ROCK HILL, SC-- The 2007-08 women’s basketball squad enjoyed the finest season in the program’s 38-year history as it became the first Eagle team to reach 20 wins in a single season. The team’s 20-12 record represents the largest turnaround at the NCAA Division I level in women’s basketball during 2007-08.
Numerous team and individual records and landmarks were reached over the course of the season. Aside from the 20 wins, the Eagles final record was the first overall winning record since moving to the NCAA Division I level. In the process of winning 20 games, Winthrop earned a third straight semi-finals birth in the Big South Conference Tournament for the first time ever as well. The Eagles finished league play with a 7-5 record and finished the regular season in third place. The seven wins tied a school record for most wins in league play and for the first time in school history the Eagles finished above .500 in conference action.
The 35 point victory win over Charleston Southern in the first round of the conference tournament earned the Eagles their 20th win of the season. That margin of victory versus the Bucs established a new standard for a post season game.
Ashley Fann was 1st Team All-Big South and reached 1,000 points in her career
Just a few weeks before falling in the semi-finals of the conference tourney, Winthrop pulled off what could arguably be the biggest win in school history when it defeated Liberty at home on Feb. 27. The win ended an eleven year drought and a 25-game losing streak versus the Liberty Flames who went on to earn the league’s NCAA bid. The Eagles were the only conference team to defeat Liberty in Big South action during the 2007-08 season. Liberty was ranked 27th in the country by the USA Today/ESPN poll at the time of the Eagles victory had won 13 straight contests. Liberty finished the regular season ranked 26th in the USA Today poll.
Defensively the Eagles excelled all season long with their changing defensive styles and pressure defenses. Winthrop ranked an astonishing 2nd nationally among all 343 Division I women’s basketball teams in defensive field goal percentage at .339 behind only the #1 ranked Connecticut Huskies. This marks the second time in three season the Eagles defense is nationally ranked in this category.
The Eagles hosted the “The Adidas Classic Tournament” to begin the season and posted convincing wins over North Texas and Navy before losing in overtime to Rice in the finals. Ashley Fann and Tiffany Rodd were recognized as All Tournament for their outstanding play.
The Eagles sped off to a 6-2 start in the first eight games. This represented the program’s best start since becoming a Division I member. During that streak, Winthrop captured the program’s first ever tournament title in history by laying claim to the Lady Pirate Invitational Championship held at East Carolina University. Winthrop defeated the host school 66-61 in the first game and captured the tournament with a 50-49 win over the Jacksonville Dolphins. Tiffany Rodd was selected as the Tournament’s MVP for her fine play.
The Eagles continued their fine start with victories over Norfolk State and Georgia State to race out to a program best 8-3 record.
Over the course of the season, juniors Ashley Fann and Tiffany Rodd reached a couple of milestones. Fann eclipsed the 1,000 point mark and grabbed her 600th rebound by the end of the season. She became just the fourth player in school history to reach 1,000 points in her career before their senior season. She is now seventh on the all-time list and with a 521 points season next year would become the school’s all-time scoring leader. With 625 career rebounds she now ranks seventh. She also became just the third player in school history to be named to the First Team All-Big South (Iva Milevoj, Charlotta Wennefors). Fann earned player of the honors in the Big South as well during the season. At the conference tournament banquet Fann was also honored for outstanding academic work as she named 1st Team All Academic Team for the 2007-08 season.
Tiffany Rodd is closing in on 200 three-pointers in her career
Junior Tiffany Rodd established herself in the record books as she became the all time greatest three point shooter in school history by blasting the previous career record. She came into the year with 125 and needed just 18 to pass Jennifer Castle and Rodd ended up with a total of 73 threes on the season and now has 198 for her career. In the process she has moved into third on the Big South’s all-time list and is now just 39 three-pointers away from becoming the conference’s most prolific three-point sniper in history. Rodd ended the season just shy of 1,000 points for her career and she should reach the milestone early next season. Rodd was named the Big South Conference Player of the Week twice and was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Lady Pirate Invitational. She is just the second Eagle in school history to be named an MVP of a tournament. Anne Cox is the other as she was the MVP of the 1996 Big South Tournament.
Rodd and Fann are not the only two players that put their name in the record books this season. Junior Yvonne van Daalen had a solid second season as the starting point guard for the Eagles. She amassed the third highest total for assists in a single season (158) in school history. Van Daalen also lead the Big South Conference in assists per game average and had the best assist to turnover ratio in league play. Milevoj and van Daalen are second and third on the all-time list and both reached the mark at the point guard position under the tutelage of Coach Bud Childers.
Yvonne van Daalen led the Big South with a 4.94 apg average
Winthrop established new program standards for home wins in a season (10), road wins in a season (8), conference wins (8), and overall wins in a season (20.) The Eagles were ranked near the top in most statistical categories in league play as well. Ashley Fann ranked 2nd in league play in scoring and 6th in rebounding. The Eagles improvement in wins for the season was the most astonishing statistic however, the biggest turnaround in the country for the 2007-08 season with a +14.
Franchesca Davenport is one of the leagues most all-around talented players
With all thirteen players eligible to return next year for the 2008-09 season it appears the Eagles are certainly ready to spread their wings for even a greater season. For the first time in three seasons the Eagles will be led by a senior class. The senior class comprised of Ashley Fann, Tiffany Rodd, Yvonne van Daalen, Franchesca Davenport, Ashley Haugtvedt, and Jennifer Walker make up one of the most experienced groups in the country. This class has the opportunity to become the first ever class to complete their careers at Winthrop with an overall winning record and be the first to earn a NCAA bid.
Other key returning members next year include a strong junior class made up of red-shirt junior Shelly Hankins, Shanice Cole, Jessica Fansler, and Katie Ryska. Each of these players earned valuable time this past season and contributed greatly to the success and depth of the team. Sophomore Sarah Scott and redshirted freshmen, Ashley Cox and Asha Gwynn, loom as big contributors on the horizon for the Eagles as well.
Coach Bud Childers said in summarizing the 2007-08 season and looking ahead to the 2008-09 season, “We played some outstanding basketball this year. Though we were disappointed with not earning a post-season bid, we know we put ourselves in position to be a factor in the league race for years to come. I am very proud for all the hard work this group of players, coaches, and staff put into this season. I know our fans were excited to see the transformation of the program into a winner as well.
We expect another great season next year. We return a great group of veteran players who now know what it takes to compete and win every night out. As always we will schedule a tough non-conference schedule to ready ourselves for league play. Our seniors next year will be expected to lead us to our first ever post-season play. I believe we will get there!”
