Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Eye Season Opener
11/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2002
MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Central Michigan University women's basketball team will christen the 2002-03 season with its home opener this weekend.
The Chippewas will host intrastate rival Siena Heights in Rose Arena on Friday, November 22, at 5:30 p.m. It is a doubleheader with men's team. It hosts George Mason in the second match of the twin bill. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
"We have been preparing for a long time," second-year head coach Eileen Kleinfelter said. "Now, we want to pull everything we have learned together and pull out a win.
"Since our exhibition, our team has become more familiar with the playbook, and we have also added some new material. Plus, the team has gelled more since the exhibition. The players have come to know each other's tendencies and have began to play more as a team."
While the Chippewas begin the season versus the Saints, Siena Heights comes to Mount Pleasant with four games under its belt, and will host Urbana University on Tuesday, November 19. Currently, the Saints are 0-3, and have not competed in conference action. Regular season play began with a 102-35 loss against Central State, and with two losses in the Shawnee State Tournament (Shawnee State, 84-64, Saint Vincent, 66-46).
"Siena Heights bring a fast-paced game to the floor," Kleinfelter said. "The Saints are a balanced inside-outside team. They can penetrate to score or to find the open player on the perimeter."
"But, the main focus in this first game will be on ourselves. We want to make sure that we execute what we have been working on in practice."
SHU is led by Kim Gullekson. The sophomore has averages of 15.0 points and 10.7 boards per game. Gullekson, as a freshman, paced the Saints, posting 11.8 and 8.0 rebounds in 2001-02. The 6-1 forward was the leading scorer in the first two games of the season, with 11 points versus Central State, and 23 against Shawnee State, and has been the team's top rebounder in all three outings.
Gullekson, along with Nicole Coffey, were named to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference all-rookie team last season. Coffey was second on the team with an 11.7 scoring average, and 4.3 rebounds.
Ashley Edwards has been the other offensive threat for SHU so far this season. She has a 12.5 scoring average, and is grabbing 4.0 boards per outing.
The Saints are coached by Renee Kudzia, who is in her fourth year at the helm. She is 32-65 in her tenure at SHU, and owns a 140-126 all-time mark in nine years as a head coach.
EXHIBITION RECAP - The Chippewas fell to the Premier All-Stars in CMU's lone exhibition game on November 1, 67-65.
The Chippewas, down by two, had possession of the ball in the game's waning seconds. However, CMU could not get the ball to drop in the game's final shot.
A tightly-contested first half with six ties ended with CMU coddling the one-point lead at the half. However, the All-Stars upped the ante in the second half, taking the lead and stretching it to 12 points with 10 minutes remaining. CMU cut it to two on a late 12-2 run but it was as close as CMU would get.
Desiree Eidson led the Chippewas with 13 points. Kendra Martin and Erin Kuhl each turned in nine-point performances. Eidson led the rebounding effort with nine boards.
AT THE HELM - Eileen Kleinfelter is in her second season as the mentor of the CMU women's basketball team. Under her tutelage, Kleinfelter led the Chippewas to a 10-win season in her first year. It was the first time CMU had turned in 10 wins in three years. Kleinfelter is 10-18 at CMU. She enters her 12th season as a head coach, and has an overall mark of 232-99. Kleinfelter has also been a head coach at Findlay (172-46) and IUPU-Fort Wayne (50-35).
ACT 1, SCENE 1 - The Chippewas are 18-15 in season-opening matches. Last season, CMU opened the year with a 80-61 win over Wayne State. The win last season broke a streak of three straight season-opening losses.
NEARING MILESTONES - As the Chippewas embark on the 2002-03 season, several returnees are nearing career milestones.
Desiree Eidson is nearing the 700-point mark. She has 658 points in her three years. The bulk of those points came last season when she paced the team with 384 points. She had a team-high 13.7 points per game average. One the boards, Eidson needs 77 rebounds to reach the 400-rebound plateau. She has 323 in her career.
Kendra Martin has been in a Maroon and Gold jersey for one season, and already she is nearing the 400-point mark. Last year, she had 338 points. She was second on the team, averaging 12.1 points per game. Martin was spark in conference play, posting double-digit scoring numbers in 10 of the final 14 games. She led CMU, averaging 12.6 points in MAC play.
Laurie Henderson dished out 80 assists last season, second best on the team. She is 73 assists shy of 200 at 137, and needs 13 more for 150.
ON THE AIR - Select non-conference and all conference games can be heard live on WMHW, 91.5 FM. Tune in 10 minutes before tipoff to catch up on the latest news and stay tuned after the game for the postgame show with head coach, Eileen Kleinfelter. Games can also be heard on the internet at www.cmuchippewas.com.
ON THE TELE - The Chippewas will have two games air on the Central Michigan University PBS network this season. Conference tilts versus Western Michigan (January 20) and Bowling Green (February 5) will air on the network.
UP NEXT - The CMU women's basketball team hits the floor again when it opens another doubleheader on Tuesday, November 26, in Rose Arena. The Chippewas will play host to Oakland at 5:30 p.m., with the men hosting Illinois State at 7:30 p.m. Action next week continues when CMU plays in the First Tennessee Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, November 30-December 1. CMU opens with Harvard on Saturday, and will play either Youngstown State or Vanderbilt on Sunday.
