Photo courtesy of Xavier athletics.

By Kyle Soppe

The Xavier Musketeers have struggled at various points this season, but showed some great signs this past week. XU played A-10 preseason co-champion Temple hard in the first half, and while the Owls did outlast the Musketeers, there was a level of confidence gained by hanging with the conferences elite.

Junior forward Jessica Pachko was a big reason for Xavier's success. She paced her squad in the first half against Temple with six points and five rebounds, and Xavier trailed by only eight. While Temple would go on to win by a final score of  64-38, the Owls had no answer for Pachko. She finished the contest with a team high 12 points and added six rebounds. Pachko converted six of her 11 field goal attempts and added two steals. But her best was yet to come.

Pachko teamed up with senior guard Tyeasha Moss to snap Xavier's 10 game losing streak, with a 67-57 victory at Rhode Island. While Moss deserves credit (she poured in a career high 27 points), it was Pachko who was the scoring threat in the paint. Her efficiency opened up the outside game, and her defense limited the bigs of Rhode Island. Pachko made six of her seven shot attempts (totaling 14 points) and committed only one turnover. Her ability to collapse the Rams defense allowed the ball to flow freely on the perimeter to the open player. On the other end of the court, Pachko and the Musketeers interior defense held Rhodies starting front court to 16 points in 47 minutes. Rhode Island's starting forwards only managed 8 shot attempts, and were physically defended all night. Moss' career night certainly led the Musketeers, but for every explosive game by a guard, there is a big who makes it possible.

Pachko, who led the team in rebounding this past week, averages 9.9 points per game to go along with her team high 8.4 rebounds. Her efficiency is nothing new, as she is shooting 51% from the field and 78.4% from the free throw line. Along with Moss, Pachko is the only other player to start every game this season for the Musketeers. Her game isn't likely to make any highlight films, but what she brings to the table is grit and passion, something hard to quantify in numbers. Her style of play is why Xavier has looked more competitive of late, and why they can give any team in the A-10 a fight this season.

Who gets your POTW?

Jenkins averages 14.7 points per game. She is remarkably efficient, shooting 96% from the line and recording more steals than turnovers. (Photo courtesy of SBU athletics)

By Kyle Soppe

The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball has proven to be the top team in the Atlantic 10, and proved so with two very impressive wins this week over quality opponents. Leading the charge was dead eye shooter Jessica Jenkins, who paces the first place Bonnies in minutes per game, points per game, three point percentage, and steals. Call her Jess, call her JJ, but I call her this week’s “Performance of the Week.”

On Wednesday, the Richmond Spiders visited the Reilly Center and were outplayed from the very beginning. There was but a single lead change, in large part due to the constant play of Jenkins. Seemingly every time Richmond made a run, the Bonnies senior would deliver a back breaking, momentum shifting bomb. On the night, she tallied 18 points to go with four rebounds, but her impact is felt in ways the stat sheet cannot reflect. The presence of her shooting touch opened up things in the middle for St. Bonaventure, allowing her teammates to also succeed. It was for this reason that the Bonnies were able to overcome early foul trouble of fellow senior Megan Van Tatenhove, and defeat the Spiders 75-59.

Without much time to bask in the glory of a solid home win, SBU hit the road for a showdown with Charlotte, the co-leader of the A-10. The senior-led Bonnies fell behind by as much as 13 in the games first 25 minutes, but Jenkins calmly continued to play her game, resulting in a gutty 68-63 victory. The Bonnies struggled to find their scoring touch early, but it was only a matter of time before #14 would step up. Jenkins connected on 6/10 treys for a team high 23 points. Her six triples gave her 293 for her career, breaking the all time A-10 record. The victory also gave the 2012 senior class 85 victories over four years, matching SBU’s all time winningest class.

Jenkins averages 14.7 points per game, and has accounted for more than half of her 18-2 team’s season three pointers. She is remarkably efficient, shooting 96% from the line and recording more steals than turnovers, and has the benefit of three years of experience. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of watching Jenkins play, I strongly encourage making the time to watch this jump shooter do her thing. SBU is already getting votes in the AP top 25 poll, and after two huge wins, it would not surprise me if they received more national support.

The Bonnies will host St. Joes on Wednesday, as they look for their eighth straight win.

Who else deserves recognition for the past week of conference play in the A-10? Let your thoughts be heard, here on the Pine.

Rachael Bilney (Courtesy of Richmond athletics)

By Kyle Soppe

One week ago, the young Spiders were a team beaten at the buzzer. Their confidence shaken, the upcoming two game week had the potential to nullify the blazing 12-2 start for the Spiders. And when foul trouble limited two thirds of Richmond’s “big three”, the future continued to look bleak. While you can subtract 35% of a teams scoring, you can’t break the heart and spirit of this red shirt junior Rachael Bilney.

Despite struggling to find her scoring touch of late, Bilney immediately stepped into the lead role against George Washington on Wednesday. She opened the scoring with a long range bucket, and that was simply the beginning.  It seemed that with every possession, Bilney took a step further back, and launched her picturesque right handed jumper. Her stroke was feeling so good from beyond the arc, she didn’t even bother attempting a two pointer after she converted a lay up 4 minutes into the contest.

With only seconds remaining in a convincing Spider victory, Bilney had tied the all time Richmond record for three pointers made in a single game with seven (on only eight attempts). The shot clock melted away, and the ball was once again in the hands of #31. With a defender all over her, she rose up for the games final shot attempt, just to avoid a violation. As if there was any doubt, the ball softly tickled the twine, giving Rachael the all time mark. Her eight for nine performance for distance resulted in a career high 32 points. In the 74-57 win, Bilney also managed a game high six helpers, five rebounds, and three steals in 39 strong minutes. She connected on all six of her free throws, bringing her season percentage to 96.4. This was just what the doctor ordered for Richmond, and the momentum  carried over when her Spiders traveled to UMass on Saturday.

This game was never close, as the Spiders raced out to a big advantage and never looked back. Bilney did much of the damage early, before giving way to some teammates who don’t see as much playing time. She tallied a team high 12 points on five of nine shooting in the convincing 73-54 victory over UMass. Another sparkling all around performance for Bilney, as she recorded five assists, five boards, two steals, and a blocked shot. Richmond may have opened up A-10 with disappointment, but they proved they are here to stay, thanks in large part to the efforts of Bilney.

On the week, Rachael shot an astounding 71.4% from three point land while averaging 22 points, 5.5 assists, and 5 rebounds. The Spiders are a deep team with limitless potential, but how good can they be? We may get the answer, as they square off against the A-10 leading Bonnies on Wednesday night at the Riley Center.

Who gets your POTW?

Kristen McCarthy (Courtesy of Temple athletics)

By Kyle Soppe

Senior leadership is typically hard to measure in box scores, rather a calming influence on the team as a whole. This past week however, Temple Owls (7-7, 1-0) veteran guard Kristen McCarthy made her presence known in a big way in two huge road wins.

Her standout week began as Temple wrapped up its non conference schedule with a contest at Western Michigan. She came out aggressive and tallied 11 points in the games first 20 minutes, allowing her Owls to head into the locker rooms with a comfortable 10 point advantage. Temple’s lead would continue to grow, as McCarthy stepped up her defensive game with four steals. The threat of her on the outside began to open up driving lanes for her teammates, and Temple had the game wrapped up. McCarthy finished with a game high 19 points to go along with five rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end. While this game was Temple’s in the early going, their conference opener was a completely different story.

The Owls traveled to the Robins Center to face the upstart Richmond Spiders (12-3, 0-1) in what was the game of the week in the A-10. McCarthy scored the games first bucket, but that was the last time Temple would see the lead until midway through the second half. Despite briefly holding the lead, Temple was batteling from behind the entire night, and fell behind by eight points after Gen Okoro converted a lay up with 3:58 remaining in the game. On the play, McCarthy was whistled for her fourth personal foul, one away from disqualification.

But this is a senior, a senior who has learned from experience. This wasn’t the first time Temple had been down late in a game, nor was it the first time the sharp shooting senior was in foul trouble. She led the team in scoring up to this point (12 points) and was aware that her team needed her to not only to stay in the game, but to take over.

Catch and shoot from the top of the key. Bang. Three point game. Left wing pull up. Money. One point game.

After a Spider miss, the Owls were left with 5.6 seconds and the ball at half court. Shey Peddy, the teams leading scorer this season, started the games final possession by catching the ball at the top of the key. She hesitated, then drove hard to her left. Richmond was not going to let Peddy beat them, and forced her to pick up her dribble at the elbow. She spotted McCarthy on the left wing and slung a pass her way. McCarthy took one left handed dribble, and rose up …

The ball swished through the hoop as the backboard lit up, and the Temple Owls (preseason co-favorites of the A-10) had a nice road win to open conference play. McCarthy led Temple with 18 points and added 11 rebounds in the comeback victory. Her five offensive rebounds matched all of Richmond, but it was her clutch play with time running down that will be most remembered. She played every second of the emotional win, and clearly was fatigued in the final moments. Temple’s record is a bit deceiving, as they lost to powerhouses like Duke and Rutgers, but this is the top team in the A-10 until somebody knocks them off. And if McCarthy is going to play like this on a weekly basis, it will take a near perfect game from their opponent to knock them off.

Who gets your POTW?

Courtesy Dayton Athletics

By Kyle Soppe

Justine Raterman stood a bit above the rest this week, leading her Dayton Flyers to a Saint Peter’s College Holiday Classic championship. Raterman was recognized as the tournaments most valuable player for her performances in back to back wins over USF and Binghamton.

The senior forward lit up the USF defense with a dazzling display of long range accuracy. She buried a career high seven triples on her way to a 26 point outburst in a 73-63 win on Thursday night. Raterman, a two time First Team All Atlantic 10 selection, added nine rebounds in a back and forth game in which the Flyers needed everyone of her big plays. Her size, 6’1″, and shooting ability made her a tough match up for USF, as she continually shot over the defense, as if they weren’t there. As one of UD’s all time great players, Raterman would not sit back and admire the outstanding performance, rather she prepared for Binghamton in the tournaments championship.

While Binghamton clearly benefited from scouting Raterman the previous night, she still found a way to produce and help her team earn a 60-50 victory. She recorded 10 points, despite being hounded by the entire BU defense, but her greatest contribution was on the glass. She hauled in 12 rebounds, a big reason why the Flyers were able to outrebound Binghampton (40 to 29) and attempt 15 more field goals than their opponent. Her tenacity on the boards allowed Dayton to overcome an off shooting night (31.7%) and win the tournament. She also handed out a team high four assists, showing an ability to make plays for others when defenses decide to focus on limiting her scoring opportunities.

ESPN ran a special article on Raterman, detailing the elite class she is truly in. She has produced since the day she stepped on Dayton’s campus and this year has been no different. Click here to read the article.

The Flyers are 8-4 on the season, with Raterman leading the team in points per game (15.3), rebounds per game (6.6), field goal shooting percentage (47%), and three point field goals (26). This is a senior led team that has the experience it takes to make a run for the A-10 title. They begin conference play when Rhode Island comes to town on January 7th.

By Kyle Soppe

Freshman point guard Chakecia Miller had her best collegiate performance on Thursday against George Mason, and despite her Colonials coming up on the short end of a hotly contested 58-55 game, she has been nominated as our Pickin Splinters A-10 Performer of the Week.

Miller, who calls Marietta, Georgia home, was in the George Washington starting lineup for the first time, and she did not disappoint. The pressure of starting in a local rivalry is one thing, but being counted on for a career high 37 minutes in a back and forth affair isn’t for your average 18 year old. Miller, however, stepped up to the challenge by racking up a game high 20 points on 8/15 shooting.  She was a consistent threat throughout, and kept GW competitive for all 40 minutes.

Her defensive intensity, and ability to turnover over George Mason, was unmatched. She recorded the most steals by a single player in the A-10 this season. Her 10 thefts gave GW more possessions down the stretch, and allowed them to have a chance to win the game in the games final minutes. Although her efforts did not result in a win, she seemed to gain a level of confidence that a freshman needs at this level. George Washington (5-6) will not be an easy out come conference play, and Miller’s continued growth will lead to this team improving every time they take the court.

Sticking with the holiday spirit, what other teams were given the present of greatness this past week? Let’s get some other nominees and some stats to back up your claim

Courtesy Richmond Athletics

If you told Richmond Spiders head coach Michael Shafer before Thursday’s game at North Carolina State that for most of the first half the Spiders would be without their two main scoring threats, he would have probably passed. But that is exactly the predicament the Spiders found themselves in, as Abby Oliver and Gen Okoro were forced to the bench early in the first stanza with foul trouble.  But that is when freshman guard Keri Soppe stepped in and the Richmond Spiders had the Wolfpack right where they wanted them.

With both players on the bench, Soppe scored 10 of her career high 12 points in the first half to help pace the Spiders to a 38-32 halftime lead. The gutsy guard scored most of the points driving to the basket for easy lay-ups against a Wolfpack team that was previously undefeated at home, 5-0. For the game, Soppe finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists making her the selection for A-10 Performance of the Week.

“She gained her confidence early. We had to adjust our defensive plan in the second half,” stated Wolfpack Coach Kelly Harper.

In the second half, Soppe glady changed roles and became the “distributor” of the rock.  Abby Oliver returned  to score 15 second half points, while Soppe had 4 assists as the Spiders never looked back.  Keri’s 5 defensive rebounds tied a team high – not bad for a 5’9” point guard. As a team, Richmond finished with 17 assists and five blocks. The Rochester, NY native was an integral piece of  a defense that held North Carolina State to just 31.3% shooting on the game.

With the win, the A-10′s youngest team improved their record on the season to 8-2. Next up for Richmond is Liberty, who comes to town on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.

Thoughts on the selection? Other nominations for our Performance of the Week?

By Kyle Soppe

No team likes road trips, especially during the final week of a semester. But the Billikens (3-6), paced by 6’2″ junior Mallory Eggert, played hard and competed while traveling to Wisconsin and Florida this past week. Eggert’s grit and toughness, as well as being a consistent offensive threat, made her the selection for A-10 Performance of the Week.

Eggert has been known around the Billiken community as a role model both on and off the court. She was recognized with the 2010-2011 Billiken Award, “given to the player who best exemplifies a combination of passion, leadership, selflessness and community involvement”. But if you were to ask the Badgers and Owls, the phrases “tenacious rebounder” and “relentless effort” belonged in the awards description.

On Monday, St. Louis visited Wisconsin, and played a typical Big Ten basketball game: low scoring, fundamentally sound, and extremely competitive. Eggert battled Badger captain Ashley Thomas hard all night, collecting seven rebounds and a season high 10 points on the night. Playing alongside Lorreal Jones, one of the A-10′s elite rebounders, Eggert’s role has been somewhat limited, but a performance like this caught the attention of the St. Louis coaching staff. The numbers may not pop off the screen, but in a game that featured Thomas, Taylor Wurtz, Anya Covington, and Jones, Eggert held her own, and her four offensive rebounds indicate that she belonged in such company. While the Billikens fell in a tight game, 48-46, Eggert gained valuable confidence that would help her soon rather than later.

Friday night’s game in Florida was the coming out party for Eggert, who recorded her first double-double of the season. With Jones fighting foul trouble, the junior stepped in and dominated en route to the Billikens 70-63 win. She simply would not be denied, snaring a season high 14 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. Not only was she rebounding an a high level, she often converted those offense boards into points, as she dropped in a career high (and team high) 14. The 70 points scored by St. Louis was a season high, and Eggert’s production was a main reason way. The Billikens only connected on two three points, meaning that 64 of their points came from inside the arc, where Eggert was the focal point.

On the week, Eggert shot 40% from the field and 73% from the free throw line. She is currently the fifth leading scorer on St. Louis, but no player was more valuable to her team than Eggert was this past week.

The Billikens will return home for their next three contests before they depart to Washington for the Delta Dental Holiday Hoops Classic.

Thoughts on the selection? Other nominations for our Performance of the Week?

By Kyle Soppe

Becky Peters led her Fordham Rams to an impressive 2-0 week, earning her this weeks “A-10 Performance of the Week”.

On Wednesday, the senior guard poured in a game high 18 points in a win in the “Battle of the Bronx” against Manhattan. She shot 50% from the field in a comeback effort by Fordham. They trailed 32-27 heading into the locker rooms, but Peters wouldn’t be stopped, and paced a 59-49 victory. On the day, she moved into 13th place on Fordham’s all time scoring list (1,045 points), but her best was yet to come.

On Saturday, in a low-scoring defensive struggle where points were harder to come by than an Xbox on Black Friday, Peters’ never say die attitude was on display. With her Rams struggling for late game production against San Diego, the cold-blooded Plainsboro product stepped to the free throw line with the confidence of a leader. She calmly knocked down two free throws with 2:11 remaining to extended Fordham’s lead to three, the most breathing room either team  had for the majority of the second half. After San Diego responded, and tied the game up, the Rams put the ball in the hands of Peters, trusting her to bring them home. She was fouled: the game was there for the taking. Peters wanted the ball, she wanted these free throws in the worst way. It was clear that missing the free throws was never a thought, as she dropped in two smooth freebies, and essentially ending the game. All in all, the senior tallied 16 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. But the confidence that comes with performing in the clutch cannot be overstated, and Peters is sure to happy with the win, but more excited about the upcoming games. Fordham has won five of seven games to open the season, and with Becky Peters leading a young squad (eight freshmen), this team is only going to get better.

Honorable Mention: Tara Booker (George Washington) shot the lights out in a three win week for the Colonials. She made 60% of her long balls (9/15) and had her first double-double of the season (17 points and 17 rebounds) in a overtime win over Old Dominion on Wednesday. Don’t look now, but George Washington has quietly won four straight games after stumbling out of the gates.

Who else did deserves notice for their performance from November 28th through December 4th? Speak up and stand up for any and all nominations!

A career night from Agunbiade has landed her this weeks Pickin Splinters A-10 Performer Of The Week

By Kyle Soppe

The Duquesne Dukes are off to a hot start, winning four of their first five games. The Dukes roster has many upperclassmen producing at a high level, but this week saw Sophomore Forward Wumi Agunbiade stand out.

A career night on Tuesday highlighted Agunbiade’s week, as she dominated in a 74-66 win at North Dakota State. The 2010-2011 A-10 conference rookie of the year poured in 32 points on 12/15 shooting. That’s not a misprint; she connected on 80% of her FG attempts, including a three pointer. Her stroke carried over to the free throw line, where the career 58.6% free throw shooter connected on seven of nine attempts. Agunbiade’s night, however, wasn’t limited to putting the ball in the basket; she did it all for the Dukes on this night. She chipped in six rebounds, three steals, three blocks, three assists, and not a single turnover.

Her encore performance was limited due to foul trouble, but Duquesne dominated Davidson from start to finish. In the 84-53 victory, Agunbiade scored 10 points to go along with four rebounds. The Canadian product contributed four more steals, tying her career high for thefts in a two game period (7).

Duquesne is off until Saturday, when they face off against Ohio in the second game of a six game home stand.