page 8- The Behreml College Beacon - November 19, 1998
Men’s basketball ready to defend AMCC title
By Matt Buser
stall' writer
The Behrend men's basketball
team is poised to defend their
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference title, hour starters and
nine players overall return from last
year's team that went 18-9, won
their conference tournament, and
earned a second straight bid to the
KCAC South Region tournament.
Depth, experience and a talented
freshman class give the 1998-99
team high expectations. Returning
All-Conference players include first
Women’s basketball hopes to
rebound from emotional season
The women will tip-off their 1998-
99 season this weekend as they host the
Penn State Behrend Tournament in Erie
Hall. The tournament will bring to an
end a long off-season that has seen the
women lose three starters and seven
total players from last year's team.
Forwards Emily Marini, Nikki Schultz
and guard Jaime Lorenzo will lie missed
for their total average of 20.5 points and
12 rebounds per game. However, the
Lions will welcome seven new players
to their roster: freshmen Katie Weigold,
Jessica McDivilt, Jacqueline Jackson,
Kate Costanzo, Christine Charnoek,
Erin Phillips and Mandy Feitl.
Behrend will return four key players
from last year's team. Starting point
guard Carrie Nestor, from McDowell
High School in Erie, PA and guard
Tiffany Buck from Penn Trafford in
Pittsburgh, PA will join sophomore
forward Jen O'Lare from Bethel Park
in Pittsburgh. PA and guard Lisa
Sanders from Bradford High School in
Bradford, PA. These four have taken
the leadership role for the team and have
given coach Fornan a source to build
conclusion of the season saying, around.
By Jason Snyder
sports editor
The 1998-99 Behrend women's
basketball team hopes to make this
season more than just a year to
rebuild after an emotional 1997-98
season. After losing three starters
from last year’s 19-9 campaign, this
year's team hopes to make up for
those key losses and once again
challenge for the Allegheny
Mountain Collegiate Conference
Championship. Head coach
Rosalyn "Ro/." Fornari said, "we've
graduated our firepower and are
totalis rebuilding again."
The conclusion of the 1997-98
season brought with it a long and
disappointing off-season for the
Behrend women. The Lions were
forced to deal with an AMCC
championship game loss to Pitt-
Bradford in overtime, 55-53. They
then advanced to the LC AC playoffs
where they were defeated by King's
College by only three points.
Fornari commented on the
'we had our chances." She added,
'we went 19-9 and didn't win
anything. We base some emptiness
from our hard work last year."
Coaeh Fornari w ill enter her sixth
season as the Behrend women's
basketball eoaeh compiling a reeord
of 83-49 along the way. Her 83 wins
make her the winningest eoaeh for
the women's basketball program.
Assistant eoaehes for the Lady
Lions will be Rob Wittman, Beeky
Reed and Amv Slranahan.
Women’s Basketball Schedule
Opponent
Nov 20
Nov 21
Dec 2
Dec 4
Dec 5
Dec 10
Dec 12
Dec 21
Dec 22
Jan 5
Jan 7
Jan 9
Jan 13
Jan 16
Jan 20
Jan 23
Jan 25
Jan 30
Feb 3
Feb 6
Feb 10
Feb 13
Feb 17
Feb 20
Feb 25
Feb 27, 28
team selection Brock Bovaird, and
second team selections Jason Paloskey
and Brian Emick.
Seniors Bovaird (15.1 ppg) and
Paloskey (11.1 ppg) return as starters
in the backcourt. Both excel at
shooting or handling the ball. They are
joined by fellow senior Matt Pli/ga, a
key bench player throughout his career.
Senior Andy Lawrence returns to start
at small forward. He was the teams
leading scorer in his first two seasons
before redshirting last season with an
ankle injury. Junior John Park comes
off the bench as the teams defensive
stopper. Sophomore Ashley Orris
provides an offensive spark (9.2 ppg)
"Currie Nestor is a natural leader,"
said Fornari other starting point guard.
Nestor averaged 6.8 points. 4.3
rebounds and 3.7 assists lor the Lady
Lions last season. Joining Nestor as a
Lions' probable starter for the season
is Tiffany Buck. Buck comes off a
strong '97-98 season that saw her
average 8 points, 3.8 rebounds and one
assist per game. Both Jen O’Lare and
Lisa Sanders will be probable starters
for Fornari's team this weekend.
Fornari said of O’Lare, “she will be a
pivotal person for us this year. I believe.
Place Time
Tip-off Tournament 6 & 8:00 p.m.
Tip-off Tournament 1 & 3:00 p.m.
©Washington & Jefferson 7:00 p.m.
Winter Classic 6 & 8:00 p.m.
Winter Classic 1 & 3:00 p.m
@ Thiel 6:00 p.m.
Bethany 7:00 p.m.
@ Sun Desert Classic in Las Vegas TBA
@ Sun Desert Classic in Las Vegas TBA
Thiel 6:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m
6:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m
2:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
@ Waynesburg
@ Grove City
@ Lake Erie
Frostburg
@ Pitt-Bradford
@ Pitt-Greensburg
Washington & Jefferson
Laßoche
Lake Erie 6:00 p.m
@ Frostburg 6:00 p.m,
Pitt-Bradford 6:00 p.m,
Pitt-Greensburg 6:00 p.m.
Allegheny 6:00 p.m
@ Laßoche 5:30 p.m.
AMCC Championships
AMCC Championships
Scoreboard
6:00 p.m,
and can play guard also
Senior Brian Emick returns to start
at power forward. Emick was the teams
leading rebounder (8.0 pg) and second
leading scorer (12.2 pg).
Junior Nate Willson will start at
center after contributing solid bench
play last season. He was the team's
second leading rebounder (6.2 pg).
Junior center Chris Hughes practiced
with the team last season while
recovering from foot surgery and, at
6’6". looks to make a significant
contribution in the frontcourt.
Top newcomers are guards Matt
Kieth and Lamar Jefferson, who bring
an uptempo style of plav to the team;
She runs the floor well and does a lot
of good things." Sanders will probably
take the three spot for the Lions this
season. "I would look at her as out most
improved athlete coming into this year.
I say that because she worked her rear
end off this whole summer, grew an
inch and came back a much more
photo by Andrea Zaffino
Women’s basketball coach-Roz Fornari
Men’s JV Basketball
Opponent Time
Allegheny 6:30
Fredonia 6:30
Pitt-Titusville 6:00
@ Fredonia 6:00
Pitt-Bradford 8:00
@ Mercy hurst N.E. 7:00
Elmira 3:00
Pitt-Titusville 7:00
Pitt-Bradford 3:00
©Allegheny 8:00
Mercyhurst N.E. 2:00
Nov 23
Nov 30
Dec 2
Dec 8
Dec 10
Jan 14
Jan 16
Jan 18
Jan 24
Jan 28
Jan 31
Sports
Andy Berehtold, who can play guard
or forward; and center Andy
Stritzinger who is an imposing 6'B".
The season opens this weekend
when Behrend hosts the annual Penn
State Behrend Haniot Classic. The
men face D’Youville on Saturday at
8:00 pm. The tournament’s
consolation game and championship
games will be held on Sunday at 1
prn and 3 pm, respectively. The
regular season gets started when the
men travel to Cornell on Tuesday,
November 24.
confident person. She’ll play a key
role for us as well." commented
Fornari. Filling the final spot on the
starting line-up for Behrend will
probably be freshman Erin Phillips
playing the other post.
"I think we’re really balanced this
year which will help us a lot. Last
Men’s basketball coach-Dave Niland
year I would say we were an inside
team, we focused on our post players.
This year we have a totally different
offense. It's going to take them some
time to figure it out.” said Fornari of
her young team.
The team's primary goal for the
upcoming season centers on the
Lions’ quest for the AMCC
Championship. Last year marked the
Behrend Lady Lions' first year of
competing in the conference. They
finished with a 9-4 record in the
conference that culminated in a
second place finish behind Pitl-
B rad ford. Fornari said, "losing in the
AMCCs last year makes us want to
win an AMCC Championship." The
conference this year looks to be very
competitive. "The top four or five
teams are going to vie for first place.”
added Fornari. Pili-Bradford looks
to be the toughest competition in the
conference again this season. They
only lost one player from last year's
championship team. Fornari said,
"we have a good rivalry with them.
I have a lot of respect for with their
program and what their coach does.
They are going to have a little more
consistency and we're going to have
to build ours."
With an AMCC championship, the
Lions then hope to compete well in
the postseason. Fornari realizes,
however, "postseason anti the other
stuff comes when you get to your first
goal.”
Fornari commented on the team’s
readiness for this weekend’s
Men’s Basketball Schedule
Date Opponent Time
Nov 21 Harriot Classic 6 & 8:00 p.m,
Nov 22 Harriot Classic 1 & 3:00 p.m.
Nov 24 @ Cornell 7:30 p.m.
Dec 1 Grove City 8:00 p.m.
Dec 5 @ Elmira 2:00 p.m.
Dec 8 @ Fredonia 8:00 p.m.
Dec 11 @ RIT Brodie Classic TBA
Dec 12 @ RIT Brodie Classic TB A
Jan 5 Thiel 8:00 p.m.
Jan 8 Taco Bell Classic 6 & 8:00 p.m,
Jan 9 Taco Bell Classic 1 & 3:00 p.m
Jan 13 @ Lake Erie 8:00 p.m.
Jan 16 Frostburg 8:00 p.m.
Jan 20 @ Pitt-Bradford 8:00 p.m.
Jan 23 @ Pitt-Greensburg 4:00 p.m.
Jan 27 @ Hilbert TBD
Jan 30 Laßoche 8:00 p.m.
Feb 3 Lake Erie 8:00 p.m.
Feb 6 @ Frostburg 8:00 p.m.
Feb 10 Pitt-Bradford 8:00 p.m.
Feb 13 Pitt-Greensburg 8:00 p.m.
Feb 15 @ Waynesburg 7:30 p.m.
Feb 17 Allegheny . 8:00 p.m.
Feb 20 @ Laßoche 8:00 p.m.
Feb 25, 27-28 AMCC Tournament
tournament saying, "we've worked
hard in the off-season trying to get
ourselves to the point where our style
of play can benefit our personnel."
She added, “I think our players are
anxious to play someone else besides
themselves. This weekend will be a
test for us definitely.”
The Lions will tip-off their season
against Mount Saint Josephs at 8:00
p.m. this Friday night. The first game
of the Behrend Tournament will
feature Hilbert vs. Mount Union at
6:00 p.m. Mount Union enters the
tourney coming off three straight years
of playing in the Llite Light of
Division 111 basketball and one
National Championship. With the
tough competition in this seal's
tournament, the Lady Lions will be
challenged as they try to repeal as the
tip-off tournament champions. Fornari
said, "we’re going to go in and pul our
best foot forward"
The rest of the season will also be a
challenge for the women’s basketball
team as they will face their toughest
schedule to date. But Fornari is
optimistic that the program can be
successful despite playing in a
rebuilding year. She concluded,
"we’re going to go through some
growing pains. We have the people
that are very good role players and
that’s what’s going to make us g00d...
if they can play the role."