2008 Woodie Awards
Women's basketball team aims to capture Kangaroos
Keith MacPherson
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: SPORTS
|
NT fell short in Monday's game against the Marshall University Thundering Herd, so this game against UMKC couldn't come at a better time, head coach Shanice Stephens said.
"We've got to get to practicing and get the fundamentals down straight," she said. "We have to get everybody to know their role on the team and how it fits into our system."
Sophomore forward Brittani Bailey and senior guard Yari Escalera will likely have to sit out against UMKC because of temporary suspensions for breaking team rules before leaving to Marshall on Monday. However, Stephens would not comment on the details of the incident.
"At this point, they are still suspended," Stephens said. "They still have to finish out some other obligations to be able to get back on the court."
The Kangaroos head into the game with a 1-0 record, fresh off a 77-45 loss to the Iowa State University Cyclones.
NT and UMKC have met twice in the past, and NT holds a 2-0 all-time series record.
If the Mean Green wants to leave Kansas City with a win, they will need to slow down UMKC's junior forward Chazny Morris, who averaged 17.6 points last season and was named to the Preseason First Team All-Summit Conference.
"We are going to have to be more physical," Stephens said. "I feel like we are really finesse right now, and we are going to work to be more aggressive."
NT's lead scorer going into the game is senior guard Tricia Lee, who put up 21 in the Mean Green's outing against Marshall.
The game against UMKC will be Stephens' second game as head coach, and senior forward Amber Jackson said she believes the team is starting to adapt to the new system Stephens has brought in.
"We are getting more comfortable with it every practice," Jackson said. "We just need to understand it more so we can put it out on the court."
The Mean Green will have a chance to showcase that new system when they take on the Kangaroos Saturday.
"If we play as hard as we have been working in practice, we'll do good," Jackson said. "If we just show what we have done in practice, we'll be fine this weekend."
Be the first to comment on this story