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Duke Hosts EA Sports In Exhibition Contest On Wednesday
EA Sports at Duke
November 2, 2005 ? Durham, N.C. ? 7:00 PM
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Duke Hosts EA Sports For Exhibition...
The top-ranked Duke Women’s Basketball team will host EA Sports on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the first of two exhibition contests in Cameron Indoor Stadium before opening the season on Nov. 18 at Penn State. The Blue Devils enter the 2005-06 season returning seven letterwinners and all five starters off a team that went 31-5 and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Noting The Blue Devils...
After finishing the season with only eight players in 2004-05, the Blue Devils will feature a roster of 13 this year ... Duke has been preseason ranked No. 1 in the preseason by Street & Smith’s and Lindy’s Magazine.
A Look At EA Sports...
EA Sports will boast a roster that includes former college stars Brittany Jackson (Tennessee), Courtney McDaniel (Tennessee), Fallon Stokes (Georgia Tech), Jess Strom (Penn State), Terah James (N.C. State), Yolanda Paige (West Virginia), Rebecca Richman (Rutgers), Ebony Tanner (Richmond), Shanika Freeman (Jacksonville State), Tamia Williams (Florida), Katie Bulder (West Virginia) and Anedra Gilmore (South Florida).
The squad will play at Shaw University on Nov. 1 before playing the Blue Devils.
The Series With EA Sports...
Duke and EA Sports (previously known as Premier Players) have played the past three years in a row with the Blue Devils winning all three contests by an average of 46.7 points. On Nov. 5, 2002, the Blue Devils won 100-51, in 2003 Duke registered a 118-56 victory and last year won 91-62.
Last Year Versus EA Sports...
Junior Jessica Foley scored a game-high 19 points and junior Monique Currie recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Duke Women’s Basketball team rolled over the EA Sports All-Stars 91-62 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Foley nailed four of five from behind the arc and picked up six rebounds in her first career start, while Currie hit six of 10 from the field in the team’s fist exhibition contest of the season.
Powered by the first of Foley’s threes, the Blue Devils went out on a 9-0 run to open the first half, holding EA Sports scoreless for the opening four and a half minutes. Duke continued to dominate for the entire contest, leading by as much as 36 and never allowing the All-Stars to pull closer than three, past the 16-13 mark.
The Blue Devils pulled together a total team effort on the night on both ends of the floor. All nine players who saw action in the first half scored at least one point, including four who reached double-digits. Duke hit 52.9 percent from the field and outrebounded EA Sports by a 51-31 margin.
Sophomore Caitlin Howe made her fist career start at guard, finishing with 11 points, three rebounds and six assists after putting in the most minutes in a game of her career. Freshman Wanisha Smith also saw time at point in the second half, knocking down four of six from the field and earning six assists.
Tonya Washington led EA Sports with 17 points, while Tasha Butts and Courtney McDaniel each added 11 in the contest.
The Injury Report...
Duke has been saddled with various injuries during the preseason and will be without senior National Player of the Year candidate Monique Currie on Wednesday versus EA Sports. Currie suffered a sprained left thumb in practice, is nursing a sore foot and will be out of practice until Monday. Senior Jessica Foley is expected to play on Wednesday returning from left foot surgery over the summer. Freshman Keturah Jackson is listed as questionable for the game as she is recovering from a severe left ankle sprain.
Time Change For Penn State Game...
The Blue Devils’ season opener on Nov. 18 at Penn State will now be played at 8:00 p.m. rather than 7:00 p.m. as originally stated.
Bus Trips Available...
Depending on the interest, Duke will offer bus trips to the following away games-- Nov. 20 at Old Dominion, Jan. 8 at Maryland, Jan. 26 at Clemson and Feb. 25 at North Carolina. If you are interested, email Shaeeta Williams at bks@duaa.duke.edu and inform which games you would be interested in and the number in your travel party. The fee will include the bus ride and game ticket.
Duke Picked No. 1 In ACC Preseason Poll; Currie, Waner Earn Honors...
For the sixth time over the last eight years, the Duke Women’s Basketball team has been picked No. 1 in the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) poll as the Blue Devils received 30 of 40 first place votes, determined by a vote of the media and head coaches.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, who received 10 first-place votes, followed the Blue Devils in the balloting, while the Maryland Terrapins finished third. NC State followed by ACC newcomer Boston College were selected to finish in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Florida State was sixth, followed in the seventh and eighth slots by the Virginia Tech Hokies and Virginia Cavaliers. Wake Forest finished in ninth place while Georgia Tech, Miami and Clemson rounded out the poll.
In balloting for the 2005-06 preseason All-Conference team, senior Monique Currie of Duke and Tamara James of Miami were named to the team along with juniors Ivory Latta of North Carolina and Shay Doron of Maryland. The six member preseason team was rounded out by sophomores Crystal Langhorne of Maryland and Erlana Larkins of North Carolina.
Currie was selected as the league’s preseason Player of the Year for the second straight year, while Blue Devil freshman Abby Waner was tabbed preseason ACC Rookie of the Year.
The Experience Factor...
The Blue Devils will boast one of the most experienced teams in the nation in 2005-06 with one fifth-year senior - Monique Currie; two other seniors - Jessica Foley and Mistie Williams; one fourth-year junior - Lindsey Harding; one other junior - Alison Bales; one third-year sophomore - Emily Waner; three other sophomores - Chante Black, Laura Kurz and Wanisha Smith; and four freshmen - Carrem Gay, Keturah Jackson, Brittany Mitch and Abby Waner.
Duke returns all five starters and welcomes back Harding, Waner joins the game-day roster, and two other letterwinners highlight the Blue Devil squad. The Blue Devils will have experience at every position this season, after having only eight players at the end of the 2004-05 campaign.
Preseason No. 1...
In the Lindy’s and Street & Smith’s Magazine preseason polls, the Blue Devils were tabbed No. 1 in the nation. This marks the second time in school history Duke has been preseason ranked No. 1 nationally. Back in 2002-03, the Blue Devils were preseason ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls.
Overload Of Guards...
Head Coach Gail Goestenkors will have no shortage of guards in 2005-06 as the Blue Devils boast nine on the roster. The advantage Duke has is most of the guards are very versatile and can play the 1-4 positions.
Between having two point guards -- Lindsey Harding and Emily Waner; four shooting guards -- Abby Waner, Wanisha Smith, Jessica Foley, Keturah Jackson; and three other wings -- Monique Currie, Brittany Mitch and Laura Kurz -- Duke is loaded in the back court.
Top Recruiting Class Arrives...
The second-best recruiting class in the nation will take to the floor this season for the Blue Devils -- Abby Waner, Keturah Jackson, Brittany Mitch and Carrem Gay. All four freshmen were highly ranked coming out of high school.
The Record Book...
The 2005-06 season is primed to be a record-breaking year for the Blue Devils. Fifth-year senior Monique Currie could become only the third Duke player to reach 2,000 points, Alison Bales is only 50 blocks away from breaking the Duke career record, Jessica Foley needs 66 treys to become the all-time leader as well as many other possibilities. As a team, Duke blocked an NCAA-record 267 shots last season.
Monique Currie To Challenge For NPOY...
One of the top clutch players in the game today, fifth-year senior Monique Currie returns to the Blue Devils after passing on entering her name in the 2005 WNBA Draft. She will be pursuing a graduate degree in Humanities after graduating with a degree in Public Policies and African American Studies in May.
A National Player of the Year candidate and runner-up for the 2004-05 award, Currie is primed to leave her mark in the Blue Devil record book and to take on the challenge of having her r jersey retired.
Currie averaged 17.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals a game last year without a true point guard to distribute the ball to her and in the first season in the spotlight, after the graduation of Alana Beard.
In 2005-06, Currie has already been named a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award and State Farm Wade Trophy.
The Return Of Harding...
After sitting out the entire 2004-05 season due to a violation of team rules, fourth-year junior Lindsey Harding will return to the Blue Devils this year.
Harding, a former third team All-ACC and All-ACC Defensive team selection, is one of the quickest players in the game today. As a sophomore, she averaged 6.8 points, 4.9 assists, 2.0 steals and started 33 of 34 games.
