Sports > November 29, 2007

By Matt Six | Staff writer

The women’s basketball team took down three opponents en route to winning the Paradise Jam championship over Thanksgiving break. The championship was capped with a win over No.10 Texas A&M.

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Freshman Camille Collier dribbles the ball during a home game. Collier has played for 127 minutes this season and averages 25.4 points per game. (Mary Kate Wagner/Old Gold & Black)

The tournament took place at St. Thomas Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The team traded in its sweaters and scarves for tank tops and shorts, and the change of scenery proved beneficial for the Demon Deacons (5-1). The Paradise Jam showcased some of the hottest teams in the country, including No.5 Stanford, No.10 Texas A&M and No.11 Duke. The tournament was divided into two divisions: St. Thomas and St. John. Wake competed in the St. John Division against Indiana, Texas A&M and Wichita State.

The Deacs opened the tournament on Thanksgiving Day against Indiana. Indiana entered the matchup undefeated at 3-0. Early on, Wake did not play like a team seeking to avenge an opening-day loss last season to the Hoosiers. Indiana built a 15-4 lead as Wake shot one-for-seven in the opening eight minutes. Head Coach Mike Petersen knew that halftime changes were necessary. Citing passive play, Petersen told his team, “The scoreboard would start to change as soon as we changed out mindset.” To steal one of Head Football Coach Jim Grobe’s sayings, the Lady Deacs played the second half like their hair was on fire. Six minutes into the game, Wake began a 11-0 run that allowed them to take a 40-36 lead. The Hoosiers did not go down without a fight, tying the game at 53-53 with 37 seconds left to play. Wake was fouled during the subsequent possession, freshman Corinne Groves hit two crucial free throws, and Wake won the game 55-53.

The Lady Deacs faced a difficult foe the next day against No.10 Texas A&M (3-1). Like their game against Indiana, Wake fell into an early hole as A&M ran out to an 18-8 advantage. However, the Demon Deacons showed resilience as they took the lead 23-22 off of a layup by sophomore Mekia Valentine right before halftime. The second half was back-and-forth, as there were seven ties. The Deacs pulled ahead thanks to good free throw shooting, especially from junior Alex Tchangoue who went 8-8 from the line. The Deacs went on to win 53-46, marking Wake’s highest ranked victory away from home in the program’s 36-year history. The Deacs won despite not converting on a three-point field goal during the game.

To seal a tournament championship, the Demon Deacons had to defeat Wichita State (1-4) in their final game of the tourney. Once again, the Deacs fell behind early but continued to showe their determination before halftime as they tied the game off a three-pointer from freshman Camille Collier with 5 seconds remaining in the half. Wake never looked back in the second half, taking the win and the tournament with a 54-47 victory over Wichita State.

Every Lady Deac worked together and contributed to the team’s first tournament championship since the Big 4 Classic in Greensboro, N.C., in 1996.

Junior Corinne Groves and Tchangoue earned all-tournament honors for their exceptional play. Great free throw shooting was displayed by these two athletes. Tchangoue was named tournament MVP for her clutch free-throw shooting, especially in the upset over Texas A&M. Groves sealed the victory over Indiana with the game-winning free throws late in the game. Valentine and sophomore Courteney Morris did a great job rebounding throughout the tournament. Coach Petersen also made several astute decisions, including timely timeouts to stop the opposition’s momentum as well as invigorating halftime speeches. Wake’s defense played exceptionally well in all of its match-ups during the Paradise Jam. Their ability to end the half with the momentum on their side and to ride this momentum in the second half was paramount to a successful run in the tournament.

The Lady Deacs continued their hot play with a victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Nov. 28. This is the first season for the women’s basketball Big Ten/ACC Challenge, though the Challenge has been running on the men’s side since 1999. The Lady Deacs defeated the Wildcats 60-45 in Evanston, Ill. Wake was led in scoring by Tchangoue, who scored 18 points, going 4-5 from 3-point range. Tchangoue also grabbed nine rebounds and three steals in the win. Senior Christen Brown added 12 points for Wake, going 4-7 from behind the arc.

The Lady Deacs host Rice University in their next game Dec. 2, followed by Wright State Dec. 5.