Dec. 14, 2003
Complete Game Notes
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Waves Game Notes
Pepperdine vs. Illinois
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2003
at the Assembly Hall, Champaigne, Ill., Noon
TV: none
Radio: none
Internet Radio: available via pepperdinesports.com
GameTracker: available pepperdinesports.com
Game Tickets: available at Firestone Fieldhouse box office or by calling 310-506-4935.
Play-by-Play announcer: Darren Preston
Today's Teams After losing two straight games to top-ranked UCONN and then-No. 19 Oklahoma at home, Pepperdine hits the road for its first out-of-state trip this season...The Waves dropped to 2-3 after falling to the Huskies nine days ago in Malibu...Pepperdine's star guard Shandrika Lee suited up for the first game against Connecticut and will attempt to play the rest of the season despite two bad knees...Illinois improved to 3-4 Wednesday after defeating Bradley, 78-50.
Last Time Out - Waves Fall To No. 1 UCONN, 84-53 With a record crowd on hand at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, the Pepperdine Waves lost their second consecutive game thanks in part to national player of the year Diana Taurasi who scored 17 points. Shanell Law paced the Waves with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Shandrika Lee, back for the first time since tearing her ACL last season, scored 11 points and went 3-for-6 from the trey. As a whole, Pepperdine continued to rely on the outside threat for offense as they went 11-22 from beyond the arc. The Waves took a 15-9 lead in the opening 5½ minutes by making five 3-pointers in six attempts including two each by Lee and Law. From that point, the Huskies went on a 25-0 run and never looked back.
Pepperdine's Season Summary:
«Through five games, Kelli Spencer is averaging a team-high 11.6 points followed by Shanell Law (11.4 ppg).
«Pepperdine made 41.7 percent of its shots, including 37.2 percent from the three-point line (35-94), and 59.2 from foul line (45-76).
«The Waves feature a balance scoring attack where as three players have been high-point this season: Law (three), Spencer and Funn.
«Shannon Mayberry and Funn are averaging a team-high 5.0 rpg.
«Law accounted for the most 3-pointers made (15-35) and Lee has the highest 3-pointer average (3-6 for 50.0 percent).
«Pepperdine slightly out-rebounded the opponents 185-184, out-blocked them 25-12, but were out-stolen 32-47.
«For the season, Pepperdine is averaging 66.4 points per contest versus the opponents 70.4 ppg.
«Ihe Waves continue to struggle at the free throw line where they stand at 59.2 percent while the opponents are shooting 78.0 percent, respectively.
«Pepperdine averages 7.0 3-pointers per contest.
Scouting the Opponent: Illinois
«The Fighting Illini won their second straight game Wednesday and improved to 3-4 on the season.
«Just like the Waves, Illinois advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year and turned around and scheduled a touch preconference schedule consisting of No. 11 La. Tech and No. 16 UC Santa Barbara.
«In its last time out, the Illini beat Bradley 78-50 and were led by Aminata Yanni (20 points), Angelina Williams (19) and Tiffanie Guthrie (19).
The Waves/Illini Series:
«This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Other Tidbits:
«The Illinois women's basketball team is guided by legendary women's basketball coach Theresa Grentz who has qualified for 14 NCAA tournament appearances at both Illinois and Rutgers.
«Both teams have used different starting line-ups this season. The Waves have changed every game while the Illini switched things up the first time against Illinois State on Dec. 6.
«Illinois had the opportunity to experience the warm California weather once this season when they took a West coast tour to UCLA and Santa Barbara. They fell in both matches.
Pepperdine Roster Change: The Pepperdine women's basketball program welcomed a new addition to the squad last week. Alison Klingel, a 5-10 guard who hails from Grants Pass, Oregon, is a walk-on and will wear the No. 10 jersey. Although a sophomore in the classroom, Klingel will be a freshman on the court. She was discovered in a basketball class coached by assistant Derek Wynn.
Tournament Season: Kelli Spencer and Shanell Law were named to the 2003 Yellowbook Turkey Shoot-out hosted by the Waves during Thanksgiving weekend. Pepperdine will host its second tournament of the year next Saturday and Sunday when TCU, Florida State, and Fairleigh Dickinson join the cast at the 2003 Malibu Beach Classic.
Preview of the 2003-04 Waves:
« Trakh welcomes back nine letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team that went 22-8 overall, won the WCC regular-season title with a 12-2 mark, captured its second straight WCC Tournament championship and reached the NCAA Championships for the third time in school history. Pepperdine has the opportunity to be the first women's basketball team in WCC history to win three straight titles and championships if they are victorious this year.
« The 2002-03 season marked the third time in the last four years that Pepperdine advanced to the NCAA Championships. After defeating Santa Clara, 69-57, in the title game of the WCC Tournament, the Waves earned the conference's automatic berth and received a No. 12 seed in the West Regional and opened against No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech in the first round. Pepperdine traveled to Ruston, Louisiana, where it succumbed to the Lady Techsters, 94-60, before 4,000 fans at the Thomas Assembly Center on the campus of the Louisiana Tech.
« The Waves won 14 of their last 17 games and reached the 20-win plateau for the sixth consecutive season, becoming the first team in WCC history to accomplish the feat.
Head Coach Mark Trakh:
« In ten seasons as the Pepperdine head women's basketball coach, Mark Trakh has built a nationally recognized program that has been able to compete with the country's top teams and become a regular participant in post-season play.
« Under Trakh's leadership, Pepperdine has posted six consecutive 20-win seasons, including a 22-8 overall record last year, and a cumulative mark of 184-112 (.623).
« The 2002-2003 campaign concluded with the Waves making their fifth straight post-season appearance as they took part in the NCAA Tournament. Over the last six seasons, Pepperdine has registered an overall cumulative record of 128-56 (.696), including a 66-18 (.786) mark in West Coast Conference (WCC) play.
« Pepperdine's overall winning percentage (.696) during that time ranks second in the WCC behind Santa Clara (.716, 116-46). The Waves' WCC winning percentage (.780) ranks as the best in the conference.
Freshmen Frenzy:
<> Coach Trakh openly admits he has two of the best coaches when it comes to recruiting in Jody and Derek Wynn. This season was no exception as the two poured in an exceptional recruiting class:
At the guard, three-point threat Laura Wenski hails from Lenexa, Kansas. As the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year, she comes in as the most decorated freshman on the squad. At the two-guard, Kerra Wodarski (Oregon City, Oregon) got the start in two games thus far this season and performed exceptionally well. Jasmine Clarendon (San Bernardino, Calif.) started all four game on the season and currently owns the team's highest shooting percentage (61.1). Finally, Teoisha George (Palmdale, Calif.), adds much needed height to the squad and looks to be a major factor this season when she heals from her injury.
Home Sweet Home:
« Pepperdine completed the 2002-03 season with a 12-4 (.750) record in games played at Firestone Fieldhouse.
« In 27 seasons, Pepperdine is 316-111 (.743) overall in games played at the `Stone.
On the Road Again:
« The Waves ended the season with a 9-4 overall away record and a 1-0 record in a neutral site.
« Pepperdine completed the WCC with a 6-1 road record and the lone loss occured at San Francisco on March 1st.
Last Season's Honors:
« The Waves enjoyed tremendous success in post-season awards last year beginning with Pepperdine alum, Tamara McDonald, being named WCC Player of the Year.
« Shanell Law is one of seven 2002-03 first-team WCC members back this season. She earned the accolade after finishing first in scoring on the team with 9.9 ppg.
« Kelli Spencer garnered first team WCC All-Academic honors and finished with the highest grade point average in women's basketball last season with a 3.9 GPA in Sports Medicine.
The Program:
« The women's basketball program is beginning its 28th intercollegiate season.
« The Pepperdine women's program has compiled an overall record to date of 463-353 (.568). « A total of 10 Pepperdine teams have posted 20-plus win campaigns, including six in the last six seasons.
«Pepperdine made its third overall and third straight NCAA Tournament appearance last year and fell to Louisiana Tech in the first round. The Waves have yet to get past the first round.
« Since the WCC league formed in 1985-86, the Waves have captured the league title on four occasions and they've all occured in four of the last five seasons.
« Pepperdine has the opportunity to be the first women's basketball team in WCC history to win three straight titles and championships if they are victorious this year.
