1 ppg.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
The No. 3 seed and defending national champion Terrapins, under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Brenda Frese, stand 26-4 overall after a 76-60 win at Boston College on Feb. 25. Five Terps are averaging double figures, led by junior center Crystal Langhorne with 14.9 ppg and a team-best 8.1 rpg. Sophomore guard Marissa Coleman adds 12.8 ppg.
SCOUTING MIAMI
The No. 11 seed Hurricanes, under the guidance of second-year head coach Katie Meier, stand 11-18 overall after a 77-53 loss to NC State on Feb. 24. Senior guard Renee Taylor is the scoring leader with 18.8 ppg, while junior guard Maurita Reid follows with 14.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg.
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
The No. 2 seed Tar Heels, under the guidance of 21st-year head coach Sylvia Hatchell, stand 27-3 overall after a 67-62 loss at No. 1 Duke on Feb. 25. Senior guard Ivory Latta leads the team with 16.2 ppg, while senior forward Camille Little follows with 14.4 ppg. Junior forward Erlana Larkins is third with 13.2 ppg and a team-best 10.1 rpg.
SCOUTING NC STATE
The No. 4 seed Wolfpack, under the guidance of 32nd-year head coach Kay Yow, stand 21-8 overall after a 77-53 win at Boston College on Feb. 25. Junior forward Khadijah Whittington is the only player in double-figure scoring with 10.3 ppg. She also grabs a team-best 10.4 rpg.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
The No. 7 seed Hokies, under the guidance of third-year head coach Beth Dunkenberger, stand 17-13 overall after a 67-52 win at Boston College on Feb. 23. Senior guard Kirby Copeland leads the Hokies in scoring with 15.3 ppg, while senior center Nare Diawara follows with 12.1 ppg and 8.1 rpg.
SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
The No. 12 seed Demon Deacons, under the guidance of third-year head coach Mike Petersen, stand 9-19 overall after a 74-57 loss to Florida State on Feb. 25. Sophomore guard Yolanda Lavender averages 17.2 ppg, while sophomore guard Alex Tchangoue chips in 11.9 ppg. Sophomore forward Corinne Groves adds 10.4 ppg and a team-best 9.2 rpg. Wake Forest finished ACC play at 0-14.
VIRGINIA’S ACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Virginia, which has posted a 30-26 record in the ACC Tournament, has won the championship three times (1990, 1992, 1993). Head coach Debbie Ryan and NC State’s Kay Yow are the only Conference coaches who have coached during all 30 seasons of the ACC Tournament.
IT ALL STARTED IN VIRGINIA
Virginia assistant athletics director Barbara Kelly is the founder of the ACC women’s basketball tournament. The very first ACC tourney was held at Virginia’s University Hall in 1978, making it the first-ever postseason conference tournament for women’s basketball in the country. In her first season as UVa’s head coach, Debbie Ryan guided her No. 6 seed Cavaliers against No. 3 seed Clemson. A freshman player for Virginia was USA Basketball president Val Ackerman (1978-81). However, Maryland claimed the first ACC championship title.
ACC TOURNEY SEEDS
In 30 ACC tournaments, Virginia has held the No. 1 seed 11 times, advancing to the championship game six times and winning three titles (1990, 1992, 1993). This is the first time that the Cavaliers have been the No. 8 seed.
VIRGINIA’S 2007 ACC HONOREES
Virginia freshman Monica Wright (Woodbridge, Va.) has been named the 2007 ACC Rookie of the Year. Also an unanimous selection to the ACC All-Freshman Team, Wright is the fifth Cavalier in school history to earn the Conference’s Rookie of the Year honor. She joins Dawn Staley (1989), Tora Suber (1994), Schuye LaRue (2000), and Brandi Teamer (2002).
Sophomore Lyndra Littles (Washington, D.C.) earned second-team All-ACC honors. The honor is the second UVa’s scoring and rebounding leader. Last season she was named to the All-Freshman Team.
EVANS TO BE HONORED AT ACC TOURNAMENT AS LEGEND
Virginia alumna Dena Evans (1990-93) will be honored as UVa’s selection for the 2007 class of ACC Women’s Basketball Legends presentation at the ACC Tournament.
A first-team Academic All-American and two-time district Academic All-American, Evans helped the Cavaliers to three consecutive Final Four appearances. The 5-5 guard from Deer Park, Texas, ended her collegiate career ranked 18th in career scoring (1,138 points) and third in assists (528). She holds the school record for assists in a game with 14 (vs. Maryland, 2-23-93).
A second-team All-ACC honoree and ACC All-Tournament team member as a senior, Evans earned ACC tourney MVP honors in 1993. She was later named to the 1993 NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team.
Internationally, Evans represented the U.S. at the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina. She also played on the U.S. Olympic Festival Team in 1989 and 1990.
Following graduating from UVa in 1993 with a degree in economics, Evans played professional basketball in Europe and New Zealand from 1997-98. She worked as an investment analyst in 1999.
Evans currently runs her own business- Hoops School- in Houston. Through her company, she runs basketball training programs for kids of all ages as well as college athletes.
Evans is Virginia’s third ACC Legends honoree, joining Wendy Palmer (2005) and Cathy Grimes (2006).
LAST OUTING
Virginia closed the regular season with an 86-85 win at Clemson on Sunday at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Sophomore Lyndra Littles paced UVa with her 14th double-double of the season (19th of her career) with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Monica Wright followed with 24 points and eight boards, while senior Brenna McGuire (Winchester, Mass.) finished with 12 points. Senior Siedah Williams (Cleveland, Ohio) added 10 points, and junior Sharneé Zoll (Marlboro, N.J.) added seven points and 10 assists, marking her fifth double-digit assist performance of the season. Overall, UVa out-rebounded CU, 42-29.
IN THE STATISTICS
After 29 contests, sophomore Lyndra Littles leads the Cavaliers with 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Freshman Monica Wright follows with 14.9 ppg and a team-best 67 steals, while junior Sharneé Zoll adds 10.1 ppg and 175 assists.