The real season begins now

By Tony Ammann
Sports Editor

Although the SIUE women's basketball team is off to a perfect 4-0 start, the Lady Cougars will have to start at ground zero again Thursday.

SIUE will play its first game in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Thursday when the team travels to Rensselaer, Ind., for a contest at 5:30 p.m. against St. Joseph's College.

The Lady Pumas are off to a slow start with a record of 1-3 but may be one of the most dangerous teams in the GLVC due to the presence of reigning GLVC Player of the Year Angie Hupfer.

Hupfer, a senior, averaged a nation-high 30.6 points per game last season for St. Joseph's. In addition to being named this year's Women's Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year, she was named All-American, All-Great Lakes Region and All-GLVC First Team last year.

SIUE head coach Wendy Hedberg has a few tricks up her sleeve to defend Hupfer, which may include a zone defense.

"We've got a couple of kids lined up to defend her," Hedberg said. "We'll probably throw Jill (Johnson) at her because she's probably our best defender. Sarah Sollberger will probably get a little time with her too."

Hupfer also averaged 11.8 rebounds per game last season. Assisting Hupfer on offense will be another senior, Tamara Bumpers. Bumpers was named to the All-GLVC Honorable Mention Team last year, averaging 18.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

St. Joseph's finished with a 15-12 overall record last year and had a 12-10 mark in the GLVC. The team's 1-3 start places it dead last in the overall standings in the GLVC, but now is when the games really start to count.

"They've played some good teams, and they've played on the road," Hedberg said. "They are definitely a threat and it will be a good game."

The Lady Cougars will then face Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Ind., at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Ladydons (3-1) will have nowhere to go but up this season after finishing 2-24 overall last year.

Youth is the dominant trait of this year's edition of the Ladydons, which consists of six freshmen and four sophomores. Two of those sophomores, Christy McMillin and Kara Moore, could be threats to SIUE Saturday.

Moore, a guard, averaged 10.8 points per game last year, while McMillin knocked down an average of 12.1 points per game. The Ladydons will also look to junior forward Laura Douglas, who averaged 9.5 points per game last year.

Hedberg thinks that the Ladydons will be better than they were last year. The Ladydons defeated Saginaw Valley State University earlier this season, a team that defeated St. Joseph's.

"They're definitely an improved team," Hedberg said. "Again, we're going into their place to play."

Fort Wayne will have to do without Katie Bruening, who led the Ladydons in scoring last year in her senior season. Bruening took 17.5 points per game out the door, but the Ladydons should still be a force in the GLVC.

"They're a little tough to match up," Hedberg said. "I think we'll have the edge on the offensive side. They're a small team so we'll try to get the ball inside and overpower them in there."

After four games, junior guard Misi Clark leads SIUE scoring with 17.2 points per game. Clark also leads the Lady Cougars with 17 steals and 19 assists.

Junior Crystal Gladson is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down an average of 8.8 boards per contest.