Arkansas State University has had a good start to the 2005-2006 season, defeating the University of Missouri, Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) and George Mason, while losing to top-ranked Duke for an overall record of 3-1.Along with playing ACC, Big XII and Big Ten conference schools already, the Lady Indians will continue their schedule with games against the Big East (Notre Dame), either another ACC team (North Carolina State) or a Mountain West squad (Utah), a WAC team (Louisiana Tech) and another Mountain West squad, TCU. Arkansas State University and Purdue have never met in women’s basketball. The Lady Indians will face 10 new opponents during the 2005-2006 season.
Coach Brian Boyer has been at the helm of the Lady Indian program for seven years, notching a 96-81 overall record before the current season began, including a 21-11 (11-3 Sun Belt) record, last year when the squad advanced for the WNIT for the second year in a row. His 96 victories rank second in program annals. With the three wins the Lady Indians have earned in 2005-2006, a victory in West Lafayette would be Coach Boyer’s 100th at the program. Boyer has previously coached as an assistant at Arkansas State and an assistant to the men’s and women’s teams at Missouri Western State College.
Center Adrianne Davie has played exceptionally well so far this season, pulling in double-figure rebounds in all games except against Duke. The 6’3” junior from Little Rock, Ark., was named First Team All-Sun Belt Conference last season, averaging a double-double of 14.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, shooting 47% from the floor and 76.2% from the free throw line.
Davie is joined in the starting lineup with a three-guard rotation of Rudy Sims, Amber Abraham and Katie Caraway, and forward Kelsey Lock. Sims, a First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honoree last season, leads the team in assists and has a very good A:TO ratio, while Abraham the squad’s the top 3-point shooter, already draining 12 so far. Abraham is the only senior in the starting lineup: Sims and Caraway are juniors, while Lock is a sophomore. Of ASU’s 16 roster players, three are seniors, four are juniors, three are sophomores and six are freshmen. Six players are 6’2” or taller.
All players in the lineup have attempted at least one from beyond the arc this season, and the squad has attempted 78 3-pointers so far. In its three victories, ASU has out-rebounded opponents by an average of 8.3 per game.
For more information about Arkansas State University's women's basketball team, check out the Arkansas State official web site.
