TOURNEY TIME: Seattle University welcomes Eastern Michigan, Saint Francis (Pa.), and Saint Louis for the Washington Dental Service Holiday Hoops Tournament this Thursday and Friday at KeyArena. Saint Louis and Eastern Michigan will play the first game Thursday at 1 p.m., followed by the contest between Saint Francis and Seattle U. The third place game will kick off Friday's doubleheader at 1 p.m., with the championship game scheduled for 3:15 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
Seattle University
- G: #1 Sylvia Shephard - 5-10 - So. - 4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 spg
- G: #5 Elle Kerfoot - 5-7 - Sr. - 9.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.3 apg
- G: #11 Talisa Rhea - 5-11 - Sr. - 13.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.6 apg
- F: #14 Ashley Ward - 5-11 - So. - 10.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 87.8% FT
- C: #41 Kacie Sowell - 6-2 - So. - 13.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 62.1% FG
LAST TIME OUT: Seattle University stayed competitive throughout the night, but could not overcome its early deficit as the UALR Trojans held on for a 72-63 victory last Wednesday, Dec. 21, at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark. Kacie Sowell shot 7-of-8 from the field and made both her free throw attempts as she led the Redhawks with 16 points, while Talisa Rhea finished with 13 points and five assists. Despite shooting 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the field and doubling the Trojans' rebounding total (42-21), Seattle U hurt itself with 21 turnovers while forcing UALR into only nine turnovers.
JESUIT HONOR ROLL: The Jesuit Basketball Spotlight listed senior Talisa Rhea on its Jesuit Honor Roll for the week of Dec. 12, 2011, after Rhea helped the Redhawks defeat fellow Jesuit school Santa Clara. In the games against the Broncos and the Saint Mary's Gaels, Rhea averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game and hit 6-of-14 from behind the three-point line.
SCOUTING SAINT FRANCIS: The Red Flash come into the tournament with a 5-5 overall record after a 69-67 victory at Coppin State on Dec. 21. Saint Francis has won 11 Northeast Conference Tournament titles, including back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011 to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Red Flash have scored 64.1 points per game and given up 70.6 points per contest, but that includes substantial losses to Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Saint Joseph's. As a team, Saint Francis is shooting 35.9 percent from the field, including 30.3 percent from behind the three-point line, and 66.8 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore Alli Williams has emerged as the team's best player so far this season, averaging 17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game, plus she is shooting 48.9 percent from the field. Nickia Gibbs is contributing 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Sarah Thorn is dishing out a team-high 3.7 assists per game. This will be the first meeting all-time between Seattle U and Saint Francis.
SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles come into the weekend with a 6-4 record that could easily be 9-1 after they suffered their third overtime loss in the past four games Dec. 20 at Detroit, 70-69. Eastern Michigan also lost in overtime to Michigan State (60-59) and defeated Michigan (77-64). The Eagles are scoring 70.1 points per game and giving up 59.2 points per contest. As a team, Eastern Michigan is shooting 40.6 percent from the field, including 27.4 percent from behind the three-point line, and 67.1 percent from the free throw line. Tavelyn James is the player to watch for the Eagles, averaging 23.5 points per game, seventh in the country in scoring average. Natachia Watkins is averaging 11.0 points per game, while Olivia Fouty (9.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Paige Redditt (9.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg), and Desyree Thomas (7.7 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.9 spg) have also contributed to the team's success.
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens enter the tournament with a 4-8 record after suffering back-to-back close losses at home to Drake (62-60) and UMKC (70-67) before the Christmas break. Saint Louis is scoring 60.3 points per game and giving up 61.2 points per contest. As a team, the Billikens are shooting 35.5 percent from the field, including 24.1 percent from behind the three-point line, and 64.4 percent from the free throw line. Courtney Webb leads the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game, while Lorreal Jones is contributing 8.7 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game. Janisha Geralds, the only player to start all 12 games for the Billikens this season, leads the way with 3.8 assists per game.