Women's Basketball Hosts Creighton Friday
12/30/2004 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2004
SERIES HISTORY
Creighton has won seven of its last eight meetings with SIU, and 13 of the last 15. The Jays also hold a 20-10 series lead against the Salukis, and have won seven of their last eight games in Carbondale.
LAST TIME OUT
SIU split a pair of games in the Sunshine State prior to Christmas. After defeating Bethune-Cookman (69-64) on Dec. 18, the Salukis most recently fell to Stetson (63-55) on Dec. 21. SIU, who saw its post players get into early foul trouble, was outrebounded, 41-31, by the Hatters. Additionally, the Dawgs turned the ball over 17 times in the loss.
SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS
CU returns six players with starting experience from last year's 24-9 WNIT Championship team. The Bluejays finished 15-3 for a second-place Missouri Valley Conference finish a year ago, and were picked second behind Southwest Missouri State in the 2004-05 MVC Preseason Poll. The Jays went 6-3 in non-conference play this season, including a 3-0 mark against teams from the Big 12 Conference. CU's three losses came against teams which have each spent time in the top-25 this year -- Minnesota, Iowa and Houston. Two-time MVC Player-of-the-Year and already two-time MVC Player-of-the-Week this season, Laura Spanheimer, leads CU with 18.7 points and 3.6 steals per game. Angie Janis tops the Jays with 7.2 rebounds and follows Spanheimer in the scoring column averaging 18 points. Kristi Woodard adds 14.7 points, making CU one of only four schools in the NCAA with three players averaging 14.5 points or better. Jim Flanery is in his third year as CU's head coach. He guided the Bluejays to a WNIT Championship a year ago, and became the winningest rookie coach in school and MVC history in 2003. He is 54-21 all-time at CU.
MVC OPENERS
The last time SIU started its MVC season with a win was in the same year the Salukis last made a MVC Tournament appearance -- 1999-00. Under then-head coach Julie Beck, SIU opened league play with a 64-62 win at Indiana State (Dec. 29, 1999). Since then, the Dawgs have gone 0-4 in Valley openers.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
SIU has opened league play at home against either Drake or Creighton in two of the last three years. The last time the Salukis hosted the Bluejays in their Valley debut was in 2001-02.
ABOUT THE SALUKIS
SIU, picked to finish last in the MVC, wrapped up its non-conference season with a 2-7 mark. The Salukis beat Saint Louis (12/7) at home and Bethune-Cookman (12/18) on the road for their only two wins this season. Playing with just eight players, three Salukis average better than 33 minutes per game. Senior guard/forward Danette Jones leads the Dawgs in scoring with 15.9 points per game, while senior guard Daphney Desamours follows with 14.4. Standing a 5-4, Desamours is also the team's leading rebounder with six boards a game.
HAYDEN MAKES NOISE
After scoring a combined six points in her first four games of the season, Amy Hayden has come alive to pitch in double-digits in four of her last five games. Starting with 10 points in 29 minutes off the bench against SE Missouri State (12/1), the native of Ft. Wayne, Ind., since scored a career-high 18 points vs. Saint Louis (12/7), 15 points at Southern Mississippi (12/11) and 10 points at Stetson (12/21). Hayden ranks third on the team in scoring with 6.8 points per game.
MIAMI VICE
In the return to her native state, Miami, Fla., native Daphney Desamours performed well against Bethune-Cookman and Stetson. After tying a career-high 22 points against Bethune-Cookman, she turned around to pitch in 16 points against Stetson. In those two games combined, Desamours shot 12-of-23 from the field and 13-of-18 from the free throw line. She also hauled down nine rebounds, dished out nine assists, had one block and collected three steals.
