Wildcats Head To The Big Apple For Holiday Classic

KANSAS STATE (8-1) vs. UNC WILMINGTON (6-2)

Game #10

December 29, 2005 4:30 p.m. (CT)

Yanitelli Center (3,200)

at Jersey City, N.J.

Television: None

Radio: K-State Sports Network

Series History: K-State leads 1-0

Internet: None

KANSAS STATE vs. AMERICAN (3-7) or SAINT PETER’S (3-5)

Game #11

December 30, 2005 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. (CT)

Yanitelli Center (3,200)

at Jersey City, N.J.

Television: None

Radio: K-State Sports Network

Series History vs. American: K-State leads 1-0

Series History vs. Saint Peter’s: First Meeting

Internet: None

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

Kansas State (8-1) closes out the non-conference portion of its 2005-06 slate at the two-day Aeropostale Saint Peter’s College Holiday Classic on Dec. 29-30 in Jersey City, N.J. The Wildcats open the tournament with UNC Wilmington (6-2) on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 4:30 p.m. (CT) and will meet either the winner or loser of host Saint Peter’s and American University in the second day of action on Friday, Dec. 30, at 4:30 or 6:30 p.m. (CT). Both games can be heard on the K-State Sports Network with Brian Smoller and Kristin Waller calling the action live from the Yanitelli Center on the campus of Saint Peter’s.

SCOUTING UNCW

UNC Wilmington is riding a three-game win streak, with all but one game being played at home in the Tar Heel State. Although they will be playing at a neutral site, the Seahawks’ meeting with the Wildcats will be only their second true road test of the season. UNCW previously traveled to Oklahoma State on Dec. 10, where the Seahawks were held to a season-low 49 points in a 66-49 loss. Last season, the Seahawks finished 8-20 overall and ninth in the Colonial Athletic Association. Their top two scorers, freshman center Sahsha Taylor (50.8) and sophomore guard Stephanie Fernald (51.1), are both hitting over 50 percent of their shots from the floor.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

No. Name 2005-06 Stats

22 Stephanie Fernald, G, 5-8, So. 8.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg

03 Denise Lawrence, G, 5-9, Jr. 8.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg

23 Becca Papach, F, 5-11, So. 3.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg

10 Michaela Vezenkova, F, 6-3, Jr. 5.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg

34 Sahsha Taylor, C, 6-0, Fr. 10.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

While in the vicinity of lower Manhattan, K-State will take in sightseeing opportunities in the Big Apple including a tour of the Statue of Liberty. Last December, freshman Danielle Zanotti was a national finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award and was invited to the Heisman Awards Ceremony at the New York Athletic Club.

SERIES HISTORY

Kansas State leads 1-0 in the all-time series against UNC Wilmington. This will be the second time both teams will meet in tournament play. The Wildcats’ first and only meeting with the Seahawks dates back to the final season of the Susan Yow Era (1990-93). K-State defeated UNCW (69-51) in their home-hosted tournament on Jan. 3, 1992, in Wilmington, N.C. The Wildcats advanced to the championship game after beating New Hampshire (69-60) in the opening round.

GARDEN STATE

The Wildcats will be staying just across the Hudson River and the New York City skyline, but will actually play in the Garden State of New Jersey. It will be the first time to play a game in the state since the 1979-80 season when K-State went 1-1 on the road with a 66-45 victory at Seton Hall in South Orange, N.J., and a 81-56 loss at Rutgers in New Brunswick, N.J. The Saint Peter’s campus is located in Jersey City, the second-largest city in the state and a 20-minute ride by train into the heart of Times Square in New York City. The 3,200-seat Yanitelli Center will be the smallest on-campus arena the Wildcats will play in this season.

CLASSIC THROUGH THE YEARS

The Saint Peter’s Holiday Classic has included top teams around the country since 1983. Back in 1993, then-defending national champion Texas Tech won the tournament after defeating UMass in the championship game (50-42). Texas A&M won the title in 1989, making both programs the only two Big 12 Conference schools to hoist the championship trophy in the 22-year history of the tournament. Host Saint Peter’s has laid claim to the tournament trophy on 11 occasions. Last year’s Holiday Classic was won by North Carolina State.

AMERICAN AT A GLANCE

The Eagles (3-7) played their last two games on the road resulting in a pair of losses at Howard (65-74) and at Georgetown (60-64). They are making their third all-time appearance in the Holiday Classic having done so last in 1983 and 1985. American is 0-2 lifetime against opponents from the Big 12 Conference, a league in which second-year head coach Melissa McFerrin has strong ties to. She is a 1983 graduate of Missouri and played for the Tigers from 1979-83. Prior to AU, she served as an associate head coach at Minnesota the same year the No. 2-seeded Wildcats lost to the No. 7-seeded Golden Gophers in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

No. Name 2005-06 Stats

2 Talicia Jackson, G, 5-8, Fr. 2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg

3 Pam Stanfield, G, 5-4, Fr. 5.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg

14 Tara Williams, F, 5-6, Jr. 10.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg

31 Sahar Nusseibeh, F, 6-2, Fr. 4.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg

40 Abby Lipskis, C, 6-2, Jr. 11.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg

THE BOOK ON SAINT PETER’S

Saint Peter’s (3-5) hosts its 23rd annual Holiday Classic having only about six days off from their last contest against Howard (75-67) on Dec. 23. It was only their third victory of the season to go along with wins against two Big East Conference opponents in Providence (54-46) and Seton Hall (75-59). The Peahens are 0-1 against the Big 12 this year, after opening the 2005-06 season at Texas A&M, where they were held to a season-low 36 points. Head coach Stephanie DeWolfe is in her second-year leading her alma mater, after the retirement of legendary coach Mike Granelli, who spent a NCAA Division I-record 32 seasons at the helm of Saint Peter’s. Last season, the Peahens went 11-17 and placed seventh in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Top returner Tiffany Jones was named a third team All-MAAC selection a year ago.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

No. Name 2005-06 Stats

12 Tania Kennedy, G, 5-4, Fr. 1.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg

10 Kristen Hood, G, 5-9, Sr. 11.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg

22 Tiffany Jones, G, 5-10, Sr. 13.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg

25 Khalisha Lewis, F, 5-11, Sr. 10.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg

44 Elyse Sicillano, F, 6-2, Jr. 3.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg

LOOKING INTO THE SERIES

Should the Wildcats and Peahens play each other in the consolation or championship game, it would be a first time meeting between both schools. If K-State should meet American on the second-day of the tournament, the Wildcats lead 1-0 in the all-time series. AU and K-State last met on Dec. 5, 1986, at a four-team tournament hosted by Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. The Wildcats prevailed with a 54-51 win, to advance to the championship game against then second-ranked Tech.

BIRD WATCHING

All three teams in the Holiday Classic field have mascots which are different variations of the bird species. UNC Wilmington is represented by the Seahawk, American by the Eagle and Saint Peter’s by the Peahen. AU is located in the Nation’s Capitol of Washington D.C., with the Eagle representing strength and freedom, while UNCW is located in Wilmington, N.C., known as the Hollywood of the South and for its beautiful seaport and coastlines, where the hit television show Dawson’s Creek was filmed. The Peahen is the female version of the Peacock, a bird known for its colorful fan-shaped tail feathers. Only two colleges in the country are known as the Peacocks, Saint Peter’s and Upper Iowa.

STATISTICAL COMPARISON

2005-06 Category KSU UNCW AU SPC

Overall Record 8-1 6-2 3-7 3-5

Points Per Game 78.3 59.6 58.9 58.4

Scoring Margin +21.4 +5.3 -7.1 -5.5

Rebounds Per Game 40.2 36.2 40.2 43.4

Rebounding Margin +7.4 +1.3 -0.6 +6.1

Field Goal Percentage 49.0 39.4 35.8 34.4

Field Goal% Defense 35.4 36.8 42.9 36.5

Three-Point FG% 35.9 32.6 29.6 28.3

Free Throw Percentage 69.1 67.5 52.4 61.5

Assists Per Game 19.4 11.5 11.0 10.8

Turnovers Per Game 16.3 20.0 20.1 19.4

Blocks Per Game 6.1 2.1 1.7 2.6

Steals Per Game 7.9 10.1 9.3 5.4

ROAD WARRIORS

The Wildcats are an undefeated 3-0 on the road this season. Their three best shooting performances of the year have come on the road at Santa Clara (59.4 percent) on Nov. 26, at Wyoming (51.0 percent) on Nov. 28 and at Creighton (50.0 percent) on Dec. 19. Overall, K-State has hit on 53.8 percent of their shots from the floor (91-169), 46.4 percent from the three-point line (26-56) and 72.2 percent from the charity stripe (26-36) when away from the Little Apple.

FROM COAST-TO-COAST

The 2005-06 schedule has seen the Wildcats travel coast-to-coast in non-conference play. Earlier this season, K-State traveled to the San Francisco Bay area to take on Santa Clara over the Thanksgiving holiday and will celebrate the Christmas and New Year’s holiday in the New York City area at the Saint Peter’s Holiday Classic. So far this season, K-State has accrued more than 5,876 miles by plane and bus across the country.

LAST TIME OUT

The Wildcats claimed their third-straight victory in the series with a 69-59 win at Creighton on Dec. 19. Junior Claire Coggins scored a game-high 22 points, topping the 20-point mark for the fourth time of her career. K-State pulled down a season-low 27 rebounds, but shot over 50 percent from the field (50.0, 27-of-54) for the fourth-time this season. Jessica McFarland tied a career-high with 12 points, while JoAnn Hamlin added 10 in the win over the Bluejays. The Wildcats blocked a team season-high 11 shots, behind a career-high five by Marlies Gipson and three by Shana Wheeler for the game. It was the first time K-State made 10-or-more blocks in a game since a first round meeting with Bowling Green in the 2005 NCAA Tournament (10).

WHEELER INJURY UPDATE

Sophomore forward Shana Wheeler suffered a torn ACL against Creighton on Dec. 19 and is scheduled to have surgery in early January. In nine games played, Wheeler averaged 4.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. She collected her eighth career game with three-or-more blocks vs. the Bluejays in Omaha.

HOT-SHOOTING WILDCATS

K-State currently leads the Big 12 Conference in two statistical categories including field goal percentage (49.0) as well as assists per game (19.4). The Wildcats currently rank sixth nationally in field goal percentage and ninth nationally in assists per game behind national leader Duke. Senior center Jessica McFarland paces the Wildcats with a league-leading 74.4 percent shooting percentage, having made her last 29-of-39 attempts from the floor. Four other Wildcats are shooting over 50 percent from the field including junior Twiggy McIntyre (51.7) and freshmen JoAnn Hamlin (62.5), Marlies Gipson (55.0) and Shalee Lehning (55.1). Both McFarland and McIntyre are adding a scoring spark off the bench, while Hamlin, Gipson and Lehning are among the starting five.

BIG 12 ON THE HORIZON

The Big 12 Conference season opener is just a week away. K-State will host Texas Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. in Bramlage Coliseum. The game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports Midwest. Last year, K-State picked up only its second road win ever (55-53) in Lubbock, Texas, the first since 1978.

WILDCATS IN THE RPI

Each season, Kansas State holds a strong presence in the RPI ratings index. According to CollegeRPI.com, the Wildcats are currently 35th and the fifth-highest rated Big 12 Conference team behind defending national champion Baylor (2), Texas (9), Oklahoma (16) and Texas A&M (26). Upcoming opponents at the Saint Peter’s Holiday Classic include: UNC Wilmington (109), American (291) and Saint Peter’s (252).

Schedule

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Wildcats Head To The Big Apple For Holiday Classic

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