sports Togetherness is the key to success for the lady hoopsters by Sean Weaver Collegian Staff Writer Finishing out the season, the Penn State-Behrend women's basketball team shows improve ment and a little more. As of February 18 Sue Holmes has accumulated a total of 1,074 points, enough to surpass the women's high scoring record at Behrend. The first two years of competition for Holmes were at Penn State-Shenango Valley where she scored 477 points. At Behrend Holmes has achieved a status of 597 points to date. The previous holder of the women's record was Missy Stasenko who scored 1,057 points in 4 years at Behrend. Sue is the 3rd Behrend basketball player to achieve this scoring status. "Ever since I was a freshman I wanted to score 1,000 points," says Holmes. "And when I made it, I had to go for the women's high scoring record." However the positive news does not end with Holmes' record. Adding to the individual ac complishments of the team, is Paula Skaggs who also set new standards for the women hoopsters. Skaggs averages 5.5 _ll ehrerui s best in centercourt steals per game which ranks among all women in the nation for steals, has the average more steals than the leading mens average in Divi sion I play. "This is quite an ex cellent achievment,"says women's coach Karin Sobotta, "to compare with the mens Division I leader. Paula has really accomplished something." Other team member's stats which command the team are Skaggs, Holmes and Lisa Butch who tie for the leading scorers with an average of 11 points per game. Skaggs also has nine rebounds per game to lead the team, with Michelle Madison in second place with 7.9 rebounds per game. Coach Sobotta expressed pleas ing comments about the team's progress since the beginning of the year. "We are playing much better together and it's showing." Since their Christmas break the women's team has a record of 6 wins and 6 losses which is a great turn around from their first semester record. "Strength and intensity has really helped the teams record." said Sobotta "Close games that went in our favor were a result of their `wanting to win' attitude." Games including Buffalo State, Wooster, Frostburg and Pitt Bradford were Lisa Butch shoots over two Daemen defenders " ~"t John Sargent all won by the lady hoopsters by less than seven points. "The team is scoring when they need to," says Sobotta, "especially in the case of Frostburg where we never even held the lead in the game until we came ahead to win in the last few seconds. And it is really important that we play that way." Their present record of 6-6 as of February 18, the women's goal is to finish the season with a 10-6 record. Coach Sobotta expresses good expectations and looks beyond as she counts on some younger players. "Freshmen Michelle Madison and Sonya Sickle are really show ing their abilities. They have learn ed to work with the team and this is helping us win the final games of the season," says Sobotta. "An improvement from the free throw line has also improved the team's performance." Sobotta also said freshman Bob bie Bauer "shows a great amount of fiestiness that helps the team" and makes "things happen on the floor." So even as the season ends, the Penn State-Behrend Women Cubs look for success as a result of hard work and good prospects. Behrend's Best highlights women's basketball player Lisa Butch and men's basketball player John Sargent. Butch is a s'B" point guard from Northwestern High School in Al bion, Pennsylvania. She is a sophomore at Behrend and is undecided on a major. Butch is averaging 11.5 points per game, shooting 33% from the field and 60% fromthe foul line. She is also averaging two steals per game. Ac cording to Head Coach Karin Sobotta, "Lisa has really worked hard during the off season and has come back with a lot more con fidence and is much stronger this year. She has a roll this year where she is running the ball, and she is doing a fine job of taking charge out on the court." Also Butch is ......,,.- : tr,:;.i:,•: - .::.-.,-, .....,7,:a....:::r...,.,:,„, by Sue Holmes Collegian Sports Editor averaging 3.5 rebounds per game and Sobotta feels that is a plus for the team when a guard is not afraid to crash the boards. Senior forward John Sargent is also honored as one of Behrend's Best. Sargent played his high school basketball at Mercyhurst Prep. While at Behrend the 6'5", 195 pound MIS Major has par ticipated on the men's basketball team for four- years. In Sargent's last home game against Geneva he tallied 12 points, ripped down 10 rebounds and shot 63% from the field. According to Head Coach Doug Zimmerman, "John has picked up strength and weight from our lifting program during the summer. And he has improved his perimeter shooting." The student athletes that are honored by being chosen as one of Behrend's Best will receive a dinner for two, compliments of Barbato's Restaurant in Wesleyville. IlmiA4:A%;l ITALIAN RESTAURANT 3512 Buffalo Road, Wesleyville Phone: 899-3423 Michele Madison drives in for an easy two points Paula Skaggs sets the offense FEBRUARY 26,1987 Collegian PAGE 9 Lisa Butch Wendell Bates
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