Women's basketball visits City of Jazz

The women's basketball team may get to see what cajun turkey tastes like this Thanksgiving when it travels for New Orleans, La., for the University of New Orleans Tournament. The Blue Devils will face Pepperdine on Nov. 24, and then play either the host team or Mississippi State the following day.

This will be the second of three straight tournaments for the Blue Devils. The team opened its season with the Preseason National Invitational Tournament, where it advanced to the second round before falling to Texas A&M 83-73. The weekend after Thanksgiving break, the Blue Devils will host the Ronald McDonald Duke Women's Basketball Classic, held at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"We wanted to get tournament experience," head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "Every tournament you are in is a good experience--mentally and physically--to play tough games. We felt that this would help us in the [Atlantic Coast Conference], when we have to play three games in five days, or in the ACC or NCAA Tournaments."

Outside of getting tournament experience, Goestenkors said she scheduled the trip to New Orleans so that the team could experience the city. The tourney was also to be a homecoming for junior guard Shaeeta Brown, who is from Brusly, La. Brown's parents have yet to see their daughter play, but unfortunately they still won't be able to this weekend. Brown has been sidelined by a stress fracture for the past six weeks, and won't be able to suit up in New Orleans.

Still, Brown's parents should get to enjoy what will most likely be two Blue Devil wins. Pepperdine went 10-16 last year, and lost two starters. Its best player is Lisa Siders, a 6-foot-4 senior center who averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game last year. New Orleans had a slightly better record, winning one more game than the Waves.

Yet UNO is without its top three scorers from last season. The Bulldogs from Mississippi State garnered the worst record last season among the foursome, with a 9-18 record overall. But the Southeastern Conference opponent returns all five of its starters from last year, including LaCharlotts Smith, a 5-foot-7 guard who averaged 16 points, five rebounds and four assists per contest.

Goestenkors said both UNO and Mississippi State loaded their depleted rosters with junior college transfers. It's the same strategy that Texas A&M used as a quick fix to plug holes in its line-up. With so many new players, Goestenkors said it is hard to judge just how good Duke's opponents will be.

But the biggest foe the Blue Devils will face in New Orleans is fatigue. Both Brown and freshman point guard Hilary Howard won't be back until the first week of December. In its loss to Texas A&M, junior center Tyish Hall played over 30 minutes, while junior point guard Kira Orr played the entire game. Goestenkors only used seven players against the Lady Aggies, and she said she might use give a couple more players a few minutes of playing time to give Orr and Hall a rest.