11/14/2001 - Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball Opens Season Friday
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The Navy women's basketball team will open its 2001-02 season Friday night when the Midshipmen play at the College of Charleston in a 7 p.m. contest. Two days later, the Mids will conclude their road trip at Jacksonville in a 2 p.m. game.
Navy at College of Charleston
The Cougars finished the 2000-01 season with a 11-17 overall record, and placed seventh in the Southern Conference with a 7-11 record.
C of C returns nine letterwinners and a trio of starters from last season, including top scorers Wilma Simpson (12.6 ppg) and Becky Wollenberg (11.4 ppg). Simpson also led the Cougars with 7.2 rebounds per game.
Series History
This will be the second meeting between Navy and the College of Charleston, with Navy claiming victory in the first contest. Navy's Adria Schneck and Laurie Coffey each scored 18 points to help lead the Midshipmen to a 69-59 victory over the College of Charleston, Dec. 30, 1996, in Charleston, S.C.
Navy vs. Southern Conference
Navy's game vs. the College of Charleston will be the first of two games within a six-day span when the Mids will face a team from the Southern Conference. The Midshipmen will play host to Appalachian State Wednesday night in Alumni Hall.
The 2001-02 season marks the second-consecutive season Navy has faced a pair of Southern Conference Schools. Last season, Navy lost a 97-78 game at Appalachian State, then dropped an 87-45 contest to Furman in the title game of the Navy Classic.
Navy has posted a 6-8 record against teams from the Southern Conference.
Navy vs. South Carolina
Navy has posted a 10-3 all-time record against teams from the state of South Carolina, as well as 4-1 record in games played in Palmetto state.
This will be Navy's third trip to Charleston, having previously played in the city limits Dec. 3, 1994 (Charleston Southern, W, 92-88), Dec. 30, 1996 (College of Charleston, W, 69-59) and Jan. 2, 1997 (Coastal Carolina, W, 74-63).
Navy's South Carolina Connections
Navy has had two women's basketball players who have hailed from the state of South Carolina, Yolanda Ray and Kim Scango.
Ray attended Denmark-Olar High School in Denmark, S.C., before arriving at the Naval Academy in the fall of 1990. She concluded her career as the fifth-leading scorer in Navy history with 1,108 career points, and has since dropped to 10th. Ray received Second-Team All-Patriot League accolades as both a junior and a senior.
Scango, who hailed from Spring Valley High School and Columbia, S.C., appeared in a combined 10 games in the 1989-90 and '90-91 seasons.
Navy at Jacksonville
The Dolphins posted a 13-15 record last season, including a 9-9 record in the Trans American Athletic Conference (now Atlantic Sun). Four letterwinners and two starters return from last year's squad, including Kay Sungy who led the Dolphins in both scoring (11.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg).
Series History
This will be the inaugural meeting between the two schools.
Navy vs. Atlantic Sun Conference
Sunday's game against Jacksonville will mark the second-straight year and just the third time Navy has faced a school from the Atlantic Sun Conference. Navy dropped an 87-82 decision at Stetson last season.
In addition to last year's loss vs. the Hatters, Navy also defeated Samford, 63-55, at the Nov. '98 Georgia Tech Classic.
Navy vs. Florida
Sunday's game will be just the third time Navy will have faced a Division I team from the state of Florida. Previously, Navy lost a 92-67 contest to the University of Florida at the Virginia Tip-Off Classic in Nov. of 1981, as well as last year's game at Stetson.
The Mids have posted a Division I record of 3-3 in games played in Florida, as well as a 7-5 all-time record.
Navy's Florida Connections
Three former Mids have called Florida home.
Patty Merrill was the first Floridian to play for Navy. The Port Charlotte native played just two games for the Mids during the 1980-81 season.
St. Petersburg's Christi Simpson was part of Navy basketball teams from 1983-86, and led the Mids in scoring as both a junior and a senior.
Navy's 2000-01 team captain Jennifer Bombinski graduated from Lemon Bay High School in Placida, Fla., and called Englewood home. Bombinski concluded her storied career last season with 745 career points and 443 career rebounds.
In addition, head coach Joe Sanchez served in the same role at Central Florida from 1982-85, leading the Knights to a four-year record of 92-37.
2000-01 Recap
Despite using a largely untested roster consisting of 11 freshmen and sophomores, Navy finished the 2000-01 campaign with a 10-18 overall record and placed fifth in the Patriot League with a 4-8 mark. The Mids doubled their victory total from the 1999-2000 season.
Navy's freshmen were thrown into the fire from the start of the season. By the end of the year, four freshmen were in the starting lineup on a regular basis.
Courtney Davidson finished her freshman season by becoming just the second player in Navy history to lead the Mids in scoring. She totalled 324 points on her way to garnering Second-Team All-Patriot League and league all-rookie team accolades.
Maile Shimoda appeared in just 25 games last year as a freshman, but still set a school record for most three-point field goals (48) as a freshman. She joined Davidson on the league all-rookie team.
Adrienne Roseti set a Navy freshman record with 21 blocked shots on the season and became just the fourth freshman in Navy history to lead the team in rebounding.
Navy said goodbye to 2000-01 team captain Jennifer Bombinski at the end of the season. Bombinski averaged over 10 points and nearly six rebounds a game for the Mids in her final campaign in Annapolis.
For Openers
Now entering its 25th season of varsity basketball, the Navy women's basketball team has posted a 17-7 all-time record in its season opener, including a 6-4 record since elevating to the Division I level at the start of the 1991-92 season.
Navy lost its season opener last season, an 89-76 loss to High Point in Alumni Hall.
Friday's game at the College of Charleston marks the 16th season Navy has opened its campaign away from Annapolis. The Mids enter the game against the Cougars with a 9-6 record when opening on the road.
Navy has a 5-2 record in season openers under head coach Joe Sanchez, including a 1-2 record when opening on the road.
Seeing the World
The Navy women's basketball team will be spending much of its early season on the road. The Mids play six of their first seven games of the season away from Annapolis, with all six of those games being played in different state.
Navy will open the season Friday in South Carolina (College of Charleston), then will play Sunday in Florida (Jacksonville). After the Nov. 21 home opener against Appalachian State, Navy will fly cross country to California for a single game against San Diego State on Nov. 25.
Navy will return to its home state of Maryland Nov. 28, but will remain on the road as the Mids play at Towson. Two days later, Navy will head north to New York state for a contest at Albany. The Mids will close the difficult stretch of road contests Dec. 5 when they travel to West Virginia to take on Marshall.
All told, the Mids will play 14 road games in nine different states this season.
Road Woes
Navy has posted losing records on the road in each of the last two seasons. After finishing the 1999-2000 season with a 1-14 record on the road, Navy finished last year with a 3-11 record in games played away from Alumni Hall.
Looking for Consistency
The Mids had trouble putting together back-to-back wins last season. Navy had a 1-9 record in games following a win, as well as a 9-8 mark in games after a loss.
Three-Point Shots
Navy is looking to continue its reliance on the three-point shot this season. The Mids set a Patriot League record last year with 176 three-point field goals made.
Individually, both Maile Shimoda and Courtney Davidson smashed the Navy freshman record last season of 30 three-point field goals, finishing with 48 and 47, respectively.
The Midshipmen have made at least one three-point field goal in 109 consecutive games. The last time Navy was held without a three pointer was Nov. 23, 1997, against Sacramento State.
