Dec. 19, 2009

Coach Stockton's Comments Following Saturday's Practice

NEW ORLEANS - There is a familiar Cajun tern often thrown around the New Orleans area when things are going well: laissez les bon temps rouler, which roughly translates to let the good times roll. Riding the crest of a four-game winning streak, the Tulane University women's basketball team will look to keep the good times rolling on Sunday, Dec. 20, when the Green Wave play host to Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m. in Fogelman Arena.

Tulane enters Sunday's contest 6-2 on the year after posting consecutive win at South Alabama on Dec. 1, vs. Prairie View A&M on Dec. 4 and against Longwood on Dec. 5 in the Big Easy Classic, and at South Florida on Dec. 17. While the Green Wave are still three weeks away from opening the Conference USA portion of their schedule against Houston on Jan. 8, Tulane is in the midst of a constant battle to build a resume that will impress the NCAA selection committee come postseason tournament time in March.

"When you have significant wins not just as a team but as a conference, it helps establish the conference strength for the whole year," Tulane head women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton said. "A team like Stephen F Austin is important because they're a team that can win their conference championship. They're very similar to Prairie View. Those teams may not be in a BCS conference but they're really going to vie for a conference championship. I think wins over opponents like that are the best wins for your RPI."

As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 68.8 points, 33.0 rebounds, 17.0 assists, 12.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game. Senior guard Chassity Brown leads the team in scoring with a 13.0 point-per-game average while junior guard Brittany Lindsey and sophomore post player Brett Benzio follow with respective averages of 11.5 and 10.8. Benzio leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.5 per game, while Brown paces the club with 3.8 assists a night and junior guard Roshaunda Barnes headlines the Wave with 3.4 steals per ballgame.

Tulane is hitting 44.4 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 202-of-455 attempts, including 43-of-115 from beyond the 3-point arc (.374). The Green Wave defense has held opponents to a 408 shooting percentage (176-of-431) and a 33.0 clip from 3-point land (31-of-94). Tulane opponents are averaging 61.9 points, 37.6 rebounds, 11.1 assists, 8.3 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.

"I'm happy that we have different players emerge who can score," Stockton said. "Going into South Florida without Brittany and with Indira limited, I knew we had to have some people step up. It was great to have different players step up and be able to score for us."

Stephen F. Austin, meanwhile, comes to New Orleans 5-2 on the year and riding the high of a two-game winning streak, including a 92-46 thrashing of Houston Baptist its last time out on Dec. 12 in Houston.

As a team, the Ladyjacks are averaging 76.0 points, 44.9 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 14.7 steals and 3.1 blocks per game. Whitney Cormier and Jordan Ford lead the squad in scoring with 15.4 and 11.3 point-per-game averages, respectively. Ford and Antoinette Davis are tied for the team lead in rebounding, averaging 6.1 per game each, Ebony Alexander paces the Ladyjacks with 28 assists, and Cormier headlines the club in steals with 16.

Stephen F. Austin is hitting 34.6 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 179-of-518 attempts, including a 47-of-164 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.287). The Ladyjacks' defense has allowed opponents to post a 39.7 shooting percentage (169-of-426) and a 23.4 clip from 3-point land (18-of-77). Stephen F. Austin opponents are averaging 68.4 points, 49.0 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 7.4 steals and 4.4 blocks per game.

"I think they play a lot like we do," Stockton said. "They're quick, they like to press and they like to throw a lot of different kind of defenses at you. They're similar to us like we're playing right now in that they'll use a four-guard lineup. A team like South Florida has size, but this team doesn't have size so they're going to get up and down the floor and really run the ball."

Sunday's game marks the eighth time Tulane and Stephen F. Austin will meet on the hardwood and the Green Wave trail in the all-time series 3-4. The Ladyjacks won the first four meetings but Tulane has won the last three outings, including a 56-45 victory on Nov. 16, 2007 in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Green Wave are 1-2 against the Stephen F. Austin in Fogelman Arena and the lone win came during the 2005 DoubleTree Classic (Dec. 28) when Tulane earned a 79-72 decision.

Following Sunday's contest, the Green Wave return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 22, when they take on McNeese State at 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.

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