PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (1-0 OVERALL, 0-0 BIG TEN) VS. VILLANOVA WILDCATS (0-0 OVERALL, 0-0 BIG EAST) November 17, 2000 Villanova, Pa. The Pavilion 7:30 p.m. SERIES RECORD: OVERALL SERIES RECORD: PSU LEADS 7-1 LAST VU WIN: FEB. 1984, 85-80 LAST PSU WIN: NOV. 20, 1999, 76-54 STREAK: PSU HAS WON TWO-STRAIGHT 2000-2001 SCHEDULE & RESULTS DATE OPPONENT SCORE 11/8 Sweden (Exhibition) W, 77-67 11/12 New York Gazelles (Exhib.) W, 92-59 11/17 Penn State 7:30 PM 11/21 Fairfield 7:00 PM Florida International Tournament 11/24 Villanova vs. Florida Int. 6:00 PM Youngstown St. vs. Georgia St. 8:00 PM 11/25 Consolation 6:00 PM Championship 8:00 PM 11/28 LaSalle 8:00 PM 12/2 Temple 2:00 PM 12/6 at Notre Dame 7:00 PM 12/9 at St. Joseph's 2:00 PM 12/12 at Pennsylvania 7:00 PM PNC Wildcat Tournament 12/29 Villanova vs. Bucknell 5:00 PM Howard vs. Northeastern 7:00 PM 12/30 Consolation 12:00 PM Championship 2:00 PM 1/3 West Virginia 7:30 PM 1/6 at Seton Hall 2:00 PM 1/10 Georgetown 7:30 PM 1/13 George Washington 2:00 PM 1/16 Seton Hall 7:30 PM 1/20 Rutgers 12:00 PM 1/23 at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM 1/27 at Boston College 1:00 PM 1/31 St. John's 7:30 PM 2/4 at Connecticut 2:00 PM 2/7 at Georgetown 8:00 PM 2/10 Syracuse 7:00 PM 2/14 at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM 2/18 Connecticut 12:00 PM 2/24 Providence 2:00 PM 2/27 at Miami 7:00 PM 3/3-6 Big East Tournament (UCONN) 2000-01 BIG EAST STANDINGS MEDIA INFORMATION BIG EAST OVERALL TEAM W L PCT. W L PCT. Connecticut 0 0.000 1 0 1.000 Georgetown 0 0.000 1 1.500 Boston College 0 0.000 0 0.000 Miami 0 0.000 0 0.000 Notre Dame 0 0.000 0 0.000 Pittsburgh 0 0.000 0 0.000 Providence 0 0.000 0 0.000 Rutgers 0 0.000 0 0.000 St. John s 0 0.000 0 0.000 Seton Hall 0 0.000 0 0.000 Syracuse 0 0.000 0 0.000 VILLANOVA 0 0.000 0 0.000 Virginia Tech 0 0.000 0 0.000 West Virginia 0 0.000 0 0.000 INTERVIEW REQUESTS All In t e rv i ew requests should be directed tow a rd De a n Kenefick, Director of Media Relations at (610) 519-4120. INTERNET SITE Villanova s recently re-designed web-page can be found at www.villanova.com. HOTLINE Get up-to-date scores on all yo u r favorite Wildcat sports on the official hotline: (888) 400-NOVA
VILLANOVA PROBABLE STARTERS POS. NO. NAME PPG. RPG. G 3 Mimi Riley (5-9, Jr.) Medical Redshirt G 11 Trish Juhline (5-10, So.) 13.1 3.6 C 22 Brandi Barnes (6-3, Sr.) 10.5 6.6 F 4 Katie Davis (5-10, So.) 5.9 4.4 F 52 Nicole Druckenmiller (6-0, So.) 5.5 2.9 **Stats are from 1999-2000 season) PENN STATE PROBABLE STARTERS POS. NO. NAME PPG. RPG. G 12 Katrena Carr (5-10, Jr.) 5.7 2.9 G 44 Ashley Luke (5-6, So.) 2.5 0.8 C 31 Rashana Barnes (6-1, Jr) 7.1 4.7 F 20 Lisa Shepherd (5-11, Sr.) 13.3 4.4 F 54 Maren Walseth (6-3, Sr.) 13.8 5.8 **Stats are from 1999-2000 VILLANOVA OFF THE BENCH POS. NO. NAME PPG. RPG. F/C 51 Stephanaie Baker (6-2, Jr.) 3.2 4.3 F 23 Courtney Mix (5-10, Fr.) G 32 Lauren Pellicane (5-7, Sr.) 5.5 2.5 G 5 Brandi Harris (5-6, Fr.) HEAD COACH HARRY PERRETTA After 22 years as head coach of Villanova women s program, Harry Perretta has established himself as one of the most respected and knowledgeable coaches in the country. A true teacher both on and off the court, Perretta strives to have a positive influence on his student-athletes not only as basketball players, but also as people. In his 22-year career on the Main Line, Perretta has tallied a career record of 395-236. His 395 wins rank him 31st on the winningest active collegiate coaching list, and places him just five victories short of the 400-win milestone. Last season, Perretta led an inexperienced and injury riddled team to a 15-15 overall record and a berth in the WNIT where they lost to Michigan State in the first round. Perretta attended Lycoming College after earning All-Catholic League honors at Monsignor Bonner High School in Upper Darby, Pa. His playing career was cut short, however, by an ankle injury during his freshman year at Lycoming. Perretta spent the remainder of his college years assisting Lycoming s varsity and junior varsity programs as a coach, and he also aided the women s program. He received his bachelor s degree in social studies and a secondary teaching certificate in 1978. In 1995, he earned his Master s degree in Education from Villanova. PENN STATE OFF THE BENCH POS. NO. NAME PPG. RPG. C 11 Jacquelynn Shook (6-5, Fr.) G 13 Kelly Mazzante (6-0, Fr.) F 22 Jessica Brungo (6-1, Fr.) F 35 Courtney Upshaw (6-4, Fr.) HEAD COACH RENE PORTLAND Philadelphia native Rene Portland saw her lifelong dream come to fruition last spring as she guided the Lady Lions to their first-ever Final Four appearance. Playing in her hometown only added to the specialness of the achievement. Entering her 25th season as a head coach, and 21st at Penn State, perhaps no coach provides a stronger link from the past of women's basketball to the fight for its advancement today than Rene Portland. Last season, Portland guided her veteran Penn State squad to its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as its first-ever NCAA Women's Final Four, its third Big Ten Championship, and a school record 30 wins. Along the way, the No. 3 nationally ranked Lady Lions went a perfect 15-0 at home at the Bryce Jordan Center, recording their first undefeated season in the new arena. PSU also made an all-time best 22 television appearances, including eight nationally televised contests. Portland received Big Ten Coach-of-the-Year accolades from her peers, National Coach-of-the-Year honors from USA Today, and District 6 Coach-of-the-Year acknowledgement from the WBCA. Each season, Portland has guided her squad to new heights. In the 70-42 WNIT semifinal win over Indiana in March 1998, she received her 500th career victory. Her career coaching record currently stands at 554-185, while her career record at Penn State is 467-156. VILLANOVA TEAM COMPARISON TEAM COMPARISON Games Played Points Scored Avg. Points per game fg pct. 3-point fg pct. free throw pct. points allowed opp. points per game total rebounds avg. reb. per game assists turnovers avg. to. per game PENN STATE 1 99 99.0 48.6 36.4 84.0 72 72.0 49 49.0 22 21 21.0
THE LAST TIME: Tonight s visit by Penn State to The Pavilion is the first game that the Lady Lions have played at Villanova since Feb. 22, 1984. In that 1984 game, Villanova defeated Penn State, 85-80, in a game played in the Jake Nevin Field House. That win is Villanova s only victory in the series. In the game, Villanova was led by 1987 Wade Tropy winner Shelly Pennefather who tallied a game-high 29 points on 13-of-24 shooting and Nancy Bernhardt who recorded 26 points. Penn State was paced by Kahadeejah Herbert who scored 25 points. SEASON OPENERS: Under the direction of 23-year head coach Harry Perretta, Villanova has registered a 14-8 mark in season openers. During Perretta s tenure, the Wildcats are 6-1 at home, 5-6 on the road and 3-1 on neutral courts in season openers. Perretta s lone loss in a season opener played at home, came during the 1993-94 campaign when the Wildcats lost to St. Joseph s, 55-52 in overtime. Last year, Villanova lost at Penn State, 76-54, in the first game of the season. EXHIBITION PLAY: Villanova finished the exhibition portion of its schedule with a perfect 2-0 record. On Nov. 8, Villanova defeated a touring team from Sweden by a score of 77-67. The Cats led 49-28 at intermission, before Sweden outscored Villanova, 39-28, in the second stanza. In the win, Villanova was led by sophomore guard Trish Juhline who scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting (5-of-11 from three-point range) and senior center Brandi Barnes who netted 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Also scoring double figures for Villanova was sophomore forward Katie Davis who had 10 points. On Nov. 12, Villanova defeated the New York Gazelles by a score of 92-59. Villanova led 46-26 at halftime and outscored the Gazelles, 46-33, in the second half. Davis led the Wildcats with 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting (4-of-9 from three) to go with six rebounds, while Juhline was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from behind the arc for 17 points. Freshman forward Courtney Mix pulled-down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Wildcats. VILLANOVA PICKED SEVENTH: In the Big East Conference preseason Coaches poll, Villanova was chosen to finish seventh in the 14-member Big East Conference. The following is the coaches order of finish. 1. Connecticut 169 2. Rutgers 152 3. Notre Dame 150 4. Boston College 129 5. Georgetown 100 Virginia Tech 100 7. VILLANOVA 94 8. Pittsburgh 92 9. Miami 88 10. Syracuse 53 11. St. John s 49 12. Providence 44 13. Seton Hall 39 14. West Virginia 15 WELCOME NEWCOMERS: The Wildcats have added three freshmen to the 2000-20001 roster. Joining the Wildcat family are rookies Brandi Harris, Courtney Mix and Jana Rediger. Harris is a pure point guard from Pittsburgh, Pa., who was the 1999 Pittsburgh Post Gazette Player of the Year. Mix is a 5-10 forward who can play a number of positions. As a senior last year, she averaged 12.3 ppg., 7.2 rpg., and 5.2 apg, in helping Toledo Central Catholic to a 26-1 record. Rediger, a 6-3 center, averaged 18.5 ppg. and 17.5 rpg as a senior last year at Pennridge High School in Perkasie, Pa. Harris and Mix should see playing time, while Rediger is expected to redshirt this season. GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Those who follow the Villanova women s basketball team on a consistent basis might be wondering what happen to senior guard Megan Stewart. A native of Maroochydore, QLD, Australia, Stewart had a great opportunity to work the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia so she stayed at home down under for the first semester. Stewart will return to school for the second semester and she will rejoin the team following the Christmas holiday. A fifth-year senior, Stewart will graduate in May with a degree in comprehensive science. FROMRED TO BLUE & WHITE: After redshirting last season, 5-10 guard Kelly Nash and 6-1 forward Jeanine Johnson will officially wear the blue and white of Villanova this season. OLD FRIENDS: When the Wildcts and Lady Lions meet on Friday night at The Pavilion, former high school teammates Kelly Nash (Villanova/redshirt freshman) and Penn State s Courtney Upshaw will square off against one another. Nash and Upshaw played together at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, Conn. Nash graduated from Fairfield High in 1999, while Upshaw is a 2000 graduate of Fairfield high School. LONG TRIP: Following Friday s game with Penn State, Villanova will resemble an NBA team next week more than a college team as the Wildcats embark on a six-day roadtrip. Villanova will leave campus Monday evening for Fairfield where they will take on Fairfield University on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Following the Fairfield game, Villanova will bus to New York where they will fly on Wednesday, Nov. 22 from LaGuardia Airport for Miami, Fla. The Cats will participate in the Florida International Tournament on Friday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 25. In the first round, the Wildcats will take on tournament host Florida International. The other two teams competing in the tournament are Georgia State and Youngstown State who both made last year s NCAA Tournament. Villanova will return to the Philadelphia area on Sunday, Nov. 26 and begin preparing for LaSalle who they will host on Tuesday, Nov. 28. BACK TO ACTION: Two integral members of Villanova s team are back in action after missing the majority of the 1999-2000 season. Starting guards Mimi Riley and Lauren Pellicane missed a combined 42 games last year. Riley suffered a foot injury in the team s first exhibition game on Nov. 10, 1999. After sitting out a few weeks, Riley returned to play against Boston College (Dec. 8), St. Joseph s (Dec. 11) and George Washington (Dec. 13) before having to miss the remainder of the season and serve as a medical redshirt. Pellicane tore her ACL in her right knee in practice on Thursday, Jan. 20 and missed Villanova s final 16 games of the year. Riley returned to action on the first day of practice on Oct. 14, while Pellicane was cleared to return to the court a little over a week ago. Riley will start against Penn State, while Pellicane should see playing time off the bench.
Notes:
VILLANOVA SEASON-HIGH SUPERLATIVES Field Goals Made: 3-point FG Made Free Throws Made: VILLANOVA TEAM HIGHS... First Half Second Half Field Goal Percentage: Field Goals: 3-Point FGs Made: 3-Point FGs Att.: FTs Attempted: FTs Made: Turnovers: Blocked Shots: VILLANOVA BY THE NUMBERS: RECORDS... Overall: Home: Away: Neutral: Big East: Big East Road Games: Big East Home Games: Philadelphia Big 5: WILDCATS RECORD WHEN... Leading at Halftime: Trailing at Halftime: Tied at Halftime: In Overtime: When Shooting 45% or better: When Scoring 60 or more points: VILLANOVA TEAM LOWS... First Half Second Half Field Goal Percentage: Field Goals Made: 3-Point FG Made: 3-Point FG Att.: Free Throws Att.: Free Throws Made: Turnovers: Blocked Shots:
GAME ONE PENN STATE 76, VILLANOVA 54 NOVEMBER 20, 1999 BRYCE JORDAN CENTER STATE COLLEGE, PA. VILLANOVA MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA R A PF PTS Jenea Skeeters 36 1-9 2-2 4 2 2 4 Nicole Druckenmiller 23 2-4 2-2 3 1 4 7 Stephanie Baker 34 2-7 3-4 11 4 2 7 Trish Juhline 23 6-16 1-1 3 3 5 14 Lauren Pellicane 30 1-5 0-0 1 1 0 2 Katie Davis 28 6-12 4-4 2 2 4 18 Megan Stewart 7 0-0 2-2 1 1 0 2 Mary Beth Snell 19 0-6 0-0 2 0 0 0 Three-point goals: 4-20 (Davis 2-2, Druckenmiller 1-2, Juhline 1-6, Skeeters 0-2, Pellicane 0-3, Snell 0-5); Team 6; Deadball 1; Blocked Shots: 0; 7 (Snell, Baker 2; Juhline, Pellicane, Davis 1); Turnovers: 12 (Skeeters 3; Juhline, Pellicane, Baker 2; Druckenmiller, Davis 1). PENN STATE MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA R A PF PTS Lisa Shepherd 32 2-5 0-2 3 3 3 4 Maren Walseth 20 4-11 3-3 8 1 2 11 Andrea Garner 28 5-17 2-2 11 2 2 12 Katrina Carr 27 4-6 4-6 7 1 0 14 Helen Darling 34 7-13 0-0 8 5 3 14 Marissa Graby 11 2-3 0-0 6 3 2 4 Chrissy Falcone 14 1-6 0-0 0 0 1 2 Rashana Barnes 23 6-11 3-4 6 1 2 15 Ashley Luke 11 0-0 0-2 1 0 0 0 Three-point goals: 2-10 (Carr 2-2, Shepherd 0-1, Darling 0-3, Falcone 0-4); Team 4; Deadball 2; Blocked Shots: 3 (Garner 2; Barnes); 10 (Garner, Darling 3; Shepherd, Carr, Barnes, Luke 1); Turnovers: 12 (Shepherd, Walseth, Garner, Darling, Luke 2; Carr, Barnes 1); Halftime: 43-19, PSU; Attendance: 4,808; Officials: Zentz, Barribeau, Danaher.
STEPHANIE BAKER BRANDI BARNES Junior 6-2 Forward/ Center Wilmington, Del. St. Marks VILLANOVA: Will see playing time at both the forward and center positions...plays excellent post defense...strong rebounder with good offensive skills. Senior 6-3 Center Joppatowne, Md./ Joppatowne VILLANOVA: Transfer from the University of Maryland after the 1996-97 season...one of the better post players in the Big East Conference...Good shooting touch that extends to three-point range...has good offensive moves. 11 vs. Seton Hall (2/2/99) 15 vs. Nevada (11/27/99) 4 vs. Notre Dame (2/16/00) Assists 4 on two occasions Assists 24 on three occasions 13 on two occasions 3 on two occasions 4 on three occasions Blocks Assists
KATIE DAVIS NICOLE DRUCKENMILLER Sophomore 5-10 Guard/Forward Northeast, Md./ Northeast VILLANOVA: Athletic performer with great quickness...good three-point shooter...expected to be a big contributor in 2000-2001. Sophomore 6-0 Forward Northampton, Pa./ Northampton VILLANOVA: One of the team s top three-point shooters...offensively gifted player...strong rebounder who will see time in the Villanova frontcourt. 18 on three occasions 10 vs. Rutgers (1/15/00) 4 on three occasions 4 on two occasions Assists 16 vs. La Salle (12/1/99) 12 vs. Rutgers (3/5/00) 5 vs. Boston Coll. (2/12/00) 2 vs. Michigan St. (3/15/00)
BRANDI HARRIS JEANINE JOHNSON Freshman 5-6 Guard Pittsburgh, Pa./ Canevin VILLANOVA: Pure point guard with good ball-handling skills...slasher who can also knock down the three-point shot...should see time at the point. Redshirt Freshman 6-1 Forward Lima, Ohio/ Lima VILLANOVA: Athletic player who has shown great improvement...has a good jump shot from 15 feet and in...will add depth to the Villanova frontcourt.
TRISH JUHLINE COURTNEY MIX Sophomore 5-10 Guard Havertown, Pa./ Cardinal O Hara VILLANOVA: One of the top three-point shooters in the Big East Conference...Smart player with great competitiveness...skilled offensive performer with a wide array of offensive moves. Freshman 5-10 Forward Toledo, Ohio/ Toledo Central Catholic VILLANOVA: Well-rounded player with great basketball instincts... Strong defensive player with good rebounding ability...shooting range extends to the three-point line. 26 vs. Providence (3/4/00) 12 vs. WVU (2/10/00) 6 vs. Drexel (12/29/99) 3 on three occasions Steals
KELLY NASH JEN PAPAY Redshirt Freshman 5-10 Guard/Forward Fairfield, Conn./ Fairfield VILLANOVA: Possesses a good jump shot... Fundamentally sound player who will fight for playing time at the forward spot. Senior 5-9 Forward Newtown, Pa./ Archbishop Wood VILLANOVA: Good three-point shooter...will add depth at the guard position. Steals 6 vs. Temple (12/5/98) 1 on two occasions 1 vs. Drexel (12/29/99) 1 vs. ND (2/16/00)
LAUREN PELLICANE JANA REDIGER Senior 5-7 Guard Deer Park, N.Y./ St. Dominic s VILLANOVA: Battling back from a knee injury suffered last season...great three-point shooter...extremely smart and consistent performer. Freshman 6-3 Center Sellersville, Pa./ Pennridge VILLANOVA: Has the potential to be a good collegiate player...hard worker with great agility...good shot blocker with solid offensive skills. 24 vs. WVU (1/5/99) 5 on five occasions 9 vs. Fairfield (11/23/99) 3 on two occasions Steals
MIMI RILEY MEGAN STEWART Junior 5-9 Guard/ Forward Bala Cynwyd, Pa./ Archbishop Carroll VILLANOVA: Returning to the line-up after missing last season with a foot injury...versatile performer who can play both guard and forward spots...good defensive player who will be looked upon to add leadership to this year s team.points 17 vs. Penn (12/28/97) Rebounds 5 vs. Providence (1/8/00) Blocks 3 on four occasions Assists 3 vs. Temple (12/12/96) Senior 5-8 Guard Maroochydore, Australia/ Luthern VILLANOVA: Hard worker who will fight for playing time in the backcourt...has good defensive skills...first foreign student-athlete to play for head coach Harry Perretta and the Wildcats. 16 vs. La Salle (12/2/98) 11 vs. Providence (1/2/99) 8 vs. Syracuse (1/10/99) 4 vs. Connecticut (2/24/98) Steals 17 vs. Penn (12/28/97) 5 vs. Providence (1/8/00) 3 on four occasions 3 vs. Temple (12/12/96)