October 30, 2007
Limestone College Sports Information
Contact: Leah Melichar
(864) 488-8219
lmelichar@limestone.edu

LADY SAINTS BASKETBALL STARTS SEASON AT DISNEY’S TIP-OFF CLASSIC ON FRIDAY

The Limestone College women’s basketball team will start its season at the Disney Tip-Off Classic in Orlando, Fla., on Friday as the Lady Saints face Bellarmine at 5 p.m. Limestone will also face the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and Winona State this weekend at the tournament. Head Coach Corey Fox’s 2007-08 lineup features eight seniors, three juniors, and one freshman. The Lady Saints return nine players after losing guard Reagan Robbins to graduation in 2007. Two of the team’s new players are transfers.

The Lady Saints anticipate that their experience and added depth will help the squad play more effectively. The team will be one of the most experienced in Conference Carolinas heading into the 2007-08 season.

“The depth that we’ve added with recruiting will allow us to press more and keep the game up tempo,” pointed out Fox. “Our experience in having 11 upperclassmen will be an advantage this season.”

Coach Fox also expects his team to play better defensively.

“The main thing we need to work on is our defense,” commented Fox. “Last year, we averaged 67.5 points per game, so offense should not be a problem. We will be working to get better, be more aggressive on defense, and pressure the ball more.”

Limestone faces a challenging schedule in the coming season. The squad will face six teams that advanced to the 2007 NCAA Tournament: Pfeiffer, Anderson, Barton, St. Andrews, Bellarmine, and Newberry. Limestone opens its season at Disney’s Tip Off Classic in Orlando, Fla., on November 2-4, where the squad will face Bellarmine, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Winona State. The Lady Saints travel down the road to Spartanburg, to face NCAA Division I’s USC-Upstate. Limestone opens Conference Carolinas play in early December. Last year, the conference sent four teams to the NCAA tournament.

“This year the conference is wide open,” said Fox. “We have the ability to be in the mix with teams like Anderson, Pfeiffer, Barton, and St. Andrews. Hopefully, with our depth and our returnees’ experience, we’ll be at the finals of the conference tournament at the end of the season.”

Guards
Limestone will look to senior Ariel Lyons (Brandon, Fla.) again to direct the Saints on the court. She appeared in 27 contests last season while averaging 5.22 points per game. The team will also count on senior and all-conference performer Blanca Gonzalez (Chicago, Ill.) on defense and offense this year. Gonzalez led the team in scoring as a junior with 367 points, averaging 12.7 per game. She also grabbed 170 rebounds. The Lady Saints will look to senior Tiffany Jones’ (Greer, S.C.) leadership on the court this year. Jones averaged 9.65 points per game and had 65 assists. Senior Shelly Robinson (Belmont, N.C.) had one of her best seasons in 2006-07 and should be even better during the 2007-08 campaign. She had a career-high 109 points last season and reached double-scoring figures multiple times.

JUCO transfer Tierney Burdett (Peoria, Ill.) brings her winning ways to the Lady Saints after playing for the highly successful program at Illinois Central College. She will be a major factor on offense with her shooting ability as she scored 362 points last season. Burdett is the only player on the roster to have won a national championship as she helped the Cougars win the 2006 JUCO national title. Freshman Breanna Ray (Spartanburg, S.C.) is a very athletic guard and has the ability to press the entire court. She had a successful prep career for Boiling Springs High School in South Carolina.

Forwards
One of the squad’s most versatile players, Lindsay Kyle (Springfield, Va.), is back for her senior season and will help the team with her 3-point shooting ability. Kyle played in 28 games last year while she averaged 12 points and 4.18 rebounds per contest.  Stephanie Munoz (Peoria, Ill.) saw limited action in 2006-07 due to injuries, but her vision of the court will be an asset to Limestone. Last season, Munoz set a new single season school record with a free-throw percentage of 90.2% (46-51).  Essence Greer (Washington, D.C.), the only Lady Saint with Division I playing experience, will make an impact with her ability to shoot from the perimeter and play inside. She gained great knowledge of the game playing for Miami Dade College and Delaware State University.

Centers
The Lady Saints return all three of their centers from last season: senior Monica Adams (Kings Mountain, N.C.) and juniors Addie Graves (Columbia, S.C.) and Lauren Mitchell (Saluda, S.C.). Adams, a two-time all-conference honoree, led Limestone with 194 rebounds and 17 blocked shots, and scored 312 points while playing in all 29 contests in 2006-07. Graves, one of the Lady Saints’ best post defenders, played in all 29 games and grabbed 107 rebounds. Mitchell was a regular on the court for Limestone last year and should see even more playing time with her gains on the court and in the weight room during the off-season.

-LIMESTONE-