Teams with little name recognition but big promise highlight this week's AT&T Hoops Classic women's basketball tournament at UAA.
The four-team tournament features the Seawolves and three Southerners -- Saint Leo University of Saint Leo, Fla., Cameron University of Lawton, Ok., and Brevard College of Brevard, S.C.
UAA plays Cameron in Friday's 7 p.m. game at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex. Brevard and Saint Leo meet at 5 p.m.
Throw out Brevard, which is 4-9 after a one-point loss in its last game, and the tournament field boasts a 23-2 record. The Seawolves and Cameron are both 7-1 and Saint Leo is 9-0. UAA and Saint Leo both received votes in the most recent NCAA Division II poll.
Cameron's only loss was a neutral-court setback to Regis College of Colorado. The 7-1 start is the best in more than a decade for the Aggies.
Like UAA, they have a deep bench -- 13 players average at least 10 minutes per game. They're led by a 6-foot-2 senior, Lacy Reinke (10.5 points, 6.4 rebounds per game) and a 5-6 junior, Jazzmine Robinson (11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds per game).
Saint Leo, whose victories include an upset of 16th-ranked Rollins College, has a pair of big scorers -- Teresa Manigrasso averages 17 points and Chelsea Williams averages 16 points a game.
Brevard gets 11 points a game from Madison Lenox and Katie Wiliams.
All but one of UAA's starters are averaging double figures and the one who isn't is awfully close to averaging a double-double -- KeKe Wright, who is worth 9.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
The other four starters are also all-around contributors -- Kiki Robertson (11.9 points, 9 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 steals), Alli Madison (17.5 points. 5 rebounds, 3.1 assists), Jessica Madison (12.4 points, 2 assists) and Kylie Burns (10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds).
Friday's winners will meet in a 7 p.m. championship game Saturday. The losers will meet at 5 p.m.
Anchorage Daily News