Kansas State University Athletics
Wildcats Travel To the Bahamas For the Inaugural Junkanoo Jam
Nov 27, 2003 | Women's Basketball
(#9/8) Kansas State (1-1) vs. Arizona State (2-0)
Game #3
November 28, 2003 - 7:50 p.m. (CT)
St. George High School Gym (2,000)
Grand Bahama Island
Television: None
Radio: Mid America Sports Network
Internet: Audio broadcast on www.k-statesports.com
Series History: ASU leads 2-0
The No. 9/8-ranked Kansas State women’s basketball team (1-1) travels to the inaugural 2003 Junkanoo Jam and will take on Arizona State (2-0) on Friday, Nov. 28 in the Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas over the Thanksgiving holiday. The winner will move on to the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 29 to face the winner of No. 7/7 Penn State vs. George Washington. Opening tip vs. ASU at 7:50 p.m. (CT).
THANKSGIVING IN PARADISE
Two four-team tournament brackets make-up the 2003 Junkanoo Jam tournament field sponsored by Basketball Travelers. Kansas State, Arizona State, Penn State and George Washington round out the Freeport Division, while Texas A&M, Minnesota, Seton Hall and USC are in the Lucaya Division. Each team will play two games with a winner being crowned from each division. The Wildcats are perhaps in the toughest of both divisions, with two teams ranked in the top 25 (No. 9/8 K-State and No. 7/7 Penn State). No. 11/9 Minnesota is the only ranked team in the Lucaya Division. Three of last year’s WBCA/Kodak All-America team selections will also be participating in the tournament: Kelly Mazzante (Penn State), Nicole Ohlde (Kansas State) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota).
BAHAMA FUN FACTS
- All Junkanoo Jam tournament games will be played at St. George High School, which houses one-of-two indoor gyms on the island.
- The Bahamian dollar is 1:1 with the U.S. dollar and Bahamian paper money runs in denominations of half-dollar amounts, including a rare $3 bill.
- Average temperature in the Freeport/Lucaya area of the Grand Bahama Island in the month of November is 76 degrees.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
Last season, Arizona State advanced to the Postseason WNIT and lost in the second round to Big 12 rival Baylor, 82-65. The Sun Devils come into the Jukanoo Jam with an undefeated 2-0 record with season-opening victories over Akron (80-48) on Nov. 21 and Grambling State (89-51) on Nov. 23. ASU has opened the season with back-to-back wins in each of the last five seasons. Top returning player Jill Noe (So., 5-2, G) suffered an ACL tear on Oct. 8 and will miss the 2003-04 season. In the last two games, the Sun Devils have held opponents to 26 percent shooting from the floor. They continue to receive votes in both national polls.
PROBABLE ASU STARTING LINEUP
No. Name 2003-04 Stats
10 Kylan Loney 8.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
12 Alisha Godette 10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
30 Carrie Buckner 6.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
33 Amy Denson 13.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg
54 Kristen Kovesdy 7.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State leads the all-time series, 2-0. Both teams last met at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands during the 2001-02 season, which marks the second time both schools have met on a neutral court in the Carribean. Five current players on the K-State roster saw significant minutes against ASU, then ranked No. 21 in the nation. Kendra Wecker, then a freshman, scored a team-high 17 points, while Megan Mahoney added 16, Nicole Ohlde 14 and Laurie Koehn 4. Brie Madden also played seven minutes with one rebound.
Arizona State ASU leads 2-0
H: 0-0 A: 0-1 N: 0-1
11-25-01 L 76-58 St. Thomas, V.I.
14-88 L 75-73 Tempe, Ariz.
ASU CONNECTION
Arizona State women’s basketball SID Rhonda Lundin was formerly the SID for women’s basketball at Kansas State under head coach Deb Patterson.
AGAINST THE PAC-10
Kansas State is 4-8 all-time versus opponents from the Pac-10 Conference (ASU, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington State). The Wildcats lead the series against only two schools from the Pac-10: WSU (2-0) and USC (1-0) and are tied 1-1 with Oregon State.
ABOUT PENN STATE
Led by senior All-American Kelly Mazzante, Penn State (1-1) could possibly matchup with the Wildcats for a second year in a row. Last year, the Lady Lions lost to Kansas State, 88-66, in the championship game of the Preseason Women’s NIT in both team’s only meeting in the all-time series. Penn State advanced all the way to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2002-03, falling to perennial powerhouse Tennessee, 86-58. The Lions return all five starters and look to finish first in the Big Ten Conference for a second-straight year. They recently lost to Old Dominion, 75-68, on Nov. 25.
ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON
Like Arizona State, George Washington (0-1) last met Kansas State in a Carribean locale during the 1995-96 season at the San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico. GWU, defending Atlantic 10 champions, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2002-03 (lost to Villanova, 70-57). They are currently led in scoring by Cathy Joens (Sr., 5-11, G/F) who scored 25 points and brought down six rebounds in a season-opening 67-62 loss to Georgetown on Nov. 21.