Jan. 18, 2010

A-10 Notebook

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Samantha Pollino – Duquesne
R-Junior – Forward – Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley HS
Pollino averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds last week, as league-leading Duquesne extended its win streak to three games and is now 3-0 in conference play. The Johnstown, Pa. native shot 44 percent (12-27) from the field, 50 percent (2-4) from long distance and 75 percent (9-12) at the line, while adding three blocks and a steal. She was instrumental in Duquesne’s, 57-52, victory over St. Bonaventure, scoring 15 points and pulling down six rebounds.

Pollino currently leads the Dukes and is 10th in the A-10 in scoring with her 13.1 points per game average. She also tops the DU roster with her 6.0 rebounds a game average and her 47.4 shooting percentage.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jasmine Watson – Massachusetts
Freshman – Center – South Bend, Ind./South Bend Washington HS
Watson averaged 17.5 points on 14-for-25 shooting (.560) and corralled 7.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for Massachusetts, while adding three blocks, two assists and a steal. The rookie center posted back-to-back career high performances and provided a crucial inside presence for the Minutewomen in their overtime victory at Saint Louis.

Watson is averaging 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for Massachusetts.

A-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Dayton’s Patrice Lalor scored a career-high 16 points and added five assists without a turnover in the Flyers’ triumph over St. Bonaventure … Fordham’s Randall Hurst averaged 10 points and eight rebounds in the Rams’ two games last week, including her second double-double of the year against Temple … Massachusetts’ Diatiema Hill averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals in a 1-1 week for the Minutewomen … Richmond’s Brittani Shells led the Spiders’ to their Atlantic 10 leading fifth win in a row with a game-high 22 points over host Massachusetts … Rhode Island’s Lindsay Harris averaged a double-double of 11.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Rams … Saint Joseph’s Ashley Prim averaged a team-best 10.5 points per game on the week as SJU went 1-1, while adding four rebounds and had four assists … Saint Louis’ Lauren Woods led the Billikens in scoring last week, averaging 13.5 points and dishing out 12 assists … Temple’s Shaqwedia Wallace averaged 13.5 points in a 2-0 week for the Owls, while shooting 42 percent from the floor … Xavier’s Amber Harris scored 16 points (6-10) and hauled in 11 rebounds in the Musketeer’s win at La Salle last week.

NATIONAL STATISTICS
St. Bonaventure is ranked among the top 10 nationally in three statistical categories --field goal percentage (10th), three-point field goal percentage (7th) and free-throw percentage (2nd) -- according to the most recent statistics released by the NCAA. The Bonnies are also listed 11th in scoring defense.

Dayton is listed 17th in rebounding margin and Massachusetts is 11th in free throw percentage. Richmond is 19th and Duquesne is 25th in steals, while Xavier is 17th in three-point field goal percentage and 20th in field goal percentage.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
A-10 teams combined to post a 52-32 record on their home hardwoods against non-conference teams this season - a winning percentage of .619.

NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The A-10 recorded a 112-91 (.551) mark against non-conference opponents this season, includings wins over Arizona State, USC, Michigan State, Purdue and Villanova.

OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION
A-10 teams are putting up impressive numbers each night on the hardwood, as Dayton (72.2) and Xavier (72.7) are averaging more than 70 points per game, while The Flyers +(13.2) and Musketeers (+14.8), along with St. Bonaventure (+12.2) are outscoring their opponents by double-figures.

IN THE POLLS
Xavier remains ranked among the top teams in nation for the ninth-straight week, according to the most recent Top 25 Polls, as the Musketeers are listed No. 14 by the Associated Press and No. 12 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

Dayton continues to garner national recognition, as the Flyers are once again receiving votes in both polls.

Six league teams have been nationally ranked or have received votes this season, including Charlotte, Dayton, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Temple and Xavier.

TOUGH SCHEDULES
A-10 teams have played extremely competitive non-conference schedules, which included 18 games against ranked teams. Of the 61 teams -- excluding Charlotte, Temple and Xavier -- that competed in the 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, the A-10 faced 31 during its non-conference slate.

EXTRA TIME
A-10 teams have competed in 11 extra session games against non-conference opponents this season -- posting a 7-4 record in those contests.

RPI RATINGS
According to The RPI Report, the Atlantic 10 Conference is ranked ninth among the 33 women’s basketball conferences in the country. The A-10 is behind the Big 12, Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Southeastern, Pacific 10, Mountain West and Colonial Athletic Conferences.

Five A-10 programs are rated among the top 100 teams in the nation, according to NCAA’s RPI ratings, including Xavier (14), Temple (38), Richmond (48), Dayton (50) and St. Bonaventure (92).

MIDSEASON WOODEN AWARD LIST
Xavier University women’s basketball star Amber Harris has been selected as one of 21 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the top women’s basketball player in the country by the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s John R. Wooden Award committee.

Harris was also honored on the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List prior to the 2007-08 season. A two-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection, Harris leads the Musketeers in scoring and is second in rebounds per game. The Indianapolis native has posted three-straight double-doubles and was recently named Atlantic 10 and National Jesuit Player of the Week for her outstanding play.

Harris is one of just four student-athletes to be selected onto the Midseason Top 20 who do not play in a power conference.

Just as players who are not on the preseason list are eligible for the Midseason Top 20, players who do not make the Midseason list are still eligible for the national ballot, which will be selected in March and will consist of approximately 20 players, chosen by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board Committee. Players selected to the national ballot will have to be certified by their university as making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.

NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD
Richmond junior guard Brittani Shells was one of 12 women's basketball players nominated to the 2010 Players Making the Buzz list for the Nancy Lieberman Award. Shells currently leads Richmond and the A-10 in scoring.

The annual award recognizes the nation's top point guard in Division I women's basketball. The criteria for the award is floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman during her career. The award winner will be chosen by sportswriters in April.

TITLES-A-PLENTY
Five Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Basketball programs have claimed various tournament titles during the non-conference season, including No. 20/20 Dayton, No. 8/8 Xavier, Duquesne, Massachusetts and Saint Joseph’s.

The Flyers were the first team to bring home the hardware for the league after going 3-0 and claiming the title at Purdue’s Basketball Traveler’s Classic on Nov. 22. Head Coach Jim Jabir’s squad picked up wins over Georgetown (62-59), then-No. 23 Purdue (56-53) and Seattle (75-37).

The last time Dayton won an in-season tournament was 2005 when the Flyers captured the Tulane Basketball Classic in New Orleans, La.

During the Thanksgiving break, Xavier and Duquesne were victorious in their events, as the Musketeers picked up the Freeport Division title at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, while the Dukes claimed top honors at UNC Wilmington’s Hampton Inn Invitational.

The Junkanoo Jam was comprised of three four-team brackets and XU took home the championship crown after downing then No. 18/23 Kansas (76-71) and Minnesota (71-56).

Duquesne’s title is the seventh tournament championship in program history. The Dukes were winners of the Bucknell Tournament in 1983, the Wagner Tournament in 1987, the Red Flash Classic in 1993, the State Farm Classic in 1998, the Lady Luck Classic in 2002 and the Cornell Classic in 2006.

For the second-straight year, Massachusetts claimed the Brown Classic crown, with wins over host Brown (69-58) and Quinnipiac (82-66).

Most recently and for the seventh time in the program’s history, Saint Joseph’s won its own tournament -- the 19th Annual Hawk Classic -- with victories over Brown (65-36) and Boston University (71-58).

INDIVIDUAL TOURNEY HONORS
Numerous Atlantic 10 women’s hoopsters have garnered individual recognition at various tournaments this season, while four standouts have been named Most Valuable Player at their respective events.

Dayton’s Kristin Daugherty was named the MVP at the Purdue/Basketball Travelers Classic, Nov. 20-22, while teammates Justine Raterman and Brittany Wilson were All-Tournament team selections...Kristin Daugherty and Raterman were honored for the second time this season, as the duo was named to the Blue Sky Classic All-Tournament team, Dec. 29-30.

Duquesne’s Alex Gensler captured MVP honors and teammate Samantha Pollino was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2009 Hampton Inn Invitational Championship at UNC Wilmington, Nov. 27-28.

Fordham’s Randall Hurst was named to the All-Tournament Team at Florida Atlantic’s Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 27-28.

La Salle’s Jamie Walsh was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Hawk Holiday Classic, Dec. 28-29.

Massachusetts’ Kristina Danella and Nicole Jones were named to the All-Tournament at the Wyndham Miami Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 27-28. Danella, along with Diatiema Hill and Megan Zullo, was also named to the All-Tournament team at the Brown Bear Classic, Dec. 5-6.

Rhode Island’s Lindsay Harris was Blue Sky Classic All-Tournament team, Dec. 29-30.

Richmond’s Brittani Shells garnered All-Tournament team honors at the WBCA Classic, Nov. 27-29, before being named to the All-Tournament team at the St. Peter's Classic, Dec. 29-30.

St. Bonaventure’s Dana Mitchell and Megan Van Tatenhove were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Christmas City Classic, Dec. 28-29.

Saint Joseph’s Ashley Prim was named MVP at The 19th Annual Hawk Classic, Dec. 28-29, while teammate Ashley Logue earned All-Tournament Team honors.

Saint Louis’ Amanda Kemezys was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Westside Thanksgiving Classic, Dec. 27-28.

Xavier’s April Phillips was named MVP and Amber Harris was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2009 Junkanoo Jam (Freeport Division), Nov. 26-28.

MILESTONE WIN
Rhode Island head coach Cathy Inglese captured her 400th career victory on Jan. 2, as the Rams earned a 65-60 win over Albany. Currently, Inglese owns a 400-256 all-time coaching record which includes 273 wins at Boston College and 120 at Vermont.

JABIR, MCGUFF ON NATIONAL PODCAST
Dayton head coach Jim Jabir and Xavier head coach Kevin McGuff were recently featured on "Shootaround with Beth and Debbie," a weekly national women's basketball podcast hosted by ESPN analysts Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli. The interview can be viewed via the WBCA website -- wbca.org.

BIG LEAGUE WINS
Atlantic 10 teams have posted five wins over nationally ranked foes this season, including then listed No. 10/10 Michigan State, No. 14/7 Arizona State, No. 18/23 Kansas, No. 23 Purdue and No. 20/18 Pittsburgh.

Dayton stunned visiting Michigan State, 77-74, in its 2009-10 home opener on Nov. 13. The victory marked only the second time head coach Jim Jabir coached his Flyers to a win over a nationally-ranked foe. UD then followed with a narrow 56-53 victory over Purdue, Nov. 21.

Xavier captured a 59-48 victory over Pac-10 member Arizona State on Nov. 21 at home, before downing the Jayhawks, Nov. 25 in the Bahamas.

Duquesne defeated intra-city rival Pittsburgh, 72-63, Dec. 29 on the Panthers’ campus. The win halted a four-game losing streak against Pittsburgh, last defeating the Panthers on Dec. 7, 2004.

1,000 POINT CLUB
Four A-10 standouts have reached the 1,000 point scoring mark this season, including Richmond’s Brittani Shells, Saint Louis’ Katie Paganelli and Amanda Kemezys, along with Xavier’s Ta’Shia Phillips.

Shells tallied her 1,000th point as Richmond rolled past Clemson, 86-67, in the opening game of the WBCA Classic on Nov. 27 at Gampel Pavilion. Shells became the 17th Spider to notch 1,000 points in Richmond women's basketball history.

Paganelli became the 14th SLU women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 career points after notching 15 against Evansville on Dec. 6, while teammate Amanda Kemezys joined Paganelli in the distinguished club after notching 17 points against Oakland on Dec. 17.

Phillips registered her 1,000th career point against Michigan State on Dec. 9.

NOTEWORTHY
>>League-leading Duquesne’s last 3-0 conference start was during the 1997-98 season when the Dukes started 4-0 in the A-10.

>> The A-10 had two teams in the Top 25 polls for the first time since 2006, as both Xavier and Dayton were listed simultaneously for two straight-weeks. During the 2006 season, both Temple (#21) and George Washington (#25) were ranked at the same time.

>> Xavier is the most recent A-10 team to be ranked among the Top 10 nationally, having reached No. 8 in both Top 25 polls earlier this season. A league team has not been listed that high since George Washington, which peaked at No. 8 in the AP Poll during their impressive 2006-07 campaign.

>> Richmond’s Brittani Shells scored a league-high 32 points against Morgan State on Dec. 30. She currently leads the league in scoring with her 18.2 points per game average.

>>Dayton’s Casey Nance, reached the 100-block milestone after notching three in the Flyers’ game at George Washington, Jan. 9. Iin just her second season of action, she is now fourth all-time at the institution.

>> Duquesne head women’s basketball coach Suzie McConnell-Serio has been named a finalist for the 2009 Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year. McConnell-Serio was the first-ever recipient of the Sportswoman of the Year in 1999 after guiding Oakland Catholic to its first WPIAL Championship as well as leading the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers with 4.2 assists per game.

The winner will be determined by newspaper ballot or online. Dapper Dan Charities’ executive committee will select the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year from the top vote-getters. The 74th annual event will be held Thursday, March 25, 2010 at the Petersen Events Center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

>> La Salle’s Jamie Walsh set a new school record (176) for made three-point field goals, as the Downingtown High School alum, surpassed Meghan Wilkinson (2001-05) on the institution’s all-time list with her three trifectas against Richmond on Jan. 9.

>> With its 72-63 victory over No. 20/18 Pittsburgh, Duquesne ended an 11-game losing streak against ranked teams - the last victory over a ranked team was a 57-56 win over No. 23 George Washington on Jan. 8, 1994. Pitt is also the highest-ranked team the Dukes have ever beaten.

>>Dayton’s Jim Jabir reached a coaching milestone on Dec. 21, as the Flyers gave their leader his 100th victory at the institution and 320th of his career with an 84-81 double-overtime thriller over Butler.

>>With its commanding 74-40 victory over Radford on Dec. 21, Richmond moved to a perfect 5-0 against its Commonwealth of Virginia counterparts this season, with every win coming by at least 13 points. The Spiders' 34-point margin of victory against the Highlanders was also a season-high.

>> UMass picked up its first win against Boston University since 1993 -- a 79-73 overtime victory on Nov. 15. It was the first overtime game for the Minutewomen since Jan. 9, 2007 at Rhode Island (71-69 Loss) and the first at the Mullins Center since Jan. 16, 2003, an 89-80 win over Temple.

PHILLIPS EARNS PRESEASON NODS
After earning honorable mention All-America status from the Associated Press in 2008-09, Xavier standout Ta'Shia Phillips was one of 25 student-athletes voted onto the 2009-10 Wade Trophy Watch List as announced by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the Wade Coalition.

Phillips, the 2009 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, played in Serbia over the summer, where she helped USA Basketball's World University Games Team bring home gold from the 2009 World University Games.

SUPER SOPHS
With a full season under their belts, here are a few sophomores to watch during 2009-10: Dayton's Justine Raterman, the 2009 Rookie of the Year, led her team in both scoring (13.1 ppg.) and rebounding (8.5 rpg.); also from Dayton, Casey Nance was the league leader in blocks (1.86 bpg.) and was third on her squad in rebounds (6.5 prg.) while Patrice Lawlor led the Flyers and ranked sixth in the A-10 in assists (3.40 apg.); St. Bonaventure's Jessica Jenkins and Kristina Danella of UMass were two of the league's top three-point shooters ranking second (.415) and fifth (.404), respectively, in three-point field goal percentage; Temple's Kristen McCarthy was the top freshman in steals last season (1.65) and averaged 8.6 ppg. for the Owls; Becky Peters started and was the second leading scorer (10.3 ppg.) for Fordham, while George Washington started two rookies last season in Tara Booker (8.2 ppg.) and Tiana Myers (7.0 ppg.); Saint Louis and Richmond also featured freshmen starters in Alisha Goodwin (6.8 ppg.) and Samantha Bilney (6.1 ppg.), respectively.

FUTURE STARS
The All-Star Girls Report (ASGR) ranked six A-10 programs among its Top 100 recruiting classes with the defending A-10 Champions Charlotte leading the way at No. 42. Xavier (45) and George Washington (48) were in the top 50 while Temple (72), Saint Joseph's (74) and Dayton (97) rounded out the top six schools ranked. According to ESPN's top 60 recruiting classes George Washington was ranked No. 42 and Xavier earned a nod at No. 53. Some freshmen to watch include Jaquaria Forney (CHA), Courtney Townsend (XU), Dani Jackson (GW), Katharine Rutan (XU), Ashley Robinson (SJU) and Janine Davis (GW).

LAST SEASON
Last season the Atlantic 10 Conference saw a record-setting eight institutions competing in a women's postseason tournament while and unprecedented seven schools finished the season with 20 or more wins. The league has had three NCAA bids in four of the last five years finished the season ranked seventh out of 31 conferences in the RPI.

POSTSEASON BLISS
With five WNIT bids and its three NCAA Tournament berths, the Atlantic 10 Conference saw a record-setting eight of its 14 institutions competing in a women's postseason tournament in 2009. The league has had three NCAA bids in four of the last five years. This was the first time in Conference history that the league has had five WNIT bids and eight overall. The five bids were second behind the Big East (six) in the 2009 WNIT field.

A-10 FORMAT
The Atlantic 10 Conference consists of 14 member schools competing under one division. During the Conference schedule, each women’s team will play one regular season game against 12 of the Conference institutions designated as its travel partner (14 Conference games total). The Conference office will award a weekly Player and Rookie of the Week honor each Monday during the season.