12/28/2001 - Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball Game Notes - at Columbia

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Navy at Columbia

The 7-3 Navy women's basketball team will return to the hardwood Saturday when the Midshipmen play at Columbia in a 5 p.m. contest.

Navy Review

The Mids closed out their pre-holiday schedule by winning the Navy Classic, Dec. 19-20 in Alumni Hall. Navy advanced to the title game with a 67-54 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore, then won the championship with a 73-58 win over Winthrop.

Maile Shimoda was selected MVP of the Classic, with Courtney Davidson joining her teammate on the all-tournament squad.

Shimoda scored 10 points and tied a career high with eight assists against the Lady Hawks, then scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half of Navy's victory over the Eagles.

Davidson accounted for 10 points in just 20 minutes of action against UMES, then tied a Navy Classic record with five three-point field goals on her way to a 25-point outburst against Winthrop.

Navy enters Saturday's game riding a five-game winning streak, with four of those five victories coming by a double-digit margin.

Navy's defense has stepped up its play during its recent success. The Mids are allowing just 54.6 points per game over the last five games, and have allowed just one of their last five foes to score above 60 points.

Columbia Preview

Columbia has a 5-4 record on the season and has posted a perfect 4-0 record at home. The Lions have already defeated Navy 2001-02 foes Maryland-Eastern Shore, 68-54, and Army, 64-61, while losing a 67-58 decision to Lehigh.

The Lions are being outrebounded by nearly five boards a game (43.0-38.2), but are averaging 7.5 three-point field goals made per contest.

Megan Bramlette leads Columbia at 11.3 points per game, while Katie Day is the top rebounder at 6.4 per game.

The Lions have used a balanced offensive attack this season. Five players are averaging at least nine points a game.

Series History

Navy has won all three previous meetings against Columbia.

Navy vs. Columbia; Navy leads, 3-0

H: 2-0; A: 1-0; N: 0-0

12/6/95 A W 70-64

12/2/96 H W 80-63

11/26/00 H W 67-39

Navy vs. Ivy League

Navy holds a 17-10 advantage in games played against teams from the Ivy League.

School Last Mtg. W-L

Columbia 2000-01 3-0

Cornell 1996-97 2-0

Dartmouth 1980-81 1-1

Pennsylvania 1997-98 4-1

Princeton 2000-01 4-1

Yale 2000-01 3-7

Navy has not faced Ivy League-members schools Brown or Harvard.

Navy vs. New York State

This will be Navy's second of four trips this season to New York State. The Mids have already defeated Albany, and will later play at Army and at Colgate.

A Look Ahead

Navy will play its first game of the year 2002 Jan. 2 when the Mids play host to Valparaiso.

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 25 games last year and 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, one in which she averaged over 10 points and nearly six rebounds a game for the Mids.

Close Calls

Six of Navy's 10 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less, with four games decided by four points or less.

Seeing the World

The Navy women's basketball team has spent the majority of its early season on the road. Navy opened the season playing six of its first seven games on the road, with all six road games being played in different states. So far this season, the Mids have played road games in South Carolina (College of Charleston), Florida (Jacksonville), California (San Diego State), Maryland (Towson), New York (Albany) and West Virginia (Marshall).

All told, the Mids will play 14 road games in nine different states this season, traveling a total of 15,048 miles.

Navy Travel Odometer (Direct miles used)

Miles Traveled this Season 8,586

Roundtrip Miles this Trip 372

Miles Remaining After Trip 6,090

Total Miles on Season 15,048

Courtney Davidson

Courtney Davidson bounced back from missing the first game of her career (Dec. 16) due to a right ankle injury by being named to the all-tournament team at the Navy Classic. Davidson scored 10 points in just 20 minutes of action against Maryland-Eastern Shore, then poured in 25 points while tying a Navy Classic record with five three-point field goals against Winthrop.

Last year, Davidson scored 324 points and joined Colleen Cassidy (1978-79) as the only freshman to lead Navy in scoring. At the end of the year, she was named Second-Team All-Patriot League and garnered all-rookie team honors.

This year, Davidson has scored 20 or more points in four games - including a career-high 28 in the season opener at the College of Charleston - and has scored in double figures in all nine games she has played in. She was held to 14 points against Appalachian State, but scored on a three-quarter court drive with less than four seconds remaining to give Navy a 72-71 victory.

Davidson has done more than just score points this season. She has grabbed at least four rebounds in eight games and ranks second on the team with 19 assists and 15 steals.

Courtney - Part II

Davidson leads the Patriot League in free throw percentage at 90.9 percent, having made 50 of 55 attempts this season.

She entered the Christmas holiday ranked second in the Patriot League in scoring (19.3), third in three-point field goals made per game (2.43) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (45.9%).

Davidson has played 40 minutes in four games this season.

Patriot League Predictions

Navy was tabbed to place sixth in the Patriot League in voting done by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

2001-02 Patriot League Pre-Season Poll

Rk. School (1st Votes) Pts.

1 Holy Cross (13) 96

2 Bucknell (3) 87

3 Lehigh 64

4 American 54

5 Army 48

6 Navy 46

7 Colgate 32

8 Lafayette 21

Final 2000-01 Patriot League Standings

Patriot Overall

Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct.

Holy Cross 11-1 .917 21-8 .724

Bucknell 9-3 .750 20-9 .689

Lehigh 7-5 .583 16-14 .533

Army 5-7 .417 19-10 .655

Navy 4-8 .333 10-18 .357

Lafayette 3-9 .250 7-21 .250

Colgate 3-9 .250 7-22 .241

Common Opponents

Navy and the rest of the Patriot League will face a number of common opponents this year:

Air Force

Navy at Air Force, Jan. 5

Army at Air Force, Jan. 3

Albany

Navy W, 69-55

Army L, 65-63

Bucknell W, 64-45

Colgate W, 77-66

Lafayette vs. Albany, Jan. 2

Columbia

Navy at Columbia, Dec. 28

Army L, 64-61

Colgate vs. Columbia, Jan. 2

Lehigh L, 67-58

Marshall

Navy W, 71-61

American W, 89-87

UMBC

Navy W, 47-45

American L, 75-69

Lehigh L, 71-57

Towson

Navy L, 55-54

American W, 69-60

Three-Point Shots

Navy is expecting to continue its reliance on the three-point shot this season, one year after it set a Patriot League record with 176 three-point field goals made.

Individually last season, both Maile Shimoda and Courtney Davidson smashed the Navy freshman record of 30 three-point field goals, finishing with 48 and 47, respectively.

This season, Navy has made 50 three-point field goals, an average of 5.0 per game. Davidson has accounted for 24 triples this season, with Shimoda second with 17.

The Midshipmen have made at least one three-point field goal in 119 consecutive games.

The last time Navy was held without a three pointer was Nov. 23, 1997, vs. Sacramento State.

Three's - Part II

Davidson and Shimoda both have moved into the top-10 in Navy history for most three-point field goals made in a career:

Pl. 3FGM Player (Years)

6. 79 Hilary Goodrich (1999-2000)

7. 71 Courtney Davidson (2001-02)

8. 66 Tina Dalmau (1986-88)

9. 65 Maile Shimoda (2001-02)

10. 55 Becky Dowling (1995-98)

Accepting Charity

Navy has had great success at the free throw line through the first part of the season, connecting on 75 percent of its trips to the charity stripe (165-219).

Navy had an exceptional day at the line at Jacksonville, making 14 of 15 second-half free throws, as well as 21 of 24 attempts from the foul line on the day. The Mids also connected on 17 of 20 second-half free throws at Marshall, while sinking 22 of 26 on the entire night.

Courtney Davidson, whose 76.7 percent shooting from the free throw line last season was the second-best percentage by a Navy freshman, leads the Patriot League at 90.9 percent.

Bryanna Herring

Bryanna Herring has continued her strong play since the start of the 2001-02 season.

The sophomore played just 23 minutes at Jacksonville, but scored in double figures in both halves and finished the day with a career-high 25 points. Her previous scoring high was 12, set in a pair of games last season. Herring connected on nine of 14 attempts from the field and drilled

seven of her eight free throw attempts against the Dolphins. Herring also led Navy with eight rebounds and added three steals.

Against Appalachian State, Herring scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds

for the second double-double of her career. Eight of her rebounds came on the offensive end.

At San Diego State, Herring scored 19 points and tallied nine rebounds. At Towson, Herring scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

She ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game and is shooting a Navy-best 51.5 percent from the field, good for third in the Patriot League.

In addition, Herring ranks second in the league in blocked shots per game (1.2), second in offensive rebounds per game (2.80), and fourth in free throw percentage (78.8%)

Navy Depth

Don't be surprised to see a lot of players shuttle in and out of the Navy lineup this season. Head coach Joe Sanchez has used a minimum of 10 players in each of Navy's games this season, with 11 or more players taking to the court in all but one contest.

Game # of Mids Playing

at Coll. of Charleston 12

at Jacksonville 11

Appalachian State 11

at San Diego State 11

at Towson 11

at Albany 15

at Marshall 13

UMBC 10

UMES 15

Winthrop 13

Maile Shimoda

Maile Shimoda capped off her pre-holiday slate of games by being named MVP of the Navy Classic. The sophomore guard scored 10 points and tied a career high with eight assists against Maryland-Eastern Shore, then in the title game scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half against Winthrop.

Earlier this season against Appalachian State, Shimoda scored all but three of her team-high 18 points after halftime, while accounting for six of Navy's final-10 points.

Playing for the first time in her collegiate career in her home state of California, Shimoda made a trio of three-point field goals and totalled 14 points at San Diego State.

Against Marshall, Shimoda grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and drilled a season-high four three-point field goals on her way to Navy scoring honors with 19 points.

Shimoda was again key down the stretch of Navy's victory over UMBC, scoring the last-five points of the game, including the decisive two free throws with 7.2 seconds left in the game.

In addition to scoring 11.9 points per game, she leads Navy with 33 assists and 20 steals (fourth in the Patriot League), and has scored the most points of any Mid in the last five minutes of games -- 27.

She recorded the 100th assist of her career Dec. 16 against UMBC.

Alison Luchsinger

Alison Luchsinger had one of the stronger games of her career Nov. 30 at Albany.

The Lusk, Wyo., native scored a career-high 11 points and grabbed a Navy-high six rebounds against the Great Danes. Luchsinger drilled a pair of three-point field goals and connected on four of her five attempts from the field.

Luchsinger tied her career high with 11 points against UMBC, marking the first time in her career Luchsinger led Navy in scoring.

Super Sophs

Navy's eight-member sophomore class has continued its strong play from last season when they were freshmen.

Navy's sophomore class scored 67 of Navy's 69 points at San Diego State, as well as 56 of Navy's 61 points at Marshall. On the year, sophomores are accounting for over 86 percent of Navy's scoring.

Navy's Class of '04

'00-01 '01-02

Stat as freshmen as sophs

Starts 84 of 140 45 of 50

Led in Scoring 23 of 28 10 of 10

Led in Rebounding 21 of 28 9 of 10

Scored 10+ Points 52 26

Scored 20+ Points 8 5

Pct. of Navy Points 62.2% 86.5%

1148 of 1848 577 of 667

Adrienne Roseti

Adrienne Roseti had her best game of the season Dec. 5 at Marshall. Ironically, the game against the Thundering Herd was the first time in her career she did not start.

Roseti played a season-high 35 minutes at Marshall, connected on five of her nine attempts from the field, while also making all three of her foul shots to finish with a season-high 13 points and nine rebounds.

Entering that game, Roseti had been averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17 minutes of court time per game.

Roseti - Part II

Roseti tied a career high with three blocked shots Sunday against UMBC. After setting a new Navy freshman record last season with 21 blocks, she has continued her climb up the Navy record book this season. Roseti enters Saturday's game in seventh place for most career blocks.

Pl. Bl. Sh. Player (Years)

5. 38 Adria Schneck (1994-97)

6. 32 Joanne Groth (1993-95)

7. 31 Adrienne Roseti (2001-02)

Second-Half Team

Through the first part of the year, Navy has proven to be a second-half team, having scored more points in the second half of six of their eight games thus far. Navy is averaging just 31 points per first half, but is scoring 34.8 points per second half. Navy has scored 40 or more points in the first half of just one game this year, but have surpassed 40 points in three second halves.

Navy by Half First Second

Points Scored 307 360

Scoring Average 30.7 36.0

20-29 Point Halves 5 3

30-39 Point Halves 4 3

40+ Point Halves 1 4

Career Milestone Watch

Upcoming

Courtney Davidson is six points shy of reaching the 500-point mark ... Bryanna herring needs 10 points to reach 200 ... Maile Shimoda needs eight points to reach 400.

Past

Maile Shimoda recorded her 100th assist Dec. 16 vs. UMBC ... Bryanna Herring grabbed her 100th rebound Dec. 16 UMBC ... Adrienne Roseti grabbed her 250th rebound against Dec. 19 UMES ... Lisa Steinmetz grabbed her 200th rebound Dec. 19 vs. UMES.

N-Star

One of the most storied rivalries in all of sports is the Army-Navy series. Plebes yell "Beat Army!" in Bancroft Hall, "Beat Army!" is on every weight in the Naval Academy weight room, and "Beat Army!" is yelled at the end of the Navy Blue and Gold, the Academy alma mater.

Regardless of the sport, every Army-Navy game is considered the highlight of the season for players, coaches and fans alike. Navy has won the overall series against Army in 11 of the past 13 seasons. During the 2000-01 season, Navy went 25-11 against Army, including a 16-6 record in N-Star competitions.

Now entering its third decade of the series in women's basketball, Navy holds a 19-17 advantage over its chief rival. Navy had posted a 5-13 record against Army prior to the arrival of head coach Joe Sanchez, but since has won 14 of the 18 games played, including six of the seven N-Star games.

Navy and Army first meet Jan. 26 in Annapolis, with the N-Star game to be played Feb. 23 in West Point.

Navy's Rallies

Twice this season the Mids have rallied from double-digit deficits. This is no surprise, as Navy accomplished this feat five times last year.

Opp. Deficit (Time) Mgn. Became (Time)

App. State 24-37 (4:22) -13 48-47 (11:35)

SDSU 35-50 (12:24) -15 53-54 (7:29)

New Face on the Bench

Glenn Rigney has joined the Navy women's basketball coaching staff, it was announced at the start of the season by head coach Joe Sanchez.

Rigney has served as varsity head coach of the girl's basketball program at the Maclay School in Tallahassee, Fla., since 1993, winning four district titles and compiling a 190-59 record.

Prior to his tenure at the Maclay School, he served as head girl's coach of both the Trinity High School (Trinity, N.C., 1988-93) and Westchester Academy (High Point, N.C., 1985-87) programs.

In addition to his numerous years on the high school level, Rigney was on the men's basketball staff at UNC-Greensboro for four seasons (1981-85). He is a 1979 graduate of Miami (Fla.).