Experinced AIA shows young Musketeers a few tricks -- Xavier Women's Basketball Message Board

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Date Posted: 22:13:34 11/01/01 Thu
Author: Matt Barber
Author Host/IP: net206-164-036.xu.edu / 206.21.164.36
Subject: Experinced AIA shows young Musketeers a few tricks

Other than junior guards Amy Waugh and Reetta Piipari, the Xavier women�s basketball team entered its first preseason contest with a team full of questions, many of which were answered despite the 74-67 setback the Musketeers suffered to Athletes In Action at the Cintas Center Thursday night.
With 11 players with two or less years of experience (five of them freshmen), XU was as much looking for an identity as it was for a tune-up against AIA. What they discovered was that they can still run, they can still hit the three, and they can still score inside, even against a team of professionals and near-professionals who have all seen four years of college ball.
With a starting five that consisted of Waugh, Piipari, senior guard Shavon Bell and sophomore forwards Aida Sarajlija and Kate Kreager, Xavier head coach Melanie Balcomb was counting on experience in the program (albeit little) to lead the way until the newcomers have mastered the learning curve.
�We need our returning players, even those who didn�t play much last year, to step up,� said Balcomb.
Two of them did.
Sarajlija, having moved to the forward position after spending last season as a guard, was 7-9 from the floor, including a three, and added two free throws to lead XU with 17 points.
Bell, the only Musketeer who consistently hit her three-point shots (she was 3-6), was close behind with 15 points, and Bell and Sarajlija each grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
Waugh recorded a double-double, 10 points and 10 assists, but Piipari�s shot was off all night, as only two of her 13 attempts were good.
AIA�s zone defense and better size kept the Musketeers from scoring often inside, and they especially controlled Kreager. A good shooting team from the outside that usually breaks zones down, XU hit only 8 of 33 three-point attempts.
�We let them take us out of our game with their zone defense,� said Waugh. �Instead of running and attacking it, we walked the ball up the court and let them set up.�
Xavier also did not defend particularly well or rebound (AIA outrebounded XU 40-33)..
�We need to focus on the defensive end, and check-out. They took us out of our offense and we didn�t do the same to them,� said Waugh.
The freshmen played well, considering it was their first college action.
�Some of the players were so nervous,� said Balcomb. �A game like this gets a lot of jitters out.�
Freshman guard Ashleigh Cuncic recorded 17 minutes of playing time, and only scored on one of her eight shots (all from behind the arc). More importantly she didn�t seem lost in the offense, and was able to grab three boards and dish a pair of assists.
Forward Alexis Henderson led the frosh in scoring with four points, showing the athletic post moves against taller and more experienced players that will make her a quality asset this season.
�We just need to keep building. I think we�re going in the right direction,� said Balcomb.
�We�ll be better. We need more time,� added Sarajlija.

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