Indiana University Athletics
Regular Season Opens (11-18-02)
11/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
November 18, 2002
Now For The Main Event
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The Time Has Come
The 2002-03 season officially kicks off this weekend for the Indiana women's basketball team, as the Hoosiers host the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic on Friday and Saturday.
The Classic field includes Wofford, Houston and Ball State.
Indiana hosts Wofford at 6 p.m. on Friday, with Houston and Ball State doing battle at 8 p.m.
The consolation game will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with the championship game set for 4 p.m.
Hoosiers At The Mall
Members of the Indiana women's basketball team will appear at the College Mall this Thursday from 7-8 p.m. The players will interact with fans, sign autographs, take pictures and participate in games and activities.
Last Year's Classic
The defending Classic champions, Indiana claimed a 101-53 win over Illinois State last year in the opening round of the Classic, before edging Northern Arizona, 61-56 for the title.
Jenny DeMuth, Jill Hartman and Allison Skapin combined to score 45 points against Illinois State, with DeMuth adding five points and 10 rebounds against Northern Arizona in the championship game.
Classic History
Sponsor names have changed over the years, but one thing has remained constant about the Holiday Inn/Fazoli's Classic -- Indiana's dominance.
The Classic has been played every year since 1993-94, and the Hoosiers have compiled a 16-1 record and won eight of the nine championships.
Indiana has won six straight games in the Classic, with its lone loss coming to Akron in 1998.
Indiana vs. this Year's Classic Field
The Hoosiers own a 25-3 all-time record against this year's field, with the majority of the games coming against Ball State, against whom Indiana is 22-3 all-time. The Hoosiers have never faced Wofford and are 3-0 all-time against Houston.
Classic Tidbits
Perhaps the most interesting storyline as it pertains to Indiana entering the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic is the fact that current Ball State assistant coach Tisha Hill used to suit up for the Hoosiers during her playing days from 1989-92.
An honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in 1992, Hill remains IU's all-time career assist leader with 533 and ranks second on both the single-game (13) and single-season (182) assist lists. Hill led the team in assists during each of her three seasons in Bloomington.
More Homecomings
Tisha Hill will not be the only person involved in the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic with Indiana ties. Wofford sophomore guard Ricaye Harris, listed as the Lady Terriers' top player in the preseason, is a native of Muncie, Ind., and attended Muncie Central High School. In addition, Wofford sophomore forward Maria Renner is from Indianapolis and prepped at Decatur Central.
Stephenson takes Injury Redshirt
Indiana junior guard LeeAnn Stephenson will redshirt the 2002-03 season after tearing her Anterior Cruciate Ligament in practice on Saturday, November 9.
Stephenson, who was competing for strong minutes at the point guard position after transferring from Lincoln Trail (Ill.) Junior College, sustained the same injury that sidelined teammate and fellow point guard Kristen Bodine last season.
All over the Map
The Hoosiers will log some serious miles during the early part of the 2002-03 campaign. After opening the season with the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic at home, Indiana travels to Anchorage, Alaska for the Great Alaska Shootout. The Hoosiers then head to Tallahassee, Fla., to battle Florida State before returning home to host Georgetown. After that contest, it's back on the road for a trip to Denton, Texas for a contest against North Texas.
The Hoosiers are looking at 5,662 miles to and from Anchorage, then 1,596 miles to and from Tallahassee, only to travel an additional 1,788 miles to and from Denton. All tolled, Indiana will cover 9,046 miles over a span of 18 days.
Hartman Used To Being All Over The Map
Indiana's travel situation in the early part of the season may seem a bit much, but it is nothing new to senior forward Jill Hartman. Hartman toured Europe this past summer as a member of the Big Ten All-Star team that compiled a perfect 5-0 record.
Home Grown Hoosiers
Since taking over at the helm of the Indiana program prior to the 2000-01 season, Kathi Bennett has made a point of bringing in some of the top talent from the state of Indiana. On the current roster, Bennett has brought in the runner-up for the state's 2001 Miss Basketball award (Jenny DeMuth) and three Indiana All-Stars (DeMuth, Brigett Branson and Cyndi Valentin.)
Valentin Makes Name From Downtown
Freshman Cyndi Valentin made quite an impression in her first go-around in front of the Indiana faithful. The local product from Bloomington South High School won the three-point shooting contest at Midnight Madness in front of over 12,000 fans at Assembly Hall.
Valentin emerged from the women's half of the bracket by edging Kristen Bodine, then defeated men's champion Ryan Tapak in the event final.
Jones A Show-Stopper
Houston swing player Chandi Jones comes in with the most impressive credentials of any player in the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic field.
The junior from Bay City, Texas, earned Conference USA Player of the Year honors as a sophomore last year in addition to second team All-America recognition by the Women's Basketball News Service.
Through only two years, Jones has become the fastest player in Conference USA history to reach the 1,000-point scoring mark for her career.
Jones set a school record last year by averaging 22.5 points per game, a mark which ranked sixth in nation last year. She has scored as many as 37 points in a game and has scored in double figures in 54 consecutive games, entering the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic.
She is the daughter of Houston assistant coach David Jones.
Bowie Also Worth Watching
Ball State senior forward Tamara Bowie can do some damage as well. A two-time first-team all-conference selection, Bowie earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Year honors in 2001.
Bowie averaged 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last year. She ranks second on Ball State's all-time scoring and blocked shots lists and is third on the school's career rebounding chart.
She has scored as many as 40 points in a game and had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots in Ball State's season opener at No. 5 Kansas State last week.
Wofford From A Distance
Wofford is making its season debut when it takes on the Hoosiers on Friday. The Lady Terriers were 16-13 overall last year and had a 9-9 record in Southern Conference play.
Muncie native Ricaye Harris leads the charge for Wofford, averaging 7.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest last year. Harris isn't shy about putting it up from long range, attempting 87 treys last year and converting on 22 (.253 pct.)
Much like the Hoosiers, the Lady Terriers aren't overly imposing as far as size is concerned, with their tallest player standing 6-3. In its lone exhibition game (a 74-66 win over the Smokey Mountain Swarm), Wofford utilized a three-guard lineup, with Harris and fellow guard Brie Bradshaw combining to score 37 points on 13-of-25 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 shooting from three-point land.
Ball State From A Distance
Ball State enters the tournament as the lone team with some regular-season games under its belt. The Cardinals turned in an excellent effort in a 71-61 defeat at the hands of No. 5 Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., as part of the preseason WNIT last week.
Ball State actually took a 34-31 lead into halftime against the homestanding Wildcats, but shot only 28 percent from the field in the second half to let the lead slip away.
The Cardinals were the preseason pick to repeat as Mid-American Conference West Division champions and are led by the 2002 MAC Coach of the Year, Traci Roller. Ball State enjoyed the best season in school history last year, going 24-8 and playing in the WNIT.
Granted, it may have only been an exhibition game, but Ball State and Indiana do actually have a common opponent this year in the Reebok Lady Stars.
Ball State handed the Reebok Lady Stars an 88-70 defeat in Muncie, despite squandering a second-half lead and allowing the Reebok Lady Stars to cut the lead to 60-57 at one point in the second half.
When Indiana played the Reebok Lady Stars, the Hoosiers cruised from the beginning to a resounding 93-50 win.
Houston From A Distance
Houston also opens its regular season at the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic this week.
The Lady Cougars went 26-8 last year and finished second in Conference USA en route to earning a berth in the WNIT. Houston returns four starters off last year's team, including the nucleus.
Between Chandi Jones and sophomore guard Shondra Bush, the Lady Cougars return their top two scorers from a year ago. Last season, Jones and Bush accounted for 34.1 points per game on a whopping 253 three-point attempts between the two of them (10.5 attempts per game).
What's Next
Following the Hampton Inn/Fazoli's Classic, the Hoosiers will head to Anchorage, Alaska to take part in the Great Alaska Shootout.
IU will open against Eastern Kentucky for a 12:01 a.m. (EST) tipoff on Wednesday, November 27. Should the Hoosiers win, they would take on the winner of the Alaska-Anchorage vs. Nevada game at 9 p.m. (EST) the next day. If the Hoosiers lose, they will face the loser of the Alaska-Anchorage/Nevada game at 6:30 p.m. (EST) the next day.
Both of Indiana's games at the Great Alaska Shootout can be heard live on 105.1 WHCC in Bloomington with Jeremy Gray calling all the action.
Players Mentioned
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