Jan. 17, 2000

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Fresh off a thrilling 69-56 upset of No. 15 North Carolina, the Wake Forest women's basketball team looks to pick up its third ACC win of the year as the Demon Deacons host Maryland this Wednesday, Jan. 19th, at 7:00 pm in LJVM Coliseum. WFU enters the game at 6-10 overall and 2-3 in the ACC, while the Terrapins are 10-6 overall and 2-4 in ACC play.

Last Time Out
Senior guard Alisha Mosley scored a career-high 24 points to lift WFU to a 69-56 victory over No. 15 North Carolina in front of a school-record 4,031 fans at LJVM on Sunday. The win snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Tar Heels (dating back to '91) and marked the Deacs' first win over a ranked team since '96. Wake never trailed in the game, jumping to a 7-0 lead and leading by as many as 13 in the first period. Carolina trailed 29-22 at intermission, but stepped up its defense to hold Wake scoreless for the first 5:04 of the second half. The Tar Heels forced seven turnovers in that stretch but converted them into only four points, cutting it to 29-26. Mosley then scored six straight to key an 11-2 run that gave Wake another double-digit lead. UNC never got closer than six the rest of the way. Carolina shot just 30.3 percent from the floor compared to the Deacons' 48.9. UNC's LaQuanda Barksdale, the ACC's leading scorer, was held to just two points on 1 of 12 shooting. Mosley made her first start of the season, shooting 11 of 13 from the line and 6 of 9 from the floor. Sophomore guard Val Klopfer added 10 points and a career-high five rebounds.

Scouting Wake Forest
Through 16 games, WFU is averaging 59.1 points per outing, shooting 39.4 percent from the floor. Senior guard Alisha Mosley is the only Deacon averaging in double figures (10.6 ppg), while junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick contributes 9.1 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game. After hitting only 22 percent of their three-point attempts in the first 12 games, the Deacs have made 38 percent of their treys in the last four games (21 of 55), averaging 5.3 threes per outing. Defensively, the Deacs have held opponents to 64.1 points per game on 37.7 percent shooting. Wake has been outrebounded by a 5.4 margin, including double-digit rebound deficits in four of the last six games.

Scouting Maryland
After suffering through the worst season in school history last year (a 6-21 campaign), Maryland is off to a promising 10-6 start this season. The Terps have earned two ACC wins in six tries, defeating Clemson (74-58) and Florida State (68-67), but losing to UNC (92-79), Duke (79-61), NC State (71-52) and most recently, Virginia (76-68). Through 16 games, the Terrapins are averaging 72.0 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting. Defensively, they have allowed opponents 67.2 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting. UM has been outrebounded by a -2.7 margin, but the Terps ranks second in the ACC in steals (12.0 spg). Senior guard Tiffany Brown leads the Terps and ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring (15.2 ppg) and leads the league in three-pointers per game (3.3). Sophomore guard MarchŽ Strickland (12.6 ppg) and sophomore forward Deedee Warley (11.1 ppg) also average in double figures. Sophomore forward Rosita Melbourne (5.9 rpg) and senior center Branka Bogunovic (5.8 rpg) lead UM on the boards. Freshman guard Vicki Brick leads the ACC in steals (3.4 spg).

Series History
Maryland owns a 35-9 advantage in the all-time series with Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons won two of the teams' three meetings last season. WFU defeated the Terrapins 65-47 in College Park last December, snapping a five-game UM winning streak. Maryland then took a 68-66 decision in Winston-Salem, before the Deacs torched the Terps 74-58 in the first round of the 1999 ACC Tournament. UM won 28 of the first 30 meetings in the series, which began in 1976-77.

A QUICK LOOK AT BOTH TEAMS

A Significant Win
The Deacs' 69-56 win over No. 15 North Carolina on Sunday was significant in a number of ways. It marked WFU's first win over UNC in nine years, snapping an 18-game Tar Heel winning streak that dated back to 1991. It also marked Wake's first win over a ranked team since a 75-64 victory over No. 18 NC State on Feb. 25, 1996, and was the program's 14th all-time win over a ranked team. The 56 points was the fewest UNC has scored against WFU since a 61-53 decision in the 1988 ACC Tournament. In addition, 1999-2000 is just the second year in Wake Forest history that the football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams all posted wins over UNC (the first was 1987-88).

Rebounding Woes
Rebounding has been a concern this season for the Deacs, who have been outboarded by 11 of 16 opponents thus far. On the year, Wake owns a rebound margin of -5.4, the worst in the ACC. WFU has been outrebounded by double digits in five games, including four of the last six outings. In five ACC games, the Deacs own a -9.6 rebound margin and give up a whopping 17 offensive boards per game.

The Freebies Stop Here
Prior to the UNC game, Wake Forest's four ACC opponents had gone to the free throw line 11.5 more times per game than the Deacs, resulting in 10.5 points. In addition, the Deacs only shot 55 percent when they did get to the line in ACC games, while opponents made 70 percent of their attempts. In the Carolina win, however, Wake went to the stripe 27 times and made 19 free throws (70.4%), while UNC only had eight free throw attempts and made four (50.0%). As a result, Wake's free throw percentage over five ACC games has improved to 59.8 percent.

Mosley Moves Into Starting Lineup
Senior guard Alisha Mosley earned her first start of the year vs. UNC after leading the Deacs in scoring from off the bench in the first 15 games. She responded with a career-high 24-point performance to lift the Deacs to victory. Mosley is averaging a team-high 10.6 points per game on the season, having hit double figures on nine occassions. She was fairly hot from the floor in the early season, netting double figures in four of the first five games (11.8 ppg), but saw her scoring output slow in the next six games (7.8 ppg). Mosley has had an offensive surge again lately, however, averaging 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the last six games.

Robinson Increases Offensive Output
Sophomore center LaChina Robinson has emerged as more of an offensive threat for the Deacs this season after establishing herself as a defensive force in the paint last year. Robinson earned ACC All-Freshman honors in 1998-99, averaging 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. In 16 games this year, she has netted 8.6 points per game and scored in double figures eight times, including a 17-point performance in the win over Florida State. Robinson is shooting 54 percent from the floor and ranks fourth in the ACC in blocks (0.9 bpg).

Dardy Plagued by Injuries
Shortly after returning from a stress fracture in her foot which caused her to miss five games, junior forward Olivia Dardy is now plagued by a knee injury which kept her out of the last two contests. Dardy suffers from a recurrent patella subluxation, or a shifting of her kneecap, in her left knee. She has yet to decide whether she will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, or if she will postpone surgery until the end of the year and continue to play. Dardy, the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder (9.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg in 98-99), has averaged 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds off the bench this year. She had a similar problem in her right knee, which was corrected through surgery in high school.

Mosley Climbs Career Charts
Senior guard Alisha Mosley ranks among the top five players all-time at WFU in three-pointers made and attempted. She also owns a place among the top 10 in career free throw percentage (8th at 72.6%) and assists (10th with 197). A look at her place on the three-point charts:

3-Pt Field Goals Made

3-Pt Field Goals Attempted

Three-Point Arsenal
Wake Forest ranked No. 1 in the ACC and No. 19 in the nation last year in three-point shooting, averaging 6.1 threes per game and shattering the school records for threes made (172) and attempted (502) in a season. All but one of Wake's long-range gunners returned this year, yet the Deacs have yet to catch fire from outside. Despite all of its outside shooting weapons, Wake has hit just 26.2 percent of its threes this year (58 of 221), averaging just 3.6 treys per game.

Wake's key three-point shooters are junior guard Janae Whiteside (27.3%), who connected on 50 percent of her threes and averaged 5.4 treys per game in the last seven games of 98-99, sophomore guard Val Klopfer (24.5%), who hit 38 percent of her threes last season, and senior guard Alisha Mosley (30.0%), who ranks among the top five all-time three-point shooters at WFU (see above). Other Deacs with three-point range include sophomore guard Adell Harris, junior forwards Kristen Shaffer, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Olivia Dardy, freshman forward Heather Miller, and even rookie center Johanna Bjorklund.

Whiteside Heating Up From Long-Range The Deacs have begun to show signs of life from behind the arc in the last four games, however, hitting 38 percent of their threes (21 of 55) and averaging 5.3 threes per outing. A large part of that has been the recent return of junior guard Janae Whiteside's shooting rhythm. After going 6 of 37 from the arc in the first 12 games (16.2%), Whiteside has hit 9 of 18 threes (50.0%) in the last three outings.

Dee-Fense
Despite struggling to put points on the board, the Deacons have benefitted >from a strong defense this year. Wake has held opponents to just 64.1 points per game and a 37.7 shooting percentage, keeping six opponents under 60 points. As a matter of fact, 60 seems to be the magic number for WFU: when holding an opponent to 59 points or less they are 6-0, when opponents score 60 or more points, they are 0-10. No. 11 Duke was the only team to score 80 points on the Deacs.

Kirkpatrick A Force Down Low
Junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, a team co-captain, has emerged as a force down low for the Deacs this year. In her first year as a starter, Kirkpatrick currently leads the Deacs (and ranks 8thin the ACC) in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and is second on the team in scoring (9.1 ppg). She has nine double-figure scoring outings and three double-figure rebound games, including two double-doubles. Kirkpatrick has been the team's leading rebounder in 10 games.

* denotes team highs

Solid From The Stripe
Senior guard Alisha Mosley has been outstanding from the free throw line this season, ranking third in the ACC with a 80.6 free throw percentage (50 of 62). Junior guard Janae Whiteside also averages over 80 percent from the line (18 of 22, .818) - although she doesn't go often enough to rank among the ACC leaders. Two other Deacs average 80 percent from the line - sophomore guard Val Klopfer (12 of 15) and freshman center Johanna Bjorklund (8 of 10).

With the exception of two games, Wake has been quite good from the free throw line this season. Discounting NC State (where they shot a miserable 37.5 percent from the line) and Liberty (57.1%), the Deacs have hit 71 percent of their foul shots. (Including those two games, WFU owns a .674 free throw percentage). However, in ACC games, the Deacs are shooting 60 percent compared to 69 percent by opponents.

Biedrycki Leaves Team
Sophomore center Elizabeth Biedrycki recently elected to leave the Demon Deacon women's basketball program, transferring to Division II Wingate University at the end of the fall '99 semester. As a freshman last year, she played just under 10 minutes per game in 27 contests, averaging 1.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per outing. She saw just 2.8 minutes per game in five games this year, contributing six points and seven rebounds.

Shaffer's Shooting Frenzy Slows
Junior forward Kristen Shaffer was particularly hot from the floor in the first four games, notching double figures in each and leading the team in scoring three times. She averaged a team-best 12.3 points per game in those first four outings, but has contributed 5.4 points per game in the last 12 outings. On the year, Shaffer still ranks as the team's fourth-leading scorer overall (7.1 ppg).

Miller Time
Freshman forward Heather Miller has had two big scoring bursts in the early season, exploding for 17 points vs. No. 13 LSU and racking up a career-high 21 points vs. Georgia Tech In her other 13 games, however, she's averaged just 1.3 points per game. A USA Today High School All-American, Miller scored 2,395 points in her high school career.

A Look at the Rookies
All three of the Deacs' rookies have seen significant action on the court this year. Swing player Heather Miller has contributed 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 9.0 minutes of action, including two double-figure outings (see previous note). Athletic forward Tiffani Listenbee has played 9.8 minutes per game, averaging 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds. She netted five points on two occasions, vs. Fairfield and Richmond. Center Johanna Bjorklund has averaged 9.6 minutes off the bench, averaging 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds. She posted eight points twice, vs. High Point and Duke.

Reaching New Heights
This season, WFU has six players on the roster who stand 6-0 or taller, including three who top the 6-4 mark: 6-4 sophomore center LaChina Robinson, 6-5 freshman center Johanna Bjorklund - the tallest player ever to don a WFU uniform - and 6-4 redshirt freshman LaTisha Pearson.

Going Deep
In each of her three years at WFU, coach Charlene Curtis has gone deep into her bench in nearly every game. In fact, the 11 returning players this year had seen time in 98 percent of their career games, with the five upperclassmen missing only one game between them. Curtis has continued to go deep into her bench this year, as 11 of 13 players average over nine minutes per game apiece.

Oh Captain, My Captain
Redshirt junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and junior guard Janae Whiteside were selected as the Demon Deacons' team captains for the 1999-2000 season by a preseason vote of their teammates and coaches.

In Remembrance
The Deacs wear black armbands on their uniforms this season in remembrance of former assistant coach Stacy Cox, who died in a car accident on Nov. 8th. Cox, 35, played under current Wake Forest head coach Charlene Curtis at Radford, then served as an assistant coach on Curtis' staffs at Radford, Temple and WFU (1997-99). She left the Deacs this past August to accept a teaching and coaching position at an elementary school in New Jersey.

ACC Leaders
Through games of Jan 16th, senior guard Alisha Mosley ranks third in the ACC in free throw percentage (.806), while sophomore center LaChina Robinson is fourth in blocks (0.9 bpg) and junior forward Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick is eighth in rebounds (6.9 rpg). In ACC games only, Mosley is fourth in assists (4.4 apg) and Robinson sixth in blocks (0.8 bpg), while junior guard Janae Whiteside is fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.450) and seventh in threes per game (1.8).

ACC STANDINGS AS OF 1/17

ACC TEAM RANKINGS

Noteable Deacon
A former Wake Forest women's basketball player appeared in Sports Illustrated's recent issue on the 50 greatest sports figures of the century from each of the 50 states. Nicole Levesque, who played for the Deacs from 1990-94 and ranks as the school's all-time leading three-point shooter, was selected as the 17th greatest athlete from Vermont. She is the only athlete from that state to play in the WNBA. Levesque, now an assistant coach at the University of Vermont, is also the only former Demon Deacon to play in the WNBA.

Iron Women
Senior guard Alisha Mosley has played in every single game of her collegiate career at Wake Forest, a streak which now totals 99 games over the last four years. Other Deacon "iron women" who have yet to miss a game include junior forwards Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick and Kristen Shaffer (71 straight games). Sophomore center LaChina Robinson is the only Deacon on the roster who has started every game of her collegiate career (44 straight games).

Tip-Ins
The 4,031 fans that witnessed Wake's 69-56 upset of No. 15 North Carolina marked the largest home women's basketball crowd in school history ... four different Deacon opponents this year have corralled over 20 offensive rebounds ... no team has shot over 50 percent from the floor against the Deacs this year, and only five have topped 40 percent ... this year marked the third straight season that a Deacon freshman has posted a career-high 20+ point performance vs. Georgia Tech - Heather Miller scored 21 vs. Tech on Jan. 6th, while LaChina Robinson netted 22 vs. the Yellow Jackets last year and Olivia Dardy collected 28 vs. GT in 1997-98 ... the 11 free throws Alisha Mosley made vs. UNC were the most by a Demon Deacon since Nicole Levesque sunk 14 (of 14) against Georgia Tech on Feb. 26th, 1994.

HEAD COACH CHARLENE CURTIS
Head coach Charlene Curtis is in her third season at Wake Forest, bringing a wealth of experience, a commitment to excellence and a drive to bring the program to new heights. Curtis came to WFU from UConn, where she was an assistant for two seasons and helped the Huskies to a 67-5 record, two Big East titles and a Final Four appearance. Curtis was also head coach at Temple (1991-95), where she compiled a 41-97 record and coached four Atlantic 10 All-Rookie players, and Radford (1985-90), where she was Big South Coach of the Year twice and had a 121-53 record. She also served as an assistant at Georgetown (1984), Virginia (1982-83) and with USA Basketball, and was a floor coach for the Olympic Trials. A 1976 Radford graduate, Curtis was the school's first 1,000-point scorer and was inducted as a charter member of RU's Hall of Fame in 1995. She earned her master's degree from UVa in 1982. Curtis is 18-53 at Wake Forest (.254) and 180-203 overall (.470).

DOUBLE-DIGIT DEACS

ACC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL

PROBABLE DEMON DEACON LINEUP

Key Reserves

DEACON HOOPS ON THE AIR
More fans than ever before will have the opportunity to follow Wake Forest women's basketball this season via radio, television, and the internet. The Wake Forest ISP Sports Network will broadcast 12 regular-season games and all ACC Tournament games on WXII NewsRadio 830 AM in Winston-Salem, with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play. WXII's 50,000-watt clear channel signal reaches much of the Southeastern U.S. at night. Radio games will be simulcast on the web at www.wakeforestsports.com. The ACC Regional Sports Network (RSN) features live telecasts of ACC women's hoops in the six-state ACC region. Featured games are telecast Sunday at 12:30 pm and Monday at 7:00 pm on Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South, and Sunshine Network. The Deacs are featured in three televised games on the ACC Network this year.

DEMON DEACONS ON THE AIR IN 1999-2000