by Tom Froemming
Issue date: 11/16/06 Section: Womens Sports
Once the Minnesota State men's basketball team harnessed a home-court advantage in 2002-03, the team quickly developed into a winner. From that season on, the men's team won 51 of its 60 home games. This weekend, the MSU women's basketball team will attempt to establish that home dominance at the Pepsi Tip-Off.
"We've got to win the majority of our games [at home]," said head women's basketball coach Lori Fish. "I think if we can establish that in our non-conference season, it'll give us confidence heading into the conference season."
Last season, MSU won as many games on the road as it did at home, six. While MSU's 6-10 road record last year wasn't anything to be ashamed of, its 6-6 home record wasn't anything to take great pride in either. If the team can establish a home dominance, it could go a long way in helping the Mavs post their first winning record since the 1997-98 season.
MSU will look to get off to a strong start this weekend against Minnesota-Crookston and Bemidji State. UMC, MSU's Friday opponent, has a new head coach, Mike Roysland, and team returns just three letter winners from a year ago. BSU, who will play the Mavericks Saturday, returns 10 letter winners from last year's team, including four starters. Both games will take place at 6 p.m. in Taylor Center's Bresnan Arena.
Last season, MSU split with UMC with its victory coming in last year's Pepsi Tip-Off. The Golden Eagles graduated Karna Plaine, who scored more than 30 points in both games verses MSU last year, and the Score twins - Kari and Carly - left the team. The trio combined for more than 85 percent of UMC's offense against MSU last season. The Golden Eagles, who posted a 6-22 record a year ago, are a young team still trying to come together and were picked to finish last in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
"We don't know a lot about [UMC]," Fish said. "We really don't know what to expect, but this time of year we're really more concerned about what we've got to do than what our opponent is doing."
BSU, another NSIC school, ended its season two games under .500 last year (13-15), which was a step in the right direction after going 5-22 in 2004-05.
Included in the Beavers' four returning starters is junior point guard Amy Lawson, the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year last season. BSU is coming off a 60-51 exhibition win against Division I North Dakota State in which Lawson showed she had ability on offense as well, scoring a game-high 21 points. MSU lost to the Beavers 78-57 in Bemidji last season.
"They are definitely a team that's on the raise," Fish said. "I really feel like they're legit and they're going to be a real test for us early."
With three-time All-North Central Conference honoree Arin Andrews graduated, the Mavericks don't have one primary scorer. Instead, MSU will look for the hot hand, which very well could be sophomore guard Flecia Foster this weekend.
Last year, Foster averaged 7.7 points per game but stepped up against UMC and BSU, averaging 12.3 points. Foster led the Mavs with 16 points in just her third collegiate game, MSU's 81-73 Tip-Off win against UMC last season, and received the event's Best Hustle Award.
"I'm curious to see who's going to step up and knock down some shots because we have a lot of people that can play," Fish said.
Tom Froemming is the Reporter Editor in Chief
