Game 13
ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES
vs. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LADYJACKS
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 7:05 p.m.
ASU Convocation Center (10,727) Jonesboro, Arkansas
Radio: KWHF 95.9 FM "The Wolf" & AStateRedWolves.com
LiveStats & JumpTV Webcasting Available at AStateRedWolves.com
TIPPING IT OFF: The Arkansas State women's basketball (6-6) team plays host to the Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin (2-7) Dec. 21 in the final regular-season non-conference game of the 2010-11 season. The contest will be the second of four consecutive home games for A-State. Tipoff for Tuesday's game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. All Arkansas State women's basketball games may be heard on KWHF 95.9 FM "The Wolf" and through the StateZone portion of AStateRedWolves.com. LiveStats will also be available at AStateRedWolves.com.
THE OPPONENT: Stephen F. Austin will visit Jonesboro with a record of 2-7 on the season, but the Ladyjacks are 2-2 over their last four games. In their last outing, the Ladyjacks defeated Grambling 69-64 on the road in overtime. Stephen F. Austin's other win was a 96-67 victory over Texas Pan-American Dec. 1. Junior guard Tammara Marion leads Stephen F. Austin in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, while senior guard Decreasha Goodner adds nine points and a team-high six rebounds per contest. The Ladyjacks are shooting .711 from the free throw line and are out-rebounding their opponents by an average of 2.0 rebounds per game.
THE SFA SERIES: The Red Wolves and Ladyjacks have met just four times on the court and only once in Jonesboro. Stephen F. Austin holds a 3-1 series advantage over ASU, winning twice in Nacogdoches and once at the Wahini Classic in Honolulu. Arkansas State's lone victory over SFA was a 91-73 win during the 2003-04 season.
THE COACHES: Arkansas State head coach Brian Boyer is in his 12th season as the Red Wolves' head coach. He holds a record of 187-159 and has directed A-State to the Women's National Invitation Tournament four times. Boyer is assisted by Tanya Ray, Jennifer Sullivan and Leslie Larsen. Brandon Schneider is in his first season as head coach at Stephen F. Austin.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: With her four steals against Charlotte Dec. 19, senior guard Jazmine Taylor moved into the top 10 on the ASU career steals chart, landing at No. 10 with 159 career steals. Taylor is also ninth in career blocked shots with 58, a figure that also ranks second all-time among guards. She is also at No. 12 on the assists chart with 234, and is joined there by junior guard NeNe Hurst, who moved up to No. 16 with 179 assists after notching a pair against Charlotte. Hurst is also No. 15 on the steals chart with 130. Senior Shay Scott continues to climb in the record books as well, sitting at No. 6 on the all-time rebounding chart with 770 boards, No. 3 on the shot-blocking list with 90 and No. 16 on the scoring chart with 1,073 points.
FINAL NON-CONFERENCE GAME: When Arkansas State closes out it's non-conference schedule Tuesday night against Stephen F. Austin, the Red Wolves will have the opportunity to finish above .500 in non-conference play. Heading into the SFA contest, the Red Wolves stand at 6-6 on the season. Arkansas State opened the year at 6-3, but has dropped its last three heading into Tuesday's non-conference finale. Those three losses came against Charlotte, Louisiana Tech and Missouri State, and those three teams have a combined record of 23-9 on the year.
CLEANING THE GLASS: Arkansas State senior Shay Scott ripped down a career-high 18 rebounds in the Red Wolves' game at Missouri State Dec. 5, giving her double-digit boards in four of her last five games. Scott added another double-digit rebounding effort Dec. 15 at Louisiana Tech, and in that six-game span, Scott has averaged 12 rebounds per game, helping her notch five double-doubles on the season and increase her career total to 23.
BREAKING OUT: After leading the Red Wolves at the free throw line a year ago with a .795 shooting percentage, junior guard NeNe Hurst went into the Dec. 5 Missouri State game connecting on just nine of her 24 attempts on the season (.375). Hurst got back to form against the Lady Bears, hitting all seven of her attempts from the line on her way to a season-high 19 points.
NEXT UP : Arkansas State will host South Alabama Dec. 30 to open Sun Belt Conference play, and continue SBC action Jan. 2 when Western Kentucky visits The Convo.
BOYER CLIMBING: Arkansas State head coach Brian Boyer has climbed to second place on the ASU women's career win chart with a record of 187-159 and needs just 10 victories to take over first place as the all-time winningest basketball coach in A-State history among women's and men's coaches. Former women's head coach Jerry Ann Winters leads all coaches with 196 victories, followed by former men's coach John Rauth with 191. Former men's coaches Dickey Nutt and Nelson Catalina rank third and fourth with 189 and 188 wins, respectively, followed by Boyer. Boyer also enters the season ranked fifth all-time in Sun Belt Conference victories with 96.
SCOTT EARNS ALL-TOURNEY HONORS: Senior Shay Scott was named to the all-tournament team at the SMU Hoops for the Cure Tournament after notching a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds Nov. 26 against SMU to go along with her 10 points and eight rebounds Nov. 27 against Georgia Southern. In the two games combined, she also totaled six steals, four blocked shots and three assists.
OUTSTANDING WEEK FOR 'Q': Sophomore guard Quinishia McDowell was outstanding for the Red Wolves during their trip to the Dallas area Nov. 24-27. McDowell scored in double figures in all three games, including a career high 19 against UT-Arlington Nov. 24. In the three games combined (UTA, SMU and Ga. Southern) McDowell finished with 50 points, 10 steals, 10 assists and 14 rebounds. She shot .390 from the floor, but hit 50 percent of her shots from behind the three-point arc, connecting on 8-of-16 attempts. Her 19 points against UTA and her 17 against SMU are the two highest point totals for any ASU player in a game this season.
BREAKOUT GAME FOR JT: Sophomore guard/forward Jasmine Taylor put forth her best performance as a Red Wolf during ASU's 86-60 double-overtime loss at SMU Nov. 26. Taylor scored a career-high 15 points in the game, hitting 5-of-8 shots from the floor, including 3-of-5 from behind the three-point line. She also grabbed five rebounds and had two steals in 25 minutes of playing time against the Mustangs.
GREAT SCOTT: With her 14 points against UT-Arlington Nov. 24, senior forward Shay Scott became just the 19th player in ASU women's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in her career. She also recorded her 19th career double-double against the Mavericks when she pulled down a team-high 15 rebounds, which at the time was the second-most of her career.
CAREER HIGH FOR McDOWELL: Arkansas State sophomore Quinishia McDowell hit five free throws in the final 48 seconds and finished with a career-high 19 points to lead the Red Wolves to a 59-55 overtime victory on the road over the UT Arlington Mavericks Nov. 24. McDowell's 19 points surpassed her previous high of 13 points, a number that she had reached twice in her career.
OVERTIME DOMINANCE CONTINUES: With their two overtime games Nov. 24 at UT Arlington and Nov. 26 at SMU, the Red Wolves improved to an amazing 14-2 in regular-season overtime games under head coach Brian Boyer. The only blemishes on that record are an 83-78 loss at Western Kentucky during the 2009-10 season and this year's 86-80 loss in double overtime at SMU. The overtime victory over UTA was also the second consecutive contest with the Mavericks that went into overtime. Arkansas State defeated UTA 67-60 during the 2009-10 season, one of a record four overtime games during the season.
Overtime Games Under Boyer
2010-11 - @ SMU 86, ASU 80 (2OT)
2010-11 - ASU 59, @ UT-Arlington 55
2009-10 - @ WKU 83, ASU 78
2009-10 - ASU 67, UT-Arlington 60
2009-10 - ASU 65, @ Northern Arizona 62
2009-10 - ASU 80, @ Kansas State 79
2008-09 - ASU 76, @ Indiana St. 68
2007-08 - ASU 72, FIU 64
2006-07 - ASU 65, @ ULL 58
2004-05 - ASU 85, @ FIU 74
2003-04 - ASU 86, @ UALR 79
2003-04 - N. Mexico St. 71, ASU 56 (2OT)
at Bowling Green, Kentucky
Sun Belt Conference Tournament
2002-03 - ASU 69, UNO 63
2002-03 - ASU 63, Belmont 62
2001-02 - ASU 86, Ole Miss 81 (4OT)
2001-02 - UNO 51, ASU 47
at New Orleans, Louisiana
Sun Belt Conference Tournament
2000-01 - ASU 79, @ McNeese 74
MAKING UP FOR THE MISSES: Arkansas State's struggles at the free throw line (8-of-27) in its 54-50 victory over Saint Louis were offset by the Red Wolves' dominance in the "hustle stats." Arkansas State forced 23 SLU turnovers while giving the ball up just 12 times. Led by six thefts from senior guard Jazmine Taylor, the Red Wolves finished the game with 10 steals, and A-State ruled the offensive glass, outrebounding the Billikens 17-11 on the offensive end. Arkansas State also held Saint Louis to 36 percent shooting, including 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) from three-point range.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR Q: Arkansas State sophomore guard Quinishia McDowell posted her first career double-double against UAPB Nov. 15, finishing the game with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. McDowell scored all of her points in the second half and grabbed four boards in the final 20 minutes to complete the double-double.
JAZZY DEFENSE: Red Wolves senior guard Jazmine Taylor recorded a career-high four blocked shots against UAPB Nov. 15, raising her career total to 53. She now has 58 career blocked shots to rank ninth all-time at Arkansas State and is second all-time among guards, trailing only Shyla Tucker, who blocked 68 shots from 1991-94.
ALL-TOURNEY HONORS: Guards NeNe Hurst and Quinishia McDowell both earned all-tournament honors Nov. 13 after leading Arkansas State to a runner-up finish at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders Tip-Off. Hurst, a junior from St. Louis, scored 12 points in each of ASU's two games, grabbed 11 rebounds, handed out five assists, notched seven steals and had three blocked shots in the two games combined. McDowell averaged 9.5 points per game and added five assists and four steals. The sophomore from Monroe, La. hit five-of-six shots from the field in the finals against No. 22 Iowa.
STRONG DEBUT: Freshman forward Jane Morrill (Scott City, Mo.) came off the bench and scored in double figures in both of the Red Wolves' games Nov. 12 & 13 at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders Tip-Off. Morrill scored 14 points against host TAMUCC in her debut as a Red Wolf, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. In the finals against No. 22 Iowa, Morrill chalked up 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the line.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: The Red Wolves were outstanding on defense Nov. 12 & 13 when they opened the season at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders Tip-Off. The Red Wolves forced 32 turnovers against host TAMUCC in their 69-59 season-opening victory, holding the Islanders to 34.5 percent shooting from the field. In the finals against No. 22 Iowa, ASU held the Hawkeyes to 29.6 percent shooting from the field, including 17.9 percent from outside the three-point arc. The Red Wolves also forced 18 Iowa turnovers in the game.
THE RED WOLVES AT HOME: Over the last seven years, the ASU women's basketball program boasts a winning percentage of .777 at the ASU Convocation Center. The Red Wolves are 219-69 (.760) all-time at the Convocation Center and 108-46 (.701) under head coach Brian Boyer.
TAP THE APP: The Arkansas State athletics department unveiled a new statistical tool earlier this fall that allows fans and media to access real-time statistical information for all of its home basketball and football games. ASU has partnered with Tap Stats to deliver the information to personal iPhones, iPods or iPads anywhere in the world where WiFi is available using an application available through the iTunes App Store.
Arkansas State was one of only five schools in the nation to roll out the Tap Stats product this fall, which provides both fans and media with real-time statistical information as it happens without having to wait for postgame statistics. Media and fans who would like to download the Tap Stats utility should search for "tapstats asu" in the iTunes store. The application can be purchased and downloaded for $4.99 for either the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.
AUDIO OPPORTUNITIES: In addition to the Northeast Arkansas broadcast on KWHF 95.9 FM "The Wolf," Arkansas State fans world-wide now have the opportunity to follow ASU Red Wolves women's basketball at no charge through the StateZone portion of AStateRedWolves.com. To access the audio broadcast, simply click on the "Live" icon in the StateZone box on the right-hand side of the AStateRedWolves.com home screen. Video of most games is available as well through a paid subscription to the StateZone.
ASU IN SEASON OPENERS: Following their Nov. 12, 72-58 victory over TAMUCC, the Red Wolves are 21-16 all-time in season-opening games, with a record of 8-14 when opening the season on the road. Under head coach Brian Boyer, Arkansas State is 7-5 in season openers, including a 4-5 record when opening on the road.
SBC HONORS: Arkansas State senior Shay Scott (North Little Rock, Ark.) was named preseason second-team All-Sun Belt Conference, and the Red Wolves were picked third in the Sun Belt West Division preseason poll as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches, the conference office announced Oct. 19.
The All-Conference team and poll were released in conjunction with the league's annual Sun Belt Conference Media Days, which got underway Tuesday using web-based video conferencing to give media members across the nation access to the league's head coaches.
"Shay has had a tremendous career already," said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. "She is already moving up the all-time list for both scoring and rebounding here at Arkansas State. She has flirted with being a post-season all-conference player the past three years and now it appears that she is ready to become that player. She has had the best pre-season of her career and I am confident that this will continue throughout the season."
An All-SBC Tournament selection in her freshman season, Scott scored in double figures in 22 games and pulled down double-digit rebounds in eight others to average 12.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last year. She notched seven double-doubles on the season to bring her career total to 18 and led ASU with a field goal percentage of .478. She blocked 30 shots on the season, which ranks at No. 8 in ASU history and averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds per game to lead ASU and rank 5th in the SBC. She will enter her senior season at No. 8 on the ASU career rebounding chart with 667, 22nd on the scoring chart with 963 points and at No. 5 on the career blocked shots chart with 76.
Arkansas-Little Rock's Chastity Reed was named the league's preseason Player of the Year, while Western Kentucky and UALR were picked as the favorites to win the league's East and West Divisions, respectively.
"I don't see any surprises with the preseason poll," said Boyer. "With what UALR and Western Kentucky have coming back, they were easy choices as favorites to win their divisions. I think most coaches were probably not sure which direction to go with us. We graduated two players that had very good senior seasons in Ebonie Jefferson and Lyndsay Schlup, but I think they recognize that we also have a strong group of returning players."
Arkansas State's season will get underway Nov. 12 at the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islander Tipoff, and the home opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff is scheduled for Nov. 15. Two exhibition games are also on the schedule 2010-11. The Red Wolves will host Lyon College Nov. 1 and Arkansas Monticello Nov. 9 in preparation for the upcoming season.
The Red Wolves return four starters and nine letterwinners for the upcoming season, including two of the three top scorers from the 2009-10 season.
RED WOLVES INK THREE: Arkansas State head women's basketball coach Brian Boyer announced Nov. 10 that post players Jasmine Hunt (Houston, Texas), Laura Reel (Wagoner, Okla.) and Kieanna Wharton (Indianapolis, Ind.) have all signed National Letters of Intent to continue their careers with the Red Wolves.
Hunt, 6'2", is currently averaging 13 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots per game during her senior season at St. Pius X High School, while shooting just over 57 percent from the floor.
"Jasmine is a post that is listed 6'2, but she plays much bigger than that," said Boyer. "She plays big and long in the post, which will be a great help for us defensively, and she fits our system because of her versatility. She handles the ball and shoots it well from the perimeter and has the potential to be an impact post player in the Sun Belt Conference."
Hunt is the daughter of Julie Hunt and is coached by Fernando Villasana at St. Pius X. She is also a member of the AAU HBA-Texas Blazers and is coached by Herbert LeDee.
As a junior at Wagoner High School, Reel averaged 14 points and eight rebounds, while shooting 51 percent from the field.
"Laura can be one of the most physical post players that we have had during my time here at ASU," said Boyer. "She can be a physical presence in the paint both on offense and defense and has very good speed to compliment her strength as well. "
Reel, 6'2", is the daughter of Ricky and Hazel Reel and plays AAU basketball for the Oklahoma Mustangs under head coach Ruben Diaz. She is coached at Wagoner by Shartese McHenry.
Wharton, 6'1", averaged seven points and five rebounds, while shooting 47 percent from the floor last year at Pike High School.
"Kienna will bring good size to the forward position for us," said Boyer. "She is a face-up forward with a very good shooting touch from the perimeter. Because of her size, I think she will cause some matchup problems with her ability to step to the perimeter and shoot, in addition to taking advantage of post-up opportunities."
Wharton is the daughter of Gloria Wharton, plays for Robert Anglea at Pike and plays AAU basketball for the Indy Gym Rats under head coach James Banks.
"My staff did an outstanding job with this recruiting class," added Boyer. "Going into the summer, we had committed to signing three front-line players, and this came during a year where there were very few post prospects in our normal recruiting areas. Our staff had to stretch our recruiting base into different areas of the country, and I could not be happier with this signing class. Jasmine, Laura and Kieanna are each individually talented but more importantly they complement one another very well. Combine these three with the guards that we have sitting out this season and it makes for a strong freshmen class next season."
LAST TIME OUT: JONESBORO, Ark. (12/19/10) - Arkansas State junior NeNe Hurst led all scorers with 15 points, but the Charlotte 49ers (9-2) countered with three players in double figures and a strong rebounding effort to defeat the Red Wolves 62-44 Sunday afternoon at the ASU Convocation Center.
Guard Jessica Johnson led Charlotte with 14 points, forward Gabby Tyler added 13 and forward Jennifer Hailey finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds to help the 49ers close out the game with a 51-26 advantage on the boards.
"We had some struggles shooting the ball and scoring, but the one real positive was that we were a little like the team we were to start the season," said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. "Our defense and pressure caused some problems for them. We forced 14 turnovers in the first half (28 overall) so we did a better job from that end. The problem was that we didn't reward ourselves. We gave up too many offensive rebounds and that ended up offsetting the hard work we put in from a defensive standpoint."
Charlotte led 27-18 late in the first half, but scored the final five points in the period to take a 32-18 halftime lead. Arkansas State (6-6) opened the second half with an 8-2 run, cutting the 49er advantage to eight at 34-26 on a jumper from Hurst with 16:49 remaining, but Charlotte answered. The 49ers went on a 9-3 run over the next four minutes to go up by 16 at 45-29 and the Red Wolves did not get within single digits again.
In addition to Hurst's 15 points, the Red Wolves also got eight points from senior Jazmine Taylor and six each from senior Shay Scott and sophomore Quinishia McDowell. Freshman Jane Morrill added four points, sophomore Andi Watson added three points and sophomore Jasmine Taylor wrapped up the ASU scoring with two points. Hurst led ASU on the boards with five rebounds.
The Red Wolves hit 12-of-17 shots (.706) from the free throw line, but struggled from the floor, shooting just 26.8 percent while connecting on 15-of-56 shots.
HEAD COACH BRIAN BOYER: Through 11 seasons as head coach at Arkansas State University, Brian Boyer's name has become synonymous with success and the women's basketball program. Entering his 12th season as head coach at ASU, Boyer has climbed to second place on the ASU career win chart with a record of 181-153 and needs just 16 victories to take over first place as the all-time winningest basketball coach in A-State history. Under Boyer's guidance, Arkansas State has reached the Women's National Invitation Tournament four times, including three of the past seven seasons. He led the Red Wolves to the 2003-04 Sun Belt East Division Championship, the program has produced 18 All-Sun Belt Conference players with Boyer at the helm, and Boyer was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year following the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. His 96 career Sun Belt Conference victories rank him fifth all-time in career conference wins.
The 2009-10 Red Wolves finished the year at 13-18 under Boyer, with a 7-11 mark in Sun Belt Conference action. Although Arkansas State did finish under .500 on the year and below the lofty standards that Boyer has maintained during his tenure, the Red Wolves did advance to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament before falling late to the eventual tournament champions. The Red Wolves posted an 80-79 overtime victory on the road against Big XII power Kansas State, and that overtime win, coupled with three other extra-period victories during the season, boosted Boyer's overtime record to an impressive 11-1 in the regular season.
Boyer directed the Red Wolves to yet another winning season as he wrapped up his first decade as the program's head coach in 2008-09. The Red Wolves finished the season at 16-14, posting victories over post-season participants Creighton and Arkansas-Little Rock along the way.
Although the 2007-08 season was expected by many to be a rebuilding year, Boyer put forth what was arguably one of his finest coaching performances, molding a group of unheralded players into a team that produced yet another 20-win season at Arkansas State. Faced with the task of replacing three 1,000-point scorers, including the program's all time leading shot blocker and rebounder, along with the all-time assists leader, Boyer directed Arkansas State to a 20-12 record. ASU won a record 13 conference games during the 2007-08 season, and reached the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the 13th time in 16 tries. The Red Wolves finished the season with the distinction of being the only Division I program in the country with a winning record that did not have a single player who averaged double figure scoring.
Arkansas State posted victories over Brigham Young and Alabama early in the season, earning the win over the Crimson Tide on the road in Tuscaloosa. The Red Wolves finished 2007 with a 6-7 record, but went on a tear in the New Year, closing out the season with a 14-5 finish and a run to the semifinals of the SBC Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
Like always, the 2007-08 team was especially tough at home, posting a 13-2 record at the ASU Convocation Center that included a 9-0 record against Sun Belt Conference opponents.
In the 2006-07 season the Red Wolves finished 21-13, advanced to the second round of the WNIT before falling to eventual tournament runner-up Wisconsin, and continued to build on their already-impressive home record with a 14-2 mark at the ASU Convocation Center. The Red Wolves posted home victories over NCAA Tournament participants Oklahoma State and Louisiana-Lafayette, Southeastern Conference member Alabama, and WNIT participants South Dakota State and Murray State. In all, 14 of the Red Wolves' 34 games during the 2006-07 season were against teams that played in the NCAA or WNIT tournaments. The 2006-07 Red Wolves also reached the 10-victory milestone quicker than any other team in ASU history, picking up their 10th win of the season Jan. 3, 2007, and their 21-win total equaled the highest in Boyer's eight seasons.
Under Boyer's guidance, several individual records fell during the 2006-07 season as well. Seniors Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims rewrote the Red Wolves record books, with Davie shattering the career blocked shots record with 132 and the career rebounding record with 1,147. Sims set a new mark in career assists with 548, and became the first ASU player in over a decade to record a triple-double when she scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and handed out 10 assists in a 65-58 overtime victory at Louisiana-Lafayette. Davie was named All-Sun Belt Conference for the fourth straight season, while Sims earned the honor for the third straight year. Senior Ali Carter became the 16th member of the career 1,000-point club.
During the 2005-06 season, the Red Wolves posted a 15-15 overall record against a schedule that included nine NCAA Tournament teams, and three that participated in the WNIT. A-State advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and Davie earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors for the third straight season. Davie also joined the ASU 1,000-point club, along with Sims and senior Amber Abraham.
In the 2004-05 season, ASU put together a program-best 10-game Sun Belt Conference winning streak, part of an 11-game win streak that was the fourth longest in Red Wolves history. The Red Wolves finished the season 21-11 overall and in second place in the Sun Belt East Division at 11-3, giving Boyer his first 20-win season as head coach. The Tribe advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT Tournament, defeating SEC powers Mississippi State and Arkansas along the way. The second round victory over Arkansas was played in front of a Convocation Center record crowd of 10, 892. The team's success earned Boyer his second straight Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Award. Boyer joined former Red Wolves coach Jerry Ann Winters as the only two ASU women's basketball coaches to win back-to-back coach of the year honors. Davie, Sims and Carter all earned All-Sun Belt honors following the 2004-05 season, marking the first time in Red Wolves history that three players earned all-conference honors in a single season.
The 2003-04 season culminated with the program's first-ever regular season conference championship, and a return to the WNIT. The Red Wolves finished 19-10 overall and 10-4 in league play, earning a share of the Sun Belt East division title as they posted one of the top turnarounds in Division I, picking up seven more wins than the previous season. ASU's 19 victories that season were the most since the 1997-98 season, sparked in part by the best start in ASU women's basketball history - a seven game win streak to open the season. The strong start carried over into Sun Belt play as the Red Wolves held the top spot in the East division from start to finish. Davie earned honorable-mention all-conference honors as a true freshman, and Boyer was rewarded with his first conference Coach of the Year Award.
The 2002-03 season capped a pair of rebuilding years and resulted in a strong finish and a trip to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
In his first season as head coach of the Red Wolves, Boyer led ASU to its first-ever Top 25 national ranking, 18 victories, and a trip to the WNIT Tournament. The Red Wolves' 18 victories gave Boyer the most wins by a first-year coach at ASU since Sara Wooley won 19 games in her first season in 1979.
The Red Wolves opened the season by winning 10 of their first 11 games, including road wins over Southern Miss and nationally ranked Kansas, giving ASU a No. 25 ranking in the Associated Press poll the following week. The Red Wolves finished the season at 18-12 overall, ending the year with the program's second straight invitation to the WNIT.
Boyer came to ASU in 1995 spending four seasons as an assistant for former head coach Jeff Mittie, who is now the head coach at TCU.
A graduate of Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Mo., with a bachelor's degree in education, Boyer 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 a NCAA Division II Tournament participant five years (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995) and won two conference championships. The team made the Sweet 16 in 1990. 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.
The team went 31-3 in 1995 and made it to the Final Eight of the national tournament. It also went undefeated through its MIAA schedule at 16-0. In 1994, the team finished third in the nation, losing in a national semifinal contest and finishing with a 29-3 overall mark.
In his four seasons at Arkansas State as an assistant coach, Boyer and the Red Wolves earned a 75-42 mark. The 1998-99 team went 18-14 with a trip to the Women's NIT.
In the process, ASU earned wins over nationally ranked Virginia and Kansas. The Red Wolves won 20 games in back-to-back seasons in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
The 1997 team opened the season with a victory over nationally ranked Illinois and had a 12-game winning streak during the season, the second longest in school history.
The 1998 squad knocked off nationally ranked Western Kentucky at the Convocation Center and came within four points of scoring an upset over national power Louisiana Tech at home as well.
In his first season at ASU, the Red Wolves won 17 games despite having just seven scholarship players.
