LaGrange women's basketball goes for best start ever Wednesday against Oglethorpe

GAME FACTS –
The LaGrange College women's basketball team goes for its best start ever as they host Oglethorpe University on Wednesday. The Panthers (5-1) equaled the start of the 2003-04 team with a 81-66 win over Methodist at Mariotti Gym on Saturday. The Stormy Petrels have won four of the five previous meetings.

LAST MEETING –
Oglethorpe (5-1) won 84-57 in Atlanta on Dec. 10, 2005. The Stormy Petrels led 51-13 at halftime. Katie Kulavic scored a game-high 17 points for Oglethorpe, who had four players in double-figures. Whitney Jones had a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Panthers (1-7). Heather Power led the Panthers with 13 points, while Kellee Scandrett added 10.

THE COACHES:
LaGrange's Kelly Britsky enters her eighth season as the Panthers' women's head coach. She has a career record of 70-114. Britsky guided the Panthers to a 17-11 record during the 2001-2002 season that included a trip to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Tournament.
Britsky played volleyball and softball for the Panthers while earning a degree in History in 1993 and a Masters in Education in 1999. She stayed on as an assistant coach in 1994 when the Panther softball team won a national championship. She left LaGrange for three years to coach basketball, softball, and track at Perry High School in Perry, Ga. before returning in 1997.

Ron Sattele is in his second season as head coach at Oglethorpe after two years as an assistant. He led the Stormy Petrels to a 21-7 record in 2005-06 and the school's first ever trip to the NCAA National Tournament. It was the best record in school history, as the team set 13 school records. Sattele came to Oglethorpe from St. Pius X High School in Atlanta, Ga., where he coached women's basketball.

ABOUT THE STORMY PETRELS –
Oglethorpe is 2-4 after losing 71-65 to Sewanee in a Southern Collegiate Athletic conference game on the road last Saturday. Erin Flynn and Anna Findley each had 13 points for the Stormy Petrels. Biz Richmann pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. Oglethorpe led 37-36 at halftime but could not hold off the Tigers down the stretch.

Kulavic was the SCAC Newcomer of the Year and a first-team All-SCAC selection last season. She leads the Stormy Petrels in scoring, averaging 11.2 points per game. Flynn and Tina Grace are averaging 10 points per game each. Richmann is averaging 8.8 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS –
The Panthers won their fourth straight game Saturday, defeating Methodist 81-66. Kellee Scandrett had a team-high 16 points. She scored nine points during a 12-0 second half run that put the game away. Ebonie Johnson added 15 points, Jessica Barba 14 and LaTessa Taylor 10. Dating back to the final five games last season, the Panthers have won nine of their last 11 games. The Panthers have won six straight at Mariotti Gym, tying the longest home win streak in the program's brief history.

IMPROVED SHOOTING –
The Panthers shot only 50 percent or better in one game in 2005-06. This season, the Panthers have shot over 50 percent in a game twice in six games. They shot a season-best 59 percent against Sewanee, and 51 percent Saturday against Methodist. Freshman Valeree Williams is shooting 61 percent, while senior Lindsey Moore is shooting 51 percent. Scandrett is shooting 54 percent from three point range (12-for-22). On the season, the Panthers are shooting 41 percent as a team.  

SCORING IS UP –
After scoring 90 total points in their first two games this season, the Panthers have averaged 79 points per game in the last four. The Panthers have scored over 80 points in three of the games. They had not scored over 80 points in a game since the 2003-04 season. The most points in a game last season were 63.

RECORDS WATCH –
Moore is the Panthers' career leader with 113 steals. She is third in points (660); free throws made (189) and free throws attempted (290). Scandrett is the career leader in three-pointers made (92) and attempted (306).