1/28/2002 - Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball Game Notes - Navy at American

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Navy Outlook

The Navy women's basketball team will travel on its shortest road trip of the season Tuesday night when the Midshipmen play at American in a 7 p.m. contest at Bender Arena on the AU campus. The game can be heard live on WNAV-AM 1430, as well as on www.navysports.com(.)

Navy Review

Navy won its second-straight game Saturday, a 71-60 victory over Army at Alumni Hall. The Mids never trailed in the game with the Black Knights, but the lead remained in single digits until a 16-4 run in the first few minutes of the second half.

Courtney Davidson scored 14 points against the Black Knights, the 16th game of the second she has hit double-figure points.

Davidson is ranked second in the Patriot League in scoring (18.6 ppg), first in free throw percentage (92.6%), first in three-point field goal percentage (45.7%), and second in three-point field goals made a game (2.67). In addition, she is nationally ranked in all four statistics, with top-10 rankings in free throw (third) and three-point field goal (10th) percentages.

Bryanna Herring recorded all but two of her Navy-high 20 points against Army after halftime. She has scored 10 or more points in nine-straight games and is averaging 15.6 points per game during that span.

On the year, Herring ranks second on the team with 13.8 points per game, and leads the Mids with 6.8 rebounds a game and 28 blocked shots. Herring ranks first in the Patriot League with 3.74 offensive rebounds a game, as well as second with 1.47 blocks per game.

Maile Shimoda recorded a career-high eight rebounds against Army, marking the first time in her career she has led the team in rebounding by herself (she tied for Navy honors once before).

Navy was helped in its victory by its bench, which totalled 26 points on the afternoon. Elaine Jensen scored a career-high 10 points -- all of which came in 10 minutes of action in the first half. Lisa Steinmetz added six points, with Abi Campbell sinking a pair of three-point field goals.

As a team, Navy is scoring 66.5 points per game, shooting 39.1 percent from the field, and a league-best 75.4 percent from the charity stripe.

Navy foes are scoring 66.2 points per game, shooting 40.5 percent from the field and converting 30.5 percent of its three-point shots.

Navy is grabbing an almost identical amount of rebounds as its opponents, 38.5-38.3 rebounds per game, and is committing 19.4 turnovers a game while forcing 19.5 a contest.

American Preview

American has posted a 7-11 record this season, including a 2-4 mark in the Patriot League. The Eagles have dropped their last-three games, as well as four of their last five and nine of their last 11.

As a team, American is averaging 71.3 points per game, and is shooting 41.9 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from the three-point line and 65.3 percent from the free throw line. AU opponents are scoring 74.2 points per game, shooting 41.8 percent from the field, and 34.2 percent from behind the three-point stripe.

Katryn Costenbader leads American with 15.3 points per game, while Hollie Steinman leads the Eagles with 6.6 rebounds per game.

Series History

American leads the series with Navy, 8-5, and has won each of the past two meetings, including a 75-67 overtime victory in November of 2000. Last year's game was sent into overtime on a Courtney Davidson three-pointer with less than a second to play. The triple by Davidson capped a run during which Navy outscored American 12-3 in the final 38 seconds, with 10 of the 12 Navy points being scored by Davidson.

American Leads, 8-5

H: 4-3; A: 1-5; N: 0-0

2/16/78 H L 75-53

12/4/79 A W 81-77

2/12/81 H W 62-57

2/2/82 A L 64-61

2/19/83 H W 61-60

11/29/84 A L 60-47

1/26/85 H W 66-60

1/17/86 A L 79-70

1/17/87 H L 66-52

2/2/88 A L 68-49

2/11/89 H W 72-55

12/21/99 H L 65-54

11/29/00 A L 75-67 (OT)

Close Calls

Ten of Navy's 19 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less (5-5 record), with seven games decided by four points or less (3-4 record).

Navy has had seven games decided in the final minute of play or in overtime.

Trouble Down the Stretch

Navy's offense has struggled in the last few minutes of its last-eight games. The Mids have averaged just 9.8 points per game in the last five minutes of these games, scoring single digits in four of the eight outings.

As a comparison, Navy foes are scoring 13.1 points per game in the last five minutes of the same games, and have scored in double digits in six of the eight games.

Navy has held the lead with five minutes to play in just four of the eight games, but won only once when leading (Army).

Scoring in Last Five Minutes of Recent Games

Navy Opp Result

Valparaiso 8 17 L, 71-64

at Air Force 22 20 L, 85-69

at Holy Cross 10 13 L, 82-79 OT

Bucknell 6 15 L, 69-52

Lehigh 2 6 L, 52-51

at Colgate 5 13 L, 84-73

Lafayette 11 6 W, 56-55

Army 15 15 W, 71-60

Totals 79 105

Averages 9.8 13.1

Offensive Woes

Navy's recent offensive slump has stretched beyond just the final-five minutes of games.

Through its 14th game of the season (J7 at Holy Cross), Navy was shooting over 40 percent from the field, making six three-point field goals a game and scoring nearly 69 points per game. Over the last five games, Navy's numbers have dropped in all five of the following stats.

G#1-14 G#15-19

FG% 40.5% 35.6%

3FG% 38.5% 22.9%

3FGM/G 6.0 4.0

FT% 75.9% 73.3%

PPG 68.6 60.6

On the Bench

There have been quite a few changes to the Navy coaching staff since the first day of practice.

Glenn Rigney joined the Navy staff in early November. 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.

Lt. Heather Lee left the coaching staff following Navy's Jan. 12 game against Bucknell to return to active duty. She is on her way to being the Assistant Air Operations Officer on the USS John Stennis, an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Oman. The '93 graduate of the Academy still ranks among the Navy leaders in several statistics, including third in career three-point field goals made.

Saturday's game against Army marked the final game for assistant coach Colleen Bentz. In her sixth season at Navy, Bentz left the team to report to Quantico, Va., to begin training in the FBI Academy.

Ironman Awards

Courtney Davidson has played the entire game in seven games this season, including all 45 minutes of Navy's overtime game at Holy Cross.

Maile Shimoda has played the full 40 minutes of three of Navy's last four games, as well as in four games on the season.

Seeing the World

The Navy women's basketball team has spent the majority of the season on the road. The year began with Navy 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 10 road games in eight different states including South Carolina (College of Charleston), Florida (Jacksonville), California (San Diego State), Maryland (Towson), New York (Albany, Columbia, Colgate), West Virginia (Marshall), Colorado (Air Force) and Massachusetts (Holy Cross).

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 13,418

Roundtrip Miles at American 70

Miles Remaining 1,630

Total Miles on Season 15,048

On the Road

Navy has already won four road games this season after winning three last year and just one during the 1999-2000 campaign. With one more victory away from Alumni Hall, Navy will match its total of road wins for the 1998-99 season.

Navy Road Win Totals - Last Five Years

7 1997-98

5 1998-99

4 2001-02

3 2000-01

1 1999-2000

Patriot League Predictions

Navy was tabbed to place sixth in the Patriot League.

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

Game-Winning Baskets

Courtney Davidson's two free throws with 8.9 seconds remaining in last week's against Lafayette marked the fifth time this season she has scored the game-winning basket for the Midshipmen. It also marked the second time this year she has scored the game-winning basket with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Game-Winning Baskets

Player 2001-02 Career

Davidson 5 (2*) 7 (2*)

Shimoda 2 (1*) 2 (1*)

Luchsinger 1 2

Dunn 1 1

Herring 1 1

Roseti 0 4

Steinmetz 0 2

(*=games decided by fewer than five points)

Navy's 2001-02 Victories

Game Score GWB Scorer Time

Jacksonville 75-66 Davidson 2:53

App. State 72-71 Davidson 0:3.8

Albany 69-55 Dunn 10:56

Marshall 71-61 Davidson 6:15

UMBC 47-45 Shimoda 0:7.2

UMES 67-54 Shimoda 5:56

Winthrop 73-58 Davidson 6:14

Columbia 81-70 Luchsinger 1:26

Lafayette 56-55 Davidson 0:8.9

Army 71-60 Herring 3:59

Accepting Charity ...

Navy is connecting on a Patriot League-best 75.4 percent of its free throw attempts.

Twice this season, Navy has won games with free throws with less than 10 seconds left in the contest (Maile Shimoda vs. UMBC; Courtney Davidson vs. Lafayette).

o The Mids shot 93.3 percent (14-of-15) from the free throw line against Bucknell, the second-highest team free throw percentage in Navy history (trails only a 24-of-25, 96-percent performance, Dec. 7, 1998 vs. Delaware).

oNavy converted 14-of-15 second-half free throws and 21-of-24 attempts at Jacksonville.

oNavy made 17-of-20 second-half free throws, as well as 22-of-26 at Marshall.

oThe Mids made 14-of-14 free throws in the final 1:52 at Columbia. Navy was successful on 25 of its 30 shots from the line against the Lions.

Individually, 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 league and is ranked third nationally at 92.4 percent.

... But Not Lately

Navy may be connecting on a Patriot League-best 75.4 percent of its free throw attempts, but lately the Mids are having trouble getting to the free throw line. In fact, Navy has attempted a Patriot League-low 99 free throws through six league games. The Mids have attempted 11 fewer free throws than seventh-place Lehigh has.

Free Throws Attempted in P.L. Season

8. 99 Navy

7. 110 Lehigh

6. 119 American

In addition, here are some recent free throw attempt totals for individual players:

Courtney Davidson - 6 FTA in last 4 games

Adrienne Roseti - 6 FTA in last 5 games

Common Opponents

Navy and the rest of the Patriot League have faced a number of common opponents this year:

Air Force

Navy Air Force, 85-69

Army Air Force, 77-52

Albany

Navy Navy, 69-55

Army Albany, 65-63

Bucknell Bucknell, 64-45

Colgate Colgate, 77-66

Lafayette Albany, 74-62

Columbia

Navy Navy, 81-70

Army Columbia, 64-61

Colgate Columbia, 67-63

Lehigh Lehigh, 67-58

Marshall

Navy Navy, 71-61

American American, 89-87

UMBC

Navy Navy, 47-45

American UMBC, 75-69

Lehigh UMBC, 71-57

Towson

Navy Towson, 55-54

American American, 69-60

Three-Point Shots

Navy is continuing to have great success from behind the three-point line 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 104 three-point field goals, an average of 5.5 per game. Davidson has accounted for 48 triples this season, with Shimoda second with 30.

Navy drilled 11 three-pointers both at Air Force and at Holy Cross, tying the mark for third-most triples made in a game (Navy record is 14). The Mids have made six or more three-pointers in nine games this year.

The Midshipmen have made at least one three-point field goal in 128 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, with Davidson also on the verge of becoming the leader for most three-pointers by a Navy sophomore:

Navy 3-Point FG Made - Career

Pl. 3FGM Player (Years)

3. 119 Heather Brand (1990-93)

4. 97 Courtney Davidson (2001-02)

5. 85 Jennifer Bombinski (1998-01)

6. 79 Hilary Goodrich (1999-2000)

7. 78 Maile Shimoda (2001-02)

Navy 3-Point FG Made - Sophomore Class

Pl. 3FGM Player (Year)

1. 53 Angela Dobbs (1990)

2. 49 Hilary Goodrich (2000)

3. 48 Courtney Davidson (2002)

4. 36 Yolanda Ray (1992)

5. 33 Mandy Stephan (1999)

6. 30 Maile Shimoda (2002)

Navy's Rallies

Navy has rallied from both an eight-point and seven-point halftime deficit to win games this season.

The Mids trailed 41-34 at intermission to Appalachian State before rallying to post a 72-71 victory. Navy also found itself down 41-33 at Columbia before outscoring the Lions 48-29 in the second half for an 81-70 win.

Now in its 25th season, Navy has rallied to win games from halftime deficits of seven points or more just 13 times, with its largest comeback being 10 points (Feb. 12, 1987 vs. Towson; Dec. 20, 1998 vs. Mississippi).

Rallies - Part II

Four times this season the Mids have rallied from double-digit deficits, three times to take the lead and once to close to within one point. 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)

Holy Cross 36-47 (17:45) -11 61-57 (6:23)

Lehigh 24-37 (17:05) -13 49-46 (5:59)

For Starters

Navy has opened games with six different starting lineup combinations this season. Nine different players have started games this year, with only Maile Shimoda and Bryanna Herring receiving the starting nod in all 19 games.

Bryanna Herring

Bryanna Herring has continued her strong play since the start of the 2001-02 season. She has scored in double figures in nine-straight games and is averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game over that span.

o Has shot 50% or better from the field in 12 games, 60% or better in six games.

o Scored 18 of her Navy-high 20 points against Army after halftime.

o Grabbed seven offensive rebounds -- and eight total -- as well as scored 18 points against Lafayette.

o Totalled 21 points, seven rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots against Lehigh.

o Averaging 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds a game over the last-seven contests, while scoring in double figures in all seven games.

o Just missed double-doubles in back-to-back games with 13 points and nine rebounds at both Air Force and Holy Cross.

o Recorded double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Valparaiso.

o Made nine of 11 shots from the field on her way to a 22-point effort at Columbia.

o 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.

o 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.

o Played just 23 minutes at Jacksonville, but scored in double figures in both halves and finished the day with a career-high 25 points. 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.

o Has made nine field goals in three games this season.

o Has scored at least 10 points in 14 games.

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 nine players in each of Navy's games this season, with 11 or more players taking to the court in all but three contests.

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

at Columbia 11

Valparaiso 14

at Air Force 13

at Holy Cross 9

Bucknell 12

Lehigh 10

at Colgate 13

Lafayette 13

Army 15

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 13 of its 19 games. Navy is averaging 30 points per first half, but is scoring 36 points per second half. Navy has scored 40 or more points in the first half of two games this year, but has surpassed 40 points in the second half of seven games.

Navy by Half First Second

Points Scored 570 685

Scoring Average 30.0 36.0

-29 Point Halves 10 4

30-39 Point Halves 7 8

40+ Point Halves 2 7

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.

o Grabbed career-high eights rebounds against Army.

o Totalled four assists and swiped career-high five steals Wednesday against Lafayette.

o Scored 19 points, made four three-point field goals and added five assists at Colgate.

o Shimoda was 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.

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

o 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.

o 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.

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:

o 67 of Navy's 69 points at San Diego State

o 56 of Navy's 61 points at Marshall

o 79 of Navy's 81 points at Columbia

o 54 of Navy's 56 points vs. Lafayette

On the year, sophomores are accounting for over 85 percent of Navy's scoring.

Navy's Class of '04

'00-01 '01-02

Stat as freshmen as sophs

Starts 84 of 140 87 of 95

Led in Scoring 23 of 28 19 of 19

Led in Rebounding 21 of 28 17 of 19

Scored 10+ Points 52 48

Scored 20+ Points 8 13

Pct. of Navy Points 62.2% 85.6%

1148 of 1848 1081 of 1263

Block Party

After totaling just 39 blocks all of last season, Navy players have already rejected 53 shots this season, an average of 2.78 per game.

On its current pace, the Mids would block a total of 77 shots this season, which would be the most by a Navy team since the 1994-95 team totalled 82 blocks.

Blocks - Part II

Leading the way with blocked shots this season has been Bryanna Herring and Adrienne Roseti. Herring leads the team with 28, with Roseti second at 13.

Herring's 28 blocks this season is already the second-most blocks recorded by a sophomore, while Roseti has moved into sixth place on Navy's career blocked shot list.

Navy Blocked Shots - Sophomores

Pl. Bl. Sh. Player (Year)

1. 30 Kim Cowling (1992)

2. 28 Bryanna Herring (2002)

3. 25 Laurie Coffey (1997)

Navy Blocked Shots - Career

Pl. Bl. Sh. Player (Years)

5. 38 Adria Schneck (1994-97)

6. 34 Adrienne Roseti (2001-02)

7. 32 Joanne Groth (1993-95)

8. 31 Bryanna Herring (2001-02)

Assisting the Team

Both Lisa Steinmetz and Maile Shimoda are on the verge of moving into the top-15 in Navy history for most career assists.

Navy Assists - Career

Pl. Ast. Player (Year)

14. 164 Jennifer Bombinski, 1998-01

15. 159 Patti LiPoma, 1986-88

156 Lisa Steinmetz, 2000-02

151 Maile Shimoda, 2001-02