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Nov. 13, 2008

Tulane Game Notes | Illinois State Game Notes | WNIT Bracket

NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane women's basketball team opens the 2008-09 season Friday at Fogelman Arena as the Green Wave meet the Illinois State Redbirds in the first round of the Preseason WNIT at 7 p.m. The winner advances to face the winner of Arizona State/Cleveland State.

"It is a great opportunity for our team to play a very highly regarded tournament this early in the season," head coach Lisa Stockton said. "Illinois State is one of the best teams on our schedule this season. It's a challenge. We're really looking forward to start of the season, and seeing how we matchup with the best team in the Missouri Valley."

The Redbirds, 26-7 last season, won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and conference tournament, falling to No. 4 Oklahoma in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Tulane and Illinois State are meeting for just the second time in school history and the for the first time since 1982.

The Green Wave are led by senior guard Ashley Langford, Tulane's leading scorer last season and all-time assists leader. Junior Chassity Brown and sophomore Tiffany Aidoo will join Langford in the backcourt. Brown enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, averaging 8.4 points per game while leading the team in steals. Aidoo, who does some of everything for the Green Wave, earned her spot in the lineup

Also returning for the Wave are redshirt sophomore forward Brittany Lindsey, who was second on the team in scoring and rebounding last season. She sprung for 17 points and seven rebounds in Tulane's exhibition win Saturday versus the Houston Jaguars.

Senior Megan Valicevic is also slated to start in the front court. The guard/forward player bounced between outside and inside based on Tulane's personnel, and averaged 5.5 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Senior forward Kendra Barnes is out indefinitely with a knee injury, leaving the Green Wave to look towards their future a bit early.

"With the loss of Kendra, we're asking a lot of younger players - sophomore Kiara Slaton, and the freshmen Brett Benzio and Jennifer Nwokedi - to contribute early," Stockton said. "The exhibition game allowed us to get some minutes behind them. That will be our biggest challenge: getting our post-game together and quick. Brittany Lindsey had a great performance in the exhibition and she's someone we can build around, but we just have to develop the other post-players."

The winner of Friday's first round game has a known destination: a home game, or a road game at either Cleveland State or Arizona State; the schedule for the consolation bracket is tougher to project. The eight teams which lose first round games will be placed into two four-team pools, with two sites selected to host a four-team consolation tournament. The consolation games will be played next weekend. Second round games will be played as early as Sunday.