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Xavier Women's Basketball Message Board

Welcome to the new Xavier Women's basketball message board at Musketeer Madness. Congrats to the Top 15-ranked Lady Muskies on their perfect 15-0 opening season at the Cintas Center, as well as winning the Atlantic 10 regular season championship, and advancing to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament!!!

Also check out: XU Men's Message Board

For the rest of the league: A-10 Women's Board

Musketeer Madness Women's Home

Our Newest Player in the Pros! -- DAve, 12:41:38 05/28/01 Mon (ip-216-23-55-137.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.137)
Nicole Levandusky is Xavier's first women's pro basketball player. She will be there as the WNBA's Los Angles Sparks open today against Houston. Way to go Nicole!

Enquirer Story

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- P.S. The game will be on national TV (NBC) at 3:00. (NT) -- DAve, 12:43:05 05/28/01 Mon
- Nikki Kremer played pro in Europe last year for a short time until an injury forced her return. Nicole is first XU player in WNBA. -- embee68, 22:46:18 05/29/01 Tue
  - I knew that :) Point well made! -- DAve, 11:43:23 05/30/01 Wed
- First time I ever watched a WNBA game. Good to see her there even though she did not get into the game. From what the announcers were saying, she is on the team likely to win the championship. -- Corporate Law, 09:07:24 05/30/01 Wed
  - Missed the game due to other obligations. Saw in the box score that she "DNP Coaches choice". Was any reason given? Does she have a full season contract now? -- DAve, 11:45:06 05/30/01 Wed
    - I don't know the ins and outs of their contracts so I could not venture a guess. She sat next to Cooper (head coach) the whole game and was always first off the bench to cheer a good play. According to her interview in the Enquirer, she sounds upbeat about her chances. -- Corporate Law, 13:43:35 05/30/01 Wed
Say Goodbye to Melanie... -- xukeith, 12:29:19 05/24/01 Thu (spider-wf071.proxy.aol.com/205.188.195.190)
Looks like Melanie is headed to bigger and brighter things with her interview at Oregon and Minnesota among other bigger(more $ and more resourses) schools.
She was great. Too bad X is a small stepping stone on the basketball map.

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- While it would not surprise me, I would not yet be so pessimistic ... [click to continue] -- DAve, 16:32:58 05/24/01 Thu
Coaching vacancy -- TXW, 12:30:28 05/24/01 Thu (cache1.burgoyne.com/209.197.7.230)
U of Oregon is looking for a head coach for Women's basketball. I temporarily live in the weird state of Utah. On a local news program, last night, the sports guy said that U of O was looking at five candidates. He said that the current coach of the University of Utah was a prime candidate for the job, but did not name the other four.

The U of U AD made a brief statement. He said that his coach was THE prime candidate, and that as the AD it would be his job to find a replacement, if his coach moved on to Oregon. He also said that the U of U could not compete with the U of O on salary or benefits. He sounded like an AD that was about to lose his coach.

It was reported on the men's board, earlier this week, that Melanie was a candidate. Let's hope that if that's true, and she's offered the job, that she remains at X, for a long time.

Go X!

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- It is kinda old news on this board that she has inteviewed for the Oregon job. Enquirer finally reported it today and also that Minnesota is interested. There are links (in messages below) to many stories on this in the Oregon papers. None of this should surprise anyone. -- DAve, 16:26:51 05/24/01 Thu
In case you haven't seen the men's board.. -- X-band '01, 13:18:33 05/22/01 Tue (NoHost/209.115.108.103)
The women will get radio coverage for next season. For starters, this will include 12 regular-season games (most of which will likely be home dates) and all tournament games, including the A-10 Tournament and NCAA (or WNIT) Tournaments.

Click below for more information.

Cincinnati Post

The broadcasts, as I proposed in an earlier post, will be on WVXU 91.7 FM.

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- Although WVXU is redoing their site right now, they have been streaming their programming in the past. That would be nice for out-of-towners. For me, it will be interesting to see what the breakdown is between home and away coverage. -- DAve, 06:44:04 05/23/01 Wed
Mr. Yawn -- Edgecliff Hall, 09:28:55 05/22/01 Tue (spider-mtc-tf063.proxy.aol.com/64.12.103.48)
Hi Xband, nice to hear from you. The project mentioned is in fact a musical play entitled THE PERFECT GAME, about the invention of basketball. Plans are underway to do a workshop production at Xavier in October. This was a memorable season. I�ll never forget Mr. Yawn. Wonder where he�s yawning now? Good wishes to you in your post X world.

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Nicole -- DAve, 18:40:14 05/17/01 Thu (ip-216-23-122-114.adsl.one.net/216.23.122.114)
The Sparks lost their preseason opener to New York, 68-71. Nicole was not in the box score. However, she is listed on the roster as one of sixteen. That seems like more than they will carry. Does anyone know her status and chances? They are scheduled to play again Saturday at New York.

Los Angeles Sparks Home Page

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- Since she was at graduation on Saturday morning, I presume she is no longer with the Sting. Actually the ESPN site does not list her on the roster while the Sting Home Page does. I guess maybe it was not the best place to check :( -- DAve, 08:54:44 05/21/01 Mon
  - All 5 players were at graduation Saturday, which leads me to believe that they would have been at Cintas on Saturday no matter the circumstances. Heck, even Vince Carter was able to make it to gradaution at UNC on Sunday, and he had to play in a playoff game a few hours later. (NT) -- X-band '01, 00:57:09 05/22/01 Tue
Two Kinds of Coach (Also Posted On Men's Board -- Edgecliff Hall, 11:01:38 05/19/01 Sat (spider-wd044.proxy.aol.com/205.188.193.169)
I have been involved with a writing project recently which caused me to do research into the early days of basketball. I've been led to conclude that (Maybe) there are basically two kinds of coaches.
Coach P. for Precision. And Coach C, for Chaos.

Some background. After Jim Naismith (at age 31) invented the game of basketball in 1891, he had more urgent matters in his life. There was his teaching at the Springfield YMCA school, getting married to Maud Sherman, going Medical School in Denver, having children, and then finding a job to support his growing family. Eventually he became the coach of basketball (briefly) and Athletic Director at the University of Kansas.
But Jim Naismith, the genius who invented them game, was not much of a basketball coach, in the modern sense of the word. He did not seem to take the game seriously. In the psycho jargon of today we might say Jim Naismith was deeply conflicted about the game of basketball. He would have warm debates with his student, Pfog Allen, and from them came his famous quote:
You can�t coach basketball,you just play it.
For Naismith basketball was only what he intended it to be, a game of fun and exercise. Throw up the ball and let em play. And who cares who wins?
Phog Allen had other ideas. He knew basketball could be coached, seriously and in detail. He made a science of the game, and cared a lot about winning.
Allen and Naismith remained friends as Mentor and Student throughout their lives. They finally resolved their debate by concluding that Naismith was the Father of Basketball, and Allen was the Father of Basketball Coaching.
Which leads me to the speculation that coaches are decedents of either Jim Naismith or Phog Allen. I call these two types Chaos and Precision.

The Naismith Coach: (Chaos) Gives players lots of freedom to improvise. Loves to press because it makes things happen. Run, run, run. Few set plays. Frustrating to interview since he cant explain a win or a loss. Speaks in generalities, tells players to play hard, play to win etc. but few details as to exactly how. Players subject to emotional ups and downs. Once down, hard for them to break out of a bad streak. Vulnerable in last seconds of tight games where planning and execution are needed.
Pattern: Hot and Cold. Wild, exciting play. Skip Prosser.

The Phog Allen Coach (Precision) Gene Hackman in Hoosiers. My word is law. Drills players on basketball fundamentals. Likes set plays in half court. Will press and run only in certain situations. Can always break a press. Stresses accurate shooting. Uses bench for role players, deploys them like chess prices. Causes players to have confidant attitude. Expecting to win, they play with cool consistency, not subject to emotional ups and downs.
Pattern: Precision, Execution, Control. Melanie Balcomb

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- That is an excellent analysis of Coach Balcomb. Her next challenge is trying to revamp the frontcourt for next season. But, as the team has shown in the last 4 seasons, her system is paying dividends. Amy and Reetta are 2 floor leaders that will also be counted on for leadership roles for next year. -- X-band '01, 00:55:15 05/22/01 Tue
Gut feeling -- embee68, 23:38:30 05/18/01 Fri (cvg-29-17-148.cinci.rr.com/24.29.17.148)
Just a gut feeling, but to Melanie, a messy program on the West Coast is not necessarily a step up from XU because of intagibles like comfort level, geographic familiarity (Balcomb is from the East, and will most likely, when she leaves, head that way), new arena that may (again, I don't know exactly how she feels) a better conference (but one weaker than it should be) and more money.

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- That should end "outweigh a better conf. and more money." -- embee68, 23:40:01 05/18/01 Fri
Balcomb interviews at Oregon -- Greg, 18:48:40 05/17/01 Thu (spider-mtc-th013.proxy.aol.com/64.12.102.23)
An Oregon paper is reporting that Xavier Coach Melanie Balcomb interviewed for the head coaching job this week. I guess our worries over losing our coach aren't over yet!

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- Source? I checked the Oregonian and found nothing. I will say anyone taking that job, though a good one is walking into a real mess. Oregon refuses to release women's basketball report -- DAve, 11:32:41 05/18/01 Fri
- See above message. Again I see no mention as of yesterday that she has been more than "mentioned" Where did you see she was interviewed! -- DAve, 11:55:31 05/18/01 Fri
Balcomb (See Message Below) -- DAve, 11:51:26 05/18/01 Fri (ip-216-23-122-114.adsl.one.net/216.23.122.114)
OK, there is an article in the Salem Statesman Journal dated yesterday about Cheryl Burnett, coach Southwest Missouri State, being considered for the job. It mentions another other "possible candidates". It should surprise no one, of course, that Melanie is being considered for top jobs.

"Other coaches who are possible candidates include Utah�s Elaine Elliott, Xavier�s Melanie Balcomb, Denver�s Pam Tanner, Florida State�s Sue Semrau and University of the Pacific�s Sherri Murrell, the Eugene newspaper said.

Xavier finished 31-3, making the NCAA Elite Eight; Utah was 28-4 (Sweet Sixteen); Florida State was 19-12, reaching the second round; Denver finished 24-7 and made the first round. Pacific was 17-11, but did not get an NCAA berth."

Oregon OK�d to talk with Lady Bears coach

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Taru cut too -- embee68, 22:44:38 05/08/01 Tue (cvg-29-17-148.cinci.rr.com/24.29.17.148)
New York cut Taru recently:

http://www.wnba.com/liberty/waive_tuukkanen_mahoney.html

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- Taru, if she is interested in playing, may well prefer to play in Europe. I felt Nicole had the best shot and hope it works out. I don't know that any of them had aspired to a pro career until maybe this year. They are well equipped to be successful in whatever they do. -- DAve, 12:40:52 05/09/01 Wed
Phillips cut from Sting -- embee68, 22:41:22 05/08/01 Tue (cvg-29-17-148.cinci.rr.com/24.29.17.148)
Jen Phillips cut on first day of camp to make room for two players returning from playing in Europe.

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Does anybody know how i could get noticed to play bball? i love XU and i would gladly try out as a walk on, but i live in a small town in Ny, right by st. bonaventure, but i was just curious -- Player, 17:58:46 04/29/01 Sun (ppp47.pm3-6.buf.ny.localnet.com/207.251.194.111)
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- On the Xavier Athletics webpage, Coach Schneider's email address is given (schneidr@xu.edu). You could start there. More info can be found at the official webpage (http://athletics.xu.edu). (NT) -- X-band, 00:47:59 05/01/01 Tue
FYI - The women's team will be honored before the Reds game Thursday night. Coach Balcomb will throw out the first pitch. (nt) -- Corporate Law, 10:48:59 04/30/01 Mon (nr2-216-196-140-124.fuse.net/216.196.140.124)
nt

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Congratulations Lady Muskies!!! -- xu91, 10:31:47 03/27/01 Tue (stingray.cincom.com/198.8.67.3)
I just wanted to congratulate the lady muskies for a great year!!! Too bad it had to end on officiating... I think the turning point in the game was when Jen Phillips got her 4th foul, which was replayed and was clearly NOT a foul!!! Unfortunately, those refs were against us from the beginning, and how does it happen that they end up shooting twice as many free throws??

I was also sick of the ESPN-biased announcers and camera-shots of only the Purdue bench & fans.....that was ridiculous!!!

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- That 4th foul on Phillips was bogus to be sure. But the fact that more fouls were called against X is not necessarily the problem of the refs. I felt Purdue often got better position forcing X to foul. And we had to foul at the end of the game to have any chance to win. -- DAve, 11:40:59 03/28/01 Wed
- Re: Congratulations Lady Muskies!!! -- ., 18:52:31 04/24/01 Tue
taru taken too -- muskiefan, 14:20:16 04/20/01 Fri (dhcp235004.columbus.rr.com/204.210.235.4)
Taru was taken by New York. Way to go Muskies, we'll follow you in the pros.

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- What a great way to cap a magical season! Congratulations to all, and good luck. We'll miss you. (NT) -- X-man, 14:57:17 04/20/01 Fri
WNBA Draft - Breaking News -- DAve, 13:56:28 04/20/01 Fri (net162-243.xu.edu/205.133.162.243)
Breaking news ...

Nicole Levandusky was chosen 32nd in the WNBA Draft by Los Angeles (last of round 2). Two choices later Jen Phillips was chosen 34th by Charlotte. Way to go ladies. There are four rounds so hopefully Taru will make it as well.

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- Taru Tuukkanene was just selected by New York in the 4th round at #57! Great! -- DAve, 14:22:31 04/20/01 Fri
WNBA -- X-band, 11:38:47 04/20/01 Fri (net206-168-140.xu.edu/206.21.168.140)
Today's the day of the WNBA draft, and that means that 3 of the Xavier seniors (Nicole Levandusky, Jennifer Phillips, and Taru Tuukkanen) are on the draft board. According to this morning's Enquirer, it is likely that Nicole will be selected as a late first-rounder, thus becoming the first player out of Xavier to make it to the WNBA. Keep your fingers crossed!

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Recruiting -- X-man, 11:02:22 04/20/01 Fri (net162-175.xu.edu/205.133.162.175)
I see in the Enquirer that Xavier has signed a fifth recruit, a 5'6" guard from NH. Does anyone know anything about this recruit or why we continue to recruit guards. I know Xavier has two more spots and I would hope that the NCAA run would lead to getting a "big" kid or two to fill the void in our front line.

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Balcomb will be back -- embee68, 17:48:18 04/02/01 Mon (cvg-29-17-148.cinci.rr.com/24.29.17.148)
It looks like, somewhat by default, that Balcomb will return next season to Xavier, simply because there are no jobs opening up in the power conferences, except for Providence in the Big East, and, other than that it is in the Big East, Xavier is better, facilities, following, returning players, etc.

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- I'd be surprised if this remains the case, but her name will be on anyone's short list right now. Especially if she is able to reload and go back to the NCAA Tournament in 2002. (NT) -- X-band, 00:21:24 04/03/01 Tue
- Re: Balcomb will be back -- Marquette Fan, 21:05:03 04/07/01 Sat
Great, Great Season -- SC in DC, 12:54:11 04/02/01 Mon (a020-0972.laur.splitrock.net/209.156.51.210)
I know I'm late, but Purdue's continued success in the Dance up until last nite just reaffirms what a special team you were. That could easily have been you playing ND last nite. Thanks for all your effort and success and KNOW you did yourselves and the Univesity proud!

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What a weekend -- X-band, 14:46:53 03/28/01 Wed (net206-168-002.xu.edu/206.21.168.2)
For those who were fortunate enough to watch the games on TV or even more fortunate to see the games in person in Birmingham, you cannot feel anything but proud of the Xavier program.

First, there was the semifinal against Saturday. Tennessee was never able to answer the speed and shooting of the Muskies, and their defense was just awful against X. The ladies picked their shots well, and were able to overcome the crowd, refs, and not least of all, the Lady Vols. I don't know what Summitt said to Balcomb after the end of the game, but that game was the best game any Xavier team has ever played.

As for Purdue, they actually did their homework on the Muskies: their PG (Komara) did a good job pressuring Amy and Reetta, and their post player (Cooper) did a great job in the paint, although getting help from the refs certainly did not help the Muskies' cause. Taking Jen Phillips out of the game with her 4th foul was the most horrendous call I've seen this year.

The ladies have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about, and they have left a legacy for the younger players (Waugh, Piipari, Kreager, Bell, etc.) to follow. I have a feeling that we may see 3 jerseys being retired after this year: #5 (Taru Tuukkanen), #20 (Jennifer Phillips), and #40 (Nicole Levandusky). To them, and to Jennifer Parr and Erin Hall, thank you for a great 4 years! The community of Xavier is indebted to you gals.

As for Coach Balcomb, she deserves a big fat raise, and may get another if she can reload and send next year's team back to the NCAA tournament. This may be the start of a dynasty at Xavier; someone else will now get to step up and take the Muskies to another level.

Thanks for an awesome season!

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- Do we retire women's jerseys? Not that I recall. I would consider some of our Hall of Famer's first, with no slight to the present stars intended. -- DAve, 11:22:17 03/31/01 Sat
- Well Xavier men have been playing for ome 8 years and women for 30 and I hve been following for 27. Certainly this was "one of the best" of all time but I have memories of some others right up there with it. This team DID have the best record and go the farthest in an NCAA tournament. -- DAve, 11:25:16 03/31/01 Sat
  - ... of course I meant 80 years. -- DAve, 11:26:43 03/31/01 Sat
Speaking of UConn -- X-band, 21:37:40 03/28/01 Wed (net206-168-238.xu.edu/206.21.168.238)
You thought the schedule was tougher THIS year, just wait until next year. After checking the UConn board, the Huskies WILL be visiting the Cintas Center next year. One of the players, Tamika Williams, happens to live in Dayton, and Xavier was the only school in Ohio that agreed to play UConn (although I haven't heard any confirmation from any XU official). If this is true, here are the noncon games that Xavier has set up for 2001-2002:

HOME:
Connecticut
Cincinnati (WB64)
AWAY:
Vanderbilt
Florida State

Both Vandy and FSU will be return games on the road; I would imagine the UConn game would be televised locally (if not nationally on ESPN) as well. And by the way, someone PLEASE get the women on radio! I don't care if it's WLW, WBOB, WCKY, or even WVXU, a Top 10 team deserves a radio contract in which to listen to all games, home AND away!

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- I doubt very seriously there would be enough listeners to support carrying every Lady Muskies basketball game. With graduation, the team will probably be doing its fair share of losing next year, so I don't think we're going to have a top-10 women's team hear next year. -- GoMuskies, 23:34:57 03/28/01 Wed
  - Yes, and no (click here for more) -- X-band, 12:55:49 03/29/01 Thu
    - As for newcomers, keep in mind that we have 3 guards and a post player coming in, and that there are 3 open scholarships for next year. (NT) -- X-band, 12:57:12 03/29/01 Thu
      - If the 4 you say we already have coming in are all freshmen, I would doubt we would want to use many of the 3 "open" ones except for perhaps jucos or transfers. Most coaches like to try to spread out their players over all four years. (NT) -- DAve, 15:49:35 03/30/01 Fri
Congratulations -- DAve, 07:26:09 03/27/01 Tue (ip-216-23-55-76.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.76)
As already said, but it bears repeating, congratulations to the coaches, team, and all associated with it, for an absolutely amazing season. For us who were there regularly it was a fun 32-3 season, not just a few minutes of national glory against Tennessee.

Credit Purdue for being able to take Xavier out of its game plan. That is the sign of a good team but takes little away from Xavier. Purdue is a very talented team (they were seeded higher than us) and simply hit the shots tonight when they needed to, whereas Xavier struggled with their shot at the end. For someone to question Melanie's coaching skills because of the loss of this one game, as somebody did below, is absolute nonsense, as all who have actually followed this team know.

As somebody said, it is sad that this is the last time we will see these seniors play (at Xavier). But I am sure we will be able to honor them on their return and also at the banquet.

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- Re: Congratulations -- DCX, 17:32:38 03/27/01 Tue
Outcoached by Purdue -- Dick Van Dyke, 22:27:57 03/26/01 Mon (cvg-65-27-216-231.cinci.rr.com/65.27.216.231)
Melanie got it handed to her tonight. Xavier was by far the more talented team, and we were favored in the odds by 5+ points. We got blown out by double digets in a poor effort. How many times did we see the point guard come flying down the court with reckless abandon? How many senseless turnovers do we have to take until we run a usefull play? What about the poor effort of boxing out, or fouling instead of playing real D? All of those things are clearly a reflection on the coach. She has only won 1 NCAA game away from home in her career. I expected more. Any way you deal it, Melanie got outcoached tonight. I wonder what Pollyanna will say now, I am sure she has some excuses for this dissapointing effort.

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- actually Melanie has won two NCAA games away form home -- embee68, 23:33:42 03/26/01 Mon
- Dick Van Dyke: yet another UC fan jealous of Xavier's success. There's no way you can possibly be an X fan, because none of us are as negative as you are tonight. -- Benxu, 00:12:18 03/27/01 Tue
- X beat a more talented #1 seed, and ran out of gas against a more talented #3 seed loaded with All-Americans. Coach Balcomb and her squad are undoubtedly very disappointed, but have nothing to be ashamed of. If only the men's team could do as well. (NT) -- Gary Griffin, 01:03:33 03/27/01 Tue
- Re: -- GoMuskies, 02:26:22 03/27/01 Tue
  - And I was really looking forward to seeing Xavier face off with this Jackie Stiles girl. She is out of this world. She surpasses Oscar Robertson's single-season record for points scored in a season tonight. -- GoMuskies, 02:27:45 03/27/01 Tue
- Re: Outcoached by Purdue -- K-man, 10:27:07 03/27/01 Tue
- Re: Outcoached by Purdue -- K-man, 10:29:44 03/27/01 Tue
Can ESPN be any more biased? -- xfreek, 21:15:29 03/26/01 Mon (cvg-65-27-199-63.cinci.rr.com/65.27.199.63)
It was bad against UT, but you almost expect that if they turned the cameras around their announcers would be sitting there wearing gold and black. Let's go X, and get 'em in the second half.

PS> ESPN website its Amy Waugh, not Wall..

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- Was anyone else sick of seeing the gimp Valek cheering on the bench every two seconds? -- ESPNhata, 23:34:35 03/26/01 Mon
  - And that other girl's sister in the stands with the "cute baby!" I think they had one shot of the Xavier crowd in the whole game. -- DAve, 09:01:12 03/27/01 Tue
I'm really going to miss these girls :(( -- Benxu, 00:31:05 03/27/01 Tue (net206-160-153.xu.edu/206.21.160.153)
Ladies--
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Words can't say how proud you have made us and how much you have meant to Xavier University. Congratulations on an absolutely incredible season, and thanks for all the wonderful memories you have given us the fans. You gave a gallant effort against the Boilers, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. What really kills me about this is that we're never again going to be able to walk into the Cintas Center and see Jen, Nicole, Taru, Jennifer, and Erin do what they do best. You girls have been a joy to watch, and have played with grit, determination, discipline, perseverance, and phenomenal teamwork. These qualities will serve you well in life. Once again, thank you for a wonderful season and career, and God Bless you all.

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A gallant effort. .. Our greatest season. -- xfreek, 22:01:20 03/26/01 Mon (cvg-65-27-199-63.cinci.rr.com/65.27.199.63)
Thank you 2000-01 Lady Musketeers for the wonderful ride. We'll not soon forget you. Seniors, farewell and godspeed.

Coach Balcomb, please stay on to lead us to the national championship. It can happen here!

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melanie and UConn -- trip, 17:08:33 03/26/01 Mon (spider-ta014.proxy.aol.com/152.163.205.49)
Nice posts from UConn's fans. We at X appreciate it. Also we need to do everything we can to keep Balcomb, there will be schools coming hard after her and the XU administration needs to know that she has our support. BEAT PURDUE!!!

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- A friend of mine at work (Xavier) was at Storrs two years ago. She does nothing but rave about the UConn fans. She said they would come up to her in the mall after the game and compliment her on what a fine team Xavier had. So I guess I was not surprised to see the nice remarks here. -- DAve, 18:02:07 03/26/01 Mon
continue to support the Women's team -- mattw, 16:28:08 03/26/01 Mon (dhcp235004.columbus.rr.com/204.210.235.4)
Get out to the banquet room in the Cintas Center tonight and watch the game on the big screen with 750 of your closest friends. the women Can do IT, and they know it. For those of you who have followed the team for years now, tell someone who hasn't, because these women can flat out play. It is by far the most balanced ball team in the entire state. Purdue will be a battle, but I really think we'll pull it off. If you were at the game on Saturday, you could see it in their eyes--they're focused, hungry, and well disciplined. 52% from the floor is no joke. They can score from anywhere and they ALWAYS make the extra pass to the open shooter. They lack negative egos and truely embody the meaning of the word TEAM. They are 31 - 2, not because they are overachievers, but because they are a Damn good basketball team. Win or lose, and I do think we will win, when they get back to campus continue to let them know how you feel about our team. If the outcome tonight is a Xavier victory, there are NO EXCUSES, get out to St. Louis! Are you kidding me, ---- Xavier and final four in anything??? Bum a ride, take a bus, rent a car, fly $$, start walking after the game tonight----I don't care how, but get there. Show your support and be a part of history.

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Congratulations on your win -- Icount (UConn Fan), 11:12:21 03/26/01 Mon (c1044072-a.blfld1.ct.home.com/24.14.197.187)
It was an impressive showing. Midway through the second half the refs gave UT their usually perk. That is to that for 5 straight possessions they called fouls on the Muskies when it looked pretty clear 2 should not have been called and 1 should have been a foul on Robinson and a fourth could have gone either way but was probably a foul on Robinson. I have to hand it to your team. I really thought that long interruption of foul shots would have broken your teams momentum, but your players went right back to work with out missing a beat. Your team never plays to the name. They don't care that its UT or UConn they aren't intimidated at all. They just want to win. Good luck against Purdue and see you in the Final Four hopefully. If not, I know we have a game scheduled at your place next year which should be a good one.

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Replies:
- Do we really have a home game scheduled against UConn next year? (NT) -- Peanut, 15:35:26 03/26/01 Mon
pointing fingers -- japer, 17:43:40 03/24/01 Sat (calcar.mit.edu/18.42.2.33)
I was really excited before, during and after that game with UT. Those kids have a ton of heart under those jerseys and they deserve all the credit in the world. They did not back down one inch to the mighty Vols! That team is trully sensational.

At the end of the game, Coach Summitt said something with her finger pointing in the air and she looked pissed off. I know this is none of my damn buisiness, but I would love to know what she said to Coach Balcomb. It seemed as if Coach Balcomb was taken aback by whatever was said but was completely composed, like her team, during a post game interview on the court with ESPN.

She is the top of the class of this years NCAA coaches as far as I am concerned with all the injuries and distractions early in the season. 31 W's. That is getting the job done! Bar none, my NCAA coach of the year in all Division 1, men or women.

Beat Purdue!

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Replies:
- I also saw that. It appeared that she certainly wasn't congratulating her. -- Brian, 14:27:39 03/26/01 Mon
Congratulations from Connecticut -- Musher, 12:37:48 03/26/01 Mon (dhcp161-18-151-24.nm01-c3.cpe.charter-ne.com/24.151.18.161)
Nice going in your destruction of Tennessee. You showed them who the better team and the better coach was. Similar to the Championship game last year when Pat seemed to give up on the game in the last 10 minutes.

Come visit us on our board at UConnFan.com

Go Muskies..., kind of like Go Huskies!

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Replies:
- Re: Congratulations from Connecticut -- KatieinCT, 14:07:46 03/26/01 Mon
You guys played great! -- CTvisitor, 11:30:40 03/26/01 Mon (121.15.252.64.snet.net/64.252.15.121)
Watched the whole game back here in Connecticut, and it made me glad I didn't go to Pittsburg and miss your sticking it to Tennessee!

I assure those of you complaining that nobody knows who Xavier is - it's NOT true in Connecticut. We remember '99 and our Huskies BARELY getting by XU in the second round.

Good luck against Purdue.

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Now THAT was sweet ! -- tnmuskie, 10:34:07 03/26/01 Mon (cvg-65-27-199-63.cinci.rr.com/65.27.199.63)
Was in the Eddie George Sports Cafe in Nashville while the XU women were putting it to Summitt and the Lady Vols.
Sitting there in my Xavier gear with the biggest you know what grin on my face in Big Orange country. Went to the Grand Ole Opry (still in XU gear) to celebrate later. What happened to that southern hospitality? Who cares! Seeing and hearing ole Pat whine like their Smokey-dog mascot was excellent! Shame a coach of her stature can't be more gracious in defeat.

Go XU beat the Boilers and take it to St. Looie !!! Yee-Haa

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Muskies Favored By Four -- GoMuskies, 00:06:28 03/26/01 Mon (rdu26-36-110.nc.rr.com/66.26.36.110)
The Lady Muskies are actually favored to take the Mideast Region crown and earn Xavier it's first ever Final Four berth in basketball (men's or women's).

Almost as exciting is the fact that the Lady Muskies would likely match up with SW Mizzou and women's basketball's answer to Pete Maravich in Jackie Stiles in the Final Four.

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Go to connecticut.rivals.com -- GoMuskies, 22:31:12 03/25/01 Sun (rdu26-36-110.nc.rr.com/66.26.36.110)
The Connecticut rivals site has a women's messageboard with some lively dialogue on Xavier-UT, Jackie Stiles and SMSU, and the rest of womens' basketball. The Pat Summitt-Melanie Balcomb finger-pointing confrontation is a hot topic on their board right now.

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Saturday's game -- jamal4xu, 01:11:39 03/25/01 Sun (user-38lc8p8.dialup.mindspring.com/209.86.35.40)
Wow! I made the trip down to Birmingham for the game today and I am so glad I did. I can't begin to tell you what it was like, but I'll try.

I'm not sure about total attendance, but there had to of been at least 7,000 people there and easliy 6,300 of them were UT fans. They really tried to bully us in every aspect of the game. Their band would play over ours. Their fans would try to cheer over us once we began a cheer. And if you watched the game, you know that it was physical and many of the calls did not go our way. But in the end, we didn't back down. A big thank you goes out to the fans from Texas Tech who helped cheer us on against UT. Their band even joined ours in the fight song, calling out opposing players who committed a foul and making the "X" with their hands when our girls were at the line.

Our fans were unreal. Screaming at the top of their lungs until they were horse. Encouraging the girls and each other. I can't tell you how many X fans I high-fived that I didn't even know. Student support was awesome, and considering the poor turnout of Purdue fans, I anticipate we will have the "home" floor advantage, if one exists.

I thought Amy, Nicole and Reeta did an amazing job of handling the defensive pressure from UTs guards and breaking the press. We easliy could of had 3 times as many turnovers (we only had 9) and UT could of walked away with this one. This Xavier team is disciplined and determined. They believe they can play and beat anyone, and to be honest with you, after today's performance, I feel we may be in St. Louis next week.

I thought one of the classiest things that happened today occurred at the end of the game. The loudest ovation was for Melanie as she walked off the floor. She is the Coach of the Year. I truly felt happy for her today. She couldn't even hide the smile as she walked off the floor. I am glad the Xavier community is recognizing the AMAZING job she is doing with the program.

Today is a great day to be a Musketeer.

I'm gonna be there on Monday screaming my head off and getting the girls to St. Louie!!! Bring on the Boilermakers!

jamal4xu

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Replies:
- On TV you not could hear the Xavier fans, though I know they were yelling the whole game, until the last 2 minutes! Then all you could hear was the X-A-V-I-E-R chant. You made all of us who could not make it to Birmingam very proud. Of course Melaine and the girls had a little to do with it too! -- DAve, 10:08:16 03/25/01 Sun
  - You must have missed it. At several points I heard different Xavier cheers including, "Muskie defense...Go! Go!" -- Legend, 16:30:19 03/25/01 Sun
Keys to the Purdue Game -- DAve, 15:15:28 03/25/01 Sun (ip-216-23-55-76.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.76)
CLICK HERE

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2 midcourt tickets for championship game on monday for sale -- lr, 09:39:00 03/25/01 Sun (lou-ts9-13.iglou.com/204.255.236.28)
i am a Xavier grad and purchased the tournament package through Xavier. therefore, the two tickets for Monday's championship game versus Purdue are at midcourt only 15 rows from the court/great seats with the xavier group. i am located in Louisville/directly on the way(I65) to the game. Can meet you to deliver the tickets in person. Face value $20 each for the two. call 502-240-0330 or ra-cf@iglou.com We went to the game versus Tennessee and it was GREAT! Being there in person is better than TV.

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Melanie is our only good coach -- R Devine, 15:30:08 03/24/01 Sat (NoHost/216.104.228.155)
I hope that Skip has been taking notes. Way to go Ladies.

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Replies:
- Re: Melanie is our only good coach -- Norwood harold, 23:23:19 03/24/01 Sat
Something Special -- enonshoe, 22:59:03 03/24/01 Sat (spider-wm024.proxy.aol.com/205.188.199.159)
Congratulations to the Lady Muskies. We may never see a group of student athletes at this university that are as focused as this group is! I was at the Clemson game and after they won to make their first ever Sweet 16 appearance they didn't even cut down the nets (on their home court with 5 seniors never to play there again)! These Musketeers have realized a bigger goal, to get to the final four. To beat the most storied women's program by 15. We are now watching "SOMETHING SPECIAL" at this university! My daughters have watched them on TV all year long but when they went to the Clemson game and saw them live (in front of 6,500 fans) they asked me are these girls "famous"? Well YES they are and they will only add to their legacy as the go deeper into this tournament. Congratulations again! This group of student athletes and coaches has done this small university soooo very proud! Keep it up! BEAT PURDUE!

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POOR TENNESSEE -- Edgecliff Hall, 16:22:47 03/24/01 Sat (spider-mtc-tf064.proxy.aol.com/64.12.103.49)
Walking off the court
Fighting back the tears
Curse the day
You had to play
The Xavier Musketeers

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Please God, never give me Xavier in March again! -- DAve, 15:39:58 03/24/01 Sat (ip-216-23-55-76.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.76)

Pat

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Replies:
- Re: Please God, never give me Xavier in March again! -- mpugh, 16:14:02 03/24/01 Sat
Great game, way to take care of the ball!!!!!!! -- mwaner, 16:07:07 03/24/01 Sat (spider-tk062.proxy.aol.com/152.163.206.202)
Only 9 turnovers against U.T.!!!! We battled and wanted it more than they did. The Xavier fans and the Texas Tech fans were yelling their heads off for the lady Muskies. Wish you all could have been here! Big game off the bench for Amy Waugh---she took it right at them and had a huuuge steal late in the game. Keep pulling for the women and get down here for Monday's game if you can. I heard that classes were canceled for Monday and Tuesday. See everyone in St. Louis!!!!!!

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Pat needs a hankie!!! -- K-Man, 15:48:56 03/24/01 Sat (cvg-65-27-170-197.cinci.rr.com/65.27.170.197)
What's up with Pat at the end of the game, pointing her finger and giving Melanie crap? How she can cry after some of the foul calls in that game is beyond me. The lady Muskies took the fight to them and outplayed them all game.
Any word on Jen Phillips' injury? We need to be at full strength for Monday's game. Great team and teamwork! Go Muskies! Is Tennesee the ugliest women's team in College Basketball or what?

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Pat Summitt -- XBrian, 15:11:44 03/24/01 Sat (cvg-29-18-30.cinci.rr.com/24.29.18.30)
She's a women Bob Huggins when she did'nt get the calls she cried just like Huggins. Way to X knocking off a team that has won 6 national titles!!! Win it all baby!

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Replies:
- Also if you heard her comments at short time, she blamed the players. As far as calls, we were the ones that looked like we were getting mugged in a back alley!!! -- DAve, 15:34:23 03/24/01 Sat
  - correction: "at halftime" -- DAve, 15:35:23 03/24/01 Sat
Pat Summitt -- jbutch20, 14:58:51 03/24/01 Sat (cvg-65-27-226-62.cinci.rr.com/65.27.226.62)
I wouldn't want to face the Muskies in March if I were you!!!!!!!!!

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Replies:
- You can say that twice! :)) -- DAve, 15:31:56 03/24/01 Sat
Pat Summitt -- jbutch20, 14:58:34 03/24/01 Sat (cvg-65-27-226-62.cinci.rr.com/65.27.226.62)
I wouldn't want to face the Muskies in March if I were you!!!!!!!!!

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Way to go Lady Musketeers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -- Tim H, 14:28:26 03/24/01 Sat (as1-216-68-39-67.fuse.net/216.68.39.67)
Congratulations Lady's!!!! As a 1985 graduate, I am proud of you lady's. I hope you make it all the way to the final game. Good luck!!!!!!

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Does anyone (students) have Erin Hall's e-mail address??? I read the article in the Enquirer this morning and would love to send her a note........what a wonderful thing she has accomplished!! -- xu91, 11:24:37 03/23/01 Fri (stingray.cincom.com/198.8.67.3)
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Replies:
- I too thought it was an extremely well done and sensitive article. Helps us all put things in perspective. (NT) -- DAve, 15:48:34 03/23/01 Fri
- Re: It was a great article and channel 5 did a story on the little girl that was mentioned in the articl. These are the kind of stories you like to read about. Way to go Erin. (NT) -- Tim H, 14:25:15 03/24/01 Sat
To my friends at ... -- DAve, 14:18:41 03/24/01 Sat (ip-216-23-55-76.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.76)
... University of Tennessee: Pat Summitt, perhaps YOU should think twice about what you wish for in March!

... ESPN: Get rid of Nell. She can't even listen to the other announcers and pronounce Xavier right at the end of the game. Besides, she is a lousy analyst. Get our track shoes on??? Watch a few games if you want to do the job and have a clue what you are talking about.

... the places that run the Coach of the Year awards: Wait until the whole season is over, please.

... Xavier: YES, baaaaaaaaby!

... the rest of the world: R-E-S-P-E-C-T please.

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Congrats -- fan, 14:04:48 03/24/01 Sat (nr8-216-68-176-206.fuse.net/216.68.176.206)
The Lady Muskies move on to the elite 8 after a 80-65 victory over the Lady Vols of tennessee. They will now take on the winner of the Purde-Texas Tech game.

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I'm already getting nervous -- Benxu, 22:40:11 03/23/01 Fri (net206-160-153.xu.edu/206.21.160.153)
C'Mon ladies, I wanna go to St. Louis!!!!!!!

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Xavier-Tennessee Preview -- X-band, 22:38:16 03/22/01 Thu (alterb12.xu.edu/205.133.157.61)
#4 Xavier Musketeers (30-2, 15-1 Atlantic 10, #11 ESPN/USA TODAY, #12 AP)

PROBABLE STARTING 5:
PG Reetta Piipari (11.1 PPG, 8.5 APG)
SG Jennifer Parr (6.7 PPG, 2.8 APG)
SF Nicole Levandusky (15.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 104 steals)
PF Jennifer Phillips (16.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
C Taru Tuukkanen (19.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG)

OFF THE BENCH:
F Kate Kreager (3.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
F Erin Hall (2.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG)
G Shavon Bell (2.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG)
G Amy Waugh (6.7 PPG, 3.8 APG)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
1st Round: Def. #13 Louisville 80-52
2nd Round: Def. #5 Clemson 77-62

Official Xavier Athletics Website
Cincinnati Enquirer

#1 Tennessee Volunteers (31-2, 16-0 SEC, #3 ESPN/USA TODAY, #3 AP)

PROBABLE STARTING 5:
PG Kristin "Ace" Clement (4.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG)
SG Kara Lawson (11.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG)
SF Semeka Randall (10.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG)
PF Ashley Robinson (8.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG)
C Michelle Snow (11.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG)

OFF THE BENCH:
G Tasha Butts (4.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG)
F LaToya Davis (3.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG)
G Kyra Elzy (2.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG)
G April McDivitt (5.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG)
F Gwen Jackson (11.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG)
C Shalon Pillow (2.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
1st Round: Def. #16 Austin Peay 80-38
2nd Round: Def. #9 St. Mary's 92-75

Official Tennessee Athletics Website
Knoxville News-Sentinel

OVERVIEW:
This matchup is the best 1-4 game on paper in this tournament. Even without Tamika Catchings, Tennessee brings in a talented starting 5 and bench into this game. Although their offense has improved gradually during the tournament, their defense has regressed. The Lady Vols would like to put ball pressure on Xavier, but it remains to be seen how often they do so. Inside, look for Michelle Snow and Semeka Randall to lead the way on offense. From outside, Kara Lawson and April McDivitt are sharp 3-point shooters (over 40% apiece). Key spot: shuttle between Gwen Jackson and Ashley Robinson. Robinson has gotten better; Jackson has gotten worse. Who will contribute?
On the Muskies side, they are coming in red-hot on 2 counts: offense and defense. They shot over 50% from the field in their 2 wins at home, including a torrid 26-for-47 behind the arc against U of L and Clemson. It's not likely they'll have such an output against Tennessee; Jennifer Phillips and Taru Tuukkanen both have to exploit Tennessee's weaknesses on defense. Defensively, Tuukkanen and Phillips both have to keep an eye on Snow and Randall; make Tennessee beat them from outside.

PREDICTION:
USA TODAY says that Tennessee is a 14-point favorite; look for a much closer game than that. In fact, look for an upset: Tennessee has shown a chink in their armor; Xavier is red-hot right now. XAVIER 84, TENNESSEE 81

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Replies:
- I would love some respect ... the article by Nancy Lieberman-Cline at ESPN.com doesn't even spell Melanie's name right. Plus she says we are predictable because we just shoot threes and that is how UT can beat us ... stop the threes ... duh. -- DAve, 15:51:51 03/23/01 Fri
Congrats to the women -- XS, 20:50:00 03/21/01 Wed (178.cincinnati-08-09rs.oh.dial-access.att.net/12.76.95.178)
Melanie has done a remakable job at X, the question is can we keep her from the larger schools? Also the line on the women's game is X +13 1/2 against UT, should I bet the house on the ladies?

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Replies:
- Bet the bank! At the very worst I can't see us more than +10. I predict a very close game. -- DAve, 12:57:43 03/22/01 Thu
Weekend Information -- X-band, 22:37:44 03/20/01 Tue (alterb10.xu.edu/205.133.157.59)
As you all know by now, the Muskies will play Tennessee in the Mideast Regional semifinal on Saturday. Here are the game times:

SATURDAY:
#4 Xavier vs. #1 Tennessee, 12:00 PM EST (ESPN)
#3 Purdue vs. #2 Texas Tech, 2:30 PM EST (ESPN2)

MONDAY:
Semifinal winners, 8:00 PM EST (ESPN2)

All-session tickets went on sale for $40 earlier today, and are still available. Here are some links regarding Tennessee:

Official Tennessee Lady Vols Athletics Website
Knoxville News-Sentinel
Official SEC Athletics Website

Good luck ladies!

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Allison Lipinski -- Geo, 21:00:01 03/20/01 Tue (tnt-1-08-56k.ironton.zoomnet.net/208.32.30.29)
Anyon e know why Allison Lipinski didn't play this year. I remember her as being a top recruit. I heard she quit school right before practice began.

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Replies:
- All I know is that she left school for personal reasons. I don't know where she's enrolled or working, but I wish her the best of luck in whatever she's doing. (NT) -- X-band, 22:33:09 03/20/01 Tue
Can't go to Alabama.... -- xfreek, 14:56:05 03/19/01 Mon (NoHost/192.88.212.38)
But I'll be in Tennessee over this weekend and will be proudly representing by sporting my Xavier gear in Lady Vols country. Go Coach B. and Lady Musketeers, BEAE UT !!!!

And no matter what, it's been a heckuva season, hasn't it?

YOU HAVE MADE US PROUD !!!!!

PS> Please, Fr. Graham, sign Melanie to a long term contract so that we can keep it going - Onward and Upward!

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Another perspective -- muskienick, 14:07:50 03/19/01 Mon (cvg-29-20-179.cinci.rr.com/24.29.20.179)
Clemson had just run off 11 straight points and Coach Balcomb got a full time out to right the ship. She did!

Within no time, the Muskies had run their own 11-2 streak to reclaim a lead they never relinquished. In the process of that run, it was difficult not to notice the increasing frustration on the part of Clemson's coach. Taru had torn them apart early on great entry passes by our perimeter people and then her own fine moves around the basket. When Clemson regrouped by doubling-up down low, our outside game clicked in. Threes rained down from all sides led by the uncanny shooting of Nicole Levandusky. One could tell just by his body language that the Clemson head coach had thrown in the towel by midway during the first half.

He was prophetic indeed!

Although I'll stop short of predicting a Muskie win over the Vols, you won't find me stupid enough to wager any money against them either! There's one thing of which we can all be assured: our Lady Musketeers will go to Birmingham prepared for the challenge. Keep it going, Muskies!

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Thoughts of a little different sort -- DAve, 11:42:37 03/19/01 Mon (net162-243.xu.edu/205.133.162.243)
The only thing I felt a little disappointing was that the Musketeer mascot still did not show up. Thanks to the Blue Blob for his appearance. I felt like the band was a lot more spirited and louder than Friday and was particularly amused when they did one of Clemson's songs and funny little routines rocking back and forth.

Just thought if the Clemson Tiger could lead their team out waving their big flag, our Musketeer (or somebody) could do likewise.

There may have been reasons why it did not happen, but I for one was disappointed.

The crowd was great!

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Adding My Congratulations -- DAve, 11:14:20 03/19/01 Mon (net162-243.xu.edu/205.133.162.243)
I too was at yesterday's game and festivities as I have been to most all home games this year. And enjoyed it just as much.

Unlike so many good teams that I have seen in the tournament going by the wayside, this team has built up to this point and is clearly playing their best ball. The last three games, not just this one, have all been fabulous.

Besides being fun to watch, it is great to see such great game plans and execution and yesterday was a prime example. Clemson had seen Friday what we could do from the perimeter and came out at the beginning of the game to prevent that ... voila, Taru hits the first nine points! They double up on her and voila, the perimeter players start reigning threes.

What is clear too is that this is a team playing with confidence and tournament experience. The game yesterday must have seemed like a piece of cake compared to playing UConn two years ago at Storrs and memories of last year's disappointment must provide a lot of motivation.

Tennessee can be beat ... remember Vanderbilt beat them recently. While we beat Vandy I would not put a lot of stock in that as it was over 30 games ago. But I don't think our girls will be in awe of Tennessee. If their shooting does not desert them and they can watch those turnovers and stay out of foul trouble, as I have said all year, the sky's the limit. If these last games are any indication, the officials do let the players play!

If at all possible I will try to get to Birmingham but it may not work out. But if they manage it there, I will do everything possible to get to St. Louis!

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SSWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -- Benxu, 20:23:17 03/18/01 Sun (net206-160-153.xu.edu/206.21.160.153)
These girls are unbeeeeelieeeevable!!!!!!!!! I've never seen anything this good at Xavier. This beats anything the guys have ever done. I may make the trip to Birmingham and I'll definitely be in St. Louis if we make it. I wouldn't put it past us to beat the Vols, and if that happens, the sky's the limit. This is absolutely awesome--I am so proud of these girls. GO MUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Sweet 16, Here We Come! -- X-band, 18:04:25 03/18/01 Sun (net206-168-014.xu.edu/206.21.168.14)
One of Xavier's problems in the past has been failing to put the nail in the coffin when a team is down. They certainly didn't fail to do so today, and their shooting continued to be red-hot in downing Clemson 77-62. Five players scored in double figures, led by Nicole Levandusky's 19 points. Most notably, Xavier shot 58.5% from the field, including a scorching 66.7% (12-for-18) behind the 3-point arc.

The only down side was 32 turnovers, although most of them were in the final minutes of the game as Clemson sliced a 31-point Xavier lead into 15. Clemson did a fairly decent job patrolling the middle, but X took advantage of virtually every open look they had from outside.

Who's all going down to Birmingham? I plan on going and to see if we can knock off the mother of all women's college BB programs, the fabled University of Tennessee.

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Sweet, Sweet, Sweet!! -- GI, 17:35:28 03/18/01 Sun (spider-mtc-tb061.proxy.aol.com/64.12.104.46)
What a performance against a solid Clemson team. All I can say is that our Lady Muskies tend to be better prepared for their opponents, well drilled in the fundamentals of the game and seem to be always mentally active regarding games situations. Even more important, each player has improved throughout this season, and their careers. This is a tribute to Melanie and her coaching staff. While the seniors will leave, let's make sure this group of coaches remain for many years to come.
There was another great, vocal crowd at today's game and a super turnout at the post game reception. Fr. Graham gave a great pep talk and introduced Melanie. She seemed to really appreciate the reception and fan support. The team did too as they all gather on stage to a warm welcome. While the task ahead gets tougher, I think many at today's game are convinced that this team is not done in the 2001 NCAA. Bring on UT, and see you Birmingham.

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Congratulations to a Sweet Sixteen team -- Tim H, 17:14:43 03/18/01 Sun (as3-216-68-38-167.fuse.net/216.68.38.167)
The woman played an awesome game today. Over 6400 fans were in attendance. It is great to see a team play as a team. Five scored in double figures. Led by Nicole with 18 points, Taru had 14, Jennifer Phillips had 12 (10 for 10 at the line). Reeta had 13 points and 5 assist, while Amy Waugh came off the bench for 13 points (four three pointers. The ladies are off to Birmingham, Alabama where they will more than likely play Tennessee. The way these ladies play, they have a shot at upseting the Lady Vols. I am glad Amy did not sit out this year, she has added that little extra punch they needed for the end of the season. She should help with a victory against Tennessee. Good Luck Lady Musketeers. You are are true basketball team this year.

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Xavier 80, Louisville 52 -- DAve, 00:51:55 03/17/01 Sat (ip-216-23-55-238.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.238)
Back from Cintas Center and yet another awesome display by the Lady Muskies! Basically they totally devastated the Louisville Cardinals. The Cardinals did have a louder band and a mascot - well we did have the Blue Blob but no Musketeer :( I suppose he was off watching the men get undressed by Notre Dame.

I believe they are playing their best ball of the year and if they can keep playing like this, I would not put any limits on what they might be able to pull off. Hope there is another good turnout Sunday as they deserve it. There were 6,802 there tonight.

Clemson won the first game that really deserved to be won by Chattanooga.

Game Story

Box Score

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Replies:
- I suppose I should take offense, but keep in mind half of our band was alumni who made the trip from all points across the country just to be here. I was one of the few who chose not to go to KC with the "A" band. (NT) -- X-band, 20:34:57 03/17/01 Sat
- In all seriousness, the ladies are playing their best basketball right now. What's scary is the Louisville team was arguable the best Conference USA had to offer in the tournament. (NT) -- X-band, 20:36:11 03/17/01 Sat
  - Re: In all seriousness, the ladies are playing their best basketball right now. What's scary is the Louisville team was arguable the best Conference USA had to offer in the tournament. -- Marquette Fan, 16:34:44 03/18/01 Sun
Men's Board -- DAve, 09:53:58 03/18/01 Sun (ip-216-23-55-238.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.238)
The link above and my bookmark says "Invalid Forum" or something like that. Did the Men's Roundtable close? I mean we did lose, but I don't think that is any reason for discontinuing a men's board. At any rate, my Hoops Forum is still going strong :)

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Xavier-Clemson Preview -- X-band, 21:12:24 03/17/01 Sat (net206-168-008.xu.edu/206.21.168.8)
MIDEAST REGION:

#5 Clemson Tigers (21-9, 10-6 ACC, #19 ESPN/USA TODAY, #22 AP)

Probable Starting 5:
PG Krystal Scott (10.0 PPG, 3.8 APG)
SG Chrissy Floyd (16.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG)
SF Marci Glenney (10.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG)
PF Nuria Forns (7.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG)
C Erin Batth (12.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG)
Off The Bench:
G/F Julie Aderhold (5.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG)
F Maggie Slosser (3.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG)
G Lakeia Stokes (3.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG)
G Andrea Gaines (2.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG)

Official Clemson Athletics Website
The State (Columbia, SC)

#4 Xavier Musketeers (29-2, 15-1 Atlantic 10, #11 ESPN/USA TODAY, #12 AP)

Probable Starting 5:
PG Reetta Piipari (11.2 PPG, 8.5 APG)
SG Jennifer Parr (6.8 PPG, 2.7 APG)
SF Nicole Levandusky (15.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 97 steals)
PF Jennifer Phillips (16.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
C Taru Tuukkanen (19.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG)
Off the bench:
F Kate Kreager (3.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
F Erin Hall (2.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
G Shavon Bell (2.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG)
G Amy Waugh (5.7 PPG, 4.0 APG)

Official Xavier Athletics Website
Cincinnati Enquirer

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
#5 Clemson def. #12 Chattanooga 51-49 (Forns hit 2 FT with 0.8 seconds left in regulation)
#4 Xavier def. #13 Louisville 80-52 (XU hit a school-record 14 3-pointers)

OVERVIEW:
We already know what to expect from Xavier, so let's look at Clemson. The Tigers are a strong defensive ballclub, which reflects on their 64 points allowed per game. Their strength seems to be their perimeter defense, but they have a solid center in Erin Batth, Batth is the Tigers' leading rebounder and 2nd-leading scorer, although the team leader is Chrissy Floyd. She is the Tigers' go-to player in the clutch.
However, Clemson is not a particularly big ballclub, and if Batth gets into any foul problems early, the Tigers do not have much frontcourt depth to bail themselves out.

PREDICTION:
Xavier has had problems in past NCAA Tournaments with quick teams, but they have the inside game to go down low in the post to score, and proved on Friday that they can shoot the 3 as well. It's Xavier's last home game, and a 14-0 record at the Cintas Center should improve to 15-0 by days' end and give the team their first ever trip to the Sweet 16. XU 72, Clemson 64

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Replies:
- Having seen both games on Friday, Xavier SHOULD have no trouble and should win by more then your prediction. But I am reminded not to get overly optimistic. I think the crowd and the memories of the last two tournaments will help! Just hope the shots continue to fall. -- DAve, 09:50:19 03/18/01 Sun
Tickets for Sunday -- DAve, 13:57:07 03/17/01 Sat (ip-216-23-55-238.adsl.one.net/216.23.55.238)
If the UTC and Louisville fans only bought session tickets there should be plenty of good seats on Sunday. If not, you could no doubt buy upper level seats and just move down into the couple sections they had. I know some friends of mine joined me across the aisle in the first row after the UTC game. UTC fans were mostly in section 112 and UL fans in 108. I would think there would be no problem buying tickets on Sunday at the ticket window.

Guess I knew our women had made the big time when I was walking over from my office to the parking lot to move my car and ran into a scalper!

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18 going on 19 in a row -- TXW, 21:14:04 03/16/01 Fri (red3.redrock.net/209.197.14.130)
X is leading the Cards 32-11 at the half. Go Muskies

Looking good! Congrats to Coach Balcam and the ladies.

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Webcasting -- Steve67, 15:01:52 03/16/01 Fri (dhcp065-024-067-179.columbus.rr.com/65.24.67.179)
I understand that the game against Louisville is being webcasted. Any info?

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Replies:
- Re: Webcasting -- Marquette Fan, 17:44:03 03/16/01 Fri
A Visual View of the Brackets -- DAve, 10:15:04 02/26/01 Mon (ip-216-23-53-193.adsl.one.net/216.23.53.193)

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Xavier wins 8 awards, Balcomb coach of the year, Phillips player of the year -- embee68, 19:05:29 03/01/01 Thu (cvg-29-17-148.cinci.rr.com/24.29.17.148)
check out Xavier's website:

xu.edu/athletics

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A-10 Awards ? -- Tom, 12:08:00 03/01/01 Thu (sungold1.fi.ibm.com/195.212.29.41)
Does anyone have information on when A-10 will recognize
the All-Conference teams and individuals ? XU should bring home plenty...

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Replies:
- They will be announced tonight, just before the A-10 banquet that kicks off the Tournament. (NT) -- embee68, 13:28:05 03/01/01 Thu
Following the Games ... -- DAve, 12:41:27 03/01/01 Thu (net162-243.xu.edu/205.133.162.243)
For those of us not able to be in Philly, does anybody know if there is any way better to follow the games than the ESPN.com scoreboard? I know the championship is on ESPN2 at 5:00 p.m on Monday, but wonder about any earlier games. I doubt anything on local radio or TV but what about webcasts or totalcasts etc. If I find anything, I will post it; please do likewise.

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Replies:
- There is no TV for the early rounds. The semifinal rounds will be on the A-10 network (following the XU-UD game), and the championship will be Monday at 5:00 on ESPN2. As for TotalCast, Temple, UD, and GW have TotalCast, and you might be able to follow their early-round games. (NT) -- X-band, 13:17:21 03/01/01 Thu
Women's A-10 Tourney Preview -- Musketeer Madness, 23:24:12 02/27/01 Tue (cvg-65-27-235-56.cinci.rr.com/65.27.235.56)
By Matt Barber, Musketeer Madness
02/27/01

This weekend, the Xavier Musketeers will begin their defense of the Atlantic 10 Conference title they won last year. After the A-10 Tournament, XU will enter post-season play for just the fifth time in the history of the program, but never, in any of those previous four seasons, were the Musketeers as poised for success as they are now.

The Xavier women�s team holds the highest national ranking in the program�s history, 12th, in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches� Poll and the Associated Press Poll. They reached 20 wins faster this year than in any previous season, and, with a record of 25-2, completed the regular season slate of games with more efficiency than the program had ever seen. On Saturday, XU will carry the top seed in the A-10 Tournament into the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University to play the winner of a contest between two lowly seeds in the conference of 11 squads, Massachusets (No. 8) and Rhode Island (No. 9). From there, the bracket will play out. Continue reading at Musketeer Madness...

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I would like to thank whoever came up with the idea for the Xaviers womens board. I was so sick of seeing womens posts on the mens board. -- steve, 17:12:16 02/26/01 Mon (0-2pool45-69.nas2.cincinnati1.oh.us.da.qwest.net/63.232.45.69)
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Replies:
- Although there have been several women's boards, I think getting this one in the "Musketeer Madness" mix makes it a more clear where things belong and more attractive to post. I don't think people were trying to irritate you or others who may not care for this brand of basketball. (NT) -- DAve, 09:12:58 02/27/01 Tue
A-10 Tournament -- X-band, 20:10:38 02/25/01 Sun (net206-168-014.xu.edu/206.21.168.14)
First off, congrats to the ladies today for beating St. Bonaventure 93-82 to wrap up the outright A-10 title, despite getting the Bonnies' best game of the year. Now that the dust has settled, here are the matchups in Philly:

FIRST ROUND:
G1 - 6)La Salle v. 11)Fordham
G2 - 7)Duquesne v. 10)St. Bona
G3 - 8)UMass v. 9)URI

QUARTERFINAL:
G4 - 1)XAVIER v. UMass/URI winner
G5 - 4)Dayton v. 5)St. Joe's
G6 - 2)GW v. Duq/St. Bona winner
G7 - 3)Temple v. La Salle/Fordham winner

SEMIFINAL:
G8 - G4 winner v. G5 winner
G9 - G6 winner v. G7 winner

CHAMPIONSHIP:
Semifinal winners

I will be fortunate enough to watch Xavier in the A-10 tourney this year; hope they bring home another winner!

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Replies:
- Is the band going? (NT) -- DAve, 10:22:32 02/26/01 Mon
  - We are leaving Friday night to go to Philly. As long as Xavier keeps winning, the band is stayin'. (NT) -- X-band, 01:00:56 02/27/01 Tue
It's not easy to be the "hunted"! All teams will come hard at us. It was good to see them withstand some rough first halfs and rally to come back strong in the second half. -- DAve, 10:20:15 02/26/01 Mon (ip-216-23-53-193.adsl.one.net/216.23.53.193)
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Re: Congrats to A10 regular season champs -- zoneman, 15:21:04 02/25/01 Sun (spider-tr083.proxy.aol.com/152.163.201.213)

I agree 100% we have to play lots better defense to come out on top in the A-10 tournament. Happy the women were able to pull it off, keep up the good and HARD work!! Let's get some more wins and hang on to the A-10 tourney title!

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