Manchester Women Claim 23rd Straight Conference Win
January 25, 2008
GREENWOOD , IN – The women’s basketball conference race continues to be paced by Manchester. The Spartans continue to play solid basketball after notching two more conference wins last week. The ladies from North Manchester have won seven straight games, including 23 straight conference contests dating back to last season. Manchester now holds a three game lead in the loss column over Anderson, Hanover, and Transylvania as the conference season hits the second half.
The Spartans (13-4, 8-0 HCAC) knocked off Mount St. Joseph and Defiance last week to run their win streak to seven. Senior center Jessica Henn (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) scored 11 points to lead the way in the win over the Mount. Junior forward Kelley Meiklejohn (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) turned in a 22 point, nine rebound effort in a win over Defiance. Meiklejohn ranks third in the conference in scoring during conference play, averaging 15.1 points per game. Manchester’s only game this week is Saturday afternoon at Transylvania.
Anderson (10-6, 6-3 HCAC) has been playing good basketball as of late, turning in two more wins on the road last week. The Ravens have won five of their last six games to creep into conference championship contention. AU beat Defiance 84-64 to begin the week and concluded with a 45-33 win at Rose-Hulman Wednesday night. Junior forward Kayla Martin (Bedford, Ind./ Bedford North Lawrence) scored 29 points in the win over the Yellow Jackets to raise her season average to 13.8 points per game. Senior forward Lauren Vail (Greenfield, Ind./H.S.) led AU with 14 points in the triumph over RHIT. As a team, Anderson leads the conference in three-point field-goal percentage defense, allowing their opponents to convert only 26.6% of their attempts from behind the arc. The Ravens will look to stay unbeaten at home in conference play when Mount St. Joseph and Transylvania come to town this week. The ladies will also play host to Earlham in a non-conference contest Monday night.
Hanover (11-6, 5-3 HCAC) lost a little ground in the conference standings last week with a loss to rival Franklin. The 77-69 setback to the Grizzlies was their first home loss of the season and snapped a three game win streak. Freshman center Molly Martin (Terre Haute, Ind./ North Vigo) continues to play tremendous basketball in her first season, scoring 27 points and adding 14 rebounds in the losing effort. Martin leads the conference with 11.9 rebounds per game this season and ranks second in scoring (16.2 ppg). Freshman guard MicahWhitted (Norman, Ind./Bedford North Lawrence) scored 13 points to lead Hanover in their 68-58 win over Rose-Hulman last Saturday. HC currently leads the HCAC in field-goal percentage, converting 41.1% of their attempts. The Panthers will look for two road wins this week at Defiance and Mount St. Joseph.
Transylvania (8-8, 4-3 HCAC) defeated Mount St. Joseph 87-75 in their only game of the week. The Pioneers were led by a double-double from freshman center Sara Sexton (South Shore, Ky./Greenup Co.). Sexton netted 22 points and grabbed 11 boards in the win over the Lions, raising her season scoring average to 13.7 points per game. Transy will put their 3-1 home conference record on the line when unbeaten Manchester comes to Lexington Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers handed the Spartans their last conference loss all the way back on December 9, 2006 in Lexington. TU will finish the week next Wednesday at Anderson.
Franklin (7-9, 4-4 HCAC) posted two wins last week to run their winning streak to three straight after a disappointing six game losing streak. The Grizzlies beat Bluffton 64-56 before an impressive 77-69 win on the road against Hanover. Senior guard Courtney Swain (Zionsville, Ind./H.S.) scored 16 points against the Beavers to lead the Franklin attack. Sophomore center Heather Harper (Mooresville, Ind./H.S.) added a 23 point performance in the win over the Panthers. Harper currently leads the conference with 16.7 points per game and also contributes 7.3 rebounds per contest. FC will look to continue their success next Wednesday at home against Rose-Hulman.
Rose-Hulman (7-10, 3-5 HCAC) saw their position in the standings slip a little, as the Engineers dropped two conference tilts. The Engineers fell on the road to Hanover 68-58 and lost at home to Anderson 45-33. Senior guard Jill Floyd (Bloomington, Ill./ Olympia) led the Engineers with 17 points against Hanover. Freshman center Donna Marsh (Mobile, Ala./Baker) scored 12 points against Anderson and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss to Hanover. As a team, Rose leads the conference in scoring defense (53.4 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (33.8%), and blocks (77). RHIT will search for their first road conference win at Bluffton and Franklin this week.
Mount St. Joseph (4-12, 3-5 HCAC) dropped both of their contests this past week, falling to Manchester 56-43 and Transylvania 87-75. The Lions have lost four of their last five games. Senior forward Ashleigh Stallkamp (Paulding, Ohio/H.S.) scored 23 points in the loss to Transy, raising her season average to 14.6 points per game. In the loss to Manchester, the Mount finished 23.3% from the field. MSJ will try for their first conference road win against Anderson Saturday before returning home January 30 against Hanover.
Defiance (6-9, 2-6 HCAC) fell to the top two teams in the conference standings last week, dropping an 84-64 home decision to Anderson and a 67-61 defeat at Manchester. Sophomore forward Mandy White (Ottawa, Ohio/ Ottawa-Glandorf) scored 21 points and added eight rebounds in the loss to Anderson. Senior guard Sarah Bird (Fayette, Ohio/Gorham-Fayette) turned in a team-high 15 points in the loss to Manchester. As a team, Defiance leads the conference in scoring offense (71.7 ppg) and rebounding (44.4 rpg). The Jackets will look to snap a three game losing streak when Hanover comes to town Saturday or on the road against Bluffton next Wednesday.
Bluffton (7-10, 1-7 HCAC) split a pair of games last week with their win coming in a non-conference affair. The Beavers saw their losing streak hit six in a row with a 64-56 loss at Franklin. That streak was ended Wednesday night at home when the Beavers beat Wooster 60-42. Sophomore forward Ginny Buckingham (Bluffton, Ohio/H.S.) scored 18 points in the loss to Franklin and 11 in the win over Wooster. Freshman forward Kim Miller (Delphos, Ohio/ St. John’s) added 12 rebounds in each game to lead Bluffton on the glass. As a team, BU leads the HCAC in steals (9.65 pg) and three-point field-goals made (4.88 pg). Bluffton will entertain Rose-Hulman Saturday afternoon and Defiance January 30.
Women’s Basketball Schedule (Jan. 25 -Jan. 31)
Jan. 26 |
Rose-Hulman at Bluffton |
1:00 PM |
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Hanover at Defiance |
1:00 PM |
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Manchester at Transylvania |
3:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Anderson |
3:00 PM |
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Jan. 28 |
Earlham at Anderson |
7:30 PM |
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Jan. 30 |
Rose-Hulman at Franklin |
7:30 PM |
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Transylvania at Anderson |
7:30 PM |
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Defiance at Bluffton |
7:30 PM |
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Hanover at Mount St. Joseph |
7:30 PM |