(Dover, Del.) – Opening her second season at the helm, head coach Tamika Louis and the Delaware State women's basketball team (0-0) will tipoff its 2013-14 campaign Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) on the road against the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs (0-0).
Scouting the Opposition
Last season, the Lady Monarchs finished with a 19-12 overall record, capping off their 2012-13 campaign with a third Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) appearance in the last four years.
ODU's top returning scorer, meanwhile, is forward Shae Kelley. Averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 2012-13, the junior out of Denver, Colo. earned Second Team All-CAA last season.
» The Head Coach: Entering her third season at the helm, Karen Barefoot currently maintains a 30-32 overall record at ODU. With last season's win total (19), it was an eight-win turnaround from her first season.
» The Series: The Hornets are 0-2 all-time against ODU. The last meeting occurred in 2008 with the Lady Monarchs picking up a 70-28 victory at home.
Lady Hornets in Season Openers
Since the 1977-78 season, the Lady Hornets are 12-24 overall to start a season, but have gone on to have a winning season in seven of those 12 years.
Last season, DSU began the year with a 90-50 loss at No.6/7 Kentucky. In that game, Tierra Hawkins finished with 28 points.
Hawkins Approaching Scoring Milestone
Totaling 968 points in two seasons, including All-MEAC Rookie of the Year (2011-12) and First Team All-MEAC (2012-13) selections, junior Tierra Hawkins is 32 shy of reaching 1,000 career points.
Last season, she finished fourth in the conference in scoring (17.1 ppg), seventh in rebounding (7.4 pg) and second in field goal percentage (.509). Her 529 points last season were the third most by any Hornet since the 1985-86 campaign.
Tough Road Ahead
The 2013-14 schedule for the Lady Hornets will be a tough one, headlined by five NCAA Tournament teams from last season in Vanderbilt, Albany, No. 8 Maryland, West Virginia and defending regular season and conference tournament MEAC champions, Hampton.
To begin the season, DSU will play four out of their first five games on the road.
Next Up for the Lady Hornets…
Will be a road test at Southeastern Conference (SEC) member Vanderbilt next Thursday at 8 p.m.
