A J SPECIAL SPORTS SOUVENIR EDITION ARCH D13 2 ... · Baylor Bears Down BY RANDY HARRISON Journal...
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SPECIAL SPORTS SOUVENIR EDITION ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL SATURDAY ,MARCH 20, 2004 D13 AT A GLANCE 2 Incomparable Teams BY MIKE HALL Associate Sports Editor Asked to compare the Uni- versity of Florida to a Moun- tain West Conference school, Melissa Forest said, “They’re faster than UNLV and a little more skilled. There’s not a team (in the MWC) that’s real- ly comparable.” That’s pretty high praise from the University of New Mexico senior post player whose Lobos take on the Gators at 7:21 tonight in the Pit in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But, the honey didn’t stop flowing with Forest’s words. “I haven’t seen anybody else as talented at all five posi- tions,” Florida coach Carolyn Peck said of the Lobos. “They’re 4 and 5-positions are a strength, and they don’t play just the 4 and 5. Mandi Moore is a talented point guard, and they go 10 deep.” Florida sophomore guard Danielle Santos added that New Mexico doesn’t remind her of any team from the Southeastern Conference, known for its high-flying ath- letes, but did compare them to Richmond, a team that beat the Gators 98-88 early this season. “They have a bunch of shoot- ers and a style of play similar to Richmond,” Santos said. Friday at the Pit the words were kind and the mood relaxed as all four teams in this portion of the Midwest Region- al held open-to-the-public prac- tices and met with both local and visiting media. It’s bound to get a little more heated tonight when the fifth- seeded Gators (18-10) and the 12th-seeded Lobos (23-7) start things off. A fair-sized contingent of Lobos fans turned out to watch Florida practice and then rose to cheer New Mexico as their heroes took the floor. That was enough to convince 6-foot, 4-inch Florida senior center Vanessa Hayden that the Gators would be in hostile territory. “The biggest crowd we’ve played in front of was Tennessee, but that was a more friendly crowd,” she said. “We just want to stay focused and black that out,” added Santos. The Florida players also not- ed that they’ve heard about the dangers of altitude, even though New Mexico coach Don Flanagan joked that he was staying mum on the subject. “They’ll probably figure that out for themselves,” he said. “I’m sure they’ve been told about it, but I think it’s more mental than physical. But I’m not telling them about that (either).” Hayden said she’d heard all about the altitude, but that fol- lowing Friday’s one-hour workout, “I felt good out there. The last nine days (for Florida) have been serious boot camp.” Since losing March 5 to Georgia in the SEC tourna- ment, the Gators have spent much of their practice time on conditioning. With the home-court advan- tage and altitude out of the way, talk turned to what to expect on the court. Forest, at 6-2, faced Florida and Hayden when she was a freshman, but didn’t remem- ber much about that game. Has watching film of the Gators jogged her memory? “She’s still fairly large,” For- est said. “She’s a skilled, strong player who is hard to defend in the low post. We’ll try to keep her off.” The Lobos this season have faced USC’s Ebony Hoffman, 6-1, and Arizona’s Shawtinice Polk, 6-3. “She’s more like Hoffman,” Flanagan said of the Trojans’ wide-but-graceful center. “One thing about Hayden is that her arm length is incredi- ble.” He said that if Hayden stood with her arms stretched toward the sky she would have 2 feet on any of his Lobos. “She’s a physical player who can go right through you.” Hayden averages 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds. ■ Compliments flow between Lobos, Gators before big showdown Baylor Bears Down BY RANDY HARRISON Journal Staff Writer The rhetorical tense “Is Bay- lor an elite team?” morphs into the practicality of “Does it matter?” As the only nationally ranked squad of the four com- peting, the No. 15 Lady Bears (24-8) bear the burden of expectations beginning with a first-round NCAA Tourna- ment game tonight at the Pit against Loyola Marymount (24-5). The underdog Lions, saucer- eyed first-timers in the NCAA Tournament, are looking for a win. Baylor, in the NCAAs for the third time in four years, is looking for a run. “The first time is extremely exciting, but you have no idea what to expect,” said Jessika Stratton, Baylor senior guard. “Now that I’ve been (to the NCAAs), and we have some seniors who have been to post- season play, we expect to win. We’re excited to be here, but it’s much more than that now.” While that might not put all the pressure on Baylor, it relieves some from a Lions squad that has “nothing to lose and everything to gain,” says LMU head coach Julie Wilhoit. “We very much believe that we belong. We very much believe it’s OK for other peo- ple to overlook us,” said Wil- hoit. “We’re here and going to do absolutely the best we can.” Battle-tested from the rigors of its Big 12 schedule, Baylor has lost only twice in the last month. Both were to Texas by a combined five points. “At this point, it’s a little bit X’s and O’s now, but it’s more Jimmys and Joes,” said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson. “It’s about kids making plays.” All-Big 12 sophomore Sophia Young (16.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game) is Bay- lor’s best Jimmy, but the Bears could be without their best Joe. Steffanie Blackmon, a 6- foot, 2-inch post averaging 15.6 points and 6.9 rebounds a game, has a dislocated kneecap. Mulkey-Robertson has said all week that Blackmon, who was hurt in the Big 12 Tourna- ment on March 10, is “day to day,” and didn’t elaborate on Friday. Blackmon was at Friday’s practice in the Pit, but she did- n’t do much. Practices the day before NCAA first-round games are open to the public and pretty much for show any- way. Baylor has won 96 games in Mulkey-Robertson’s four years, but did not advance beyond the first weekend of NCAA play in its two previous appearances. Mulkey-Robertson, whose rich pedigree includes nation- al championships as a Louisiana Tech player and assistant, said that in itself shows her team has a ways to go to be “elite.” “You’ve gotta understand where I’ve been — 16 Final Fours … We are just beginning this thing and trying to figure out how to get to a Sweet Six- teen.” Loyola Marymount breezed through West Coast Confer- ence campaign and has won 15 straight despite wearing the favorite’s bull’s-eye. The Lions captured the league postsea- son tournament and thus gained the WCC’s lone NCAA bid. “Each game has a very spe- cial meaning, back to when we played Pepperdine with three games remaining (to clinch the regular season title),” said Wil- hoit. Baylor and LMU last played in December of 2000, with the Lady Bears winning 77-66 at home in Waco, Texas. Four current Lions, includ- ing WCC player of the year Kate Murray, participated in that game. LMU is an experi- enced and savvy team that goes five deep on the bench — which should help offset the Los Angeles-based school’s adjustment to playing at alti- tude. “We have to go in knowing that we prepared ourselves as much as possible,” said Mur- ray. “Our preparation and our confidence in ourselves will help us overcome any disad- vantages.” First-Time Lions Are First-Round Foe No. 12 New Mexico (23-7) LOCATION: Albuquerque NICKNAME: Lobos RECORD: 23-7 over- all, 12-2 in the Moun- tain West Conference TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 2-3 in three appearances, Sweet 16 in 2003 COACH: Don Flanagan (189-87 in ninth year at UNM) ROAD TO THE PIT: Won second consecu- tive Mountain West Conference tourna- ment and second straight automatic bid to the tournament. Lobos have won 11 in a row after opening the season at 7-5. Starters 42 Lindsey Arndt 6-1, F, Jr., 10.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg 33 Melissa Forest 6-2, C, Sr., 10.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg 5 Abbie Letz 6 feet, G, So., 5.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg 21 Mandi Moore 5-7, G, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 4.4 apg 14 Judy Vogt 6-1, G, So., 1.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg Key Reserves 13 Katie Montgomery 5-11, G, Fr., 5.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg 30 Fatima Maddox 5-6, G, Fr., 4.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg 4 Jenny Shetters 6-4, C, Jr., 3.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg 50 Lauren McLeod 5-11, F, Sr., 3.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg 40 Julie Briody 6 feet, G, Fr., 4.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg 24 Jana Francis 6-3, P, So., 2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg No. 5 Florida (18-10) LOCATION: Gainesville, Fla. NICKNAME: Gators RECORD: 18-10 overall, 8-6 in the SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 8-9 in nine appearances, the last in 2002 COACH: Carolyn Peck (second year at Florida, 27-29; 82-40 overall in five years. Won NCAA crown at Purdue in 1999) ROAD TO THE PIT: Gators were only 9-19 last season in first year under Peck. Flori- da has lost five of its last seven games after winning five in a row in the tough SEC. Center Vanessa Hayden, who averages a double-double, might be the first post player taken in the WNBA draft. Starters 45 Tashia Morehead 5-11, F, Jr., 11.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg 32 Brittany Davis 6-2, F, So., 3.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg 55 Vanessa Hayden 6-4, C, Sr., 19.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg 21 Danielle Santos 5-10, G, So., 9.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg 3 Tishona Gregory 5-5, G, Jr., 5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg Key reserves 33 Bernice Mosby 6-1, F, So., 13.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg 11 Sarah Lowe 5-7, G, So., 4.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg 23 Tamia Williams 6 feet, F, Jr., 2.9 ppg, 0.5 rpg 34 Dalila Eshe 6-3, F, So., 2.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg No. 4 Baylor (24-8) LOCATION: Waco, Texas NICKNAME: Lady Bears RECORD: 24-8 over- all, 10-6 in the Big 12 TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 1-2 in two appearances, last in 2002 COACH: Kim Mulkey Roberton (96-34 in four seasons at Baylor) ROAD TO THE PIT: The Bears finished the season with a No. 15 national ranking and had wins over power- houses Texas and Texas Tech. Baylor also defeated Florida in Gainesville 71-54. Stephanie Blackmon, one of the Bears top players, is doubtful with a knee injury suffered in the Big 12 tournament. Starters 33 Sophia Young 6-1, F, So., 16.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg 51 Emily Niemann 6- 1, F, Fr., 9.7 ppg, 2.7 apg 50 Dionne Brown 6-2, F, Sr., 7.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg 10 Jessika Stratton 5-10, G, Sr., 9.4 ppg, 3.8 apg 2 Chelsea Whitaker 5-9, G, Jr., 5.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg Key reserves 45 Stephanie Black- mon 6-2, C, Jr., 15.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg 21 Chameka Scott 6 feet, G, So., 4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg 35 Abiola Wabara 6 feet, F, Fr., 2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg 25 Melanie Hamerly 6-5, C, Jr., 2.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg No. 13 Loyola Marymount (24-5) LOCATION: Los Angeles NICKNAME: Lions RECORD: 24-5 over- all, 13-1 in the West Coast Conference TOURNAMENT HISTORY: First appearance COACH: Julie Wilhoit (236-209 in 15 years, nine at LMU) ROAD TO THE PIT: Lions won the automatic bid by win- ning the West Coast Conference tourna- ment. LMU has won 15 straight over the last two months. A deep team, it has nine players averaging more than 10 minutes a game. Starters 22 Kate Murray 6 feet, F, Sr., 16.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg 33 Mary Turner 5-10, F, Jr., 5.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg 23 Adrianne Slaughter 6-2, C, Sr., 10.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg 21 Bianca Ziemann 5-8, G, So., 6.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg 3 Raelen Self 5-6, G, Sr., 4.6 ppg, 2.8 apg Key reserves 30 Rachael Ziemann 5-8, G, So., 4.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg 32 Jacquelyn Woods 6 feet, F, Jr., 4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg 12 Jasmin Matthews 6 feet, G, Sr., 4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg 20 Jenni Smith 6 feet, C, So., 2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg ARNDT FOREST LETZ MOORE VOGT MOREHEAD DAVIS HAYDEN SANTOS GREGORY YOUNG NIEMANN BROWN STRATTON WHITAKER MURRAY TURNER SLAUGHTER ZIEMANN SELF New Mexico vs. Florida Today at the Pit, 7:21 p.m. Radio: KNML-AM (610). TV: ESPN2 Baylor vs. Loyola Marymount Today at the Pit, 9:40 p.m. TV: ESPN2 JIM THOMPSON/JOURNAL UNM’s team watches as Florida’s Vanessa Hayden, No. 55, takes a shot in the Gators’ workout in the Pit Friday. Yale University Chávez Sunport Blvd. UNM Arena “The Pit” Albuquerque International Sunport Gibson JOURNAL 25 They’re available online at www.golobos.com. Click on the red-and-blue NCAA logo. Payments by check, money order or major credit card are accepted. According to the UNM ticket office, today’s session is sold out but approximately 600 tickets are available for Mon- day. Those are on sale as sin- gle-session tickets and are $12 for adults and $6 for stu- dents. Phone orders for Mon- day’s tickets can be placed after 8 a.m. Sunday at 925-5858 or 800-905-3315. The ticket office opens at 4 p.m. today for those who have not picked up tickets. The office will remain open until the start of the second game. NCAA TOURNA- MENT GUIDE PARKING: The cost is $5 in the Rio Grande, Vista, Sierra, Pecos, Mesa, Highland, Zia, Kachina and Cherry-Silver lots. There will be no charge for parking in the dirt lots or the lots east of the UNM track. SECURITY: There will be no re-entry into the arena. All large bags (backpacks, etc.) are prohibited. All bags will be inspected prior to entering the area. Ticketholders can be instructed to return prohibited items to their vehicles, homes, etc. NON-PERMISSIBLE ITEMS: Firearms, alcoholic beverages, bottles, cans, coolers, food, video cameras, laser pointers, airhorns and promotional items (e.g., cups, flags) with commercial logos. Tickets JIM THOMPSON/JOURNAL Jessika Stratton and her Baylor teammates have high hopes of a NCAA tournament run. Center Adrianne Slaughter leads Loyola Marymount into the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Transcript of A J SPECIAL SPORTS SOUVENIR EDITION ARCH D13 2 ... · Baylor Bears Down BY RANDY HARRISON Journal...
SPECIAL SPORTS SOUVENIR EDITIONALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2004 D13
AT A GLANCE
2 Incomparable Teams
BY MIKE HALL
Associate Sports Editor
Asked to compare the Uni-versity of Florida to a Moun-tain West Conference school,Melissa Forest said, “They’refaster than UNLV and a littlemore skilled. There’s not ateam (in the MWC) that’s real-ly comparable.”
That’s pretty high praisefrom the University of NewMexico senior post playerwhose Lobos take on theGators at 7:21 tonight in the Pitin the first round of the NCAATournament.
But, the honey didn’t stopflowing with Forest’s words.
“I haven’t seen anybody elseas talented at all five posi-tions,” Florida coach CarolynPeck said of the Lobos.“They’re 4 and 5-positions area strength, and they don’t playjust the 4 and 5. Mandi Mooreis a talented point guard, andthey go 10 deep.”
Florida sophomore guardDanielle Santos added thatNew Mexico doesn’t remindher of any team from theSoutheastern Conference,known for its high-flying ath-letes, but did compare them toRichmond, a team that beat theGators 98-88 early this season.“They have a bunch of shoot-ers and a style of play similarto Richmond,” Santos said.
Friday at the Pit the wordswere kind and the moodrelaxed as all four teams in thisportion of the Midwest Region-al held open-to-the-public prac-tices and met with both localand visiting media.
It’s bound to get a little moreheated tonight when the fifth-seeded Gators (18-10) and the12th-seeded Lobos (23-7) startthings off.
A fair-sized contingent ofLobos fans turned out to watchFlorida practice and then roseto cheer New Mexico as theirheroes took the floor.
That was enough to convince6-foot, 4-inch Florida seniorcenter Vanessa Hayden thatthe Gators would be in hostileterritory. “The biggest crowdwe’ve played in front of wasTennessee, but that was a morefriendly crowd,” she said.
“We just want to stayfocused and black that out,”added Santos.
The Florida players also not-ed that they’ve heard about thedangers of altitude, eventhough New Mexico coach DonFlanagan joked that he wasstaying mum on the subject.
“They’ll probably figure thatout for themselves,” he said.“I’m sure they’ve been toldabout it, but I think it’s moremental than physical. But I’mnot telling them about that(either).”
Hayden said she’d heard allabout the altitude, but that fol-lowing Friday’s one-hourworkout, “I felt good out there.The last nine days (for Florida)have been serious boot camp.”
Since losing March 5 toGeorgia in the SEC tourna-ment, the Gators have spentmuch of their practice time onconditioning.
With the home-court advan-tage and altitude out of theway, talk turned to what to
expect on the court.Forest, at 6-2, faced Florida
and Hayden when she was afreshman, but didn’t remem-ber much about that game. Haswatching film of the Gatorsjogged her memory?
“She’s still fairly large,” For-est said. “She’s a skilled, strongplayer who is hard to defend inthe low post. We’ll try to keepher off.”
The Lobos this season havefaced USC’s Ebony Hoffman,6-1, and Arizona’s ShawtinicePolk, 6-3.
“She’s more like Hoffman,”Flanagan said of the Trojans’wide-but-graceful center.“One thing about Hayden isthat her arm length is incredi-ble.”
He said that if Hayden stoodwith her arms stretchedtoward the sky she would have2 feet on any of his Lobos.“She’s a physical player whocan go right through you.”
Hayden averages 19.3 pointsand 10.7 rebounds.
■ Compliments flowbetween Lobos, Gatorsbefore big showdown
Baylor Bears Down
BY RANDY HARRISON
Journal Staff Writer
The rhetorical tense “Is Bay-lor an elite team?” morphs intothe practicality of “Does itmatter?”
As the only nationallyranked squad of the four com-peting, the No. 15 Lady Bears(24-8) bear the burden ofexpectations beginning with afirst-round NCAA Tourna-ment game tonight at the Pitagainst Loyola Marymount(24-5).
The underdog Lions, saucer-eyed first-timers in the NCAATournament, are looking for awin. Baylor, in the NCAAs forthe third time in four years, islooking for a run.
“The first time is extremelyexciting, but you have no ideawhat to expect,” said JessikaStratton, Baylor senior guard.
“Now that I’ve been (to theNCAAs), and we have someseniors who have been to post-season play, we expect to win.We’re excited to be here, butit’s much more than that now.”
While that might not put allthe pressure on Baylor, itrelieves some from a Lionssquad that has “nothing to loseand everything to gain,” saysLMU head coach Julie Wilhoit.
“We very much believe thatwe belong. We very muchbelieve it’s OK for other peo-ple to overlook us,” said Wil-hoit. “We’re here and going todo absolutely the best we can.”
Battle-tested from the rigorsof its Big 12 schedule, Baylorhas lost only twice in the lastmonth. Both were to Texas bya combined five points.
“At this point, it’s a little bitX’s and O’s now, but it’s moreJimmys and Joes,” said Baylorcoach Kim Mulkey-Robertson.“It’s about kids making plays.”
All-Big 12 sophomore SophiaYoung (16.9 points and 8.6rebounds per game) is Bay-lor’s best Jimmy, but theBears could be without theirbest Joe.
Steffanie Blackmon, a 6-foot, 2-inch post averaging15.6 points and 6.9 rebounds agame, has a dislocatedkneecap.
Mulkey-Robertson has saidall week that Blackmon, whowas hurt in the Big 12 Tourna-ment on March 10, is “day today,” and didn’t elaborate onFriday.
Blackmon was at Friday’spractice in the Pit, but she did-n’t do much. Practices the daybefore NCAA first-roundgames are open to the publicand pretty much for show any-way.
Baylor has won 96 games inMulkey-Robertson’s fouryears, but did not advancebeyond the first weekend ofNCAA play in its two previousappearances.
Mulkey-Robertson, whoserich pedigree includes nation-al championships as aLouisiana Tech player andassistant, said that in itselfshows her team has a ways togo to be “elite.”
“You’ve gotta understandwhere I’ve been — 16 FinalFours … We are just beginningthis thing and trying to figureout how to get to a Sweet Six-teen.”
Loyola Marymount breezedthrough West Coast Confer-ence campaign and has won 15straight despite wearing thefavorite’s bull’s-eye. The Lionscaptured the league postsea-son tournament and thusgained the WCC’s lone NCAAbid.
“Each game has a very spe-cial meaning, back to when weplayed Pepperdine with threegames remaining (to clinch theregular season title),” said Wil-hoit.
Baylor and LMU last playedin December of 2000, with theLady Bears winning 77-66 athome in Waco, Texas.
Four current Lions, includ-ing WCC player of the yearKate Murray, participated inthat game. LMU is an experi-enced and savvy team thatgoes five deep on the bench —which should help offset theLos Angeles-based school’sadjustment to playing at alti-tude.
“We have to go in knowingthat we prepared ourselves asmuch as possible,” said Mur-ray. “Our preparation and ourconfidence in ourselves willhelp us overcome any disad-vantages.”
First-Time LionsAre First-Round Foe
No. 12 New Mexico (23-7)LOCATION:Albuquerque
NICKNAME: Lobos
RECORD: 23-7 over-all, 12-2 in the Moun-tain West Conference
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 2-3 inthree appearances,Sweet 16 in 2003
COACH: Don Flanagan (189-87 inninth year at UNM)
ROAD TO THE PIT:Won second consecu-tive Mountain WestConference tourna-ment and secondstraight automatic bidto the tournament.Lobos have won 11 ina row after openingthe season at 7-5.
Starters42 Lindsey Arndt 6-1,F, Jr., 10.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg33 Melissa Forest 6-2, C, Sr., 10.5 ppg,6.8 rpg5 Abbie Letz 6 feet,G, So., 5.6 ppg, 3.7rpg21 Mandi Moore 5-7,G, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 4.4apg14 Judy Vogt 6-1, G,So., 1.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Key Reserves13 Katie Montgomery5-11, G, Fr., 5.1 ppg,2.7 rpg30 Fatima Maddox 5-6, G, Fr., 4.9 ppg,1.9 rpg4 Jenny Shetters 6-4,C, Jr., 3.6 ppg, 1.5rpg50 Lauren McLeod 5-11, F, Sr., 3.6 ppg,1.6 rpg 40 Julie Briody 6 feet, G, Fr., 4.9 ppg,1.0 rpg24 Jana Francis 6-3, P, So., 2.9 ppg,1.7 rpg
No. 5 Florida (18-10)LOCATION:Gainesville, Fla.
NICKNAME: Gators
RECORD: 18-10overall, 8-6 in the SEC
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 8-9 in nineappearances, the lastin 2002
COACH: CarolynPeck (second year atFlorida, 27-29; 82-40overall in five years.Won NCAA crown atPurdue in 1999)
ROAD TO THE PIT:Gators were only 9-19last season in firstyear under Peck. Flori-da has lost five of itslast seven gamesafter winning five in arow in the tough SEC.Center Vanessa Hayden, who averagesa double-double,might be the first postplayer taken in theWNBA draft.
Starters45 Tashia Morehead5-11, F, Jr., 11.9 ppg,5.5 rpg32 Brittany Davis 6-2,F, So., 3.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg55 Vanessa Hayden6-4, C, Sr., 19.3 ppg,10.7 rpg21 Danielle Santos 5-10, G, So., 9.1 ppg,3.6 rpg3 Tishona Gregory 5-5, G, Jr., 5.8 ppg,1.8 rpg
Key reserves33 Bernice Mosby 6-1, F, So., 13.2 ppg,6.6 rpg11 Sarah Lowe 5-7, G,So., 4.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg23 Tamia Williams 6feet, F, Jr., 2.9 ppg, 0.5 rpg34 Dalila Eshe 6-3, F, So., 2.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg
No. 4 Baylor (24-8)LOCATION:Waco, Texas
NICKNAME:Lady Bears
RECORD: 24-8 over-all, 10-6 in the Big 12
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 1-2 in twoappearances, last in2002
COACH: Kim MulkeyRoberton (96-34 in four seasons atBaylor)
ROAD TO THE PIT:The Bears finished theseason with a No. 15national ranking andhad wins over power-houses Texas andTexas Tech. Bayloralso defeated Floridain Gainesville 71-54.Stephanie Blackmon,one of the Bears topplayers, is doubtfulwith a knee injury suffered in the Big 12tournament.
Starters33 Sophia Young 6-1,F, So., 16.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg51 Emily Niemann 6-1, F, Fr., 9.7 ppg, 2.7 apg50 Dionne Brown 6-2,F, Sr., 7.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg10 Jessika Stratton 5-10, G, Sr., 9.4 ppg,3.8 apg2 Chelsea Whitaker5-9, G, Jr., 5.1 ppg,3.3 rpgKey reserves45 Stephanie Black-mon 6-2, C, Jr., 15.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg21 Chameka Scott 6 feet, G, So., 4.7ppg, 3.8 rpg35 Abiola Wabara 6 feet, F, Fr., 2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg25 Melanie Hamerly 6-5, C, Jr., 2.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
No. 13 Loyola Marymount(24-5)LOCATION:Los Angeles
NICKNAME: Lions
RECORD: 24-5 over-all, 13-1 in the WestCoast Conference
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Firstappearance
COACH: Julie Wilhoit(236-209 in 15 years,nine at LMU)
ROAD TO THE PIT:Lions won the automatic bid by win-ning the West Coast Conference tourna-ment. LMU has won15 straight over thelast two months. Adeep team, it has nineplayers averagingmore than 10 minutesa game.
Starters22 Kate Murray 6feet, F, Sr., 16.0 ppg,6.4 rpg33 Mary Turner 5-10,F, Jr., 5.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg23 Adrianne Slaughter6-2, C, Sr., 10.8 ppg,6.7 rpg21 Bianca Ziemann 5-8, G, So., 6.3 ppg,2.7 rpg3 Raelen Self 5-6, G,Sr., 4.6 ppg, 2.8 apgKey reserves30 Rachael Ziemann5-8, G, So., 4.8 ppg,1.7 rpg32 Jacquelyn Woods 6 feet, F, Jr., 4.3 ppg,2.8 rpg12 Jasmin Matthews6 feet, G, Sr., 4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg20 Jenni Smith 6 feet,C, So., 2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg
ARNDT
FOREST
LETZ
MOORE
VOGT
MOREHEAD
DAVIS
HAYDEN
SANTOS
GREGORY
YOUNG
NIEMANN
BROWN
STRATTON
WHITAKER
MURRAY
TURNER
SLAUGHTER
ZIEMANN
SELF
New Mexico vs. FloridaToday at the Pit, 7:21 p.m. Radio: KNML-AM (610). TV: ESPN2
Baylor vs. Loyola MarymountToday at the Pit, 9:40 p.m. TV: ESPN2
JIM THOMPSON/JOURNAL
UNM’s team watches as Florida’s Vanessa Hayden, No. 55,takes a shot in the Gators’ workout in the Pit Friday.
Yale
Uni
vers
ity
Chávez
Sunport Blvd.
UNMArena“The Pit”
AlbuquerqueInternationalSunport
Gibson
JOURNAL
25
They’re available online atwww.golobos.com. Click onthe red-and-blue NCAA logo.Payments by check, moneyorder or major credit card areaccepted.
According to the UNM ticketoffice, today’s session is soldout but approximately 600tickets are available for Mon-day. Those are on sale as sin-gle-session tickets and are$12 for adults and $6 for stu-dents. Phone orders for Mon-day’s tickets can be placedafter 8 a.m. Sunday at 925-5858 or 800-905-3315.
The ticket office opens at 4 p.m. today for those whohave not picked up tickets.The office will remain openuntil the start of the secondgame.
NCAA TOURNA-MENT GUIDEPARKING: The cost is $5 inthe Rio Grande, Vista, Sierra,Pecos, Mesa, Highland, Zia,Kachina and Cherry-Silverlots. There will be no chargefor parking in the dirt lots orthe lots east of the UNMtrack.
SECURITY: There will be nore-entry into the arena. Alllarge bags (backpacks, etc.)are prohibited. All bags will beinspected prior to entering thearea. Ticketholders can beinstructed to return prohibiteditems to their vehicles,homes, etc.
NON-PERMISSIBLEITEMS: Firearms, alcoholicbeverages, bottles, cans,coolers, food, video cameras,laser pointers, airhorns andpromotional items (e.g., cups,flags) with commercial logos.
Tickets
JIM THOMPSON/JOURNAL
Jessika Stratton and her Baylorteammates have high hopes ofa NCAA tournament run.
Center Adrianne Slaughterleads Loyola Marymount intothe NCAA Tournament for thefirst time.
