HORIZON LEAGUE PREVIEW \ Women’s basketball

A look at the women’s basketball teams in the Horizon League:

BUTLER

Under the direction of seventh-year coach Beth Couture, who owns an 85-91 record with the Bulldogs. Her overall record of 343-208 spans 19 years, 13 of which were at Presbyterian. … The Bulldogs finished fourth in the Horizon League last season, posting a 10-8 record in league contests and a 20-10 overall ledger. All five starters return for the 2008-09 team, which was picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll. … Senior center Lade Akande is a Preseason All-Horizon League selection after being a first-team selection last season. She led the Bulldogs in points per game (16.1) and shooting percentage (.559). … Butler owns an 11-5 advantage over YSU in the all-time series. YSU’s last win was a 71-63 victory on Feb. 2, 2006. Butler has won five straight games in the series.

CLEVELAND STATE

Under the direction of sixth-year coach Kate Peterson Abiad, who owns a career record of 47-101. … The Vikings are the defending Horizon League tournament champions. They finished 10-8 in league contests and 19-14 overall. The Vikings swept through the league tournament as the No. 4 seed to advance to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. CSU was picked to finish fourth in the coaches’ preseason poll. … Junior guard Kailey Klein returns as the reigning Horizon League tournament MVP and first-team all-league pick. The runner-up for the 2007-08 player of the year award, she scored a school single-season record 654 points last season. … Youngstown State holds a 30-18 advantage in the all-time series. The Penguins last defeated the Vikings 65-55 on Jan. 27, 2007.

DETROIT

Former Detroit player Autumn Rademacher is in her first season as coach. She spent the last four years as an assistant at Green Bay. Carrie Banks, who provided color commentary for YSU’s Fox 17/62 broadcasts last season, is an assistant coach at Detroit. … The Titans were 6-24 overall and 3-15 in Horizon League games last season. Detroit was picked to finish last for the third straight year in the Horizon League preseason poll. … Senior guard Sandi Brown is the top returner for the Titans. She led Detroit in scoring (11.0) and rebounds last season. … YSU leads the all-time series 12-10 and has won the last five contests. The Penguins’ most recent win came in the opening round of the Horizon League Tournament last season at Beeghly Center, 65-54.

GREEN BAY

Matt Bolant is in his second season as the coach. UWGB went 26-6 in his first season, and Bolant had a 134-38 record at Bryan College before coming to Green Bay. … The Phoenix was picked to win the Horizon League championship in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches. Green Bay has won or shared the Horizon League regular season title for 10 straight seasons. UWGB went 26-6 overall and 17-1 in league contests last season. … Senior guard Rachel Porath has been predicted to repeat as a first-team all-league selection. She averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds last season. Senior center Lavesa Glover is also picked to repeat as a second-team all-league honoree. … Green Bay leads the all-time series with YSU 19-1. The Penguins’ only victory came on Feb. 19, 2005 when they knocked off the 23rd-ranked Phoenix 60-56 in Green Bay.

LOYOLA

Coach Shannon Reidy, in her fourth season, owns a career record of 19-69 with the Ramblers. … Loyola was picked to finish eighth in the league according to the preseason coaches poll. The Ramblers were 8-23 overall and 5-13 in league contests a year ago. … Loyola returns three juniors who all averaged more than 10 points per game last season. Junior guard Maggie McCloskey averaged a team-best 11.5 points while junior forward Elyse VanBogaert scored 10.7 and made 50.6 percent of her field goal attempts. … Loyola leads the all-time series with YSU 11-4. The teams have split the season series in each of the past four years.

MILWAUKEE

Sandy Botham is in her 13th year at the helm of Milwaukee, owning a 197-149 record. … Milwaukee was picked to finish third in the Horizon League poll, which is where it finished last season. The Panthers were 11-7 in league play a year ago and 17-14 overall. … The Panthers return three starters for last year’s squad, including reigning Horizon League player of the year Traci Edwards. Edwards averaged 20.6 points and 9.7 rebounds in 2007-08, and she is picked to repeat as the league’s top player. The senior is a three-time, first-team all-league honoree. … YSU trails Milwaukee 15-5 in the overall series. The Penguins’ last win over the Panthers was a 75-68 victory in Milwaukee on Feb. 26, 2005. YSU lost to UWM 94-87 in double overtime in Youngstown last year.

UIC

Lisa Ryckbosch is in her seventh year with an 88-89 career record. … UIC was picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll. The Flames were 10-20 overall and 6-12 a year ago, which earned them eighth place. … Junior guard Jessie Miller is a preseason second-team All-Horizon League selection. She averaged 10 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 3-pointers per game as a sophomore. The Flames have four returning starters and eight returning letterwinners as a team. … YSU leads the all-time series 30-18 against UIC. The Penguins have also won three out of the last four meetings, including both contests last season.

VALPARAISO

Keith Freeman is in his 15th season as coach with a record of 243-168 at Valparaiso and 372-215 overall in 20 seasons. … The Crusaders were picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League preseason poll, which is where they finished in 2007-08. Valpo was 14-16 overall and 9-9 in conference contests in its first season in the league. … Senior guard Agnieszka Kulaga is a preseason second-team all-league selection. She averaged 14.6 points and 5.2 rebounds last season, which were both team-highs. Senior forward Aimee Litka added 13.7 points per game and a team-high 68 3-pointers. Valpo returns all five of its starters and 11 letterwinners from last year’s squad. … The Penguins lead the Crusaders 13-10 in the all-time series. The teams split the season series last year with each winning on the road.

WRIGHT STATE

Bridgett Williams is in her eighth season at the helm of the Raiders. She has accumulated a record of 83-120 in seven seasons at Wright State and a 93-166 ledger in nine years overall. … Wright State was picked to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll, just one point ahead of Milwaukee. The Raiders were 16-16 overall and 11-7 in league contests in 2007-08 to finish second. … The Raiders do not have any seniors on their roster, but they return four starters from last season. Sophomore guard Shey Peddy was named the Horizon League newcomer of the year and first-team all-conference last season. Peddy averaged 16.7 points and had 96 steals a year ago while fellow sophomore LaShawna Thomas averaged 11.4 points. Ta-myra Davis, who played at YSU in 2006-07, is also a sophomore for the Raiders after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. … YSU leads the all-time series 20-15 and took both regular season contests from the Raiders before falling to them in the league tournament. Wright State has eliminated YSU three times in the last five years.

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