Second Half Looking Bright For Spirit
February 17, 2004 - National Women's Basketball League (NWBL)
Springfield Spirit News Release
West Springfield, February 17, 2004 â The Springfield Spirit will be looking to start off the second half of the NWBL season on the right foot as they are set to battle against the visiting Dallas Fury this Thursday at Central Connecticut State University at 7pm.
The past few days have been an interesting ride for the Springfield Spirit as they beat the Chicago Blaze by 19 points only to travel the next day to Houston and lose a heartbreaker to the Stealth by 5 points. This 1-1 road trip wasn't the end for some of the Spirit as Stacy Clinesmith, Andrea Garner and Cindy Blodgett were all apart of the first NWBL All Star game which saw Stacy Clinesmith win the games Most Valuable Player Award, as the Spirit teamed up with the Dallas Fury and Birmingham Power to win 83-75.
After the impressive showing at the All-Star Game, Spirit point guard Stacy Clinesmith stated, "I can't wait to get back to Springfield so we can put everything together and finally make a run at these other teams. We have lost some close ones and with our team finally together we will now make our move." Stacy wasn't the only Spirit member in Colorado that is looking forward to the second half of the season as after the game Coach Tory Verdi stated, "I can wait to get back to work on Wednesday with my entire team."
The first meeting between the Spirit and Fury this year saw the visiting Dallas Fury pull off 75-67 victory, but the Spirit team that is set to take the court is not going to be the same team that the Fury saw that first night. The Spirit has restructured its roster and is looking to avenge the first loss. The new additions of Rasheeda Clark, Tootie Shaw and Isabel Stubbs make the Spirit/Fury match up one that fans won't want to miss.
The Springfield Spirit will be led into the game on Thursday by sharp shooter Cindy Blodgett who is scoring 14.8 points per game and will also be looking for offensive support from newly acquired Isabel Stubbs who is averaging 14.0 points per game (3 games) and Rasheeda Clark 14.0 points per game (1 game). The Fury is led by Anna DeForge who is averaging 17.4 points per game, Sheryl Swoopes who is averaging 15.4 points per game and Cheryl Ford who is averaging 14.7 points and 8 rebounds per game. However, the Fury will be without the services of both Swoopes and Ford who will not be making the trip to Central Connecticut State University due to prior commitments with the USA Basketball Team.
Individual game tickets are on sale on at the Springfield Civic Center Box and Central Connecticut State University box offices. Tickets may also be charged over the phone at 413-787-6600, 800-639-8602 (SCC) and at 860-832-1989 (CCSU). Tickets for the 2004 season may also be purchased on line at www.ticketmaster.com tickets costs at CCSU are $20, $15, and $10 for adults and $12 and $10 for juniors under 18. At Cathedral H/S the tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and $10 for Junior under 18.
For more information on the Springfield Spirit and the National Women's Basketball League please visit the league site at www.nwbl.com.
• Discuss this story on the National Women's Basketball League message board...
National Women's Basketball League Stories from February 17, 2004
- Stealth faces Swoopes and Fury - Houston Stealth
- Second Half Looking Bright For Spirit - Springfield Spirit
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
