UNCG IN THE NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT 1997-98 21-9, 12-4 Southern Conference Southern Conference Tournament Champion NCAA Tournament First Round
D
uring the 1997-98 season, UNCG, which was picked fourth in the Southern Conference preseason poll, wasted no time in proving to the rest of the league that the Spartans were a force to be reckoned with. In its first year as a member of the SoCon, UNCG carried an eightgame winning streak into the 1998 SoCon tournament. The Spartans then handily defeated Western Carolina, 86-54, before slipping past Davidson, 78-75 to reach the title game. There, UNCG faced top-seeded Georgia Southern. The Eagles and Spartans had split two meetings that season. UNCG shot just 24 percent from the floor in the first-half and trailed at the break, 32-24. However, Rebecca Viverette poured in 18 second-half points and the Spartans shot 61 percent from the field to get past Georgia Southern, 75-69. The victory ensured UNCG’s first-ever appearance into the NCAA Division I tournament. The 15th-seeded Spartans faced No. 2 seed Alabama in the first round of the NCAA tournament, falling to the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala., 94-46. Senior Biz Brediger posted the game’s only double-double
with 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while sophomore Melinda Goodson was also in double figures with 10 points. The Spartans were led on the season by a pair of All-SoCon first team selections in senior post players Brediger and Viverette. Both players became members of the 1,000-point club during the season, with Brediger scoring 15.7 ppg and Viverette adding 15.4 ppg.
1997-98 UNCG Roster No. 00 3 10 11 14 15 21 25 30 42 43 44 50 55
Name............................... Yr........ Pos........Ht................................. Hometown Annika Jordan................ Fr.......... G.........5-6..........................Lynchburg, Va. ChoRhonda Gwaltney.. Fr.......... G.........5-6............................. Dudley, N.C. Sadie Ochs...................... Sr.......... G.........5-8.....................Garden City, Kan. Rebecca Viverette.......... Sr...........F.........6-0............................. Wilson, N.C. Sam Ferguson..................Jr........... G.........5-6.........................Collinsville, Va. Katrina Smith.................So.......... G.........5-9................Morehead City, N.C. Jennifer Lewis................ Sr.......... G....... 5-10......................... Newport, N.C. Nicky Armstrong........... Fr.......... G.........5-6............................... Lincoln, Pa. Natalie Kreter.................So...........F.........6-1........................ Jenkintown, Pa. Melinda Goodson..........So.......... G.........5-8...........................Roxboro, N.C. Belinda Goodson...........So.......... G.........5-7...........................Roxboro, N.C. Biz Brediger.................... Sr.......... C.........6-2........................ Massillon, Ohio Amber West.................... Sr.......... C.........6-2........................... Galesburg, Ill. Katie DelCampo............ Fr...........F.........6-0..............Rehoboth Beach, Del.
1998 NCAA Tournament First Round Midwest Region Alabama 94, UNCG 46 March 13, 1998, Tuscaloosa, Ala. UNCG (46) Name FG-A FT-A RB PF TP A TO BK S Min. Rebecca Viverette 3-19 2-2 5 2 9 0 2 0 0 30 Jennifer Lewis 1-1 0-0 1 2 2 1 1 0 0 10 Biz Brediger 6-18 1-2 14 2 13 0 2 1 0 37 Sadie Ochs 2-4 0-0 2 1 6 0 4 0 1 21 Katrina Smith 1-5 0-0 5 2 2 3 3 0 2 36 ChoRhonda Gwaltney 1-8 0-0 5 3 2 3 1 0 1 21 Sam Ferguson 1-7 0-0 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 11 Melinda Goodson 4-8 2-4 5 3 10 2 3 0 1 28 Katrina DelCampo 0-2 0-0 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 3 Amber West 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Totals: 19-73 5-8 46 15 46 10 16 1 7 200 Alabama (94) Name LaToya Caudle Tausha Mills Dominique Canty Brittney Ezell Leah Goss Nicole Carruth Becky Blesch Reagan Croyle Kari Belcher Pam Duncan Joni Crenshaw Kidada Holtzclaw Totals:
FG-A FT-A RB PF TP A TO BK S Min. 2-7 0-0 7 1 4 0 2 0 1 13 4-13 0-0 7 3 8 0 0 3 0 16 10-14 5-6 5 2 25 3 2 0 4 27 1-5 0-0 3 0 2 10 1 0 3 34 5-8 0-1 7 0 13 4 0 2 1 27 5-8 2-3 3 2 16 0 0 0 0 14 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 1-2 0-0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4 0-0 1-2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 5-7 4-4 6 1 15 1 0 1 0 17 0-3 0-0 2 2 0 0 2 2 0 13 1-4 2-4 2 0 4 1 0 0 1 14 34-71 14-16 42 11 94 20 8 8 11 200
Halftime: Alabama 44, UNCG 23 3-pointers: UNCG 3-24 (Viverette 1-7, Ochs 2-3, Gwaltney 0-4, Ferguson 0-5, Brediger 0-1, DelCampo 0-2, M. Goodson 0-1, Smith 0-1) Alabama 8-18 (Canty 0-1, Ezell 0-3, Goss 3-4, Carruth 4-6, Duncan 1-3, Holtzclaw 0-1) Attendance: 3,050