GAME 28
ASU LADY INDIANS vs. NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN
Thursday, Feb. 22 Denton, Texas The Super Pit (10,032) 5:00 p.m.
Radio: KJCF 103.9 FM Audio & Video Streaming: ASUIndians.com
ON TAP: The Arkansas State University Lady Indians begin a two-game road swing to close out the regular season when they visit the Mean Green of North Texas Thursday, Feb. 22 in a 5:00 p.m. Sun Belt West matchup at the Super Pit.
THE PRINCIPALS: At 11-5 in Sun Belt Conference play, the Lady Indians are in second place in the league's Western division, trailing Louisiana-Lafayette, which is 12-4. The Lady Indians are 18-9 overall on the season. North Texas enters Thursday's game at 5-11 in Sun Belt play, 8-18 overall. The Mean Green is in fifth place in the Sun Belt Western division.
THE SERIES: Arkansas State leads the series 10-6. The Lady Indians have won the past six meetings between the two teams, including this season's first matchup, a 57-51 ASU win in Jonesboro.
THE COACHES: Two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Brian Boyer is in his eighth season as the Lady Indians' head coach, holding a record of 129-105. Boyer has guided the ASU program to three WNIT Tournament appearances, and in 2003-04 directed the Lady Indians to their first-ever regular season conference title, as ASU earned a share of the Sun Belt East Division championship. Heading into the season, Boyer ranked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in all-time conference wins with 55.
Under the guidance of head coach Tina Slinker, North Texas has finished either first or second in its conference division in seven of the past eight seasons. Slinker is in her 18th season as head coach of the Mean Green, compiling a 226-267 record over that time. She has led the Mean Green to four division titles in the past eight seasons, including last year's Sun Belt West division title.
SCOUTING THE MEAN GREEN: In its last five games, the Mean Green is 2-3, and North Texas picked up its biggest win of the season the last time it took the court, defeating Western Kentucky 73-65 Feb. 19 at the Super Pit. Two sophomores are leading the Mean Green in scoring on the season, and both are averaging in double figures. Guard Sanetra Jackson averages 10.6 points per game, while forward Amber Jackson adds 10.1. Junior forward Talicia Sanders leads North Texas on the boards with a 6.4 rebound per game average, and is followed closely by Amber Jackson at 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Amanda Quattrocchi has a team-high 65 assists on the season, while senior guard Tricia Lee leads the team in steals with 44. The Mean Green average 63.2 points per game, and are being outscored by their opponents by an average of 5.7 points. North Texas shoots 38.1 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from behind the three-point arc, and 66.2 percent from the free throw line.
SUCCESSFUL SENIORS: Seniors Ali Carter, Tabitha Christian, Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims have been a part of one of the most successful four-year runs in Lady Indian history. The four have been a part of 73 wins over the last four seasons, winning 61.5 percent of their games. At the ASU Convocation Center, the quartet has been even more successful, boasting a winning percentage of 84.6 percent as they compiled a record of 45 wins against just eight losses. The four were a part of back-to-back post-season appearances in 2003-04 and 2004-05, and are on track to see post-season play again this year. As freshmen, the four were part of an ASU team that won the 2003-04 Sun Belt regular season championship, and following the 2004-05 season, the four helped ASU reach the third round of the WNIT, defeating Southeastern Conference members Mississippi State and Arkansas along the way. The Lady Indians also posted a 68-64 win over 22nd-ranked TCU during the 2004-05 season. This season, the seniors were part of home wins over Southeastern Conference member Alabama, and Big 12 member Oklahoma State. The four were also a part of an ASU team this year that handed Missouri State, Louisiana-Lafayette and North Dakota State rare home losses. Missouri State has lost just 33 games at home since the 1989-90 season, ULL has lost at home just seven times under head coach J. Kelley Hall, and North Dakota State has suffered just 48 losses at Bison Sports Arena all-time, while winning 352.
NEW HIGH FOR DAVIE: ASU senior center Adrianne Davie scored a career high 38 points during the Lady Indians' 72-54 win over Louisiana-Monroe Feb. 17. Davie's performance overshadowed her previous high of 34 points scored just six days before in a 78-73 win at South Alabama. Davie hit 14 of 18 shots from the field in the game, including a perfect 9 of 9 in the second half. She also hit 9 of 12 free throws and was 1 of 1 from behind the three-point arc. For the week, Davie hit 21 of 31 shots from the field (68%), and 13 of 16 shots from the free throw line (81%) and moved into third place on the ASU all-time scoring list with 1,875 points. Davie leads the Lady Indians in both scoring and rebounding this season, averaging 21.6 points and 8.7 rebounds, and is the Arkansas State career leader in rebounding (1,094), and blocked shots (125), and is third on the ASU career scoring list with 1,875 points. She has recorded 10 double-doubles during the current season, and her 21.6 scoring average ranks her ninth nationally.
THREE STRAIGHT FOR SIMS: With 13 points and 10 assists Feb. 17 against Louisiana-Monroe, ASU senior guard Rudy Sims recorded her third straight double-double. Sims scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Feb. 13 against Denver, and had 12 points and 10 assists Feb. 11 in a 78-73 ASU victory against South Alabama.
CARTER CLOSING IN: ASU senior Ali Carter needs just 15 points to become the third member of ASU senior class to join the 1,000 point club at Arkansas State. Carter currently stands at 985 points, and with 15 more, will join seniors Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims as players who have topped the 1,000 point mark in their careers.
DAVIE NAMED SUN BELT PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Arkansas State senior center Adrianne Davie was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 11. It was the second time this season that Davie, a preseason first-team all-conference selection, has earned player of the week honors.
Davie scored a total of 56 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had three blocked shots in ASU's two games during the week, leading the Lady Indians to victories over Louisiana-Lafayette and South Alabama. Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Davie scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds, helping ASU overcome a 21-point first-half deficit and win going away, 77-61.
Against South Alabama, Davie poured in a career-high 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead ASU to a 78-73 win that put the Lady Indians back on top of the Sun Belt West standings.
For the week, Davie hit 19 of 37 shots from the field (51%), 18 of 25 shots from the free throw line (72%), and moved over the 1,800 point mark for her career. Her 34-point effort topped her previous career high, also against South Alabama, when she scored 32 points in ASU's 69-57 victory Dec. 29. In ASU's two games against South Alabama this season, Davie has scored a total of 66 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots. In the two games, Davie has hit 24 of 35 shots from the field (68.5%) and 21 of 27 free throws (77.7%).
SUPER SIMS: Feb. 11, ASU senior guard Rudy Sims became the only player in the history of the Arkansas State women's program to notch 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career. Sims' 10-assist effort against South Alabama put her over the 500-assist mark for her career, and she now stands at 515, along with 1,562 career points. She is the all-time assist leader at ASU, and is ranked fifth all-time in scoring.
SHINING STARR: ASU sophomore guard Caroline Starr scored a career-high 23 points during the Lady Indians' 77-61 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Feb. 7, helping the ASU overcome a 21-point first half deficit in the game. Starr also grabbed a season-high seven rebounds and hit 6-of-8 shots from three-point range. Additionally, Starr's 4-of-4 effort from behind the three-point arc Jan. 3 in ASU's 80-64 victory at Louisiana-Monroe was the best single-game three-point shooting performance in the history of the ASU program, percentage-wise. Prior to Starr's effort, six players shot 3-of-3 in a single game, including senior Rudy Sims, who made all three of her three-point attempts at ULM.
SIMS TOPS 500: With her seven assists against Western Kentucky Jan. 24, ASU senior guard Rudy Sims became the all-time assists leader at Arkansas State University. Sims passed the mark set by Beth Penn, who recorded 479 assists from 1984-87, and currently stands at 515 career assists. Sims also moved into the top five all time at ASU in career steals, coming in at No. 5 with 213, and is fifth in all-time 3-pointers made with 145.
CARTER CATCHES A STARR: ASU senior Ali Carter's 4-for-4 performance from behind the 3-point arc Feb. 11 against South Alabama equaled the best single-game three-point shooting performance in the history of the ASU program, percentage-wise. The effort equaled sophomore Caroline Starr's 4-for-4 effort logged earlier this season in Arkansas State's 80-64 victory at Louisiana-Monroe Jan. 3.
DAVIE RAISES THE BAR: Arkansas State senior center Adrianne Davie broke the ASU career rebounding record Jan. 31 during the Lady Indians' 80-61 victory over Florida Atlantic when she finished the game with 10 rebounds to raise her career number to 1,058, passing Sue Jayroe, who grabbed 1,055 boards from 1977-80. Davie's current rebounding total stands at 1,082.
Davie also set the career blocked shots record during the Lady Indians' 69-57 victory over South Alabama Dec. 29. Davie blocked two shots in the game, finishing the day with 96 blocks to break the career record of Chiquita Tucker, who blocked 95 shots from 2001-2002. Davie now has 124 blocked shots in her career at ASU. Davie also finished the South Alabama game with a career high in points scored, torching the Lady Jags for 32 points on the night. She also set a season high for blocked shots in a game when she swatted five shots away during the Lady Indians' 57-51 victory over North Texas Jan. 6, then matched the effort Jan. 31 with five blocks against FAU - all in the first half. She also passed the 1,000 rebound mark for her career when she pulled down 11 boards Jan. 9 against UALR. Davie is also in fourth place on the ASU all-time scoring list with 1,837 career points.
HOT START: With their 6-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play, the Lady Indians equaled the best conference start in the history of the program. The 1996-97 Lady Indian team began Sun Belt Conference play at 6-0, as did the 1992-93 Lady Indian squad.
QUICKEST TO 10 WINS: When ASU earned its 10th victory of the season with an 80-64 win Jan. 3 at Louisiana-Monroe, it marked the earliest calendar date that any Lady Indian team had reached the 10-win mark. The previous record was held by the 1990-91 Lady Indian team, which defeated Louisiana Tech Jan. 5, 1991 to reach the 10-win mark.
BIG WEEK FOR SIMS: Arkansas State senior guard Rudy Sims was named the Sun Belt Conference women's basketball Player of the Week Dec. 19 for her triple-double effort in the Lady Indians' 65-58 overtime victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Dec. 16. Sims recorded ASU's first triple-double in over a decade when she scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and handed out 10 assists in 41 minutes played. Sims also notched three steals in the game, and her steal, layup, and free throw early in the overtime period ignited a 9-0 run to help the Lady Indians put the game out of reach. The assist, rebound, and minutes played totals were all career highs for the three-time All-Sun Belt Conference performer.
DAVIE, SIMS EARN ALL-TOURNEY HONORS: ASU Seniors Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims were named to the Cal Contra Costa Classic All-Tournament team after leading the Lady Indians to the finals of the Dec. 2 and 3 event in Berkeley, Calif. Sims averaged 22 points during the two-day tournament, adding five rebounds and four steals against San Jose State, while Davie averaged 21 points and six rebounds during the tournament. Sims scored a season high 25 points and added a season-high four steals against San Jose State in the Lady Indians' 90-71 win Dec. 2.
DAVIE EARNS SUN BELT HONOR: ASU senior Adrianne Davie was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Nov. 28 by the league office for her play in ASU's three games the previous week. Davie, a 6-3 center who was named to the Sun Belt's Preseason All-Conference first team, posted a double-double in the Lady Indians' games against Missouri State and Purdue. In ASU's 67-54 win at Missouri State Nov. 20, Davie scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. In a 67-61 loss to No. 10 Purdue Nov. 24, Davie pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with 13 points, and in the Lady Indians' 87-55 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Sunday afternoon, she scored 21 points, notched 11 rebounds, and matched her career-high in blocked shots with four.
Davie leads the Lady Indians in both scoring and rebounding on the season, and has posted a total of eight double-doubles this season, and 43 in her career.
CARTER CLIMBING: Senior guard Ali Carter is now in sixth place in career 3-point field goals made at ASU with 140 made shots from behind the arc. Additionally, with 985 points, Carter needs just 15 more points to join the 1,000 point club at ASU.
BIG ROAD WINS: With its 67-54 win at Missouri State Nov. 20, ASU became just the 33rd visiting team to win on the Lady Bears' home court since the 1989-90 season. Missouri State holds a 237-33 record on its home court during the past 18 seasons...ASU's 65-58 overtime victory at Louisiana-Lafayette Dec. 16 was only the seventh loss for the Ragin' Cajuns at Earl K. Long Gym under head coach J. Kelley Hall. The Lady Indians defeated the Ragin' Cajuns at Lafayette last season as well. Additionally, under Hall, the Ragin' Cajuns are 55-8 when leading at the half, and three of those losses have come at the hands of Arkansas State...ASU's 64-61 win at North Dakota State Jan. 20 was just the 18th loss for the Bison at home over the past 10 seasons, and 48th loss all time at home, where the Bison stand at 350-48.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Lady Indians wrap up the regular season Feb. at in-state rival UALR. The game is set to tip off at 4:30 p.m., and will be televised by ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: JONESBORO, Ark. (2/17/07) - It was quite a senior night for Adrianne Davie as Arkansas State's celebrated center scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Lady Indians to a 72-54 win over Louisiana-Monroe here Saturday night.
The 6-3 Davie hit 14 of her 18 attempts from the field, including a perfect nine-of-nine in the second half, and connected on nine of her 12 free throw attempts. It marked the 10th time this season for Davie to record a double-double.
She was joined by fellow senior Rudy Sims with 13 points and sophomore Carolina Starr who finished with 10. For ULM, LeJeanna Howard led the Warhawks with 14 points and Nedra Winston added 12. Winston and Shannon Lloyd had six boards apiece. The win lifted ASU to 18-9 and 11-5 in Sun Belt play. ULM is 12-15 and 4-12.
“It was great to get the win,” said Head Coach Brian Boyer. “We still played with some inconsistencies and broke down about the last seven minutes of the first half. But, we were able to regroup and come back strong in the second half.”
“As for Adrianne, it was a great shooting performance. She was double teamed and things were physical and she was able to get around that and shoot the ball.”
Davie collected 15 of her points and six rebounds in the first half to lead the Lady Indians in a 29-all halftime score. Although ASU held a first half lead by as much as nine, Louisiana-Monroe outrebounded ASU, 27-22, in the first half.
The Warhawks came out in the second half and quickly stepped things up to take a five-point lead, 38-33, with 17:09 on the clock. Davie hit a couple of layups and Starr popped a three after a feed by Sims to give ASU a one-point lead, 40-39. The lead seesawed back and forth a couple of times before Sims canned two straight buckets and a free throw to put ASU up by six.
From that point forward, Davie kept taking the feed from Sims to help ASU build up the lead to put the game out of reach. Sims ended the night with 10 assists.
It was Senior Night with four Lady Indians receiving recognition in pregame ceremonies: Davie, Sims, Ali Carter and Tabitha Christian.
“I can't say enough about our seniors,” concluded Boyer. “I'm not talking only from a winning standpoint, but the way they have all handled themselves on and off the court. You can tell that by our increased attendance and ticket sales. Also, our booster organization has tripled in membership. A lot of that can be attributed to these players.”
BEST IN THE WEST: The Lady Indians were chosen by the Sun Belt coaches as No. 1 team in the Sun Belt's West Division for the upcoming season. ASU received a league-high 10 first place votes to top the poll.
SEASON OUTLOOK: Three starters return from last year's team which finished 15-15 and reached the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament - senior center Adrianne Davie, senior guard Rudy Sims, and junior forward Kelsey Lock. Guard Ali Carter, who sat out last season after suffering a knee injury, also returns for her senior season. Carter earned All-Conference honors during the 2004-05 season, while Sims is a two-time All-Sun Belt player and Davie is a three-time all-conference player who is expected to push for the league's Player of the Year honors.
Among the nine letterwinners returning from last year's team, Davie highlights the field, bringing impressive credentials to the court for the 2006-07 season. In addition to her three-time All-Sun Belt honors, Davie became the 14th player in ASU history to reach the 1,000 career points mark. The 6-3 center averaged 15.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last season.
Sims also joined a 1,000 point club last year, and goes into the upcoming season with 389 assists to rank third all-time in ASU history. She averaged 14.0 points per game last season while dishing out 153 assists.
Before suffering the knee injury that forced her to sit out last year, Carter averaged 13.9 points per game during the 2004-05 season and shot 87 percent from the free throw line.
Like Carter, Lock hopes to bounce back from a knee injury as well. The 6-0 guard/forward played in 23 games before being sidelined with the injury last season, averaging 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing.
Senior forward Tabitha Christian is expected to play a key role as well, and will serve as a team captain along with fellow seniors Davie, Carter and Sims.
Junior Rachel Brown, and sophomores Brittney Hiles, Caroline Starr, and Ashley Anderson all return with experience, and Boyer welcomes five true freshmen to the Lady Indian squad.
Jazmine Taylor, Melia Pence, Ebonie Jefferson, Veronica Smith and Lyndsay Schlup make up the class of talented newcomers.
The Lady Indians open the regular season Nov. 10 on the road against UNC-Charlotte, then return home Nov. 13 for a battle with Southeastern Conference power Alabama. Purdue, ranked No. 13 in the USA Today/ESPN preseason poll also visits the Convocation Center in November, while Oklahoma State visits Jonesboro in early December.
Sun Belt play begins Dec. 16 when ASU travels to Louisiana-Lafayette, and ends at the Cajundome as well with the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, scheduled for March 3-6.
MORE ON BOYER: Brian Boyer is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Arkansas State women's basketball team. During his time at the helm of the Lady Indians, he has posted a 129-105 overall record, which is the second most wins in ASU women's basketball history. He has led the Tribe to three WNIT appearances in his first seven seasons including appearances in two out of the last three seasons. Last season, the Lady Indians posted a 15-15 overall record as the Tribe advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Tribe posted the .500 record against a schedule that featured nine NCAA Tournament teams and three teams in the WNIT. Center Adrianne Davie earned First Team All-Conference honors last season marking the third straight year in which she has received All-SBC accolades. Also, the Tribe had three different players join the 1,000 career point club last season in Davie, junior Rudy Sims and senior Amber Abraham. In the 2004-05 season Boyer guided the Lady Indians to a 21-11 overall record and an 11-3 Sun Belt record as the Tribe finished in second place in the Sun Belt East Division.
Boyer picked up his second consecutive Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year award following the 2004-05 season, and joined former ASU head coach Jerry Ann Winters as the only two women's basketball coaches at ASU to win back-to-back coach of the year honors.
Before assuming the head coaching role at ASU, Boyer was no stranger to the Arkansas State women's basketball program, coming to Arkansas State with former head coach Jeff Mittie when he was hired as head coach in 1995. Together, the two helped the program to a 75-48 record, including an 18-14 record in the 1998-99 season with an appearance in the Women's NIT, ASU's first postseason appearance in five years.
Boyer graduated from Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Mo., with a bachelor's degree in education. He was an assistant coach for the men's program for six seasons, including the last three, which he spent as an assistant with the women's program as well. As an assistant to the men's team, Missouri Western was an NCAA Division II Tournament participant five years (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995) and won two conference championships. As a women's assistant, Boyer and Missouri Western made two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four in 1995 and the Elite Eight the previous season.
Boyer prepped at Scotland County High School in Memphis, Mo., and graduated from there in 1988. He is married to the former Rhonda Lane of Marked Tree, Arkansas. She is a graduate of ASU.
THE ASU ASSISTANTS: Tanya Ray enters her fifth season at Arkansas State as a women's basketball assistant coach. Ray, a native of Brenham, TX, serves as the Lady Indians' recruiting coordinator in which she organizes all aspects of the recruiting process and specializes in upper class recruiting. She also works with the Lady Indian posts and helps to oversee the team defense. Ray is also in charge of monitoring the academic progress of the team's student-athletes. She is the team liaison for campus life and assists in opponent scouting. She received her bachelor's degree in exercise-sport science from St. Mary's. Ray prepped at Brenham High School where she was a standout varsity player for four year. She graduated from BHS in 1994.
Rebecca Chilton Peoples enters her fifth season with the Arkansas State women's basketball program. Peoples, a native of Buckeye, Ariz., is a recruiting assistant for the Tribe with an emphasis on underclass recruiting. She is in charge of on-campus visits and works with the development of the Lady Indian guards. She assists in the scouting of ASU opponents. Peoples coordinates the ASU home practice schedule and is the liaison to the strength and conditioning program. She is also responsible for the Lady Indian Basketball elementary camp and the NEA Tournament Programs. Peoples received her degree in physical education from Prescott College, and is married to Arkansas State assistant football coach Kevin Peoples.
Carrie Redman is in her first season as an assistant coach with Arkansas State's women's basketball program. Redman played her collegiate career at the University of Arkansas from 1995-1999. During her first year the Lady Razorbacks were WNIT runner-ups and in her junior year (1997-98) she played in the NCAA Final Four as the lowest seeded team ever to advance (eighth seed) to the semifinals. In her senior year, she helped Arkansas to the WNIT championships and was named to the All-SEC Hard Work Team. She received her Bachelor's of Science Degree from Arkansas and her Master's of Education Degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. She is married to Eric Redman, who serves as an associate certified athletic trainer for ASU's sports medicine program.
