FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech women's basketball team begins a busy post-Christmas slate of games as they host crosstown rival Saint Francis, Bethel College and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) foe Northwestern Ohio for a Holiday Tournament before welcoming in Lawrence Tech to resume WHAC play on Saturday.
 
Indiana Tech (9-4, 6-1 WHAC)
 
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. vs. (RV) Saint Francis (5-5, 2-1 Crossroads League) – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Schaefer Center)
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1 p.m. vs. Bethel College (6-7, 2-1 Crossroads League) – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Schaefer Center)
Saturday, Jan. 2, 1 p.m. vs. #25 Lawrence Tech (9-1, 6-1 WHAC) – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Schaefer Center)
 
Following the Warriors: Links to live stats and video will be available for all games can be found at IndianaTechWarriors.com. You can also follow @INTechWBB and @INTechWarriors on Twitter to catch the action.
 
Last Time Out: The Warriors had their seven game win streak snapped by #20 Huntington on Dec. 19, falling 72-59 to the Foresters. Haley Cook recorded her first career double-double as she recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Seiss also scored 13 points. Rayana Villalpando added 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and Taylor Carver chipped in 10 points and seven boards. Kendall Knapke had six points and a team-high three blocks.
 
Head Coach Jessie Biggs: Now in fourth season at Indiana Tech, Jessie Biggs has amassed 44 wins through her first three years, including a 19-13 mark in 2013. That season, Biggs led the Warriors to a 14-7 mark in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) action and a fourth-place finish. The Warriors would defeat Aquinas in the quarterfinals before falling to top seed and No. 2 Davenport in the semifinals. The Northern Iowa alum has had five players on the WHAC All-Academic Team, five WHAC All-Conference selections, two NAIA All-Americans, two NAIA Scholar-Athlete and one WHAC All-Newcomer Team selection.
 
Scouting the Opposition: Saint Francis – The Cougars snapped a three-game losing skid last Tuesday as they defeated Cornerstone, 68-56. Brooke Ridley leads the team in scoring with 22.8 points per game and rebounding with 9.8 boards a contest while shooting 52.5% from the floor. Quila Jackson chips in 10.4 points per game while shooting 43.3% from the three point line.
 
Bethel – The Pilots saw their three-game winning streak broken by Cornerstone their last time out on Dec. 19 as they fell 66-64. Angelique Moore leads the team in scoring with 15.2 points per contest and is shooting 57.1% from the floor. Savannah Bley averages 12.1 rebounds per game while adding 12.4 points a night.
 
Lawrence Tech – The Blue Devils cracked the Top 25 for the first time in program history this year and have won their last two games. Allison Ketchen leads the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game and is shooting 67.0% from the floor. Hali Butler adds 12.2 points a night and leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 boards a game.
 
Series History: Saint Francis – The Orange and Black are 1-8 against their crosstown rivals since 2005, most recently losing a season ago, 70-57.
 
Bethel – Tech is 2-5 against the Pilots since 2005, most recently losing 87-85 on Nov. 1, 2013.
 
Lawrence Tech – The Warriors are 4-2 against the Blue Devils since 2004, most recently splitting the season series a year ago. Tech prevailed 85-82 at home last year before falling in Southfield, 73-54.
 
Seizing her Award: Junior guard Taylor Seiss was named the WHAC Player of the Week on Dec. 14 after 19.5 points in wins against Siena Heights and Aquinas to help the Warriors push their winning streak to seven games. She shot 44.1% from the field and hitting 43.8% of her three point attempts and also picked up five rebound, three assists and a block in over 73 minutes of game action.
 
Twice as Nice: Sophomore guard Haley Cook was named the WHAC Player of the Week for the second time this season on Dec. 7 after scoring 38 points over the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 6, including a career-high 26 in a 96-72 win over Lourdes last Wednesday. She also grabbed five boards and dished out a career high seven assists in the win. In the 76-54 victory over Concordia on Saturday, she notched 12 points while pulling down a career high nine boards and three assists. Cook also won the weekly conference award on Nov. 23.
 
Looking Behind the Arc: The Warriors find themselves among the national leaders when it comes to both the offensive and defensive side of the three point line. Tech had made 100 triples so far this year, the 20^th most in the country. Their 35.2% shooting percentage from downtown ranks tied for 23^rd while their 7.7 three pointers per game is the 19^th most in the nation. Defensively, the Orange and Black are holding opponents to shooting just 29.5% from deep, placing them in a tie for 43^rd.
 
Locking it Down: Head coach Jessie Biggs preaches lockdown defense to her players and the Warrior have been playing suffocating defense all season. They have only allowed five teams, then-No. 2 Davenport, then-No. 9 Marian, Lourdes, Siena Heights (in overtime) and No. 20 Huntington, to score more than 70 points in a game this season. Tech has given up less than 60 points five games this year, including three-straight games of not allowing a team to score more than 44 points.
 
Lighting it Up: Taylor Seiss has been a threat to score from almost anywhere on the court, shooting 45.8% from the floor and 39.8% from behind the arc for a team-best 14.8 points per game. Her shooting ability has her among the nation's best, especially in the long range department. She ranks tied for 17^th in total three point field goals made (35), tied 20^th in three point field goals made per game (2.7) and is tied 47^th in three point field goal percentage.
 
Home for the Holidays: The Warriors are home for their next four games after spending the last four on the road. Along with Saint Francis, Bethel and Lawrence Tech, the Orange and Black also welcome in Cornerstone on Jan. 6.
 
This and That: Coach Biggs has started the same five players in every game this season: Rayana Villalpando, Haley Cook, Taylor Seiss, Kendall Knapke and Taylor Carver…the Warriors tied their season high for blocks in a game with four against Huntington, with three of those coming via Knapke…Tech had a season-low 12 fouls and only committed six turnovers, also a season-low, against Aquinas.
 
New Rules, Same Game: With all the rule changes that were passed over the summer in the NCAA, the NAIA has adopted those same rules. Instead of two 20-minute halves, teams will now play four 10-minute quarters. Teams will reach the bonus once its opponents have committed five fouls in a given quarter. 1-and-1 free-throw scenarios have been eliminated in favor of two shots for all common fouls. And teams will now have the option to advance the ball to the frontcourt in the final 59.9 seconds of the game.
 
Stacking Up Against the Competition: The Warriors have faced off with three teams ranked in the NAIA Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll: No. 2 Davenport, No. 9 Marian and No. 11 Purdue Calumet. Tech took on No. 20 Huntington on Dec. 19 and will face No. 25 Lawrence Tech on Jan. 2.
 
Poll Thoughts: Tech was picked to finish fifth in the WHAC Coaches' Preseason Poll, receiving 83 votes to finish in a tie with Lawrence Tech. The Warriors finished in sixth last season with a mark of 11-11 in the conference, falling in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to third seeded Madonna.
 
Staying Close to Home: Freshman Kendall Knapke didn't have to look far away when making her college decision. The Heritage High School product decided to stay in Fort Wayne when she signed with the Warriors last winter. The 5'11" forward averaged 10.5 points per game and 5.3 rebounds in her final prep season with the Patriots and is expected to start right away for the Orange and Black.