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April 1, 2002

2008-09 Season - 2001-02 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REVIEW

2001-02 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL REVIEW

YOUNG VIKING SQUAD MAKES GREAT STRIDES UNDER FIRST YEAR COACH JAMES BLACK; FINISH THIRD IN CCIW RACE

The final game may not have ended the way first year Augustana College women's basketball coach James Black wanted it but he had to be happy about the his initial season went. After shrugging off the effects of what could have been a devastating five game losing streak, the Vikings recovered to win four of their last five ball games. That allowed them to finish the season with a 14-11 overall record and an 8-6 mark in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Despite the fact that conference co-champion Wheaton defeated Augustana 70-47 on Saturday, February 23 in Wheaton to finish the season, the Vikings can point to several accomplishments this past year.

The 14-11 record is the first winning season since the 1996-97 unit under Diane Schumacher finished 15-10, snapping a four year streak of losing campaigns and the third place league finish is the best since the 1992-93 team, also coached by Schumacher, won the CCIW title.

With only one senior on the team - Ivette Acosta (Rock Falls HS, Rock Falls, IL) and with last year's Most Valuable Player - Christina Rathe (Lake Zurich HS, Barrington, IL) sidelined for the season due to a knee injury suffered way back in September, Black was forced to rely on youth. The leading scorer on the team was freshman Kristen Pence (Rochelle HS, Rochelle, IL) who ended up with 289 points in 25 games for an average of 11.6 per game. She narrowly edged sophomore Julia Selzer (Bloomington Central Catholic HS, Bloomington, IL) for the scoring lead as Selzer had 288 points in 25 games for an average of 11.5 per game. Selzer did lead the team in rebounding, however, pulling down 189 for an average of 7.6 per game.

Not surprisingly, the duo of Pence and Selzer both represented the Vikings on the CCIW All-conference team.  Pence was named to the second team and Selzer made the third team.

Pence finished the year as one of the top all-around players in the league. She was third in the CCIW in scoring with 177 points in 14 league games for an average of 12.6 per game and she was ninth in field goal percentage at .423 (58-137). She was 10^th in the league in assists with a 2.14 average (30 in 14 games) and fifth in free throw percentage at .783 (47-60). Pence had the top three point field goal percentage at .412 (14-34).

Selzer was right behind Pence in the scoring race with her 11.6 mark (163 points in 14 games) placing her fifth and she was 11^th in field goal percentage at .417 (68-163). She was fifth in rebounding with an average of 7.5 (105 in 14 games).

Sophomore Kristin Romolo (Washington HS, Washington, IL) took over at the point guard position early in the year and she recorded the second highest number of assists in school history. Romolo had 109 assists in 25 games, just three shy of the school record of 112 set by Diane Garrison in 1983-84. Still another sophomore, center Kendra Ryl (Buffalo Grove HS, Buffalo Grove, IL) topped the team in blocked shots with 58.

Wheaton and Millikin tied for the CCIW title with identical 12-2 records in league play but Millikin won the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III national tournament based on the tiebreaker criteria of better road record. Augustana actually finished in a three way tie for third place with Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan with 8-6 records.

The Vikings led the CCIW in scoring offense with 904 points in 14 league games for a 64.6 average. They were also on top in three point field goal percentage at .331 (50-151), blocked shots at 5.21 per game (73 in 14) and assists with 12.79 per game (179 in 14).

Individually, Romolo was second in the conference in assists with an average of 3.71 (52 in 14 games) and was sixth in steals with 1.86 per game (26 in 14).  Ryl topped the CCIW in blocked shots with an average of 2.64 per game (37 in 14). 

2001-02 CCIW STANDINGS

HEAD COACH JAMES BLACK: After two seasons as an assistant coach for Lisa Robinson, James Black moved into the head coaching position in July after Robinson left to become an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming. Black came to Augustana in the fall of 1999 following a stint as an assistant coach at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky. He finished his first year with a 14-11 overall record and a mark of 8-6 in the CCIW, which was good enough for third place.