Oklahoma State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Faces Off Against Eastern Michigan
December 15, 2000 | Cowgirl Basketball
Dec. 15, 2000
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COWGIRLS TO COMPETE IN NASSAU SUNSPLASH SHOOTOUT
Oklahoma State (5-3) will travel to Nassau, Bahamas, this weekend to participate in the Nassau SunSplash Shootout, Dec. 20-21. Other teams competing are Alabama (8-0), Creighton (5-1) and Eastern Michigan (5-2). Alabama will play Creighton in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (CST), followed by OSU vs. EMU at 8 p.m. On Thursday, the losers of the first two games will play at 6 p.m., followed by the championship game at 8 p.m. The Cowgirls were 1-1 in their only other trip to Nassau, back in December of 1996.
COMING UP
Oklahoma State will take a week off of competition for Christmas before hosting West Virginia on Friday, Dec. 29, in the new Athletic Center and Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Following that game, the Cowgirls will open Big 12 Conference action on Wednesday, Jan. 3, as OSU travels to Waco, Texas, to face the Baylor Bears. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Jessica Bates scored a game-high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, as the Cowgirls defeated Wichita State, 67-59. Bates was 10-of-16 from the floor and grabbed nine defensive boards in 35 minutes of playing time. Machell Roberts added 14 points for the Cowgirls, while junior Kara Faulk chipped in 10 points and added eight rebounds for OSU. Wichita State took an early 7-2 lead, its largest of the game, at the 12:56 mark of the first period. However, the Cowgirls went into intermission ahead, 33-30, thanks to 12 first-half points by Bates and a three-pointer by Jessica Spinner with 25 seconds remaining in the period. Oklahoma State built its lead to 12 just three minutes into the second stanza at 42-30 on a Roberts bucket and one. The Shockers would not go away, however, and took a 48-47 lead with 7:44 remaining in the game. The lead bounced back and forth once, before the Cowgirls took the lead for good at 51-50 with 5:47 left. OSU went on a 14-4 run to put the game away. Raeven King led the Shockers with 17 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Angela Buckner with 12 and Courtney Sims with 11. Jennifer Kaczka, WSU's leading scorer, was limited to just three points, 14 below her average.
COWGIRLS IN THE COMMUNITY
On Wednesday, Dec. 14, the OSU women?s basketball team took part in Love Feast 2000, a community project sponsored by Southern Heights United Methodist Church in Stillwater which feeds the homeless. The Cowgirls participated by serving food and then helping with the cleanup. It is one of the many community service projects the Cowgirls invest their time in during the course of the season.
MORE ON EASTERN MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan is 5-2 this season, with losses to Purdue and Colorado State, and wins over Chicago State, Coppin State, IUPUI, Valparaiso and Michigan State. EMU has four players scoring in double figures, and another bench player averaging 9.7 points per game. The head coach of the Eagles is Suzy Merchant, in her third season at EMU with a 35-29 record at the school. She is 89-58 in her sixth season overall. Eastern Michigan is 106th in the latest RPI rankings.
MORE ON ALABAMA
Alabama is 8-0 this season and off to its best start since 1994-95, when the Crimson Tide was also 8-0. The wins include a 64-63 victory over Tulane, a 53-46 win at South Alabama, and a 65-55 victory over Memphis at home. U of A is led by a trio of players averaging double figures, including junior guard Shondra Johnson, who is averaging 13.9 points per contest. Senior forward Joni Crenshaw is scoring 12.3 points and pulling down 7.1 rebounds per game. Alabama is coached by Rick Moody, in his 12th season with the Crimson Tide. He has an all-time record of 242-106. Alabama is 39th in the latest RPI rankings.
MORE ON CREIGHTON
Creighton is 5-1 this season with a game vs. Kansas on Saturday night in Lawrence. The Blue Jays have defeated USC, Tulsa, Nebraska, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Northwestern, with a three-point loss to Iowa State on the road. CU is led by junior guard Angela Timmons, who is averaging 15 points and 3.6 assists per game. Creighton is coached by Connie Yori, in her ninth season at CU and 11th overall. She is 159-123 all-time, and has a 134-98 record with the Blue Jays. Creighton is 26th in the latest RPI rankings. Creighton had a game at Kansas on Saturday night.
PLAYER NOTES
#2 Terrisha Osborn
Terrisha is averaging just over 10 minutes per game. She is scoring 2.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, and is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor.
#4 Jessica Spinner
Jessica started the first five games for OSU, and is averaging 7.9 points per game. She leads the team with 25 assists and has nine steals. She was named to the all-tournament team of the Bertha Teague Memorial Classic.
#12 Jessica Bates
Jessica is averaging 9.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She is shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 68.2 percent >from the line. She has started six games for OSU.
#20 Shelby Hutchens
Shelby is averaging 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. She is third on the team in assists with 17. She was named to the all-tournament team of the Islander Classic.
#21 Mandy Stuber
Has seen limited playing time in six games due to an ankle sprain. She does have three rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals.
#22 Kara Faulk
Kara is averaging eight points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She is 20-of-23 from the line (87 percent) and has as many offensive rebounds (27) as defensive boards.
#24 Machell Roberts
Machell is averaging 8.3 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per contest. She was the leading scorer with 12 points vs. Southwest Missouri State.
#25 Reba Johnson
The only senior that is currently playing, Reba has played in two games. She was 2-of-2 from the line and has one assist.
#32 Chantoya Hawkins
Chantoya is averaging 8.8 points per game. She is also averaging 3.9 rebounds per contest. She was named to the all-tournament team of the Islander Classic.
#54 Nikki Lawrence
Nikki is averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game off the bench. She is 12-of-14 (.857) ?from the free-throw line.
#55 Trisha Skibbe
Trisha has made an immediate impact for OSU in the paint. She is averaging 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She is shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 68.8 percent from the line.
CAPTAINS
Juniors Kara Faulk and Nikki Lawrence were voted on by the team as the captains for the 2000-01 season. Faulk, a Sapulpa, Okla., native, is beginning her third year in a Cowgirl uniform. Lawrence is a junior college transfer originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
COACH DICK HALTERMAN
Dick Halterman is entering his 18th season as the head coach for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, and brings with him a 306-206 career mark at OSU. Halterman has guided the Cowgirls to eight postseason appearances in the last 12 years, including seven NCAA Tournament appearances (last in 1996) and one Women's NIT appearance (1998). Under Halterman, 13 Cowgirls have been named first-team all-conference, while 31 student-athletes have achieved first-team academic all-conference status. He is a two-time conference Coach of the Year, and was the District V Coach of the Year in 1991. Halterman has taken two conference All-Star teams abroad, including August of 1999, when he led the Big 12 All-Stars on a tour of Finland and Sweden. That team finished with a 5-1 record. Here is a look at Halterman's year-by-year coaching record at Oklahoma State.
COWGIRL BASKETBALL ON THE AIR
Once again during the 2000-01 season, Oklahoma State's basketball games will be broadcast live on KGFY-105.5 FM in Stillwater. Kevin Gum, in his 11th season with the Cowgirl broadcast, will handle play-by-play duties, while Casey Kendrick, in his sixth season on the air, will provide color analysis. For the first time, Cowgirl Basketball will be part of the OSU Radio Network. Member stations will provide statewide broadcasts of as many as 10 games throughout the season. Fans unable to pick up the over-the-air broadcast will be able to listen to the games via the internet at www.okstate.com. Broadcasts will begin 15 minutes prior to tipoff with pregame analysis, as well as interviews with Coach Halterman and various Cowgirl players.
