Jan. 13, 2006

- Complete CCSU Game Notes in PDF Format

HEADED NORTH: The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team travels to Northeast Conference opponent Central Connecticut State University for the team's eighth road tilt of the season and fourth conference game. The 4:00 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Jan. 14 begins a weekend trip in Connecticut, as FDU takes on Quinnipiac University on Monday afternoon.

SCOUTING CCSU: Central Connecticut State University enters the game on a three-game losing streak - all representing Northeast Conference opponents.

The Blue Devils are led by junior forward Gabriella Geugbelet who averages a double-double with 19.0 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. A native of Bangui, Central African Republic, the NEC's leading scorer is shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the foul line, en route to totaling 247 points in 13 games.

Junior guard Brittney Dixon averages 12.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg and slightly over 2.0 assists and rebounds per contest. Dixon will hover around the three-point arc, as she averages 6.2 three-point attempts per contest, shooting 17.5 percent from long range

Seven Blue Devils have started more than five games for Head Coach Yvette Harris. CCSU averages being out-scored by 6.0 points in the opening half, compared to 3.6 in the final 20 minutes.

THE SERIES: After the two teams first met on Dec. 3, 1988, both programs have tasted victory nine times in 18 contests. The Blue Devils downed FDU last Feb. 26, 71-65. The Knights last knocked off CCSU on Feb. 7, 2004 by 42 points, 90-48.

NEXT UP: The Knights travel to Quinnipiac University on Monday, Jan. 16 at 1:00 p.m. FDU will attempt to avenge its 62-53 loss to the Bobcats Jan. 7.

LAST OUTING: The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team hosted St. Francis (PA) on Monday night, Jan. 9 in the Rothman Center, falling 85-83 at the buzzer to the defending NEC champions.

The Knights (3-8, 0-3 NEC) jumped out to an early 12-5 lead on the strength on a 10-2 surge. Sophomore guard (Laurelton, NY) energized the Knights with a hoop and the foul, completing the old-fashioned three-point play. The 5-foot-8 guard went to the charity stripe three times in the opening 20 minutes, splashing home all of her attempts en route to a team-high 17 points in the first-half. The shooting guard matched her previous career-high in points by the end of the first-half and pushed on to pour in 21 points, three assists and two steals.

With Freeman shooting 7-of-10 from the field early in the contest and the Knights securing a 22-9 lead, Fairleigh Dickinson went on the offensive on the block, powered by sophomore forward Jennifer Walkling (Westminster, MD) and freshman Katie Warehime (Littlestown, PA). The tandem would strike for a combined 23 points on the night, with Walkling recording 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Warehime chipped in nine points and four steals.

Coach Sandy Gordon's squad forced the Red Flash into committing 27 turnovers in the game. Sophomore point guard (Glen Allen, VA) recorded two career-highs and Knight individual season-highs with eight assists and six steals, in addition to scoring eight points.

The Knights would take a 44-39 advantage into halftime, despite St. Francis out-rebounding FDU, 23-18, in the first-half.

Senior guard (East Brunswick, NJ) provided the Knights with a second scoring threat from the perimeter with 10 points. The senior also contributed six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

The Red Flash (1-12, 1-2 NEC) were led by freshman guard Shawna Scott (Baltimore, MD) and junior center Beth Halter (South Milwaukee, WI), whom recorded 12 and 22 points, respectively. Freshman forward Kanisha Garrett (Gaithersburg, MD) scored the game-winning basket as time expired.

ON THE RISE: The Knights posted five new team-highs versus St. Francis (PA) on Jan. 9, hard evidence of the strides the team has made over its first 11 games.

FDU's ball movement was superb, as the team dropped in 32 field goals in 75 attempts. The open shots were a direct result of 24 assists and a season-low 15 turnovers.

The defense stepped up with 22 steals, however could not slow down the Red Flash's 56.4 field goal percentage, 63.6 percent from long range and 80 percent from the foul line.

SHOOTER'S TOUCH: Sophomore guard Shanay Freeman zoned in versus St. Francis (PA) on Jan. 9, taking her game to a new level. The Laurelton, NY-native found her stroke from the outside, as well as successfully penetrated the lane to get to the charity stripe, en route to draining 7-of-10 field goals in the first-half.

The sophomore's 17 first-half points matched her previous career high versus Wagner last Feb. 2. Freeman hit 5-of-7 free throws and connected on 8-of-13 field goals for 21 points in 32 minutes of floor time. The guard also grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists and pilfered two steals.

POST POWER: Fairleigh Dickinson's inside game caught fire when the Knights hosted St. Francis (PA) on Jan. 9. The starting front court - junior Mercedez Walker and sophomore Nikki Lockhart - combined for 15 points and 13 boards. Walker notched eight points, seven rebounds and a career-high three steals. Lockhart tallied seven points and six rebounds.

The Knights success down low continued when Head Coach Sandy Gordon substituted fresh legs into the game in sophomore Jennifer Walkling and freshman Katie Warehime. Walkling played a season-high 20 minutes, recording 14 points and eight boards, while Warehime contributed nine points, three rebounds and four steals.

When the final buzzer sounded, the foursome posted a combined 38 points, 24 rebounds, and nine steals in 80 minutes.

DIRECTING THE FLOW: Sophomore point guard Megan Kirkland truly embodied the role of her position versus St. Francis (PA) on Jan. 9, looking to pass first and score second. The sophomore recorded a 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio, on her way to posting two career highs and Knight season highs. FDU's floor general notched eight assists, in addition to six steals versus the Red Flash.

Kirkland also splashed in two three-pointers in four attempts, en route to eight points during a team-high 37 minutes.

NEC ELITE: Defensively, FDU leads the NEC in blocked shots with 4.64 per game and steals (12.91). The Knights also own the boards, standing third in the conference in rebounding offense (40.2), and second and fourthin offensive and defensive boards with 16.09 and 24.09, respectively.

OWNING THE LANE: Junior forward Mercedez Walker proved one of the Knights' strong points in a physical contest versus Princeton University. The 6-foot-3 intimidator put forth a season-and-career-high 25 minutes en route to single-handedly defending All-Ivy League center Becky Brown.

Walker stepped up versus a dominating trio of Tigers' post players, recording a game-high five blocks on the evening, in addition to ripping down a team-high seven rebounds. The defensive stalwart also chipped in a team-leading nine points, two steals and two assists.

Walker capped off her evening by draining her first-ever collegiate three-pointer.

A TOUGH WALK: The return of physical forward Jennifer Walkling to the Knights' lineup sparked FDU's post game versus Lafayette College, as the sophomore dropped in five points on 2-2 shooting in the first-half. Walkling finished the contest with 13 minutes of floor time, notching seven points, two rebounds and one block.

Through four games this season, Walkling has posted season-highs of 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

FAST TIMES AT FDU: The Knights have begun three of their last five games with a bang. After running out to a 24-18 lead at Mount St. Mary's, Fairleigh Dickinson took a 17-5 advantage in the game's opening 10 minutes at Lafayette College. Hosting St. Francis (PA), FDU jumped out to a 22-9 advantage.

In those three match-ups, Head Coach Sandy Gordon's squad made two runs for a combined for 63-24 scoring outburst.

STILL ROLLING: Freshman forward Katie Warehime continues to build on her early season success, racking up a career-high 19 points in 27 minutes at Barry University on Dec. 4. In her NEC debut at Mount St. Mary's, the post player poured in a team-high 18 points.

On Dec. 11, the forward was named Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week, marking the second occasion this season.

In FDU's 11 games, Warehime leads the squad with 11.0 ppg and has proven the Knights' leading scorer in four outings this season. Her 18.3 minutes per game top the Knights 11-player bench.

FRESHMEN FLOOR TIME: A youthful Knights squad made significant strides versus the University of Miami, with five freshmen seeing double-digit minutes versus the home-standing Hurricanes.

Forward Katie Warehime sparked FDU with 13 points off the bench, including a 6-6 performance from the foul line.

Forwards Ashley Hayes and Jessica Naquin recorded career-high point totals with four and five points, respectively. The tandem also tallied career-highs in minutes, with Hayes playing 18 and Naquin 21.

Forward Heather Coombs matched her career-high minutes with 12, while setting a rebounding high with three.

SNEAKY SHANAY: Sophomore guard Shanay Freeman set a career-high in steals with five versus The University of Miami on Dec. 2. Freeman's new personal best came only two days after matching her previous career-high of four steals at St. John's University on Nov. 30.

ROLE PLAYER: Katie Warehime was named the Northeast Conference Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week, announced by the league on Monday, November, 28.

The 6-1 freshman forward came off the bench to score double-figure points in the Knights' 75-64 win over Binghamton last Wednesday. The Littlestown, PA native dropped in 14 points, posted a team-high eight rebounds, registered four steals, while shooting 4-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line in 23 minutes.

Her performance marked the second occasion the freshman dropped in 10-straight points to spark the Knights this season, en route to her second double-digit scoring effort.

PLAYING BIG: Megan Kirkland notched her first career double-double versus Columbia with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The sophomore has proven more than just Coach Sandy Gordon's floor general, averaging a 5.0 rpg and an NEC-best 3.2 steals per contest.

Kirkland also averages 9.5 ppg. The 5-6 point guard is registering 29.6 minutes per game, shooting 39.4 percent from three-point land on 33 attempts, and dishing out 4.0 assists.

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: In her collegiate debut at University of Maryland - Baltimore County's Retriever Classic, forward Rachel Ormsby turned some heads in her sixth-man role, averaging 15.5 minutes per game. The freshman scored a team-high 15 points versus Columbia University on Saturday, November 19, in addition to notching six rebounds. The following day in the championship game, Ormsby contributed seven points and three rebounds in the Knights' loss to UMBC.

At 6-2 she has proven an outside threat, posting a 68.3 shooting percentage (7-12) from behind the arc and is 11-for-26 from the field.

Her exceptional tournament performance garnered NEC Choice Hotels Rookie of the Week honors in the first week of the season.

SETTING THE BAR: Junior forward Mercedez Walker shattered her previous career-high of two blocks versus Columbia. The junior tallied six stuffs in the contest to accompany her seven points and five rebounds. Her 11-point performance against UMBC the following day also set a career-high.

Walker continued her defensive dominance at Barry University on Dec. 4, notching four blocks, then again on Dec. 30 at Princeton, the forward tallied five.

The junior averages an NEC-leading 2.9 swats per game.

SENIOR SHOW: Lone senior Krissy Suckow was named to the UMBC Retriever Classic All-Tournament team following an impressive two-game performance. The guard averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds en route to the Knights' runner-up finish.

COACH QUOTES:

Columbia:

· "She's our floor general and it all starts with the point guard," Coach Sandy Gordon said. "Megan (Kirkland) got us going and put forth a solid all-around performance at both ends of the court."

· "We got some big minutes off the bench from our freshmen," Gordon said. "I'm going to play a lot of freshmen because we're so young and it's good to see different people step up at various times."

· "Coming off a season like last year, the win is huge," Gordon said. "The team has worked so hard and notching this win as a result of that diligence provides a huge confidence builder."

Binghamton:

· "This is a lot of firsts, winning at home and winning the home opener," Head Coach Sandy Gordon said. "This is a huge win going into a tough stretch. We knew they were going to be good, so this is a good win going into the holiday."

· "The difference between last year and this year is our depth and our tempo," Gordon said. "We try to push the ball in transition. From day one we've been harping on intensity and solid defense."

St. John's:

· "Tonight was a great effort - a great effort for 30 minutes," Gordon said. "Unfortunately, games are 40 minutes long and we got killed on the boards. As young as we are, to play with a team like that, it's a positive."

· "They had a ton of points off put backs," Gordon said. "They made their run off the offensive boards. Regardless, we'll take this experience and build from here."

Mount St. Mary's:

· "Katie (Warehime) had a big game," Gordon said. "For her to come in and leave an impact the way she has in seven games has been a huge lift."

· "That's NEC basketball," Gordon said. "Every game is close. We got down 14 points but we still competed and didn't quit. The bottom line is 32 turnovers won't get it done."

Quinnipiac:

· "It's a disappointing loss," Head Coach Sandy Gordon said. "It was a game of runs and we had too many mistakes at key points, particularly turnovers at critical times. We missed too many lay-ups and in NEC basketball the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win the game."

RULE OF 10: FDU remained close in nearly every contest last season, but couldn't seem to catch a break. How close were they? A total of 18 of their school-record 25 losses were by 10 or fewer points.

PRESEASON POLL: The Knights were chosen to finish tenth in the NEC preseason coaches poll, according to a vote of the league's head coaches. The rankings and preseason all-conference team were announced during a media teleconference with coaches.

The Knights, who ended last season 2-25 overall with a 1-17 mark in league action, finished ahead of only ahead of Staten Island's Wagner College.

The squad ended the season short of the conference tournament for only the second time in Coach Gordon's six seasons as Fairleigh Dickinson.

THE COACHES: Head Coach Sandy Gordon enters her seventh season with the Knights. She has led her team to the NEC Tournament in four of her six seasons manning the bench, with the team bowing out in the first round in each of those tournaments. Gordon expects her squad of 13 underclassmen to be competitive in every game.

Yvette Harris enters her fourth season as head coach of the Central Connecticut State University women's basketball program. Last season, she led the team to its first appearance in the Northeast Conference tournament since 1998. The Blue Devils finished 2004-05 with a 9-19 overall record and an 8-10 record in NEC play, earning them a sixth-place finish.

Harris attended the University of Detroit-Mercy, where she played basketball for three seasons. She also played one season at The University of Michigan, where she ranks fifth all-time in career blocks with 71.

Harris began her coaching career at Northern Illinois University. She served as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for five years (1982-1987). She followed that up with a three-year stint at Western Michigan University.

Harris spent three years at the Ohio State University under Head Coach Nancy Darsch. While at Ohio State, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten Conference Championship in 1993 and took a trip to the NCAA Final Four.

She then made a stop at Fresno State University, where she was the recruiting coordinator and worked with the post players from 1995-1996.

Harris' most recent position was a five-year stint at Michigan, where she served as the recruiting coordinator for the Lady Wolverines. The squad made two appearances in the NCAA tournament and had their first-ever top-25 national ranking for the women's program.