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Home  |  Roster  |  Schedule/Results  |  Coaching Staff  |  News  |  Team Statistics | Giving

2004-2005 News Archive
Schedule  |   Roster  |   Statistics

June 14, 2005
Women's Basketball Volunteers with SWISH League

SWISH 7/8/9th GRADE DIVISION: Tina Beams in yellow with the "Cougars", Jenna Chabot and Libby Lane in maroon with the "Ligers", and Mischa Plunkett in blue with the "Sexy Senioritas".

After hosting a fundraising clinic for the SWISH league back in October, members of the women's basketball program continued their service by volunteering as coaches for the SWISH spring league. Players Tina Beams, Libby Lane, and Jenna Chabot joined Assistant Coach Mischa Plunkett as members of SWISH's all-female coaching staff.

The SWISH league (Serving Women Instructionally Shooting Hoops) is a non-profit organization that sponsors an instructional spring league for girls in the Santa Cruz community. With current and former basketball players serving as coaches, this league fosters a positive and fun environment for girls of all skill levels to get out there and play basketball.

"I look forward to coaching this league every spring," said Asst. Coach Mischa Plunkett, who has coached for the past 4 years, "the kids are great and I love the league's philosophy."

Members of the UCSC Women's Basketball team have been sharing their passion for the game with SWISH girls since 2001, and this year the team covered 3 of the 4 teams in the 7th, 8th and 9th grade division.

"I had a lot of fun teaching kids that were excited and energetic to play the sport of basketball," said Jenna Chabot, Co-Coach of the Ligers. Co-Coach Libby added that "the girls were great I'm really impressed with how much they learned."

Megan Gaynor, Jenna Chabot, Lauren Cardinalli, and Libby Lane representing the Women's Basketball team at the 4th annual Service Recognition Awards Ceremony on May 31st.

When asked about the league, Tina Beams, coach of the Cougars, put it best when she said that "coaching swish was a great learning experience for me and the kids as well."

The SWISH league provides a great opportunity for girls to meet and work with college basketball players and it's a great experience that the women's basketball players get to take with them into next season as Seniors.For their volunteer work with the SWISH League Jenna, Libby, Tina, and the entire Womenís Basketball team were recently recognized at the Student Volunteer Connectionís 4th annual Service Recognition Awards Ceremony. The Slugs were runner-ups behind the LRDP Committee for the Student Organization/Student Group Award.

Congratulations to the Slugs for their continued work in the community and for being the first athletic team recognized by the Student Volunteer Connection.

March 28, 2005
Three Slugs Given All-Independent Basketball Honors
SANTA CRUZ, CA -- Seniors Derek Jones and Julie Randall were named 2nd Team All-Independent by the Association of Division III Indpendents this past week, while Junior Jimmy Herrera was awarded Honorable Mention.

Senior Captain Julie Randall was the lone Slug from the Women's Basketball Team to be given All-Independent honors. Standing a 6'1, Julie was a versatile forward that could dominate inside and out and had the ability to take over a game and score with ease. Randall averaged 27 minutes and led the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game. She also pulled down an average of 6 rebounds while adding 32 steals on defense to go along with her UCSC Single Season Record of 26 blocked shots. Only a three-year player Julie ends her career 7th on UCSC's career points list (765) and third on UCSC's points in a season list (302). Julie's stats have left their mark in UCSC's record book, while her amazing talent and personality have left a lasting impression on the Women's Basketball Program.

Congratulations to Derek, Julie, and Jimmy on their All-Independent Achievements.
...More on MBB page >>
Related News at the Santa Cruz Sentinel
DIII All-Independents Winners List (MBB)
DIII All-Independents Winners List (WBB)

February 28, 2005
Slugs Drop 2 in Colorado
Julie Randall and Amanda Brecht Awarded All-Tournament
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- After a great win against William Jessup on Tuesday the Slugs packed up their gear and headed out of state for their final two games of the season at the Colorado College Independent Challenge. On Saturday against DIII Independent Nebraska Wesleyan, the Praire Wolves held a 14-point lead on the Slugs at half as UCSC just couldn't get their shots to fall, shooting 24% from the field, 12% from the 3-point line and 50% from the freethrow line. But the Slugs battled back in the second half outscoring the Prarie Wolves 30-29, pulling within 7 points with 2 minutes left to go in the game, but Nebraska sealed the victory from the freethrow line, 59-46.

Julie Randall lead the way for the Slugs with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. Amanda Brecht added 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.

On Sunday, the Slugs went up against host Colorado College, where 18 Santa Cruz fouls in the first half put 4 Slug starters on the bench because of foul trouble. Colorado took advantage as they held a 44-22 lead at halftime. The Slugs tried to charge back in the second half but were never able to get any momentum going as more foul trouble caused problems for UCSC's post play with Megan Gaynor fouling out midway through the 2nd half while Amanda Brecht, who had gone 5-6 from the field, was sent to the bench just a few minutes later. The Slugs lost the game 51-78.

Julie Randall once again lead the way for the Slugs as she totaled 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 4 steals. Jenna Chabot chipped in 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. And Amanda Brecht added 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.

Slug Seniors Julie Randall and Amanda Brecht were awarded All-Tournament for their weekend performances.

February 23, 2005
Senior Night - A Success
SANTA CRUZ, CA -- Playing their last game at the West Field House, Seniors Amanda Brecht and Julie Randall were honored by their teammates and fans in a brief ceremony before the game and got to celebrate the team's 4th win of the season after. Brecht and Randall, the team's senior captains, were unstoppable last night as they combined for 40 points and led the Slugs to a 62-56 victory over William Jessup University. Both ended the game with double-doubles, this was the fourth for Brecht and first for Randall on the season. Julie led the team with 23 points on a 45% shooting night along with 12 rebounds, 7 of which were offensive. Amanda followed up with 17 points of her own, shooting 57% from the field while adding 10 rebounds.

With Brecht and Randall putting up the big numbers, as they have all season, it was the solid guard play of the Slugs that helped put another game in the win column. Point guard Rachel Ocampo had 9 points shooting 4-6 from the field along with strong defensive pressure that led to 2 steals in the first half while forcing 2 Jessup turnovers late in the second half. Lauren Cardinalli came off the bench to add a defensive presence that led to crucial stops in the second half while her smart offensive play added 3 assists on the night. Jenna Chabot hit her 5 crucial points in the second half to help propel the Slug offense along with some exceptional post-entry passing that setup Amanda and Julie for numerous scoring opportunities.

Leading the team in assists was Junior Libby Lane with 4, Lane also went 2 for 2 from the freethrow line late in the game which helped the Slugs keep the lead and the momentum as UCSC pulled away from a mere 1 point lead with 4 minutes left to go. A well-rounded game helped UCSC get its first Senior Night win since 2002.

The Slugs have two more games left in the season as they travel to Colorado Springs to play Colorado College and Nebraska Wesleyan.

January 8, 2005
Slugs Battle Argonauts for 2nd Win
BELMONT, CA -- Four Slugs scored in double-digits as the Slugs defeated the Notre Dame de Namur Argonauts for their second win in a row. It was a back and forth game the whole night as neither team led by more than 4 points until the final minute of the game as the Slugs went up 7 points behind a Jenna Chabot 3-pointer. Julie Randall went on to hit 2 freethrows to seal the game 63-55.

Randall led the Slugs with 12 points, adding 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Amanda Brecht had her 3rd double-double in 4 games with a 10 point /10 rebound night, which also included 2 assists and 3 blocked shots. Junior forward Megan Gaynor came off the bench to contribute 10 points and 3 steals.

Juniors Rachel Ocampo and Jenna Chabot stepped up for the Slugs' backcourt as Ocampo had 9 points and 5 assists while Chabot had 11 points and 2 assists (shooting 3 for 4 from behind the arc). On defense Jenna shut down NDNU's leading scoring Tamsen Lee to a mere 6 points. More help on the defensive end came from Junior guard Lauren Cardinalli who came off the bench to make some important defensive stops and hit two clutch jumpers, Cardinalli ended the night with 4 points, 1 assist and 1 steal.

The Slugs are looking for their third win this Friday as they travel to Oakland to play Holy Names University, tip-off is at 5:30pm.

January 6, 2005
Women's Basketball Gets First Win
SANTA CRUZ, CA -- Led by their Senior Captains Amanda Brecht and Julie Randall, the Slugs got their first win on the season against visiting New Jersey City University. The Slugs had a commanding lead as the horn blew to mark the end of the first half with the scoreboard showing a 13 point lead, 24-11. The Gothic Knights of New Jersey fought back in the second half as the two teams exchanged baskets for the first 7 minutes of play, but the Slugs pulled away with a 26 point lead with 7 minutes left to go in the game. New Jersey City turned on the full court pressure and behind 3 straight 3-pointers by Erick Cubile, the Gothic Knights cut into the Slugs lead, but UCSC was able to hold on, winning 51-38.

The post play of Amanda Brecht and Julie Randall was unstoppable once again as Brecht recorded her second double-double this season with 12 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 50% from the field (4-8) and 100% from behind the line (4-4). Julie Randall lead all scorers with another 20 point game shooting 10 for 16 from the field and was also a major presence on defense with 4 steals and 1 blocked shot. Randall and Brecht were helped out by the backcourt play of Juniors Rachel Ocampo and Jenna Chabot. Ocampo had 7 points, 5 steals and 2 assists on the night, while Chabot added 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 points, and 1 steal.

The Gothic nights were lead by Senior Ericka Cubile's 12 points on a 4-7 shooting night (3 for 5 from behind the arc) and 2 steals on defense, while Freshmen Arnese Goodman added 9 points and 4 rebounds. Junior Bernice Amadeo led the team with 6 rebounds and sophomore point guard Latrese McNair added 3 assists. New Jersey City's record now stands at 6-6.

The Slugs face Notre Dame De Namur in Belmont this Saturday, Tip-off is at 5:30pm.
  ==> Boxscore UCSC vs New Jersey City

January 5, 2005
Slugs Show Signs of Improvement
SANTA CRUZ, CA -- After 14 games, more than halfway through the season, the Slugs are still looking to get their first win. It has been an up and down season for the Slugs who got off to a rough start dropping their first 3 games before Thanksgiving break. But the Slugs showed signs of improvement after the break as they traveled to Southern California facing Claremont and Pomona-Pitzer in the David Wells Classic.

Against Claremont, the Slugs had a 29-22 lead at halftime only to fall short in the end, losing by 6. They also lost a close game to Pomona Pitzer (50-55) and came back to Santa Cruz to lose another close one to Olivet Nazarene (75-82). But the Slugs hit another bump in the road as they lost their next four games by an average of 22 points. The last home game before Christmas versus Oglethorpe proved to be a heartbreaker as the Slugs lost in overtime 56-60, then bounced back to fight against DII CSUMB, where they let the game slip away in the final minutes as the Otters went on to win 63-51.

Since Christmas break the Slugs have gotten themselves together to battle against some top teams. On the 30th they faced off against undefeated Howard Payne (DIII), where they trailed by 12 at half-time. But for the first time this season the Slugs were able to fight back in the second half and outscored their opponent 29-28, but it wasn't enough as Howard Payne held on to win 67-56. Senior Amanda Brecht recorded a double double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, adding 5 steals on defense. While Senior Julie Randall lead all scorers with 20 points, Randall also had 9 rebounds (6 offensive), 3 assists and 1 block.

Last night was a rematch against visiting Dominican University, who beat the Slugs by 27 a few weeks earlier after having a commanding 37-22 lead at half time and extending that lead to as many as 37 points in the second half. But the Slugs quickly showed the Penguins that they wouldn't roll over so easily the second time as UCSC held an 11-point lead midway through the first half and a 2 point lead at halftime. The #12 ranked Penguins (NAIA Div. II) went on a 15-6 run to start off the second half and eventually won the game 52-45. Amanda Brecht lead the Slugs with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals on defense. While Junior guard Rachel Ocampo added in 10 points of her own to go along with her 2 assists and 3 steals.

Senior Captains Julie Randall and Amanda Brecht are leading the way for the Slugs, Randall leads the team in scoring (10.7 points per game) and free throw percentage (86%). Julie is also on her way to breaking the UCSC record for most blocks in a season (22), tallying 18 thus far. Randall is also second on the team in steals (18) behind Amanda Brecht's 27. Amanda is leading the team in rebounds with 6.7 per game, averages 8 points per game, and has recorded the teams only double double this season. The Slugs will be losing the play of Senior Shawnte Watson who averaged 7.9 points per game and was second on the team in rebounds (5.1), assists (24), and blocked shots (15).

The Junior backcourt of Rachel Ocampo, Jenna Chabot, Lauren Cardinalli, and Libby Lane, are holding down the assist category for the Slugs, Ocampo has 32; Chabot, 17; Cardinalli, 16; and Lane, 15. Chabot is averaging 7.1 points per game and leads the team in 3 pointers made (18) while also averaging 4 rebounds a game with 10 steals on the season. Ocampo leads the team in assists while also contributing on defense with 15 steals.

Sophomore forward Megan Gaynor has stepped up for the Slugs this season leading the team in field goal percentage, shooting 49% so far this season. Megan is also second on the team in rebounds per game (5) and points per game (9.7). Gaynor has also contributed 12 assists and 12 steals.

The Slugs have a tough schedule ahead of them, which includes Holy Names, and the established DIII programs of Chapman University, Cal Lu, Redlands, Colorado College, and Nebraska Wesleyan. The Slugs are looking to build on their momentum from two well-played games against Howard Payne and Dominican and are looking to get their first win early in the New Year.

December 17, 2004
Slugs vs Petrels Play Close Game
by Carl Nasman (Slug Talk, KZSC)
SANTA CRUZ, CA -- The UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs and the Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels met on Thursday in the mascot-matchup. The Slugs played one of their closest games of the season, but it wasnít enough as the Slugs fell in overtime, 60-56.

Last Saturday the lady Slugs welcomed back their old hoops coach, Stever Spencer -- now the head coach at Holy Names College in Oakland. Marcie Haduca, the Slugs' leading scorer last season is also an assistant at Holy Names. The Slugs went into the locker room at halftime with a 7-point lead. But continuing a pattern of sloppy second-half play, the Slugs turned the ball over multiple times and lost 69-57.

The Slugs took to the road Monday as they visited the Penguins of Dominican University in San Rafael. The result wasnít good, as the Penguin defense stifled the Slugs' offense all night. The Slugs dropped another one, 73-46 as Dominican improved to 7 and 1.
  ==> Boxscore UCSC vs Oglethorpe
  ==> Boxscore UCSC vs Dominican
  ==> Boxscore UCSC vs Holy Names

Preview Fall 2004-05
Head coach Nikki Turner enters her first season with the Lady Slugs women's basketball team with high expectations. Despite losing five players from the previous season, four of which were starters, the Lady Slugs are returning an experienced group of upperclassman.

"My ultimate goal is to turn the program around and lead this team to a national championship," states Turner, "I feel that if we stay committed to our goal and work hard, we have just the group to accomplish that goal."

Leading the team's way in the post positions are returning seniors Amanda Brecht and Julie Randall. Along with their size and strength in the low post, they bring a great deal of experience and leadership to this team. Shawnte Watson, also returning as a senior, brings a lot of versatility and athleticism to the floor. She is capable of playing more than one position and is capable of contributing both offensively and defensively on any given night.

The junior class also bring a lot of experience to the team with returners Jenna Chabot, Lauren Cardinalli, and Libby Lane. "This group of juniors has an amazing work ethic," says Turner. "They continue to improve every day and their individual growth continues to amaze me." Adding to this strong group of juniors is Tina Beams, who transferred to UCSC this season from Mesa Junior College in San Diego. Her experience at the collegiate level should help her bring an immediate impact to the team.

Rachel Ocampo, Megan Gaynor, and Sarah Defenbaugh make up this year's sophomore class. "I have a lot of expectations for this young group and I ask a lot of them," comments Turner. Rachel is one of the team's top guards. With her outstanding ball handling skills, she is leading the way as the team's starting point guard. Megan returns to the team with great strength and unbelievable work ethic and she is expected to be one of the team's top posts players. Sarah is coming into the season with the hopes of playing. Last season, she was forced to red shirt due to an injury which resulted in surgery. She continues to rehab everyday with the hopes of being ready to play by the season's tip-off game.

"Our expectations are very high for this year's season," says Turner. "We have a strong group of returning players along with two solid freshmen in Emily Musgrave and Mia Cruz, who we expect will step in and contribute in our success.

Head Coach Nikki Turner on the upcoming season: "We have been working hard since day one. We expect to win and are continuing to work at that goal every day. I couldn't have asked for a better group to work with and I believe that this will not only be an exciting season, but that it will be a winning season."