DENVER - The University of Denver women's basketball team will open up Western Athletic Conference play Friday when it hosts Louisiana Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT in Hamilton Gymnasium.
MEDIA
Fans can watch the game live on Pioneer Radio at http://bit.ly/pZwfOQ and follow the Live Stats at http://bit.ly/nptTmx.
TICKETS
Individual game tickets are still available, ranging from $5-$12. Tickets can be purchased through the DU Box Office or online at DenverPioneers.com/tickets. DU students are free with a valid Pioneer ID card. For more information, visit www.DenverPioneers.com.
THE SERIES
Denver is 0-4 all-time against Louisiana Tech. All four matchups came in the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, when the teams were both members of the Sun Belt Conference. The teams last faced off in the 2001 SBC Championship game in Mobile, Ala., when Louisiana Tech came away with a 55-67 victory. Their only matchup in Denver came on Feb. 26, 2000, when the Lady Techsters topped the Pioneers 92-48.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH
Louisiana Tech is a member of the NCAA DI WAC conference. The Lady Techsters are led by Kelia Shelton, who is averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per-game. Brittany Lewis is shooting 51.6 percent (47-91) on the season, and is averaging 11.1 points and 6.2 boards per-contest. Whitney Frazier and Lulu Perry are averaging 8.2 and 8.1 points, respectively, while Janay Borum tops the team with 31 assists this season. Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon is in her fifth season with her alma-mater, leading the Lady Techsters to a 73-34 record during her tenure.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Thursday evening's 50-48 win over Colorado State brought Denver's record to 5-6 on the season. The Pioneers are currently 2-3 at home and 3-3 on the road. Sophomore guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose is averaging 15.0 points per-game, on 42 percent shooting from the field and 43.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Sophomore forward Theresa Wirth is second on the team with 7.4 points per-game. Senior guard Emiko Smith is tops on the Pioneers with 60 assists, while junior forwards Maiya Michel leads the Pioneers in rebounds, averaging 7.7 per game.
MORGAN VAN RIPER-ROLLING
Sophomore guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose has scored over 20 points four times this season and seven times in her career. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native set a new career-high with 28 points on Dec. 11 against Colorado, after setting her previous career-high with 26 points against Air Force on Dec. 8. Van Riper-Rose has scored in double-digits in eight of Denver's 10 games this season. The sophomore is shooting 42 percent from the floor on the season and 43.6 percent from three-point range. She is averaging 15.0 points per-game this season.
BCS BREAKOUT
Denver recorded its second all-time road win over a BCS conference school with its victory over Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 2. The Pioneers only previous victory on a BCS conference opponent's home floor came on Dec. 19, 1980, when Denver defeated South Florida 66-60. DU will look for its third BCS conference road victory Wednesday against Minnesota.
SPREADING THE LOVE
Nine Pioneers are averaging over 10 minutes per game this season, and all 11 players who have seen action are averaging over seven minutes per-contest. Denver also has seven players who are averaging over five points per game.
SMITH IN THE BOOKS
Senior guard Emiko Smith has already made her mark in the Denver record books. The Los Angeles, native has recorded 593 assists in her career, placing her atop DU's all-time list by over 150. Smith is also first in the Denver record books for assists per game, averaging 5.7 for her career. She ranks third on DU's Division I career minutes list with 3,599 and she is fourth in Denver's DI history with 179 steals.
PIONEERS SOCIAL NETWORKING
Fans can follow the DU Pioneers on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to get the latest news, scores, event updates, video highlights and more. Become a fan of the Denver Pioneers on Facebook to get the latest news and information about the. Interact with your fellow Pioneer fans and be a part of the ever-growing Crimson and Gold community online. (Facebook Fan Page: Denver Pioneers; DU Women's Basketball)
Get up-to-the-minute news, scores and information from the DU Athletic Department and the Pioneer women's basketball team by following them on Twitter. Simply set up an account and start following today (Twitter ID: DU_Pioneers; DU_WHoops). The DU Pioneers are also on YouTube. Checkout the Pioneer page to see highlight videos, interviews and more. (YouTube: Denver Athletics)
PIONEERS ON YOUR COMPUTER
Fans can also follow the game live on Pioneer Vision/Radio as Mitch Hyder the "Voice of the Pioneers" will call all the action from the hardwood. DU is excited to offer Pioneer Vision/Radio, your online destination for exclusive LIVE and on-demand streaming video and audio straight to your computer. This broadband video channel is the ultimate place for DU fans on the web. Pioneer Vision/Radio is powered by DenverPioneers.com, the Official Athletic Site of the University of Denver. Subscription packages are available on an annual and monthly basis. The Denver Annual Package is just $59.95 and is good for the entire 2012-13 season, while the Denver Monthly Package is available for $8.95 a month. A 12-month Audio Only package is also available for $19.99.
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of DU's NCAA Division I sports.
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