Shooting for success: Lady Braves Basketball

By Myra Frederick
Staff Writer

The UNCP Lady Braves’ basketball team has a full roster of players as they begin their 2003-2004 basketball season. The team kicked off their season Nov. 4 in a home game scrimmage against Coker College.

The team consists of 16 players: eight freshmen, six sophomores, one junior and one senior. Seven of the players are returning players, while one is a transfer.

Head Coach Sandi Littleton said some of her starters this season are senior point guard Rebecca Norris, sophomore shooting guard Lindsay Bartholf, small forward Natasha Stotler and junior center Danielle Richardson.

Bartholf and Norris were 3-point percentage leaders last season with .408 and .342 respectively.
Littleton has not yet decided who will play the role of power forward. She said that the decision is “up in the air.”

“It will be between freshmen,” Littleton said of who has a chance at starting in the position.
Right now the team is in the learning process as they try to improve last season’s 8-19 record.

As they move to improve, the team is running new offensive plays and is now playing more of a pressure-switching defense.

This season the Lady Braves are rebounding more and are playing more aggressively.

“We have better rebounders than we did last year,” Littleton said.

Littleton is pleased with the ladies’ growth as a team and individually. “We are improving every day,” Littleton said.

The Lady Braves will play in the Armstrong Atlantic Tournament against Fayetteville State University and the University of Charleston (WV) on Nov. 21-22.

Their first official home game will be Nov. 25 against Bennett College at 6 p.m.