MEET THE TEAM | SCHEDULE/RESULTS | NEWS | ALMANAC

Nov. 11, 2008

UNWRAPPING A NEW SEASON - Saint Louis women's basketball opens its 2008-09 campaign Friday, Nov. 14, with a journey to Carbondale, Ill., to face Southern Illinois. Game time at SIU Arena is 7:05 p.m. The Billikens host Western Michigan Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. in their Chaifetz Arena debut.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION - All Billiken home games this season will be video streamed live on the Internet via Billiken All-Access at www.slubillikens.com. Mike Deye and Robert Moehle will handle the play-by-play and analysis. Subscriptions are available for $79.95 annually or $9.95 a month. In addition, all home games and certain road contests, including this Friday's game at Southern Illinois, will be available free of charge on GameTracker at www.slubillikens.com.

TICKET INFORMATION - Tickets for all women's basketball home games can be purchased at the Chaifetz Arena Ticket Office, by phone at (314) 977-4SLU or online at www.slubillikens.com.

LAST TIME OUT - In their lone exhibition game, the Billikens downed Washington (Mo.) University 76-63 at Chaifetz Arena last Friday. Theresa Lisch led all scorers with 18 points and added six rebounds, a game-high five steals and four assists. Katie Paganelli scored 12 points, including 8-of-9 free throws, and tallied a game-high five assists. Lauren Woods scored 11 points, and India Warfield just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds (four offensive) while tying Lisch for game-high honors with five steals. Heather King collected eight rebounds, including six of the Billikens' 25 offensive boards.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - Missouri Valley Conference member SIU welcomes back two starters and two additional letterwinners from last year's team that posted a 10-20 overall record and a 5-13 MVC ledger (ninth place). The Salukis defeated Christian Brothers 77-46 and Lambuth 80-56 in exhibition play. Senior forward Jasmine Gibson, who averaged 14.3 points last season while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, is SIU's top returning scorer. Senior guard Erica Smith also returns after averaging 10.2 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds a year ago. Smith was selected to the 2007-08 MVC All-Defensive team. Head coach Dana Eikenberg is 44-72 in four years at SIU, 82-146 in eight years overall.

THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SERIES - The Salukis lead the series 11-6, including a 6-2 record on their home floor. However, the Billikens have captured the last two meetings, winning 80-73 at SIU in the 2006-07 season and 63-61 at home in the 2005-06 campaign.

SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN - The Broncos, who defeated Davenport 86-66 and Olivet 81-48 in exhibition action, return four starters and six additional letterwinners from last year's 13-19 team that placed third (9-7) in the Mid-American Conference West Division. WMU's top returnee is senior point guard Tiera DeLaHoussaye, who was named first-team All-Conference and MAC Defensive Player of the Year last season. DeLaHoussaye averaged 12.4 points to lead a balanced attack and added 7.8 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 steals. Sophomore forward Ebony Cleary is WMU's leading returning rebounder (6.6 rpg). Similar to Saint Louis, Western Michigan was prolific from the foul line last year, shooting 73.5 percent while averaging almost 19 made free throws and 25 attempts. Tasha McDowell will make her debut as a collegiate head coach in Sunday's contest.

THE WESTERN MICHIGAN SERIES - The Billikens and Broncos are meeting for the first time.

HEAD COACH Shimmy Gray-Miller - The sixth head coach in Saint Louis women's basketball history, Shimmy Gray-Miller brings a 30-57 record into her fourth season at the helm. Gray-Miller is a 1994 University of Michigan graduate.

BILLS IN SEASON OPENERS UNDER GRAY-MILLER - Saint Louis has a 1-2 record in season-opening games coached by Shimmy Gray-Miller. The Billikens lost to Weber State 70-60 in Gray-Miller's debut season, defeated Akron 85-58 two years ago and fell to Hampton 71-57 in overtime last season. Friday's game at Southern Illinois marks the first time SLU will open a season on the road during the Gray-Miller era.

LISCH HONORED BY A-10 - Atlantic 10 Conference head women's basketball coaches and media representatives voted junior guard Theresa Lisch (Belleville, Ill./Althoff) to the 2008-09 preseason All-Conference second team. Lisch was a third-team All-Conference selection last season. The Billikens were tabbed to finish 10th in the upcoming league race.

SIX VETERANS RETURN - Six letterwinners return from last year's team. Leading that group is junior guard Theresa Lisch (Belleville, Ill./Althoff), who averaged a team-high 16.8 points and added 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Junior guard Katie Paganelli (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) was the Bills' second-leading scorer at 12.0 ppg, while junior center Amanda Kemezys (Fairview Heights, Ill./Belleville East), the only Billiken to start every game, averaged 10.6 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds. Sophomore forward Lauren Woods (Swansea, Ill./Belleville East) looks to build on a rookie campaign in which she averaged 5.9 points. Senior forward Heather King (Palos Hills, Ill./Stagg) averaged 4.0 rebounds for the year but a team-best 7.0 rebounds over the last 13 games. Senior forward Jameela Haynes (Miami, Fla./Pace) also is back after chipping in 16 rebounds off the bench.

EIGHT NEWCOMERS LOOK TO CONTRIBUTE - Coach Gray-Miller signed five players last November, then added three more over the next few months. Freshman guard Janisha Gearlds (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) earned All-Conference honors three times and helped guide her team to a Class AA state championship and two runner-up showings. Freshman guard Alisha Goodwin (Swansea, Ill./Althoff), who helped lead her squad to three top-four state finishes, averaged 17.5 points as a senior. Freshman center Kaelin Reid (Cincinnati, Ohio/Taft) averaged 18.9 points and 8.5 rebounds last season and garnered first-team All-District plaudits. Freshman guard/forward Devonna Smith (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) averaged 19.8 points and 10.6 rebounds and made the All-State first team in her final prep campaign while landing in Kirkwood's career top 10 in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Rounding out the quintet of early signees is freshman forward India Warfield (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne), an All-District and All-Conference first team choice last season. Sophomore center Nicole Johnson (Southlake, Texas/Carroll) returns to basketball after competing in track and field at Abilene Christian University, and freshman forward Kayci Will (Neoga, Ill./Neoga) averaged 14.8 points and 11.4 rebounds a year ago. Junior center Kathryn Hester (Conover, N.C./Newton-Conover), who played two seasons at Miami (Fla.), will sit out the season due to NCAA transfer regulations.

CHAIFETZ ARENA - The new Chaifetz (SHAY-fetz) Arena debuts this season. The $81 million arena has a seating capacity of 10,600 and is located on the SLU campus along Laclede Ave. west of Compton Ave. Chaifetz Arena functions as a true multipurpose campus events center, hosting a myriad of SLU events including men's and women's basketball, volleyball, commencement, cultural events, conferences and conventions. The arena houses the department of athletics offices as well as Chaifetz Pavilion, a practice facility for the basketball and volleyball teams. The building is named for Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, who donated a $12 million naming gift to the University. A 1975 SLU graduate, Dr. Chaifetz is chairman and CEO of ComPsych Corp.

LAST SEASON - The Billikens posted a 10-20 overall record and a 5-9 Atlantic 10 Conference ledger. Fourteen of SLU's 30 games were decided by six or fewer points, with the Bills finishing strong by winning four of the last six contests in that category.

Saint Louis Billikens Women's Basketball

Printer-friendly format	Email this article