Dec. 2, 1999

Wake Forest (1-3) at No. 6 NC State (6-0)
Friday, December 3 - 7:00 pm
Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, N.C.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's basketball team kicks off the ACC season this Friday as the Deacs travel to Raleigh to face No. 6 NC State at 7:00 p.m. in historic Reynolds Coliseum Wake Forest is coming off back-to-back losses to Arizona State and Richmond last weekend, while the Wolfpack has won all six of its games thus far. The game will be broadcast in the Winston-Salem area on WXII NewsRadio 830 AM.

Last Time Out
Lizz Greene tallied 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lift visiting Richmond over Wake Forest, 79-71, at Reynolds Gym last Sunday. The Spiders led 38-34 at halftime, but Wake Forest opened the second period with a 6-0 run to go ahead. The lead changed hands five more times before Richmond used a 13-5 run late in the game to build a double-digit lead from which the Deacons were unable to recover. Richmond shot 47 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three-point range, sinking 11 three-pointers on the day. Wake Forest shot just 36 percent from the floor and continued to struggle from behind the arc, hitting just 3-of-24 three-point attempts. The Deacs committed just 10 turnovers in the game while forcing 20, but were outrebounded by a slight 43-42 margin. Senior guard Alisha Mosley led Wake Forest with 13 points, while sophomore center LaChina Robinson and junior forwards Kristen Shaffer and Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick added 10 points each. Robinson and Kirkpatrick each grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

A Quick Look at the 99-00 Deacs
At the start of the 1999-2000 campaign, the energy surrounding head coach Charlene Curtis' team is at its highest level yet. Building on a strong finish to the 98-99 season, the Deacs are hungry to turn the corner toward a winning season. Wake lost three starters to graduation, including the team's leading scorer and rebounder and a four-year starter at point guard. The Deacs will field an extremely young team, with nine of 14 players in their freshman or sophomore years of eligibility, but the squad will not be lacking in game experience. Curtis has regularly used her entire bench over the past two seasons, giving the underclassmen significant playing time. But while all the returnees have seen valuable minutes, none is a proven go-to player. Ten of the 11 recorded at least one double-figure outing last year, but no player averaged in double figures. The Deacs do return an arsenal of outside shooters who proved deadly from behind the three-point arc last year. Four players return who hit at least 20 threes last year, and the freshman class brings some new weapons. That outside shooting will be complemented by a strong inside game, as half of this year's team tops the 6-foot mark, with four post players at 6-4 or taller.

Scouting NC State
NC State is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation in both the AP and USA Today polls, and the Wolfpack is off to an perfect 6-0 start. NCSU opened the season with an impressive 68-55 win over Rutgers, who was ranked as high as No. 3 in the preseason polls. On Tuesday, State earned its first conference win of the year with an 80-70 decision over Georgia Tech, as five Pack players netted double figures. Through six games, NC State is led by junior guard Tynesha Lewis (13.7 ppg), freshman forward Kaayla Chones (12.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and senior center Summer Erb (11.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg). Lewis is shooting 42.3 percent from three-point range (11-26), while Chones leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.615). Freshman point guard Terah James has also started every game and averages 8.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. State has outscored its first six opponents by an average margin of +16.0 and outrebounded them by an average margin of +3.4.

Series History
NC State holds a 40-6 advantage in the series with Wake Forest, which dates back to the 1972-73 season. The Wolfpack has won 22 of the last 24 meeting between the two schools, including the last six straight. Wake's last win over State came in the 1995-96 season, when the Deacs swept both meetings, 76-72 and 75-64. Last year, the 'Pack cruised to an 85-60 win in Winston-Salem in the teams' first meeting, but Wake gave State a run for its money in Raleigh later on, losing a close 75-72 decision.

A QUICK LOOK AT BOTH TEAMS

PROBABLE STARTERS

1998-99 Season in Review
In its second year under head coach Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest showed dramatic improvements despite winning only eight games. The Deacs fielded an extremely young team anchored by a trio of seniors. They relied on tremendous depth, solid rebounding, and an arsenal of three-point shooters, but ultimately struggled with poor overall shooting and the lack of a true go-to scorer. No player finished the regular season averaging in double figures, and the Deacs averaged just 64 points per game and shot at a 39 percent clip. The team ended the year on a high note, however, putting on a dazzling show at the ACC Tournament. WFU advanced to the quarterfinals by turning in its two best games of the year, setting 12 new tournament records in the process. WFU led the ACC and ranked 19th in the nation in threes per game (6.1), and boasted an extremely deep lineup, with the bench contributing almost half of the team's points. Wake improved on its record by four wins, all against ACC foes, and climbed two spots in the standings to seventh place.

Hot-Shooting Shaffer
Junior forward Kristen Shaffer, the Deacs' starting small forward, has been particularly hot from the floor in the first four games. Shaffer has notched double figures in all four outings while shooting an impressive 50 percent from her perimeter position. She has been the team's leading scorer in three of the four games and is averaging a team-high 12.3 points per game.

Mosley Strong Off the Bench
The Deacs' lone senior, guard Alisha Mosley, has come off the bench to provide scoring punch in the last three games for WFU. Against Davidson, Mosley poured in a team high 19 points, hitting 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range. Last Friday vs. Arizona State, she netted 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and against Richmond she scorfed a team-high 13 points. On the season, Mosley is tied for the team lead in scoring (12.3 ppg) and is shooting 46 percent from the floor (16-35) and 32 percent from three-point range (7-22).

In Remembrance
The Demon Deacons are wearing black bands on their uniforms this season in remembrance of former assistant coach Stacy Cox, who died tragically in an automobile accident on Nov. 8th. Cox, 35, was a 1986 graduate of Radford, where she played under current Deacon head coach Charlene Curtis. She served as an assistant coach on Curtis' staffs at Radford and Temple before rejoining her at Wake Forest in 1997. After two years with the Deacs, Cox departed in August of '99 to accept a teaching and coaching position at an elementary school in New Jersey.

Mosley Climbing Career 3-Point Field Goal Charts
Senior guard Alisha Mosley ranks among the top five all-time at WFU in three-point field goals made and attempted. A look at her climb up the Deacon career charts:

3-Pt Field Goals Made

3-Pt Field Goals Attempted

Preseason Prognostications
Despite their strong finish to the 1998-99 campaign, the Demon Deacons were selected to finish ninth in the 1999-2000 ACC Preseason Media Poll. North Carolina earned the top spot in the poll, collecting 320 points and 22 first-place votes, followed by NC State (302, 14), Virginia (260, 2), Duke (208), Georgia Tech (192), Clemson (166), Florida State (110), Maryland (88) and Wake Forest (64).

Raining Threes
Wake Forest ranked as the top three-point shooting team in the ACC (and No. 19 in the nation) last year, hitting 6.1 threes per game and shattering the school records for threes made (172) and attempted (502) in a season. This year, all of Wake's long-range gunners return but one, and eight players on the roster can legitimately hit the three.

Junior guard Janae Whiteside emerged as a white-hot three-point shooter late last year, connecting on 50 percent of her threes and averaging 5.4 treys per game in the last seven contests. Sophomore guard Val Klopfer hit 38 percent of her threes last year, while senior guard Alisha Mosley already ranks among the top five all-time at WFU in threes made and attempted. Junior forward Olivia Dardy is an inside-outside threat who can step out of the paint and hit a long-range three.

Other three-point threats include sophomore guard Adell Harris, junior forwards Kristen Shaffer and Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, freshman swing player Heather Miller, and rookie center Johanna Bjorklund.

1998-99 3-POINT SHOOTING TOTALS

* school record

TOP RETURNING 3-POINT SHOOTERS (with 98-99 stats)

Slow Start on Threes
Despite all those outside weapons, Wake is off to a slow start from behind the three-point arc this year. The Deacs have hit just 9-of-60 threes in the first four games (.150), and seven of those treys have come from senior guard Alisha Mosley. Mosley is shooting 32 percent from the arc (7-22) while the rest of the team is 2-38 (.053).

Better Accuracy Inside, Though
Although the Deacons are struggling in their three-point shooting, they are shooting markedly better from inside the arc this season. Last year, Wake hit just 41 percent of its shots from inside the three-point arc (484-1181). In the first four games of 99-00, however, the Deacs are shooting at a 51 percent clip from close range (84-165).

Reaching New Heights
Upon her arrival, coach Charlene Curtis made a commitment to improving the Deacons' inside game. Wake Forest has steadily improved in that area, boasting more height, better rebounding and greater defensive presence. This season, WFU has seven players on the roster who stand 6-0 or taller and four who top the 6-4 mark. An ACC All-Freshman pick last year, 6-4 sophomore center LaChina Robinson (5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 bpg) should be more of an offensive force this year. Sophomore Elizabeth Biedrycki (2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.3 bpg) and redshirt freshman LaTisha Pearson, both 6-4, will see time at center and/or power forward, giving Curtis the option of a "twin towers" lineup. And 6-5 freshman center Johanna Bjorklund, the tallest player ever to don a Deacon uniform, will provide added strength and defensive presence.

A Look at the Rookies
All three of the Deacs' rookies have seen time in the early season, with forward Tiffani Listenbee leading the way at 10.5 minutes per outing. An extremely quick player, Listenbee adds to the Deacs' speed na athleticism when on th ecourt. She has averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per outing. Center Johanna Bjorklund, a native of Sweden, has also played in every game, averaging 6.8 minutes off the bench. Her best outing came against Arizona State, when she posted team highs in rebounds (6) and assists (4) in only 12 minutes of play. Swing player Heather Miller has appeared in three games for an average of 5.7 minutes, contributing four points and three rebounds.

Sharp From the Stripe
Wake Forest has been sharp from the free-thow stripe in its first four games, sinking an ACC-best 74.4 percent of its foul shots (61-82). Free throw shooting was a concern last year, as Wake hit just 64.4 percent from the charity stripe. Guards Janae Whiteside and Alisha Mosley are currently tied for second in the ACC in free throw percentage, with each having hit 10 of 11 (.909) from the line.

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 vote of their teammates and coaches.

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. Curtis has 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 the Radford Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. She earned her master's degree from Virginia in 1982. Curtis is currently 13-46 at Wake Forest (.220) and 175-196 overall (.472) as a head coach.

DEACON HOOPS ON THE AIR
More fans than ever before will have the opportunity to follow Wake Forest women's basketball this season with 12 regular-season games and all ACC Tournament games broadcast via radio, television, and the internet. The Wake Forest ISP Sports Network will broadcast 12 regular-season games and all ACC Tournament games this season on WXII NewsRadio 830 AM, with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play. WXII's 50,000-watt clear channel signal reaches a large portion of the Southeastern U.S. at night. All games broadcast on WXII 830 radio will be simulcast on the internet at the Wake Forest athletics website, www.wakeforestsports.com, so parents, fans and alumni around the world can tune into the action. The ACC Regional Sports Network (RSN) features live broadcasts of 16 regular-season ACC women's basketball games and four ACC Women's Basketball Tournament games to the six-state ACC region. Featured games are telcast every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and every Monday at 7:00 p.m. on Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South, and the Sunshine Network. The Deacs are featured in three televised games on the ACC Network this year.

DEMON DEACONS ON THE AIR IN 1999-2000

Schedule subject to change.