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Blue Devils Head To Cancun For Caribbean Classic
12/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
2006-07 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES
Duke (9-0) at Caribbean Classic ? Cancun, Mexico ? Moon Palace
December 19-21, 2006 ? Versus Bowling Green (7-1) , SMU (6-3) & Pittsburgh (10-0)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Series Record vs. BG: First Meeting
BG Head Coach: Curt Miller (100-57, 6th)
Series Record vs. SMU: First Meeting
SMU Head Coach: Rhonda Rompola (276-179, 16th)
Series Record vs. Pitt: First Meeting
Pitt Head Coach: Agnus Berenato (334-310, 23rd)
Duke Head Coach: Gail Goestenkors
Career Record: 373-97 (15th Year)
Record at Duke: Same
Radio: WDNC - AM 620
Steve Barnes (PXP), Missy Anderson (Color)
Online Livestats: TBA
Television: None
Rankings: Duke (No. 4 USA Today/ESPN; No. 4 AP)
BG (No. 21 USA Today/ESPN)
PITT (No. 22 USA Today/ESPN; No. 24 AP)
Duke Heads To Cancun For Caribbean Classic...
After opening the season with a 9-0 record and finishing exams, the fourth-ranked Blue Devils will be rewarded with a trip to Cancun, Mexico for the Caribbean Classic from Dec. 19-21. Duke will take on 21st-ranked Bowling Green (7-1), SMU (6-3) and 22nd-ranked Pittsburgh (10-0) before heading home for the Christmas holiday.
The contest on Dec. 19 versus Bowling Green at 7:00 p.m. (EST) can be heard online at www.GoDuke.com, while the other two games will be aired on the Duke Radio Network (WDNC AM 620) with Steve Barnes (Play-by-Play) and Missy Anderson (Color). The Pittsburgh contest will be aired tape-delay at 4:00 p.m.
Duke is in the final leg of a stretch where the Blue Devils will face four straight ranked opponents. Following the Bowling Green contest, Duke will play unranked SMU and then will take on 22nd-ranked Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils are beginning a stretch of five straight contests on the road.
Noting Duke...
Duke's Dartmouth contest on Dec. 29 will not be televised by CSTV as was originally reported ... the Blue Devils are coming off shooting a season-worst 38.6 field goal percentage ... Duke's defense has forced nine shot clock violations in nine games ... all 10 Blue Devils have blocked at least one shot on the year ... Duke has won its past 58 straight contests against unranked opponents ... counting the final six games of last season along with the first nine contests in 2006-07, Alison Bales has blocked 75 shots over 15 contests (5.0 average) ... Bales has scored double-figures in five straight contests ... Duke has made more free throws (166) than its opponents have attempted (135) and has more than double the amount of steals (133) than its opponents (67).
A Look At Bowling Green...
Bowling Green enters the Caribbean Classic with a 7-1 record and is coached by Curt Miller, who is in his sixth season as Head Coach. The Falcons are coming off a 28-3 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament before falling to UCLA in the first round, 74-61.
Leading Bowling Green this season has been Ali Mann (15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds), Carin Horne (13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds), Liz Honegger (11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds) and Kate Achter (10.3 points, 3.8 rebounds). The Falcons are averaging 8.3 three-pointers per game on the year and is on a six-game winning streak. The lone loss this season was at Notre Dame, 85-81, in overtime.
The Series With Bowling Green, SMU and Pittsburgh...
Duke will be facing all three teams for the first time in school history.
Duke Versus The MAC...
Duke owns a record of 9-1 against teams in the Mid-American Conference-- Ball State (2-0), Kent State (2-0), Miami (Ohio) (1-0), Northern Illinois (1-0), Ohio (1-0) and Toledo (2-1).
A Look at SMU...
SMU is coached by Rhonda Rompola and is off to a 6-3 start in 2006-07. Rompola is in her 16th year at SMU and owns a 276-179 overall record. SMU has been led by Jenielle Dodds (14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds), Katy Cobb (11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds) and Delisha Wills (10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds) on the year.
The Mustangs opened the season with four straight wins, but have lost three out of their last five entering the Caribbean Classic.
Duke Versus The Conference USA...
Duke owns a 10-10 record against teams in the Conference USA-- East Carolina (6-9), Houston (1-0), Marshall (0-1), Tulane (1-0) and Tulsa (2-0).
A Look at Pittsburgh...
Pittsburgh enters the Caribbean Classic with a 10-0 record and is ranked 24th in the Associated Press poll, which marks the first time in 27 years the Panthers have been ranked in the AP poll. The Panthers have been led by Shavonte Zellous (20.6 points, 5.7 rebounds), Marcedes Walker (15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds) and Xenia Stewart (11.0 points, 4.9 rebounds) in 2006-07. Prior to the season, Pittsburgh lost All-Big East Second Team selection Mallorie Winn to a season-ending knee injury.
In her fifth year at Pittsburgh, Agnus Berenato owns a 51-46 record. Overall, Berenato owns a 334-310 record as a head coach in 23 years.
Duke Versus The Big East...
The Blue Devils own a 26-14 record against teams from the Big East-- Cincinnati (0-1), Connecticut (3-3), DePaul (1-1), Georgetown (4-0), Louisville (1-1), Marquette (2-0), Notre Dame (1-4), Providence (1-1), Rutgers (2-1), St. John's (1-0), Seton Hall (4-2), South Florida (2-0), Syracuse (1-0), Villanova (1-0) and West Virginia (2-0).
Goestenkors To Face Berenato Once Again...
Duke's Gail Goestenkors and Pittsburgh's Agnus Berenato will face off against each other for the first time since the 2002-03 season when Berenato was the head coach at Georgia Tech. From 1992-93 until 2002-03, the two coaches squared off 25 times against each other with Goestenkors owning a record of 22-3 against Berenato. Goestenkors won the final 21 straight contests against the Yellow Jackets before Berenato left for Pittsburgh.
Harding Approaching Milestone...
Senior Lindsey Harding is 53 points shy of reaching 1,000 career points at Duke, which would mark the 20th player in Duke history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Harding has increased her scoring each season at Duke averaging 6.2 points as a freshman, 6.8 as a sophomore, 10.7 as a junior and 12.4 this year. Both Alison Bales (778) and Wanisha Smith (728) each are nearing 800 career points.
Ohio Natives To Face Off...
Alison Bales will go up against one of her high school rivals-- Amber Flynn of Bowling Green-- in Cancun, Mexico. Flynn is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and attended North College Hill, while Bales is from Dayton, Ohio and attended Beavercreek. Bales' high school squad posted a 5-1 record against North College Hill during Bales tenure. Overall, Bowling Green owns six players from Ohio and the Falcons are based out of Bowling Green, Ohio.
Going Tropical...
Once again the Blue Devils will head to a tropical destination this year as Duke will travel to Cancun, Mexico, from Dec. 17-21 for the Caribbean Classic. The trip will not be all fun and sun as the Blue Devils will have a tough schedule facing 21st-ranked Bowling Green, SMU and 22nd-ranked Pittsburgh.
In the past, Duke has traveled to the Bahamas (twice), St. Thomas, Cancun and Puerto Rico. The last time the Blue Devils headed to Cancun, Mexico was in 2000 to play in the Fun in the Sun Shootout. Duke defeated Arkansas State, 69-45, and Oral Roberts, 62-51, to claim the title.
One Of Most Improved; ACC Record In Reach...
Senior Alison Bales has been one of the most improved players in Duke's history and in the nation this season. Bales has gone from averaging 3.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as a freshman to averaging 11.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.0 blocks as a senior. She has improved her scoring and rebounding each year and is approaching blocked shot records in the ACC and NCAA. Bales owns 299 blocks over the last three years for an average of 3.7. Overall, Bales is three blocks shy of becoming the ACC all-time leader as she has totaled 328 in 104 career games.
Wanisha Smith Breaks out...
After scoring double-figures in only one out of the first seven contests, junior Wanisha Smith has scored double-digits in two consecutive games. This was highlighted by a season-high 18-point effort against 22nd-ranked Texas. She also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, which tied a career high in 25 minutes. Over the last two games, Smith has averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals and has hit 40.0 percent of her three-point field goals.
Undefeated Starts...
For only the fifth time in the 32-year history of Duke Women's Basketball, the Blue Devils opened the season with an 9-0 mark. It was the fourth time under the direction of Gail Goestenkors.
If the Blue Devils win on Tuesday against Bowling Green, it will mark the third time under Goestenkors and fourth overall that Duke has began the season with a 10-0 record.
Duke In December...
Duke owns a 30-game win streak in contests played in the month of December. The last loss for the Blue Devils was on Dec. 27, 2001, versus second-ranked Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge in Atlanta, Ga. Overall, Duke owns an 89-10 record in the 15 years under Head Coach Gail Goestenkors.
On The Road Again...
Duke will hit the road for five contests before returning to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 3, 2007. The Blue Devils will travel to beautiful Cancun, Mexico from Dec. 17-21 after exams conclude. Then, Duke will head to Hanover, N.H., for the Blue Sky Resort Classic hosted by Dartmouth. Competing in the tournament will be Dartmouth, Boston University and Dayton.
Players Mentioned
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