Lady Griz Open Rainbow Wahine Classic With Syracuse
11/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MISSOULA, Mont. - The University of Montana women's basketball team plays at the Rainbow Wahine Classic this weekend, opening play against Syracuse at 7 p.m. (10 p.m. MST) on Friday.
The Lady Griz opened their 2003-04 season in impressive fashion on Friday night with an 85-41 victory over Montana-Western. UM shot 54.2 percent from the field in the win, 8 of 15 (.533) from 3-point range, while limiting the Lady Bulldogs to 27.3 percent shooting.
Lady Griz on the Radio: All Montana women's basketball games this season will be broadcast on KLCY Radio (930 AM). Tom Stage calls the action, beginning with a pregame show 20 minutes prior to tipoff.
Lady Griz on the Internet: Fans can also listen to all of the Montana games during the season by logging on to The University of Montana athletic department web site at: www.montanagrizzlies.com and following the instructions. Fans listening on the internet will also have the advantage of live stats for UM home games.
The 2003 Rainbow Wahine Classic: The eight-team tournament gets underway on Friday, Nov. 28, when Navy faces No. 2 Texas at 12:30 p.m. In the other game on that side of the bracket, No. 22 Arizona takes on Virginia at 2:40 p.m. The Cavaliers are just outside of the AP Top 25, the top team among the others receiving votes.
The other half of the bracket features Hartford and Hawaii playing at 4:50 p.m. and Syracuse and Montana squaring off at 7 p.m.
The schedule:
Friday, Nov. 28
Texas vs. Navy...12:30 p.m.
Virginia vs. Arizona...2:40 p.m.
Hawaii vs. Hartford...4:50 p.m.
Syracuse vs. Montana...7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29
Hawaii vs. Syracuse/Montana...11 a.m.
Note: Hawaii plays at 11 a.m. regardless if it wins or loses on Friday
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2...1:10 p.m.
Hartford vs. Syracuse/Montana...3:20 p.m.
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2...5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30
Seventh-place game...11 a.m.
Fifth-place game...1:10 p.m.
Third-place game...3:20 p.m.
Championship game...5:30 p.m.
About Syracuse: Syracuse won its season opener on Saturday afternoon, winning at Binghamton, 66-59. The Orangewomen host Massachusetts on Tuesday before facing Montana on Friday evening.
Syracuse, which went 10-18 last year, 5-11 in the Big East to finish in 10th place (out of 14), was picked in the preseason to finish in 11th this season in league play.
Senior Julie McBride, named second team All-Big East as a junior, is on pace to become Syracuse's all-time leading scorer and assist leader. She had 35 points in the win over Binghamton.
Keith Cieplicki is in his first year as the Orangewomen's coach. He spent the previous six years at Vermont.
Montana and Syracuse have met one other time, with the Lady Griz winning, 76-55, at the Old Dominion Classic in Norfolk, Va., on Nov. 27, 1994.
About Hawaii: The Rainbow Wahine are off to an 0-2 start after dropping two games at its own Waikiki Beach Classic last weekend. UH lost its opener to Lipscomb, 69-63, then lost to Maine, 75-62, in the tournament's third-place game.
Hawaii made its fourth-straight postseason appearance last year, losing 57-44 to Arizona State in the opening round of the WNIT.
Vince Goo is in his 17th year as coach at Hawaii, where he has a combined record of 326-148.
Montana is 0-2 against Hawaii, falling 83-78 on March 14, 1990, in an NCAA tournament game at Missoula, and 64-62 at the 1991 Rainbow Wahine Classic.
About Hartford: The Hawks opened their season on Saturday with a 69-65 double-overtime victory over Marist. Hartford came back from a 14-point second-half deficit in the win. The Hawks play St. Peter's on Monday night before playing Hawaii in a first-round game on Friday.
Hartford, which won a school-record 16 games in 2001-02 and advanced to the NCAA tournament, went 7-21 last year, 5-11 in American East play.
The Hawks were picked for sixth in this year's American East coaches poll.
Hartford is coached by Jen Rizzotti, who is in her fifth year. Rizzotti was the 1996 Associated Press Player of the Year as a senior at Connecticut and a two-time Kodak All-American. When she became the seventh coach in Hartford history in September 1999, she was the youngest Division I women's basketball coach in the country.
Montana and Hartford have never faced each other.
Montana will face either Navy, No. 2 Texas, No. 22 Arizona or Virginia on Sunday.
Montana Opens 2003-04 in Impressive Fashion: The University of Montana Lady Griz shot 54.2 percent from the floor and limited Montana-Western to 27.3 percent shooting to win their season opener, 85-41, Friday night before 2,880 fans at Dahlberg Arena. Junior Crystal Baird hit 9 of 11 shots and scored 21 points to lead three UM players in double figures.
A 3-point field goal by the Lady Bulldogs' Megan Schmitz pulled UMW within one, 7-6, with 17:12 to play in the opening half, but Montana responded by scoring the next 27 points over an eight-minute stretch to take a 34-6 lead.
The Lady Griz took a 50-16 lead to the locker room after shooting 56.3 percent in the first half, 7 of 10 from 3-point range.
Montana-Western would not get closer than 32 points in the second half. The final margin of 44 points was the largest lead of the game for Montana.
Sophomore Katie Edwards scored 19 points, hitting 6 of 11 shots from outside, 4 of 7 from 3-point range. She also had five rebounds and two steals.
Senior Julie Deming had 17 points and six rebounds, hitting 8 of 11 shots. She also grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
Junior Hollie Tyler had six points, five rebounds and two blocks, and sophomore Jody McLeod and freshmen Jackie DeShazer and Amy Brooks all had five points. McLeod added six rebounds.
Senior Brooklynn Lorenzen had eight assists and three points for the Lady Griz, who had 22 assists and just eight turnovers.
As a team, Montana hit 8 of 15 shots from 3-point range, 53.3 percent, and had a 38-32 rebounding advantage.
Solid Offense and Defense in Opener: Entering the 2003-04 season, coach Robin Selvig said he thought the Lady Griz would have a more balanced offensive attack than last year and that that would result in better shooting and more scoring. One game into the season he appears correct. Montana shot 54.2 percent from the field in its win over Montana-Western. The Lady Griz did not shoot 50 percent from the field in any of its 30 games last year. And the 85 points scored also bettered any scoring output from last year.
Defensively Montana appeared as solid as ever against the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Griz allowed UMW to hit just 15 of 55 shot attempts, 27.3 percent. That also would have been a season-best last year. Montana held Utah to .281 shooting (16 for 57) last December.
Edwards, Deming Match Career Highs: Senior Julie Deming hit 8 of 11 shots, including her only 3-point attempt, on Friday night to finish with 17 points. It was the fourth time in her career she has hit for 17 points, a career high. Deming also scored 17 against Mississippi State, Providence and Portland State as a junior in 2001-02.
Sophomore Katie Edwards hit 6 of 11 shots, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, to score 19 points on Friday against the Lady Bulldogs. That also matched the career-high the 5-9 guard had against Northern Arizona in last year's Big Sky Conference tournament quarterfinals.
Baird Opens Season with Hot Hand: Junior Crystal Baird opened the season hitting nine of 11 shots and scoring 21 points against Montana-Western. The 6-3 center hit her first four shots on Friday night, then missed two of her next three, before connecting on her final four shot attempts.
Baird finished with 21 points, one off the career-high she had against Montana State in last year's Big Sky Conference semifinals.
Brooks Solid Off the Bench in Collegiate Debut: Freshman Amy Brooks, from Helena, Mont., had a solid game in her collegiate debut, playing 26 minutes off the bench. The 6-1 forward had five points, four rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal.
Lorenzen Continues Effective Point Guard Play: Senior Brooklynn Lorenzen, who currently ranks sixth on the Montana career assists list, has 458 career assists against just 175 career turnovers, a remarkable 2.6 to 1 ratio.
The 5-5 guard's play early in 2003-04 has been even better. Including Montana's three preseason games, Lorenzen has 34 assists and just three turnovers in four games this year. She had eight assists and one turnover against Montana-Western on Friday.
Upcoming: After playing at the Rainbow Wahine Classic this weekend, the Lady Griz will return to Missoula for two games. Montana will host MSU-Billings on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7:35 p.m. and San Francisco on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:35 p.m.
Last Year: In 2002-03, The University of Montana finished with an overall record of 20-10 and advanced to the WNIT, where the Lady Griz fell to Wyoming in the first round, 76-74 in overtime.
Montana finished in third place in the Big Sky Conference with a league mark of 10-4, finishing one game behind co-champs Weber State and Montana State. The Lady Griz defeated Northern Arizona in the opening round of the Big Sky tournament, 65-58, but lost to MSU, 70-64, in the semifinals.
A History of Success: The University of Montana Lady Griz have had one of the most successful Division I women's basketball programs in the nation over the last quarter century. Since 1980-81, a period of 23 complete seasons, the Lady Griz have accumulated 543 wins, had 22 winning seasons and 21 20-win seasons.
Also during that time Montana has advanced to 18 national tournaments and won 17 conference championships and 14 postseason conference championships.
Lady Griz Face Tough Nonconference Schedule: Montana will face a difficult nonconference schedule as it prepares for Big Sky Conference play. A number of opponents and potential opponents appeared in this week's Associated Press Top 25. The Lady Griz will play at No. 24 Oregon on Dec. 12 and will host No. 19 Utah on Jan. 10.
Two potential opponents at the Rainbow Wahine Classic include No. 2 Texas and No. 22 Arizona.
Among the schools receiving votes but not ranked are Virginia, a possible opponent at Hawaii, and Western Michigan, which plays at Montana on Jan. 2.
Montana itself showed up in the poll as having received one vote.
Montana Picked Atop the BSC by Both Coaches, Media: The Lady Griz were selected by both the league coaches and the league media to win the 2003-04 Big Sky Conference women's basketball championship the league office announced on Nov. 4. Montana received seven of the eight first-place votes in the coaches poll and 10 of 17 first-place votes in the media poll. Weber State was second in both polls.
The Lady Griz opened their 2003-04 season in impressive fashion on Friday night with an 85-41 victory over Montana-Western. UM shot 54.2 percent from the field in the win, 8 of 15 (.533) from 3-point range, while limiting the Lady Bulldogs to 27.3 percent shooting.
Lady Griz on the Radio: All Montana women's basketball games this season will be broadcast on KLCY Radio (930 AM). Tom Stage calls the action, beginning with a pregame show 20 minutes prior to tipoff.
Lady Griz on the Internet: Fans can also listen to all of the Montana games during the season by logging on to The University of Montana athletic department web site at: www.montanagrizzlies.com and following the instructions. Fans listening on the internet will also have the advantage of live stats for UM home games.
The 2003 Rainbow Wahine Classic: The eight-team tournament gets underway on Friday, Nov. 28, when Navy faces No. 2 Texas at 12:30 p.m. In the other game on that side of the bracket, No. 22 Arizona takes on Virginia at 2:40 p.m. The Cavaliers are just outside of the AP Top 25, the top team among the others receiving votes.
The other half of the bracket features Hartford and Hawaii playing at 4:50 p.m. and Syracuse and Montana squaring off at 7 p.m.
The schedule:
Friday, Nov. 28
Texas vs. Navy...12:30 p.m.
Virginia vs. Arizona...2:40 p.m.
Hawaii vs. Hartford...4:50 p.m.
Syracuse vs. Montana...7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29
Hawaii vs. Syracuse/Montana...11 a.m.
Note: Hawaii plays at 11 a.m. regardless if it wins or loses on Friday
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2...1:10 p.m.
Hartford vs. Syracuse/Montana...3:20 p.m.
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2...5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30
Seventh-place game...11 a.m.
Fifth-place game...1:10 p.m.
Third-place game...3:20 p.m.
Championship game...5:30 p.m.
About Syracuse: Syracuse won its season opener on Saturday afternoon, winning at Binghamton, 66-59. The Orangewomen host Massachusetts on Tuesday before facing Montana on Friday evening.
Syracuse, which went 10-18 last year, 5-11 in the Big East to finish in 10th place (out of 14), was picked in the preseason to finish in 11th this season in league play.
Senior Julie McBride, named second team All-Big East as a junior, is on pace to become Syracuse's all-time leading scorer and assist leader. She had 35 points in the win over Binghamton.
Keith Cieplicki is in his first year as the Orangewomen's coach. He spent the previous six years at Vermont.
Montana and Syracuse have met one other time, with the Lady Griz winning, 76-55, at the Old Dominion Classic in Norfolk, Va., on Nov. 27, 1994.
About Hawaii: The Rainbow Wahine are off to an 0-2 start after dropping two games at its own Waikiki Beach Classic last weekend. UH lost its opener to Lipscomb, 69-63, then lost to Maine, 75-62, in the tournament's third-place game.
Hawaii made its fourth-straight postseason appearance last year, losing 57-44 to Arizona State in the opening round of the WNIT.
Vince Goo is in his 17th year as coach at Hawaii, where he has a combined record of 326-148.
Montana is 0-2 against Hawaii, falling 83-78 on March 14, 1990, in an NCAA tournament game at Missoula, and 64-62 at the 1991 Rainbow Wahine Classic.
About Hartford: The Hawks opened their season on Saturday with a 69-65 double-overtime victory over Marist. Hartford came back from a 14-point second-half deficit in the win. The Hawks play St. Peter's on Monday night before playing Hawaii in a first-round game on Friday.
Hartford, which won a school-record 16 games in 2001-02 and advanced to the NCAA tournament, went 7-21 last year, 5-11 in American East play.
The Hawks were picked for sixth in this year's American East coaches poll.
Hartford is coached by Jen Rizzotti, who is in her fifth year. Rizzotti was the 1996 Associated Press Player of the Year as a senior at Connecticut and a two-time Kodak All-American. When she became the seventh coach in Hartford history in September 1999, she was the youngest Division I women's basketball coach in the country.
Montana and Hartford have never faced each other.
Montana will face either Navy, No. 2 Texas, No. 22 Arizona or Virginia on Sunday.
Montana Opens 2003-04 in Impressive Fashion: The University of Montana Lady Griz shot 54.2 percent from the floor and limited Montana-Western to 27.3 percent shooting to win their season opener, 85-41, Friday night before 2,880 fans at Dahlberg Arena. Junior Crystal Baird hit 9 of 11 shots and scored 21 points to lead three UM players in double figures.
A 3-point field goal by the Lady Bulldogs' Megan Schmitz pulled UMW within one, 7-6, with 17:12 to play in the opening half, but Montana responded by scoring the next 27 points over an eight-minute stretch to take a 34-6 lead.
The Lady Griz took a 50-16 lead to the locker room after shooting 56.3 percent in the first half, 7 of 10 from 3-point range.
Montana-Western would not get closer than 32 points in the second half. The final margin of 44 points was the largest lead of the game for Montana.
Sophomore Katie Edwards scored 19 points, hitting 6 of 11 shots from outside, 4 of 7 from 3-point range. She also had five rebounds and two steals.
Senior Julie Deming had 17 points and six rebounds, hitting 8 of 11 shots. She also grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
Junior Hollie Tyler had six points, five rebounds and two blocks, and sophomore Jody McLeod and freshmen Jackie DeShazer and Amy Brooks all had five points. McLeod added six rebounds.
Senior Brooklynn Lorenzen had eight assists and three points for the Lady Griz, who had 22 assists and just eight turnovers.
As a team, Montana hit 8 of 15 shots from 3-point range, 53.3 percent, and had a 38-32 rebounding advantage.
Solid Offense and Defense in Opener: Entering the 2003-04 season, coach Robin Selvig said he thought the Lady Griz would have a more balanced offensive attack than last year and that that would result in better shooting and more scoring. One game into the season he appears correct. Montana shot 54.2 percent from the field in its win over Montana-Western. The Lady Griz did not shoot 50 percent from the field in any of its 30 games last year. And the 85 points scored also bettered any scoring output from last year.
Defensively Montana appeared as solid as ever against the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Griz allowed UMW to hit just 15 of 55 shot attempts, 27.3 percent. That also would have been a season-best last year. Montana held Utah to .281 shooting (16 for 57) last December.
Edwards, Deming Match Career Highs: Senior Julie Deming hit 8 of 11 shots, including her only 3-point attempt, on Friday night to finish with 17 points. It was the fourth time in her career she has hit for 17 points, a career high. Deming also scored 17 against Mississippi State, Providence and Portland State as a junior in 2001-02.
Sophomore Katie Edwards hit 6 of 11 shots, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, to score 19 points on Friday against the Lady Bulldogs. That also matched the career-high the 5-9 guard had against Northern Arizona in last year's Big Sky Conference tournament quarterfinals.
Baird Opens Season with Hot Hand: Junior Crystal Baird opened the season hitting nine of 11 shots and scoring 21 points against Montana-Western. The 6-3 center hit her first four shots on Friday night, then missed two of her next three, before connecting on her final four shot attempts.
Baird finished with 21 points, one off the career-high she had against Montana State in last year's Big Sky Conference semifinals.
Brooks Solid Off the Bench in Collegiate Debut: Freshman Amy Brooks, from Helena, Mont., had a solid game in her collegiate debut, playing 26 minutes off the bench. The 6-1 forward had five points, four rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal.
Lorenzen Continues Effective Point Guard Play: Senior Brooklynn Lorenzen, who currently ranks sixth on the Montana career assists list, has 458 career assists against just 175 career turnovers, a remarkable 2.6 to 1 ratio.
The 5-5 guard's play early in 2003-04 has been even better. Including Montana's three preseason games, Lorenzen has 34 assists and just three turnovers in four games this year. She had eight assists and one turnover against Montana-Western on Friday.
Upcoming: After playing at the Rainbow Wahine Classic this weekend, the Lady Griz will return to Missoula for two games. Montana will host MSU-Billings on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7:35 p.m. and San Francisco on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:35 p.m.
Last Year: In 2002-03, The University of Montana finished with an overall record of 20-10 and advanced to the WNIT, where the Lady Griz fell to Wyoming in the first round, 76-74 in overtime.
Montana finished in third place in the Big Sky Conference with a league mark of 10-4, finishing one game behind co-champs Weber State and Montana State. The Lady Griz defeated Northern Arizona in the opening round of the Big Sky tournament, 65-58, but lost to MSU, 70-64, in the semifinals.
A History of Success: The University of Montana Lady Griz have had one of the most successful Division I women's basketball programs in the nation over the last quarter century. Since 1980-81, a period of 23 complete seasons, the Lady Griz have accumulated 543 wins, had 22 winning seasons and 21 20-win seasons.
Also during that time Montana has advanced to 18 national tournaments and won 17 conference championships and 14 postseason conference championships.
Lady Griz Face Tough Nonconference Schedule: Montana will face a difficult nonconference schedule as it prepares for Big Sky Conference play. A number of opponents and potential opponents appeared in this week's Associated Press Top 25. The Lady Griz will play at No. 24 Oregon on Dec. 12 and will host No. 19 Utah on Jan. 10.
Two potential opponents at the Rainbow Wahine Classic include No. 2 Texas and No. 22 Arizona.
Among the schools receiving votes but not ranked are Virginia, a possible opponent at Hawaii, and Western Michigan, which plays at Montana on Jan. 2.
Montana itself showed up in the poll as having received one vote.
Montana Picked Atop the BSC by Both Coaches, Media: The Lady Griz were selected by both the league coaches and the league media to win the 2003-04 Big Sky Conference women's basketball championship the league office announced on Nov. 4. Montana received seven of the eight first-place votes in the coaches poll and 10 of 17 first-place votes in the media poll. Weber State was second in both polls.
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