De Paul: Women`s basketball coach Doug Bruno continues his practice of playing top flight opposition when De Paul`s Lady Blue Demons play Friday night at Penn State.
De Paul has played three Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top 25 in one or both polls. De Paul beat No. 24 Georgia and lost to No. 17 Auburn and No. 3 Tennessee. The Demons play Jan. 22 at No. 23 Western Kentucky.
Bruno was encouraged by the play of several Demons in the 70-62 loss to defending NCAA champion Tennessee. Tammy Williams dished off nine assists, raising her average to 5.9 per game, tops in the Great Midwest Conference. Bruno`s four tallest players-6-foot-5-inch Cathy Pezdirtz, 6-4 Kerri Lorenzen, 6-3 Carla Stone and 6-2 Stella Woodley-combined to hit 12 of 17 shots.
De Paul associate athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto has been named to the nine-person NCAA women`s basketball tournament selection committee. Beginning in the 1992-93 season, Ponsetto will serve on the committee that picks teams to play in the postseason NCAA tournament.
Multipurpose Alumni Hall has become temporary home for another Demon team. The women`s softball squad has begun practicing there. Nobody has complained yet of ”bad hops” on the hardwood floor.
Loyola: Basketball can be a goofy game. Just ask Loyola women`s basketball coach Marty Hawkins.
Loyola faced a zone in its last game, at Kansas State. The zone collapsed around 5-11 Sherry Metz, who got into early foul trouble and played only 24 minutes.
So, Hawkins figured he`d beat the zone by perimeter shooting from Cindy Pruim and other usually accurate three-point shooters.
So what happened? Metz went 9 for 10 and scored 24 points in her 24 minutes. 6-foot center Ginny Hamill went 5 for 7 inside. But the rest of the Ramblers, including Pruim (2 for 13), went 9 for 40, and the Ramblers (3-9)
lost 69-56.
Hawkins` team is 1-0 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. And, after playing Tuesday at Eastern Illinois, it can go to 3-0 in the MCC if it wins home games Thursday and Saturday over Detroit and Butler.
Quiz the Coach Dept: Men`s basketball coach Will Rey will visit with fans and answer questions at the Skyline Room at the Horizon after Saturday`s 7 p.m. MCC opener with Xavier.
Dan Luncsford, Mark Lustig, Dave Rosa and Luis Damanis have emurged as leaders on coach Chuck Greenstein`s bowling team. Luncsford leads with a 193 average and 20 victories in the Central Illinois Bowling Conference. He`s also rolled the high game so far for a Rambler-268.
Lustig has a 179 average, Rosa has 18 victories and Damanis has averaged 173 while winning 15 conference matches.
