Lady Cagers to Face St. Francis

After opening its season at the Indiana Classic this past weekend, the women's basketball team continues its non-conference slate tonight against Saint Francis at 7 p.m. in Loretto, Penn. The Red (0-2) dropped contests to Indiana and Indiana St. over the weekend, while the Red Flash (1-1) lost to North Carolina-Chapel Hill and rebounded to beat North Carolina-Greensboro.

The cagers were outpaced by Indiana in the first half of the tourney opener, but put forth a strong effort in the second. Senior Tanya Karcic racked up a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Against Indiana State, the Red got off to a better start, but the Sycamores went on a 15-1 scoring run to go into the break ahead.

"They didn't give up and they played with a lot of pride. We knew coming in here that there were a lot of talented teams, and we just want to learn from what our experiences were and take some good and bad," said head coach Dayna Smith of the team's effort at the Indiana Classic.

In its season opener against No. 13 UNC, Saint Francis put up only 44 points, but responded with an 80-point effort against North Carolina-Greensboro. Junior center Beth Swink, a first-team 2002-03 Northeast Conference selection, is averaging 21 points per game, along with 10.5 rebounds. The Red Flash return two other starters in NEC Defensive Player of the Year Tonjee Ward and Karen Hewitt.

"Saint Francis won their conference last year, they're an NCAA tournament team year after year, and they're very experienced. They have a new coach and a new offensive system, so we're not quite sure what that's going to present for us," remarked Smith. "Going into [last] weekend, we knew we were playing bigger, stronger teams, and we needed to step up the level of play. It's a different tempo of play, and I hope we can duplicate that when we go play Saint Francis."

NEC Coach of the Year Myndi Hill left Saint Francis in the offseason to take the head coaching position at Manhattan. New head coach Jill Poe takes over the program after serving as an assistant coach at Duquesne for seven seasons.

Still, Smith is confident in her team.

"We played a Big 10 team that really gets up and down the court, and was aggressive and strong, and if we can play the way we did in the second half against Indiana, if we play that way against St. Francis, we have a good chance of knocking off a good team," said Smith.

W. Cagers Drop Pair in Indiana

The women's basketball team faced its first Big 10 opponent in program history this weekend, dropping a tough contest to Indiana, 75-41, in the opening game of the Indiana Classic on Saturday. The Red (0-2) then fell in the consolation game yesterday to Indiana State, 89-58. Senior Tanya Karcic put forth two solid efforts on the weekend and was named to the All-Tournament Team.

On Saturday, Indiana exploded after scoring only seven points in the first six minutes, going on a 29-2 run. The Red put up only nine points in the first half, with Karcic putting up five.

"[Indiana was] pretty much over aggressive with their defense and pretty much brought us out of our offense. On the offensive end, they went on a scoring spurt where they couldn't miss a basket," said Cornell head coach Dayna Smith.

The Red changed its offensive strategy in the second half and went on a run of its own late in the game after the Hoosiers stretched their lead to 41.

"We changed up our offense a little bit, we went to more of a motion offense. We tried to create some different things because their screen defense was so good," remarked Smith. "We got some things going in the offensive end, got some emotion and energy generated, and really started playing better defense."

With the cagers' 21-12 run over the last eight minutes of the game, Indiana only outscored the Red by three in the second half. Karcic put up a double-double, with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and was 2-for-3 from behind the arc.

"On the stat sheet, you could tell she scored some points, but I was more impressed and happy with her defensive effort. She did a great job against their tall forwards. She moved her feet well, and got some good rebounds for us," said Smith.

Senior tri-captain Karen Force chipped in seven points and four rebounds. After shooting only 13.3 percent in the first, the Red shot nearly 50 percent from the floor in the second half.

The Red jumped out to a 5-0 lead against Indiana State yesterday, but the Sycamores responded with a 15-1 tear midway through the half. Senior tri-captain Lauren Kilduff led all players in scoring at the break with 10 points, but the Red found itself down by 15 going into the intermission.

"We were playing well for the first eight, nine minutes, battling right with them. We had the lead a little bit and we were breaking their press pretty well. Indiana State just turned it up a notch, and we just didn't respond," said Smith.

Indiana State extended its lead to 30 eight minutes into the half and shot 50 percent from the field. Senior tri-captain Katie Romey was a bright spot for the Red, as she scored 11 of her 18 points in the second half. She was one of three Cornell players who reached double-digit scoring.

"I thought Katie and Lauren had much better games [against Indiana State]. They looked for things, they penetrated to the hoop. Indiana State played a zone the entire game, so they took a lot of nice, open shots. They set it up before they caught the pass, and they knocked them down, and anytime they do that, they're going to be good shooters," lauded Smith.

Karcic racked up another double-double, with 10 points and 16 rebounds, along with seven assists. Force had a tough night, as she was 0-for-6 from the field, but connected on both of her free throw attempts. She only played 22 minutes, despite feeling the affects of her injury in the offseason.

"She's a tough kid, and she played through a lot of pain, and that's something we're going to have to learn to manage," said Smith. "She's still our leader on the court. The offense just wasn't there for her, but hopefully it will change down the road."

The Red will travel to Loretto, Penn. tomorrow to face St. Francis, and will open its home season against Bucknell on Dec. 5.

W. Bball Opens at Indiana Tournament

The women's basketball travels to one of college basketball's most famous gyms this weekend, as it opens its season at the Indiana Classic against host Indiana at Assembly Hall tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Red faces its first Big 10 opponent in program history in the Hoosiers, and will play either North Texas or Indiana State on Sunday.

"Playing at Assembly Hall, where Bobby Knight coached, I think there's a lot of excitement for our players right now, and going out to the Midwest, it's a different brand of basketball," said head coach Dayna Smith. "They get a packed house, so the environment is going to be something that our players haven't seen too much of and it's big-time college basketball for women's college basketball. We're looking forward to enjoying the trip and see what we can learn about ourselves."

The Red is coming off a 10-17, 4-10 Ivy season, the first with Smith at the helm. The team graduated two forwards from last year's squad, in Lynell Davis '03 and Ify Ossai '03, but returns its entire backcourt. The trio of senior captains Karen Force, Lauren Kilduff, and Katie Romey leads an experienced and talented group of players. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Force, who is from nearby Columbus, Ind. While all three captains will be starting at guard, the Red will look to seniors Dani Aretino and Tanya Karcic to start at forward.

"We haven't really focused in on a true starting lineup, we have a staring six or seven rotation, we have a few injuries that we're trying to manage right now, so we're going to have to see who's healthy and who can go, and we'll be flexible in what we need to do," said Smith.

Last season, Force became the first junior in program history to be named to the All-Ivy first team. She was fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. Kilduff and Romey started in half of the team's games last season, while Aretino started in 19 contests. Karcic's playing time was limited last season due to injury, but she comes into the season fully healthy and ready to contribute.

Indiana's head coach, Kathi Bennett, served as an assistant coach for the silver-medal winning USA Pan American Games team this summer. She and the Hoosiers look to return to the NCAA tournament, as it swept through the 2002 Big 10 tournament en route to winning its first ever Big 10 title and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Last season, the Hoosiers fell to Penn State in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Indiana will be without its only senior, Jamie Gathing, who is out for the entire season due to injury. The Hoosiers are the fourth-youngest team in the nation, and could start two freshmen against the Red.

"We know Indiana is a Big 10 team, they have a lot of size, they can get up and down the court, and they're going to be more physical than us just from a beginning standpoint, but we're going into this season we're excited to get going, to play against somebody else other than our own teammates," said Smith.

Indiana State made it the National Invitational Tournament last season, falling to Ball State in the first round. The Sycamores return seven letterwinners from last year's squad, which claimed a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title.

North Texas advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament, before falling to Western Kentucky. The Lady Eagles are led by Sun Belt Player of the Year candidate Kim Blanton, who led the team in scoring and offensive rebounds a season ago.

The Indiana Classic is the beginning of a tough stretch of non-conference games for the Red.

"These games coming up are going to be a great test for us, the most important thing is that we have toughened up our schedule, and we did that for a purpose. We need to learn from these teams, we need to learn to play at a high level, to get up for games, and I think in the end, when we face our Ivy League opponents, we're going to be much more prepared this season," said Smith.

The Red will travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to face St. Francis. The team will play its home opener on Dec. 5 at the Cornell Classic against Bucknell.

The women's basketball travels to one of college basketball's most famous gyms this weekend, as it opens its season at the Indiana Classic against host Indiana at Assembly Hall tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Red faces its first Big 10 opponent in program history in the Hoosiers, and will play either North Texas or Indiana State on Sunday.


"Playing at Assembly Hall, where Bobby Knight coached, I think there's a lot of excitement for our players right now, and going out to the Midwest, it's a different brand of basketball," said head coach Dayna Smith. "They get a packed house, so the environment is going to be something that our players haven't seen too much of and it's big-time college basketball for women's college basketball. We're looking forward to enjoying the trip and see what we can learn about ourselves."


The Red is coming off a 10-17, 4-10 Ivy season, the first with Smith at the helm. The team graduated two forwards from last year's squad, in Lynell Davis '03 and Ify Ossai '03, but returns its entire backcourt. The trio of senior captains Karen Force, Lauren Kilduff, and Katie Romey leads an experienced and talented group of players. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Force, who is from nearby Columbus, Ind. While all three captains will be starting at guard, the Red will look to seniors Dani Aretino and Tanya Karcic to start at forward.


"We haven't really focused in on a true starting lineup, we have a staring six or seven rotation, we have a few injuries that we're trying to manage right now, so we're going to have to see who's healthy and who can go, and we'll be flexible in what we need to do," said Smith.


Last season, Force became the first junior in program history to be named to the All-Ivy first team. She was fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. Kilduff and Romey started in half of the team's games last season, while Aretino started in 19 contests. Karcic's playing time was limited last season due to injury, but she comes into the season fully healthy and ready to contribute.


Indiana's head coach, Kathi Bennett, served as an assistant coach for the silver-medal winning USA Pan American Games team this summer. She and the Hoosiers look to return to the NCAA tournament, as it swept through the 2002 Big 10 tournament en route to winning its first ever Big 10 title and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Last season, the Hoosiers fell to Penn State in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.


Indiana will be without its only senior, Jamie Gathing, who is out for the entire season due to injury. The Hoosiers are the fourth-youngest team in the nation, and could start two freshmen against the Red.


"We know Indiana is a Big 10 team, they have a lot of size, they can get up and down the court, and they're going to be more physical than us just from a beginning standpoint, but we're going into this season we're excited to get going, to play against somebody else other than our own teammates," said Smith.


Indiana State made it the National Invitational Tournament last season, falling to Ball State in the first round. The Sycamores return seven letterwinners from last year's squad, which claimed a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title.


North Texas advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament, before falling to Western Kentucky. The Lady Eagles are led by Sun Belt Player of the Year candidate Kim Blanton, who led the team in scoring and offensive rebounds a season ago.


The Indiana Classic is the beginning of a tough stretch of non-conference games for the Red.


"These games coming up are going to be a great test for us, the most important thing is that we have toughened up our schedule, and we did that for a purpose. We need to learn from these teams, we need to learn to play at a high level, to get up for games, and I think in the end, when we face our Ivy League opponents, we're going to be much more prepared this season," said Smith.


The Red will travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to face St. Francis. The team will play its home opener on Dec. 5 at the Cornell Classic against Bucknell. - See more at: http://www.cornellsun.com/node/10491#sthash.lvGrHR0W.dpuf

A Force to Be Reckoned With

Most players have a superstition, a quirky ritual that has developed over the years. Senior Karen Force is no exception. The three-time captain is out on the court long before other players, honing her skills and soothing her nerves. It's this combination of superstition, leadership, and hard work that have made Force the player she is today.

Force is undoubtedly a leader on the stat sheet. She led the team in points, assists, 3-pointers, and steals last season. But she has also developed into a vocal leader on the court as well, and that will be essential to the team's success.

"I like to play the point because the ball's in your hands, and you see everything, and it gives you the opportunity to be a leader," said Force. "You call the plays, you've got a lot of thought processes going on all the time, you need to see things from other people's positions all the time, and being in that kind of position, and being able to so many things at the same time is awesome."

Playing the point puts Force in control of the offense, and she is also one of the best shooters on the team. Her impact doesn't stop at the perimeter. If you glance at last season's stats, there is one that jumps out at you -- free throw attempts. Force reached the line almost 100 times more than her closest teammate.

"I think our offensive set this year allows more penetration from my position, and that just develops into me getting fouled more often in shooting situations. I think I was just more aggressive this past season," remarked Force.

Driving to the inside is one of the things Force likes best when she's up on offense, and she will be able to do that frequently this season.

"I really like to penetrate, it's a lot of fun, whether you penetrate full up, penetrate all the way for a lay-up or a dish, I get juiced from stuff like that."

With the new coaching staff coming in last season, Force had to learn new offensive sets in addition to filling the void in the backcourt left by Breean Walas '02 and Do Stevens '02. She did so in remarkable fashion, becoming the first junior in Cornell history to be named to the All-Ivy first team. Force was the league's fifth-leading scorer, with 15.1 points per game, including 17.9 ppg in conference games.

In Smith, Force has a mentor who knows her position better than anyone, as Smith was one of the best point guards in the country in during her college career. Because of this, Smith is tough on the point guards, but that has helped Force improve her game a lot.

"Being point guard to point guard, it helps me a lot because she's gone through a lot herself, so she can help me learn from what she learned," said Force.

Force had the added challenge of recovering from knee surgery over the summer. Despite this, she comes into the season fully ready to lead the team to further success this year.

"There's still ways you can improve, whether it be in the weight room or stand-still things on the court, but I've done everything I can to improve," said Force.

With the start of the season approaching, Force is looking forward to seeing the hard work the team has put in pay off on the court.

"How many wins you want, the championship, you have to build to that, and I think we've got the mindset and the passion to do that. Day by day, we'll get there, and I'd love to see that progression. That would be awesome."

Guarding the Ivies

One will be hard pressed to find a more dangerous big three in the league this season than Cornell's own. Yet seniors 5-9 Karen Force, 5-10 Lauren Kilduff, and 6-1 Katie Romey aren't called that for their size -- it's for their scoring presence.

"I think the three of them will be a real scoring trio that needs to be reckoned with on the defensive end. I think teams are really going to have to key in on them because they're very versatile, and they can score from all different ways," said head coach Dayna Smith.

Despite learning a new system from scratch last year, Cornell's guards showed great promise and improvement. The guards have easily built themselves into the deepest position on the team, and are now past the transition period.

"It was an adjustment, like any coaching change is an adjustment, but we all came in with positive attitudes ready to learn. That's what we needed to do, and I think we came in with the proper mindset to do that and it's paid off. I think we've done a good job, and we've adjusted well," said Force.

Serving in her third season as captain, Force became the first junior in program history to be named to the All-Ivy first team last season, when she led the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game. She will the play the point again this season, and -- under Smith's offense -- will be able to drive inside frequently.

At 6-1, Romey provides size at guard and has developed into a scoring threat. After taking her sophomore season off, Romey came back strongly last season, registering 7.6 ppg, and ranking second on the team in assists, 3-pointers, and blocks.

"I think this year we're able to read the defense a little better. Last year, I think we were stuck in some of the plays. I think already we're starting to read things, and get a lot more options out of things," said Romey. "I think it's just after a year of experiences under our new coaches, and running these plays. We already knew them coming into this year, so we're a lot more used to them this year."

The third senior captain, Kilduff, worked her way into the starting lineup midway through last season. Her rebounding ability has been key at both ends of the floor. She led the guards last season with 4.8 rebounds per game.

While the team lost some size, the Red's speed and intensity more than make up for it.

"We look to run a lot, we're going to look to run the ball up the court as much as possible, and out of that we look for a lot of basics, pick and roll, back-door, just really moving the ball, and being crisp," remarked Kilduff.

Providing depth off the bench will be junior Lindsey Dean. A local product of Lansing, N.Y., Dean came off the bench in 13 games last season. The trio of sophomores -- Hillary Seidel, Sarah Brown, and Brittani Rettig -- all saw playing time as freshmen, with Seidel appearing in all but one game. Two freshmen round out the backcourt. Claire Perry went down with an injury, but Katherine Stritzl looks to settle in at point guard.

As one of the top point guards in the country during her playing days at Rhode Island, Smith brings valuable experience to the guard position.

"I'm tough on them, especially the point guards. Hopefully, they know I've kind of been through it in that position, and I think that they trust me. Being a player that has competed in that situation, you kind of understand what they're going through and just try to translate that out on the court," said Smith.

PTI - Cornell Style

I'm sure most of you have seen ESPN's gem of a show, "Pardon the Interruption," weekdays at 5:30 p.m. Basically, the show consists of Washington Post sports columnists Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser arguing about the day's sporting event, with each topic getting about a minute of discussion. What would the show be like if they talked Cornell sports?

MW: Pardon the Interruption, by I'm Mike Wilbon. Hey Tony, did you catch the Cornell men's hockey game on TV on Friday or were you already asleep?

TK: I'm Tony Kornheiser, and you'll be very surprised to hear that I stayed up to catch the game, although I fell asleep during the second intermission.

MW: Wow, I'm impressed.

TK: Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, Wilbon and I yack about Cornell sports. You may have noticed the Cornell football helmet that adorns the set behind us.

MW: Tony, the men's hockey team put up only four goals on the weekend after scoring seven last weekend against Princeton alone. What's going on with their offense?

TK: Let me tell you something, Friday's broadcast of the game against Clarkson was one of the worst I have ever heard. Let's see, the color guy was a Clarkson alum, and both of the dopes kept pronouncing the players' names wrong. Ryan Veshee? Greg Hornsby? Take a minute and get it right! It's not that difficult. But listen, you don't just go up to the North Country and expect to blow out Clarkson and St. Lawrence. That's a tough road trip.

MW: Speaking of tough road trips, the Princeton Tigers went into the Bright Hockey Center for the second year in the row and took down the Harvard Crimson. You'd think the Crimson would learned to take the Tigers seriously after being embarrassed last year at home.

TK: When I saw the 2-0 score in favor of Harvard, I thought, "That game is over." Then, out of nowhere, Princeton scores four unanswered goals to come away with the win. I bet your boy Mark Mazzoleni is feeling really stupid now. This was a trap game if I ever saw one.

MW: Moving back to Cornell, the women's volleyball team capped off one of the most successful seasons in program history with a weekend sweep of Yale and Brown, and compiled a 21-4 record with an 11-3 record in the Ivy League. Hey Tony, you ever watch a volleyball game?

TK: As a matter of fact, I caught the Red's tilt against Penn last week, and let me tell you, it was one hell of a match. This team is exciting to watch, and I also loved the rowdy members of the track team heckling the Penn players.

MW: It's Role Play time. Tony, you are Ken Dryden '69, former Cornell and Montreal Canadiens goalie. You led Cornell to the only undefeated, untied season in college hockey history, but you didn't make the short trip down to Buffalo to catch the Red play in its first Frozen Four in 33 years. What were you doing?

TK: Well look, I've been very busy trying to help the Leafs win their first cup since 1967. We have the second-longest Cup drought behind the Blackhawks. But I'll tell you what, I was very impressed with the team's run last season to the Frozen Four. And it will please you to know that we signed Cornell's own Joe Nieuwendyk '88 in the offseason.

TK: Next one up, Wilbon, you are the Section A student who during the first hockey game against Western Michigan lobbed a soda bottle at the opposing coach as he was leaving the ice. What do you have to say in defense of your outrageous behavior?

MW: Well Tony, I was very upset that the team came away with a tie. I can't think straight when the team doesn't win, so I kind of just threw my soda at the opposing coach, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Fortunately the ref didn't catch me, so maybe I can throw some fish at Mazzoleni in two weeks.

MW: Last one Tony, you are President Lehman '77. You helped participate in the $10,000 Field Goal Challenge this past weekend at the football game against Columbia. What are your thoughts on the event?

TK: Hey I'm just glad I didn't get kicked in the head. Seriously though, there's no way anyone is going to make that kick. At least with a half-court shot at a basketball game, there's a small chance it could go in, but a 45-yard field goal with the wind blowing against you? They might as well have dumped the $700 they spent into the stands. That would have been worth watching!

MW: It's time to find out what we messed up, Stat Boy...

SB: Well Wilbon, contrary to popular belief, Dryden was not a member of the 1970 undefeated, untied team. He led the Red to its first national title in 1967 but had already graduated when Brian Cropper backstopped the '70 squad to its perfect season.

TK: We're running out of show, let's go to the big finish! This Saturday, the men's hockey team faces off against THE Ohio State University. Who do you like, Wilbon?

MW: Tony, the Buckeyes lost Ryan Kesler and R.J. Umberger, and the Red is looking for revenge for its 1-0 loss to Ohio State at the Everblades last season, so I'm taking the Red, and I'm also picking Michigan to take down the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor beforehand.

TK: Well, that's all the time we have for today. We'll try to do better next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

MW: And I'm Mike Wilbon, we'll be back next Monday, as we're being preempted by more golf.

TK: I hate when they do that. Who wants to watch golf over our show?

MW: You've got quite the ego there, Tony.

Morgan '60 Endows Position

As Cornell's Campaign for Athletics enters the home stretch, the women's basketball team is the latest recipient of alumni generosity, as Becky Morgan '60 recently endowed the team's head coaching position. With Morgan's donation, the team becomes the fifth women's team at Cornell to have its head coaching position endowed.

"The endowment really just goes to show that we have great supporters out there, that believe in Cornell athletics and our women's basketball program," said Dayna Smith, Becky Morgan '60 head coach of women's basketball. "Becky came and spoke with the players, and really just showed her genuine interest and support for the team."

Morgan served as a California state senator from 1984 to 1993, and was the first CEO of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. She is currently a member of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's transition team and is also a member of Cornell's Board of Trustees.

"I think it makes our players feel respected and makes them feel that somewhere out there believes in what they're doing, and I think it's a just a huge honor for me and for our program to have something like that given by such a remarkable person," said Smith.

In addition to her support of women's basketball, Morgan and her husband Jim Morgan '63, have contributed to other areas of the University, including endowing the dean of the College of Human Ecology.

During Morgan's recent visit to campus, the players had an opportunity to talk with her during practice.

"She came and spoke about what she does today and how Cornell helped her get where she is and why she made the donation and how athletics in general helped her as a woman in the business world and I think the players saw first hand what their experience here at Cornell is going to open up for them in the future, so I think they enjoyed meeting her and I know they appreciate the gift, and hope to really establish a good relationship with her in the future," said Smith.

The Campaign

The Cornell Campaign for Athletics is a $100 million fundraising undertaking. Already more than $58 million has been raised, and 17 head coaching positions have been endowed.

A new rowing center and renovations to Helen Newman and Schoellkopf Halls are also part of the campaign.

he women's basketball team begins its 2003-04 season this Saturday at the Indiana Classic, where it will face off against its first Big 10 opponent in program history in host Indiana, and will play either Indiana State or North Texas on Sunday.