12/4/2001 - Women's Basketball
Navy Women's Basketball Game Notes
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Navy at Marshall
Navy will conclude a stretch of four-straight games away from home Wednesday night when the Midshipmen play at Marshall. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., with WNAV-AM 1430 providing a live broadcast of the game.
Navy Review
Navy bounced back from a difficult one-point loss at Towson to win by 14 points last Friday night at Albany. Courtney Davidson was six of nine from the field, including three of four from behind the three point line, to lead Navy with 19 points. Navy forced the Great Danes into 23 turnovers and limiting the Albany offense to 41-percent shooting from the field.
Navy enters Wednesday's game averaging 68 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the field. Navy's offense has scored 69 or more points in five of the six games this season.
Another strength of the Mids this season is shooting from the free throw line. Navy has connected on 76 percent of its shots from the charity stripe.
Marshall Preview
Marshall has a 3-2 record on the season and has won back-to-back games by a total of 59 points.
The Thundering Herd is averaging 79 points per game, while surrendering 65 points per game. Marshall has connected on just 2 of 12 three-point field goals this season -- compared to 30 triples for its opponents -- but Marshall has a huge advantage at the free throw line. The Herd has already made 111 free throws this season, while attempting 165, an advantage of 64 makes and 76 attempts over their opponents.
Five players average double figures points for Marshall, with Ida Dotson leading the way at 15.6 points per game. Dotson is also the leading playmaker on the team with 18 assists.
Series History
Wednesday's game is the first meeting between the two schools.
Navy vs. Mid-American Conference
The Mids have previously played just two of the 13 teams in the MAC. Navy holds a 2-2 record against MAC teams, including a 1-2 mark against Buffalo and a 1-0 ledger against Eastern Michigan.
A Look Ahead
Due to final exams, the Mids will not return to the court until Sun., Dec. 16 when Navy plays host to UMBC in a 2 p.m. matinee at Alumni Hall.
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.
Seeing the World
The Navy women's basketball team has spent the majority of its early season on the road. Wednesday's game at Marshall will be the sixth road game the Mids have played this season, with all six games played in a different state.
Navy opened the season in South Carolina (College of Charleston), then travelled further south to play in Florida (Jacksonville). After playing host to Appalachian State in their home opener, the Mids flew cross country to play in California (San Diego State).
One week ago, Navy returned to Maryland but stayed on the road for a contest at Towson, then made its first of four trips to New York state for a Friday contest at Albany.
The morning after the Albany contest, Navy arrived in Philadelphia to take part in the march-on prior to the Army-Navy football game.
All told, the Mids will play 14 road games in nine different states this season, traveling a total of 12,667 miles.
Navy Travel Odometer (Direct miles used)
Miles Traveled this Season 5,609
Roundtrip Miles this Trip 325
Miles Remaining After Trip 6,733
Total Miles on Season 12,667
On the Road
Not only have the Mids played six of their first seven games on the road, Wednesday's game will be the fourth-straight game Navy will have played away from Alumni Hall. This stretch marks the 14th time in Navy's 25 seasons it will play a minimum of four-straight regular-season games away from Annapolis.
Navy has had surprising success when on these extended road trips. This Mids have posted winning records in eight trips, a .500 record on three trips, and losing records on just two trips.
Navy's Four-Game Road Trip History
Year W-L
1981-82 3-1
1982-83 2-2
1982-83 4-0
1987-88 2-2
1988-89 3-1
1989-90 2-3
1992-93 2-2
1992-93 3-1
1995-96 5-0
1997-98 3-1
1997-98 3-1
1998-99 3-1
1999-2000 0-6
2001-02 1-2
Total 36-23
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.
This season, Navy has made 30 three-point field goals, an average of 5 per game. This works out to 140 in a 28-game season.
Davidson has accounted for 17 of Navy's 30 triples this season, with Shimoda second on the team with nine.
The Midshipmen have made at least one three-point field goal in 115 consecutive games. The last time Navy was held without a three pointer was Nov. 23, 1997, vs. Sacramento State.
Fast Start for Davidson
Courtney Davidson has picked up this season right where she left off at the end of the 2000-01 campaign.
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 three of Navy's six games, including a career-high 28 in the season opener at the College of Charleston. 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 five rebounds in four games and four boards in two contests. She also ranks second on the team with 17 assists and 10 steals.
Courtney - Part II
Davidson ranks second in the Patriot League in free throw percentage at 92.7 percent, having made 38 of 41 attempts this season. She had a streak of 15 consecutive free throws made end at San Diego State.
Davidson has played 40 minutes in three games this season and has been on the floor of 227 of a possible 240 minutes.
Accepting Charity
Navy has had great success at the free throw line through the first six games of the season, connecting on a Patriot League best 76.2 percent of its attempts (99 of 130).
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.
Courtney Davidson, whose 76.7 percent from the free throw line last season was the second-best percentage by a Navy freshman, ranks second on the team at 92.7 percent.
Bryanna Herring leads Navy -- and the Patriot League -- at 93.3 percent. Herring has made 14 of 15 free throws attempted this season, including each of her last 12.
Maile Shimoda also is shooting the ball well from the charity stripe, having made 17 of 22 attempts (77.3%).
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
Career Days for Herring
Bryanna Herring has been a force on the inside this 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.
Last week 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 15 points per game and is shooting a Navy-best 54.3 percent from the field, good enough for third in the Patriot League.
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 11 players in all six of Navy's games this season.
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
Maile Shimoda
As she did last year, Maile Shimoda had her first strong game of the season against Appalachian State.
Last season as a freshman, Shimoda scored a career-high 21 points against the Mountaineers. Wednesday, 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 collegiality in her home state of California, Shimoda a trio of three-point field goals and totalled 14 points at San Diego State.
She grabbed a season-best five rebounds and dished out a season-high five assists last Wednesday at Towson.
Shimoda leads Navy with 10 assists and 12 steals.
Kristen Kavanaugh
Wednesday's game at Marshall will be a homecoming for Navy team captain Kristen Kavanaugh. The senior hails from Ironton, Ohio, and attended Ironton High School, where she was named to the USA Today All-USA Girls Basketball Honorable Mention team.
A two-time letterwinner at Navy, Kavanaugh appeared in 21 games last season and was a key part of Navy's guard rotation until she injured her left knee in the closing moments of Navy's Feb. 3 game at Bucknell, which forced her to miss the remainder of the season.
Alison Luchsinger
Sophomore Alison Luchsinger had one of the stronger games of her career last Friday 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.
Catherine Dunn
Another player performing well last week was Catherine Dunn.
In just 10 minutes of action last Wednesday at Towson, Dunn scored six points and hauled in six rebounds. Two days later at Albany, Dunn tied a career-high with nine points and added three rebounds against the Great Danes.
On the week, Dunn shot 50 percent from the field (6-12).
Super Sophs
Navy's eight-member sophomore class has continued its strong play from last season when they were freshman.
Navy's sophomore class scored 67 of Navy's 69 points at San Diego State, and is accounting for over 88 percent of Navy's scoring on the season.
Navy's Class of '04
'00-01 '01-02
Stat as freshmen as sophs
Starts 84 of 140 27 of 30
Led in Scoring 23 of 28 6 of 6
Led in Rebounding 21 of 28 5 of 6
Scored 10+ Points 52 16
Scored 20+ Points 8 4
Pct. of Navy Points 62.2% 88.2%
1148 of 1848 361 of 409
Second-Half Team
Through the first-six games of the year, Navy has proved to be a second-half team, having scored more points in the second half of all four games this season. Navy is averaging just 30.5 points per first half, but is scoring 41 points per second half . The Mids have a first-half scoring high of 34, but have cracked the 40-point barrier in the second half of three games.
Navy by Half First Second
Points Scored 189 220
Scoring Average 31.5 36.6
30- Point Halves 3 2
40+ Point Halves 1 3
Odds & Ends
Lisa Steinmetz needs five rebounds to reach 200 for her career ... Bryanna Herring is five boards shy of reaching the 100 mark ... Navy leads the patriot League in team free throw percentage (.762) and in rebounding defense (35.5 rpg) ... through six games this season, Bryanna herring has already surpassed her point total for all of last season (90 to 68) and has equaled her rebounding total (47).
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. No surprise as Navy accomplished this 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)
Rollercoaster Seasons
If it appears Navy has been on a rollercoaster lately, you are right. During the 2000-01 season, Navy posted a 1-9 record in games following a win, and a 9-8 record in games following a loss.
This season, Navy is 1-1 after victories, and is 2-1 after losses.
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.).
