RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky’s women’s basketball team will open its 2007-08 season on Saturday when West Virginia Tech visits McBrayer Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Lady Colonels welcome back three starters and a total of eight letter winners to this season’s team. West Virginia Tech enters Saturday’s game with a 2-3 record.
Eastern had four players reach double-digits in scoring and the team totaled 84 points in its exhibition win over Showtime Basketball on Nov. 7. Crystal Jones led the way with 17 points and Shavonne Jones recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Niki Avery scored 14 points as well as handing out six assists. Newcomer Ilona Muszak came off the bench to chip in 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
West Virginia Tech has four starters returning from last season’s team that went 24-9, won the Mid-South Conference Tournament and advanced to the NAIA national tournament. After opening the 2007-08 season with a pair of wins over Edward Waters and Johnson & Wales, the Golden Bears have lost three straight to West Virginia State, Lambuth University and Union University. West Virginia Tech gave up 98 points to Lambuth and 100 points to Union.
The Golden Bears have been lead by 6-foot-2 forward Shy Wright. The senior has connected on 60.4 percent of her shots from the field and is averaging 17.3 points per game. Guard Shantrelle Matthews has averaged 13.2 points while shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
The Lady Colonels, just two years removed from an OVC title and an NCAA tournament appearance, are nearing championship form again. EKU improved in the win column by five games last season. Considering the team lost six games by three points or less, including a two-point loss on the road in the first round of the OVC Tournament to second seed Murray State, the improvement could have been even bigger.
Head coach Larry Joe Inman, celebrating his 20th season with the maroon and white, welcomes back three starters from last season’s 12-18 squad. The returning starters include senior guards Avery, Ashley Cazee and Crystal Jones.
Jones was selected to the 2007-08 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Team. Jones led the team and finished fourth in the OVC in scoring (16.1 ppg) a year ago on her way to second team all-conference honors. In addition to leading the team in scoring, Jones finished third with an average of 5.2 rebounds per game. She earned Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honors on Nov. 27 after averaging 23 points and seven rebounds in two games. She was named OVC Newcomer of the Week seven times out of 15 opportunities.
The Indianapolis, Ind., native made 48.9 percent of her shots and dished out 107 assists for an average of 3.7 per game. She finished the season ranked seventh in the OVC in field goal percentage, fifth in assists per game, tied for eighth in free throw percentage and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Lady Colonels were picked to finish seventh in the OVC preseason poll, though just 14 points separated seventh and fourth in the poll.
