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News from 2003 - 2004 Season

ONE OF THE TOP TEN FINALISTS: Senior Marcie Haduca.

March 16, 2004
Marcie Haduca: Slug Finalist for Scholarship

The ten finalists for the fifth annual John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship awards were announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Minorities pursuing a postgrad degree in athletics administration, with minimum gpa of 3.0 and are senior status, and have demonstrated leadership qualities are eligible. Congratulations to Slug Senior Marcie Haduca, majoring in Business Management Economics, who is one of the ten finalists.
  ==> See details at NACDA...

March 1, 2004
Season Review

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Senior Shannamar Dewey tied the school record for the most games played in a career.

The 2003-2004 Women's Basketball season was a roller coaster ride from the start. A promising 4-1 start turned tortuous as the Slugs lost their next 9 games. They started out the new year by winning 5 of their next 6 games before dropping the final 5 games of the season.

The Slugs' 9-16 record does not indicate the success that this year's team experienced. Competing as an Independent, the Slugs played teams from eight different states. UCSC played 19 games on the road, making 4 trips to the Los Angeles area including one to San Diego as well as trips to Spokane, WA and Atlanta, GA.

UCSC lost 7 games by single digits including 5 by five points or less. On the flip side, 6 of the Slugs' 9 wins were by six points or fewer.

Numerous individual accomplishments were reached this past season. Marcie Haduca, Rachel Baudler, Julia Bowman, and Julia Randall all received All-Tournament recognitions at this season's tournaments. Senior Shannamar Dewey tied the school record for most games played in a career when she appeared in her 100th game in the season finale against San Jose Christian College. Dewey also finished her career with 814 points and 410 rebounds, good for the 4th and 5th spot on the career lists respectively.

Baudler moved into the #2 spot on the career scoring list and became the second player in school history to score 900 points in a career. Her 145 made three pointers is also a career record. Baudler finishes her career with 908 points.

Haduca's 294 points this season were the 3rd most points ever scored in a single season. She came within 18 points of the school record of 312 points scored by Baudler during the 2001-2002 season. Haduca's 46 3's are also the 3rd most made in a single season.

Julia Bowman dished out 91 assists, 3rd most in a single season, and Amanda Brecht just became the second player ever to grab 200 or more rebounds in a season. Her 203 rebounds this year were only bettered by Stephanie Witt's 220 rebounds in 1996-97 and moved her into the #4 slot on the career rebound list with 494.

New Head Coach Steve Spencer says good- bye to five seniors this year but will be returning a strong group of 9 players next year.

January 29, 2004
Slugs Lose Battle for Independence
Haduca Scores 25 in 78-70 Loss to Chapman University

SANTA CRUZ, CA -- In a battle between the NCAA Division III's top two Independents, the UC Santa Cruz Women's Basketball team (9-13) lost a hard fought, physical battle to Chapman University (17-3), 78-70. The Banana Slugs, who just this year committed to compete as a Div. III Independent, held a 39-37 halftime lead over Chapman, a National Tournament participant as an Independent each of the last three years, before succumbing in the second frame.

Santa Cruz led nearly the entire half and was up by as many as 10 before a string of free throws by Chapman cut the lead to 2 at the break. Chapman took the lead early in the second half and built a 14-point cushion with about 8 minutes to go before a 12-2 run by the Slugs including 8 straight points by Marcie Haduca trimmed the lead to 4. A three point play by Chapman's Melody Bongiorno pushed the lead back to 7 the very next possession. Here the two teams traded baskets down the stretch with the Slugs cutting it to a five point lead numerous times before being forced to foul at the end of the game. Bongiorno led all players with 32 points.

Chapman held the rebound advantage at 34-30 and also converted 26 of 33 free throw attempts compared to just 10 of 15 for the Banana Slugs. Haduca poured in a career high 25 points for the Slugs including 5 for 9 from three point range. Marley Anderson chipped in 9 as no other player scored in double figures.

These two teams meet again in just 8 days as Santa Cruz travels to Orange to compete in a double header with UCSC's men's team. Tip-off for the women is 5pm.

January 10, 2004
Mascots of a Feather Slug it Out:
Slugs Win, No Salt Added

Slugs vs...	Petrels

ATLANTA, GA -- Buzz off, Yellow Jackets. Heel, Bulldogs. Tonight the nation's most, um, memorable mascots meet in Atlanta. The Stormy Petrels of Oglethorpe University host the Fighting Banana Slugs of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in women's basketball.

Oglethorpe athletics director Bob Unger set up the clash after ESPN and Sports Illustrated rated the two as the most unusual mascots. ESPN gave the Slugs a slight advantage in absurdity, so tonight's game "will give one of the teams bragging rights --- which mascot is better, even if they are ugly," Unger said.

Both teams compete in NCAA Division III, where no athletic scholarships are given and students play for the love of their sport.

"We have a lot of pride being the Banana Slugs, believe it or not," said coach Steve Spencer of his squad. "Everywhere we go, banana slugs get a little banana slug love from people."

Fans from both sides attended. Kids came dressed as Slugs, but there were Morton Salt Shakers lined up around the stands. Undaunted, the Slugs won the hard fought game 74-68.

==> See full story in Atlanta Journal-Contitution

January 3, 2004
Slugs Win Two in a Row at Hayward Tournament

HAYWARD, CA -- UC Santa Cruz snapped their losing streak with two wins in the CSU Hayward New Year's Tip Off Tournament. The Slugs defeated Galluadet University 65-59 the first night behind the strong play of seniors Marcie Haduca and Rachel Baudler who scored 17 and 15 points, respectively. Despite shooting just 29% from the field, the Slugs used a 64-34 advantage on the boards for the win.

Baudler led the way with 17 points including 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc in a 56-53 win over University of Redlands. After falling behind 4-0, the Slugs grabbed the lead and held it for the duration of the game building it to as much as 13 points in the second half. The Slugs staved off numerous comeback attempts by Redlands who twice cut the lead to 1. Marcie Haduca chipped in 11 points while Amanda Brecht chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds. Rachel Baudler received All-Tournament recognition for her performance as the Slugs pushed their record to 6-10 on the season.

December 30, 2003
Slugs Near Turnaround at Whitworth Tournament

SPOKANE, WA -- UC Santa Cruz Women's Basketball traveled to Spokane, WA to compete in the Ramada Inn Whit Classic hosted by both Whitworth and Whitman Colleges. UCSC dropped a closely fought battle with the Nation's #33 team Whitworth College 53-48. Trailing by 1 at the half 24-23, the Slugs fell behind by as many as 9 points in the second half before storming back to within 2. Down by 3 with less than a minute to go, the Slugs had a chance to cut it to 1, but after a missed layup and a bad bounce that resulted in a Whitworth layup, Whitworth took a 53-48 advantage. Julia Randall led the way for the Slugs with 18 points. Whitworth defeated #11 Gustavus Adolphus 84-72 the next night.

Shannamar Dewey and Julia Randall scored 14 and 11 points respectively but the Slugs could not muster much else as they were held to 43 points in a 64-43 loss to Whitman College. UCSC out-rebounded Whitman 36-32 but shot only 34% from the floor and reached the free throw line just 5 times. The loss dropped the Banana Slugs to 4-10 on the season. Julia Randall was named to the All-Tournament Team for her performance.

December 18, 2003
Mid-Season Recap

SANTA CRUZ, CA -- New Head Coach Steve Spencer led the Lady Slugs to a 4-1 record to start the '03-04 season. With impressive early wins against Linfield (66-63) and Macalester (66-60) in the Hayward Invitational, and a double-overtime win against Cal Lutheran (103-93), the Slugs were off to a fast start. But they've struggled to regain their momentum after the exam break, going 0-5. And things don't get any easier as they enter the heart of their DIII season with the Witworth Tournament at the end of the month.

Marcie Haduca leads the team with 12.1 pts. per game, is second on the team in assists and steals, while averaging 31 mins. per game. Marcie had a season-high 20 pts. vs. Eastern Oregon University, going 4-9 from behind the arc. Haduca is shooting 36% from 3 pt. range and shares this top percentage and number of 3 pt. FG made (20) with fellow senior Rachel Baudler. Baudler also averages 31 mins. a game and brings the team strong rebounding (2nd on team, averaging 5 a game) along with her 3 pt. shooting. Rachel averages 9.3 pts. a game, with 14 coming against Claremont and another 14 pts. and 10 rebounds (the team's only double-double this season) in the win over Cal Lutheran.

Junior Julia Randall proves to be a huge asset to the team, coming off the bench to average 11 pts. (2nd on team) in just under 20 minutes per game, posting a team-high 48% FG percentage and 54% 3 pt. FG percentage (6 for 11). Randall posted her best stats and helped lead her team to the double-overtime victory over Cal Lutheran with a personal and team season-high 26 pts., going 7-13 from the field and 12-14 from behind the line. Julia also grabbed 8 rebounds, had 2 assists, and 0 of the team's 29 turnovers in 31 minutes of play.

Shannamar Dewey added a season-high 18 pts. in that victory over Cal Lutheran, going 8-14 from the field and dropping 4 assists. Averaging 9.3 pts. per game, Dewey is shooting 47% from the field, with a team -high 79% from behind the line, having made 15 of 19 free throw attempts. Shannamar also brings a strong defensive presence to the team and is tied for second in steals.

Point Guard Julia Bowman is leads the team in assists (38 ‚ a season-high of 7 assists vs. EOU) and steals (12), while also averaging 6.3 pts. in 27 minutes per game. Bowman posted her best numbers and leading all Santa Cruz scorers in the 66-61 win over Westminster ‚ going 3-5 from the field and 8-8 from behind the line. Julia also added 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in 30 minutes of play.

Amanda Brecht's 5.7 pts. per game don't nearly reflect all the little things that Brecht does for this team on a consistent basis. Amanda leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game (which includes 32 offensive boards and a season-high of 15 total rebounds vs. Cal Lutheran) and blocks (8). Brecht is also the only player near a positive assist-turnover ratio with 11 assists and only 13 turnovers on the season, a reflection of her smart play on the floor.

Rounding off the top scorers with 5.5 pts. per game in just 17 minutes off the bench is senior Marley Anderson. Marley is also 3rd on the team in blocks, with 4, including a blocked 3 pointer towards the end of a very close game against Transylvania. Exciting plays like that are what Anderson brings to the team, along with her consistent play and stats that often go unnoticed.

NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Senior Marcie Haduca, #22.

November 22, 2003
Slugs Off to 2-0 Start at Hayward Tip-Off
Haduca Named to All-Tournament Team

HAYWARD, CA -- A pair of second half comebacks vaulted the UC Santa Cruz Women's Basketball program to a 2-0 start on the 2003-2004 season with wins over Div. III regional opponents Linfield College (66-63) and Macalester College (66-60) at the Cal State Hayward Tip-Off Tournament. The Slugs were able to recover from the first half deficits and come back and win behind the leadership and strong play of seniors Marcie Haduca, Julia Bowman, Shannamar Dewey and Rachel Baudler. The 2-0 start is believed to be the first of its kind in the history of the program

Haduca led the way with 18 points including 14 in the second half, 3 assists and 3 steals in the win over Linfield. The Slugs found themselves down by as much as 12 points late in the second half before they began to chip away. Haduca converted on 7 consecutive free throws and scored 9 straight points to help fuel the second half comeback. Santa Cruz held the Wildcats to just 29% shooting in the second half, allowing only 9 baskets on 31 tries. Rachel Baudler added 13 points on 2-5 shooting from the arc while junior forward Julia Randal came off the bench to score 11. Junior Amanda Brecht chipped in 7 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in the win.

The next night, UC Santa Cruz faced a pesky Macalester team that featured All-Region guard Afton Hanson. Hanson's 16 first half points paced Macalester to a 36-34 lead at the break. Like the previous night, the Slugs were able to buckle down on defense and held Macalester to just 24 points in the second half. Hanson finished with 28. Four players scored in double figures for UC Santa Cruz. Dewey, Baudler and Randall each scored 13 points while Haduca added 12. Bowman chipped in 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals in 31 minutes.

Haduca was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts. The 5-8 Watsonville native averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.5 steals on the weekend and shot 13-15 from the free throw line.

UC Santa Cruz will now travel to compete in the Menlo College Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 28 & 29. The Slugs face Eastern Oregon at 5:00pm Friday the 28th and Westminster College (UT) at 12:00 noon on Saturday.

November 17, 2003 Women's Basketball Season Preview The 2003-2004 season is a year of change for the UCSC Women's Basketball Program. Not only has UCSC has withdrawn from the local NAIA conference they competed in during the last two years and have committed to competing in the NCAA Div. III as an independent, but they have hired a new head coach to lead them into the next phase of the program. Steve Spencer comes from his job as an assistant coach with the NAIA powerhouse Holy Names College to take on his first head-coaching position with the Banana Slugs. The 03-04 roster boasts five seniors and two juniors who all played significant minutes last season, with the exception of 6-0 forward Marley Anderson who sat out the 02-03 season. The Slugs return their top 5 scorers from last season in seniors Rachel Baudler, Shannamar Dewey, and Marcie Haduca and juniors Amanda Brecht, and Julia Randall. These five players combined to score 50 points a game last season. Rounding out the top seven is point guard Julia Bowman who takes over the starting duties this year. The 03-04 schedule looks to be a tough one by design. The only post-season play the Slugs can qualify for is the NCAA Div. III National Tournament. The Slugs will be on the road for 19 of their 25 games and will travel to Los Angeles, CA numerous times as well as Spokane, WA and Atlanta, GA to play the teams necessary for a chance at a National Tournament berth.