Close but no cigar
February 16, 2005 - National Women's Basketball League (NWBL)
San Jose Spiders News Release
SAN JOSE CA, February 16, 2005- These were the words Coach Tracy Carpenter spoke after another solid effort by his SAN JOSE SPIDERS went for not. Again, the culprit was late game letdowns. A few missed free throws down the stretch sent the SPIDERS down to the FURY of Dallas, 72-63.
The team has gained a consistent form over the last 2 weeks. The SPIDERS remain consistently good playing solid defense and rebounding well. Unfortunately, poor shooting seems to be a bay area basketball specialty.
The team shot around 40% for the game, going 24 or 60 from the field. An uncharacteristic barrage of three point shots may have sank the team in the end. The SPIDERS were an anemic 7 of 24 from beyond the arc.
A lack of early foul calls may have led the team to drift farther from the paint. It took a series of late game missed free throws to close a 35 to 13 margin in favor of the FURY.
Once more the combo of Erica Glover and Amisha Carter proved to be a formidable tandem against the opposition. Glover, who was banged up the night before, took over the assignment of guarding FURY top player Anna Deforge.
Deforge may be a WNBA all-star, but she failed to score more than 4 points against Glover after going for 22 in the first half. Glover ended her night with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Amisha Carter had her second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Though the loss of forward Andrea Garner has been tough on the team, Carter's emergence in the rotation should pay dividends down the road.
Despite their record, the franchise has shown a lot of fight considering the pressure of being an expansion franchise and having very little time to get to know one another's styles. When finally injury free the team will look to improve on their late game woes.
As Coach Carpenter said: "I don't believe in moral victories....but we're improving."
Group Tickets: Can be purchased at the door. Bring a group of 10 or more and receive $2 off admission. Bring a group of 25 or more and receive $3 off admission. For more information on the Spiders or to purchase season tickets please visit our website at www.nwbl.com.
The SAN JOSE SPIDERS is an expansion team of the WNBL, a professional women's basketball league that plays its season in the spring from January to April each year and features some of America's best professional women athletes.
The NWBL is a six-team league that features more than 25 active WNBA players. Other teams in the league include the Birmingham Power (Birmingham, Ala.); Dallas Fury (Dallas, Texas); Chicago Blaze (Naperville, Ill.); Lubbock Hawks (Lubbock, Texas); and San Jose Spiders (San Jose, Calif.)
National Women's Basketball League Stories from February 16, 2005
- Close but no cigar - San Jose Spiders
- Spiders eaten by Hawks - San Jose Spiders
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