Game Notes #6 HOST Capital University
The Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team hosts its 2007-2008 Ohio Athletic Conference opener against Capital University on Saturday, December 1 in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium of the Lou Higgins Center at 3:00 p.m.
RADIO -- All Yellow Jacket women's basketball games, home and away, are broadcast by campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, and via the WBWC Internet Web site at www.wbwc.com. The pregame show generally begins at least 15 minutes prior to tipoff.
BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE
LOCATION: Berea, Ohio
NICKNAME: Yellow Jackets
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2007-2008 RECORD: 5-0
HEAD COACH: Cheri Harrer
B-W RECORD: 352-126
YEAR AT B-W: 18th
CAREER RECORD: same
LAST MEETING: 2006-2007: Jan. 20, 2007 in Columbus, lost 83-75 in O.T.
SERIES STREAK: Capital, one
SERIES BEGAN: 1982-83, Capital won, 103-50.
SERIES RECORD: Capital leads, 36-17
NEXT GAME: Dec. 1 HOST CAPITAL UNIVERSITY; 3:00 P.M.
Capital University
LOCATION: Columbus, Ohio
NICKNAME: Crusaders
CONFERENCE: Ohio Athletic
2007-2008 RECORD: 3-1
HEAD COACH: Dixie Jeffers
CU RECORD: 466-118
YEAR AT CU: 22nd
CAREER RECORD: 521-140 in 25 years
The Pregame Setup -- The Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team will host Ohio Athletic Conference rival Capital University in the first of two clashes this season. The teams were picked to finish first (Capital) and second (B-W) in the league in the preseason vote by the OAC coaches. This also is a game that features two of the best teams in the history of Division III women's basketball and two of the all-time winningest coaches in both the OAC and Division III.
The Yellow Jackets, who are receiving votes in this week's d3hoops.com poll, enter the game with a 5-0 overall record following an 87-37 victory against Oberlin College on Tuesday in Oberlin. The five wins to start the season marks the first time since the 2005-2006 that B-W has opened a season with five or more wins. In 2005-2006, B-W started the season at 9-0.
The Crusaders, who also are receiving votes in this week's d3hoops.com poll, have a 3-1 overall record following their 61-71 loss at Ohio Wesleyan University on November 24 in the championship game of Bishop Classic "Hoops for Hope" Tournament in Delaware. Capital began the season with three straight victories.
The B-W Versus Capital All-Time Series -- B-W and Capital University have previously met 53 times in women's basketball with the Crusaders leading the all-time series, 36-17, including an 83-75 overtime victory in the last meeting on January 20, 2007 in Columbus. The first-ever meeting between B-W and Capital was in 1982-83 and Capital won the contest by a 103-50 score. The last B-W win came on December 2, 2006 in Berea by a score of 53-50. B-W has won 17 of the last 23 contests after Capital started off the series winning the first 29 games.
In B-W's Last Game: at Oberlin College on November 27: Baldwin-Wallace -- 87, Oberlin -- 37 -- In B-W's last game, an 87-37 victory against Oberlin College at Oberlin, the duo of 5'8" junior two-time All-OAC guard Amanda Mondrach (Parma/ Parma Heights/ Holy Name) and 5'8" senior guard/ forward Selena Eskinazi-Budge (Beachwood) led the Yellow Jackets with 14 points each. In addition, 5'7" freshman guard/ forward Courtney Ritzler (Fostoria/Hopewell-Loudon) scored 11 points, including three key first half three-pointers. The Jackets raced out to a 27-point lead at halftime and had a pair of 50-point wins. Keys to the win were shooting 50 percent from the field (32-of-64), including 55.6 percent from three-point range (10-of-18) and outrebounded the Yeowomen, 54-22.
B-W Information and Probable Starters -- The Yellow Jacket women average 66.2 points per game and allow 50.2 ppg. for a scoring differential of plus 16.0 ppg. B-W grabs 45.4 rebounds per game and allows 36.8 for a plus 8.6 per game. The Jackets shoot 38.9 percent from the field (121-of-311), including 36.5 percent from three-point range (27-of-74), and make 62 percent of their foul shots (62-of-100).
Look for Head Coach Coach Harrer to give 11 players court time. Look for Amanda Mondrach and 5'6" sophomore Rachael Quiring (Brunswick/ Parma Heights Holy Name) in the backcourt. At the forward position, look for 5'8" senior Stacia Shrider(Marietta/Warren Local) and either Selena Eskinazi-Budge or Courtney Ritzler to start. At center, 6'2" sophomore Ariel Brough (Powell/ Olentangy Liberty) has started all six contests.
To date, Mondrach scores a team-high-tying 9.0 ppg., grabs 3.4 rpg., has canned a team-high-tying six threepointers and has passed for nine assists. Quiring scores 6.4 ppg., grabs 2.8 rpg., has a team-high-tying 12 assists and has made nine-of-10 foul shots (90 percent). Shrider scores 2.8 ppg. and tops the team with 6.6 rpg. Budge is tied for scoring honors with 9.0 ppg., grabs 5.8 rpg., has 12 assists and tops the team with 11 steals. Courtney Ritzler scores 5.6 ppg. and is tied for the team lead in triples with six. She also grabs 3.2 rpg. and has nine steals. Brough averages 8.0 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. and tops the team with nine blocked shots.
Off the bench, look for Harrer to use 5'10'' senior forward Carly Flowers (North Baltimore), 5'10" sophomore transfer forward Sasha Samara (Amherst/ Steele), 5'10" sophomore forward Serena Farage (Medina/ Buckeye), 5'9" freshman guard/ forward Amanda Schroeder (Columbus Grove) and 5'7" freshman guard and twin sister Carrie Ritzler (Fostoria/ Hopewell-Loudon). Flowers, who led B-W in scoring a year ago, is scoring 8.0 ppg. grabs 4.6 rpg. and has nine steals. Schroeder is scoring 5.6 ppg. and grabs 2.2 rpg.
Scouting the Capital Crusaders -- Capital scores 71.0 ppg. and gives up 54.0 ppg. for a plus 17.0 differential. The Crusaders grab 42.2 rpg. and allow 32.0 rpg. for a plus 10.2 rpg. advantage. Capital shoots 43.6 percent from the floor (105-of-241), including 32.7 percent from three-point range (18-of-55), and make 69.1 percent of their foul shots (56-of-81).
Look for Head Coach Dixie Jeffers to start the same five players who have started all five games this season. In the backcourt, look for 5'6" sophomore Kristen Richardson, who leads the Crusaders in scoring with 17.5 ppg. She also grabs 5.3 rpg., shoots 58 percent from the field (29-of-50) and has 11 assists and eight steals. Joining her in the starting lineup is 5'11" junior forward Caitlin Elsass, who scores 13.5 ppg., grabs 6.3 rpg. and has made 20-of-24 foul shots. Rounding out the starting five are 5'6" junior guard Caitlin Graessle, 5'11" junior guard Heather McAlpin and 5'11" senior forward Tiffany Withers. Graessle is averaging 9.0 ppg. and leads the team in steals with nine. McAlpin is scoring 7.5 ppg., grabs a team-leading 6.8 rpg. and has the most assists with 20. Withers scores 7.0 ppg.
Off the bench, look for 5'9" sophomore guard Chelsea Ruoff, 5'7" sophomore guard Abbey Winland, 6'0" freshman forward Kristin Hlavin, 5"10 freshman forward Lindsey Watt and 5'4" junior guard Katy Lafferty to all help the Crusaders. Ruoff is the leading scorer off the bench with 6.0 ppg.
In Capital's Last Game At Ohio Wesleyan University: Ohio Wesleyan -- 71, Capital -- 61 -- In Capital's last game, a 71-61 loss at Ohio Wesleyan University in the championship game of Bishop Classic "Hoops for Hope" Tournament, Kristen Richardson led the Crusaders in scoring with 18 points. In addition, Caitlin Elsass tallied a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Tiffany Withers had 10 points. The keys in the loss was OWU shooting 49 percent from the floor (25-of-51) compared to just 32.8 percent for Capital (19-of-58). Richardson was named to the OWU alltournament team.
Yellow Jacket Chatter
National Polls -- Both B-W and Capital are "receiving votes" in this week's d3hoops.com Division III national poll. In the weekly Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll, Capital is tied for 22nd and B-W is receiving votes.
OAC Coaches Poll -- The Yellow Jackets received four first place votes and 71 total points and were picked to finish second by the OAC Coaches in their 2007-2008 preseason poll that was released on Nov. 7. Capital received five first place votes and 77 points and were picked to finish first.
OAC History Lesson -- In the past 10 years, B-W has won six OAC regular season and captured four OAC Tournament titles and Capital has won one regular season title and one OAC tourney crown. Since women's championships were established by the OAC in 1984-85, Capital has 10 regular season and eight tourney crowns.
Cheri Harrer is the Winningest Women's Coach in B-W History -- Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer is the winningest women's basketball coach in B-W history with 351 victories. Harrer is 351-126 in her career.
Catch More Coverage of Yellow Jackets' Basketball on Campus Radio Station 88.3 FM "The Sting" -- Every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., you can tune into campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, for more coverage of Yellow Jacket basketball. Sports Director Andrew Middleman and the WBWC sports team will be joined by Men's Basketball Head Coach Steve Bankson and Women's Basketball Head Coach Cheri Harrer to recap the previous week and preview the upcoming week's schedule.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, Please visit the Baldwin-Wallace Athletics website at www.bw.edu/athletics for up to date results and statistics. For further inquiries, please contact B-W SID Kevin Ruple by phone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX at (440) 826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. B-W Head Coach Cheri Harrer can be reached by phone at (440) 826-3299, by FAX at (440) 826-2192 or via e-mail at charrer@bw.edu.
275 Eastland Rd.