WOMEN'S BASKETBALL UPDATE
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Action intensifies in
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oracK college sports Review
season's final month
Photo courtesy of GramWing State University
Grambling's Tare ha Ho Ills leads th? nation In rebounding at 14.7 rpg.
Women's basketball has its shares of
thrills and spills, highs and lows. This sea
son is no different as the respective teams
in each league stage a battle royale to
determine who will wear their conferencc
crowns.
Here's a capsulized report on three of
the four black college conferences. Infor
mation on CIAA women's hoops can be
found on page 10 as part of the special
report on the CIAA Tournament.
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Action takes place Feb. 27 -March 2
at TexajSoutftern-ynhi'erslti' in Hous
wr>,:|fe^p|lo^;tikely?:fo play for tourr
ney JI8ev~ Atjolf State, arts! ^rambling!
Darkfibrse pick - Mississippi Valley
State.
MEAC
.^Tournament dates aia Febi 27 :
March 2 at the Norfolk Scope to Nor
folk, Va. Teams most likely to square off
tor thefoampionshlp ~ SoutliieagoNna
State and North Carolina AST. Dark
horse pick -? Coppin State.
SIAC > - ' ? , ; \ . V ^5
- ; To be played Feb. 26 - March $ at
Fort Valley State College In Fort Valley,
namenf finals?. AibanjftState and
Alabama A&M. Darkhorse plck.'
Savannah State. . <:
CIAA
To be ptayad Feb. 18- Feb, 23 at
Richmond, Va, Games on Feb, 18- Feb.
21 to be played at the Arthur Ashe Cen
ter. Serpi-finais and linais on Feb. 22
and 23 will be played at tha Richmond
Coliseum, BJackEntertainment Televi
sion will teiavise the Championship
finals. Picks <0 play In the finals -Nor
folk State and St Augustine's. Dark*
horse pick "Hampton University. For
more on-CIAA women's basketball,
MMM W WSSM Ml
SWAC
Grambling seems poised and pre
pared the claim the top spot as the season
winds down.
The Lady Tigers are led by Tarcha
Hollis (25 ppg) who is also the nation's
top rebounder (14.7 rpg). Hollis, however,
doesn't make up the total package. Kar
man Paul is a solid all-around type (16.8
ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.1 steals) as us Dede
McQuirter (1 1 .6 ppg).
Grambling ranks No. 1 in the SWAC
in won/loss percentage (.667), field goal
percentage (.449), free throw percentage
SS
(.685) and rebounding margin (+ 6.1).
Alcorn Stale is eager to make a
return trip to the conference finals after
suffering a gut- wrenching loss to JSU in
the f90 tournament. The Lady Braves arc
headed by Lisa Powell, who averages 19.9
points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a
game. Tami Varnado is Powell's equal as a
scorer at 19.2 ppg, but she is also a crafty
defender (4.4 steals a game is No. 2
nationally). Tonya Peters and Sherlanda
Lewis provide floor balance and rebound
ing for Alcorn;
Mississippi Valley State gets most of
its points from Donna McGary (14.3 ppg),
Sandra Scott (14.3 ppg) and-Bcrnita
Alexander (10.6 ppg). But if the Lady
Delta Devils arc to challenge in the tour
nament, ..they' 11 have to improve their
defense or shift their offensive game to a
higher gear. ^
Texas Southern's forte is defense.
The Lady Tigers arc SWAC's second
ranked in scoring defense (67.6 ppg).
Offensively, they've been successful with
the three-pointers, hitting an average of
3.7 a game.
?^-Valerie Yates (16 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and
Stephanie Brown (13.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.3 <
steals) arc the prime forces. Tangela
McCullum, Patricia Crowcll and Jennifer
Henry comprise a strong supporting cast.
If defense was the only element need
ed to win consistently, Jackson State's
Lady Tigers would rule with an iron paw.
JSU is SWAC's best in scoring defense
(60.3 ppg) and field goal defense (36.9
percent). But when it comes to offense,
things tend to evaporate. The team's 59.7
? ppg is lasnn the league. Michelle Houston
(12.8 ppg) and Carla Lucas (40.5 ppg) arc
the leading scorers.
Alabama Stale is the home of the
nation's leading points producer in Lisa
McMullen at 30.9 ppg. McMullcn is also
No. 1 in three-point goals made per game
(4.8) and sixth in steals (4.3 a game).
As a team, the Lady Hornets arc posi
tioned at the top of the Division 1 charts in
three -point goalie madfc per game at 6.7.
However; the Lady Hornets haven't been
as successful in other facets of the game.
They are last in SWAC in field goal per-. *
centage defense (.456) and next to last in
scoring defense (86.7 ppg). ' v
Southern University had not won a
conference game at BCSR presstime. The
Lady Jaguars aren't getting enough .
offense (61.5 ppg) and the defense has
been overly generous (80 ppg). But that
hasn't kept Thelma Wilhite from putting
up some very decent numbers ? 15.1
ppg, 7.9 rpg, 4.9 apg, and 2.3 steals per
contest. Elanese Bolton is also productive
with 12.4 points and 7.1 rebounds a game.
Prairie View isn't eligible to compete
Please see page 11