Oakland dismisses its top seed - Tulsa World (3-3-2007)

[ORUTerry]

Oakland dismisses its top seed

By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer

3/3/2007

Story Link

The defending Mid-Con champs play eighth-seed Centenary at noon.

Oakland will look to defend its 2006 Mid-Continent Conference Tournament title when action opens Saturday at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center.

Unlike a year ago, the Golden Grizzlies enter as the top seed in 2006-07.

They were a sixth seed last year and cruised under the radar in the tournament.

But being the No. 1 seed doesn't offer any guarantees.

In fact, the top seed has won the conference tournament five times in the 14-year history of the league. But the top seed hasn't won the tournament since the 1997-98 season when then Mid-Con member Youngstown State defeated Valparaiso 78-69.

The last time the Grizzlies earned the top seed was 2000-01, and they lost to Oral Roberts 61-46 in the championship.

Oakland coach Beckie Francis knows the history and chooses to ignore her team's top seed status.

"We're going into the tournament thinking we're the sixth seed," Francis said upon arriving in Tulsa on Friday. "We were the sixth seed coming into the season so we don't look at it as a bull's eye on our back."

With a talented squad returning, Francis was taken aback by the preseason ranking.

"I was a little baffled, but it played in our favor," she said.

The Golden Eagles were the preseason favorites to win the conference, but injuries took a toll at the start of league play.

Oral Roberts turned up its intensity the last three weeks. The result was winning five of its final six games.

"Our schedule is a little deceiving," Oral Roberts coach Jerry Finkbeiner said. "We had four games where the game came down to the final possession. We were 0-for-4 from 3-point range in the final seconds in all those games.

"That's the difference in our conference record (8-6) and us being tied with Oakland (12-2) for the first seed. But what could have been and what is, is the difference."

Valparaiso is another team capable of getting on the run and reaching the finals.

The Crusaders haven't been to the finals since 2003-04 when they defeated ORU 64-63 in the championship game.

But they open tournament action on a five-game win streak and have won 10 of their last 12 games.

"They're always a tough team," Finkbeiner said. "I think the first three seeds are pretty solid. But as we have seen before, anything can happen in a three-day tournament."

Francis said she and her Oakland squad are just happy to be in Tulsa.

"Seeds don't really mean anything," Francis said. "Every team has to come in and play three good games. Right now, all we are concerned about is winning the first one."

Oakland opens with eighth-seed Centenary at noon Saturday, a team that won just one conference game.

Valparaiso faces seventh-seed Southern Utah, the only team to lose to Centenary. Those two teams will play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Fourth-seed IUPUI and fifth-seed Western Illinois open play Sunday at noon followed by third-seed Oral Roberts and sixth-seed UMKC at 2:30 p.m.

Lynn Jacobsen 581-8461

lynn.jacobsen@tulsaworld.com

WOMEN?S STATISTICS

SCORING OFFENSE

W-L Pts Avg/G

1. Oral Roberts 19-10 1,999 68.9

2. Oakland 17-11 1,846 65.9

3. Valparaiso 19-10 1,788 61.7

4. IUPUI 13-15 1,629 58.2

5. Centenary 5-24 1,644 56.7

6. UMKC 10-19 1,639 56.5

7. Western Illinois 10-18 1,524 54.4

8. Southern Utah 9-19 1,438 51.4

SCORING DEFENSE

Pts Avg/G

1. Western Illinois 1,589 56.8

2. Oral Roberts 1,682 58.0

3. Oakland 1,638 58.5

4. Valparaiso 1,708 58.9

5. Southern Utah 1,677 59.9

6. IUPUI 1,691 60.4

7. UMKC 1,791 61.8

8. Centenary 2,051 70.7

SCORING

G Pts Avg/G

1. Elisha Turek, ORU 29 515 17.8

2. Nicole Piggott, Oakland 28 400 14.3

3. Jernisha Cann, IUPUI 28 381 13.6

4. Jessica Pike, Oakland 28 374 13.4

5. Betsy Rietema, Valpo 29 387 13.3

6. Alysa Klein, UMKC 29 352 12.1

7. Holli Wilkins, Centenary 27 304 11.3

8. Tanika Mays, IUPUI 26 284 10.9

9. Cierra Bush, Centenary 29 316 10.9

10-t. Jelena Aleksic, Centenary 28 286 10.2

10-t. Alicia Booyer, IUPUI 28 286 10.2

12. Anne Westwood, S. Utah 28 272 9.7

13. Tamra Braun, Valpo 29 279 9.6

14. Stephanie Brown, UMKC 29 274 9.4

15. Amanda Walker, WIU 28 260 9.3

REBOUNDING

Games Off Def Total Avg

1. Elisha Turek, ORU 29 115 185 300 10.3

2. Jernisha Cann, IUPUI 28 99 179 278 9.9

3. Tamra Braun, Valpo 29 81 167 248 8.6

4. Stephanie Lovingood,WIU 28 84 119 203 7.3

5. Stephanie Brown, UMKC 29 71 129 200 6.9

6. Alysa Klein, UMKC 29 47 151 198 6.8

7. Betsy Rietema, Valpo 29 52 144 196 6.8

8. Anne Westwood, S.Utah 28 62 124 186 6.6

9. Cierra Bush, Centenary 29 52 124 176 6.1

10. Tanika Mays, IUPUI 26 45 109 154 5.9

11. Nicole Piggott, Oakland 28 38 116 154 5.5

12. Julie Stradling, S. Utah 25 26 108 134 5.4

13. Sara Judice, Centenary 26 43 94 137 5.3

14. Bonnie Baker, Oakland 28 39 97 136 4.9

15. Alicia Booyer, IUPUI 28 54 75 129 4.6