Great South Athletic Conference

e R

For Immediate Release
Feb. 19, 2007

Wesleyan Basketball Snaps Nation’s Longest Losing Streak

Macon, Ga. – Wesleyan College ended the nation’s longest women’s basketball losing streak among all NCAA Divisions at 67 games by defeating Fisk University 54-51. The Pioneers last victory came three years ago to the day when they defeated Agnes Scott College.

“It has been hard working here for the past three years and not see a basketball team win a game,” stated Athletics Director and Interim Basketball Coach Melissa Kelly, who was hired shortly after the Pioneers last basketball victory in the spring of 2004. “There have been a lot of athletes and coaches who have worked toward this and to finally have it come to fruition is both encouraging and rewarding.”

Wesleyan’s fell well short of the Division III record of 83 consecutive losses established by Schreiner starting in January of 2002 and ending on February 17, 2005. Mount Mary’s in Milwaukee currently holds the longest streak at 50 straight games following the Pioneers’ victory at Porter Gym.

The Pioneers built their confidence early by jumping out to a 13-3 lead to start the game. However, over the remaining minutes of the first half, Fisk chipped away at the Pioneer lead and clawed their way back to gain the advantage on the scoreboard late in the first half. The Bulldogs utilized a 16-6 run to take their first and only lead of the game with 3:42 remaining in the half.

“Where in previous games we would have broken down mentally after allowing our opponent to go on a big run, we stayed strong today and didn’t let the momentum swing take us out of the game,” stated Coach Kelly. “We fought back and were able to take the lead into the locker room, which was critical for keeping our spirits up going into the second half.”

Wesleyan never trailed after its 30-26 halftime lead, going up by as many as 11 points during the second half. With seven and a half minutes remaining in the game, the Pioneers looked as though they had the game well under control when they took a 48-38 lead. But once again, Fisk put together a late run that brought the game to within one basket with less than two minutes left on the clock. Wesleyan’s final five points of the game came from the free throw line, which proved to be deciding factor in the contest. The Pioneers finished the game shooting 29-of-40 (72.5%) from the line, while the Bulldogs were only 9-of-21 (43%).

“Before the game, we emphasized paying attention to details and going out and taking the win rather than waiting for it to come to us. Several times this season, we have gone into games knowing we were the better team, but we sat back and expected the win to come to us. We knew that a win wasn’t going to come easily, but our team didn’t let up today.

Wesleyan was again paced by another strong performance by the Great South Athletic Conference’s leading scorer, Carisa Mitchell. Mitchell led all scorers with a career-high 32 points to go along with 14 rebounds and five steals, but her most impressive stat for the evening was from the free throw line. After missing her first two attempts, she finished the game 18-of-23 from the line.

“Before the game, our coach told us that we were going to have to run for missed free throws since we had not been meeting our goals that we were setting before games. So when I stepped to the line, it was concentration, concentration, concentration,” stated the junior guard from Memphis, Tenn.

In addition to Mitchell’s impressive performance, the Pioneers also earned a solid game from sophomore forward Erica Darden, who is the only remaining player from last season on this year’s team. Darden finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

“When the game was over and we went to the locker room, I couldn’t stop crying. It was so overwhelming,” stated Darden. “It was great to see our perseverance and determination finally pay off. Even though it was just one game and just one win, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off our shoulders.”

The Pioneers will play second-seeded Maryville College on Tuesday evening, February 20, in the Great South Athletic Conference play-in game. The game will tip off at 7:00pm at Maryville’s Boydson H. Baird Gymnasium.

courtesy of the Wesleyan College Sports Information Department