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Feb 25, 2009
WHAT’S BRUIN: Weekly News & Notes
Overall Record: 25-0 (Home
12-0, Road 10-0, Neutral 3-0)
Northwest Conference: 16-0, 1st (Home 8-0, Road 8-0)
Internet Links For:
Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule / Results / Statistics / Box Scores / Press Releases
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: NWC Tournament Feb. 26 and 28 at Home
* Recent Games: Bruins Win Twice to Complete Perfect Season
* Shielee Again Earns BAA Award, HM for NWC Honors
* Polls: Bruins Alone in 2nd in WBCA, 3rd in D3hoops Poll
* Bruins Set New NWC Standards with Perfect Season
* NCAA Stats: Bruins in Top Ten in Four Categories
* NWC Stats: Seven Bruins Among League Leaders
* Shielee Rewriting Record Books in Blocks, FG Pct.
* COMING UP: NWC Tournament Feb. 26 and 28 at Home
Thur., Feb. 26, 7:00 pm - vs. Whitman College, in Newberg, Ore.
(NWC Tournament)
Sat, Feb. 28, 7:00 pm - vs. TBA, in Newberg, Ore. (NWC Tournament)
Fresh from an unprecedented regular season, the George Fox
University Bruins are set for the Northwest Conference
Women’s Basketball Tournament which tips off this Thursday
when the Bruins host the Whitman College Missionaries at 7:00 p.m.
at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym.
George Fox (25-0), second in the WBCA national poll and third in
the D3hoops.com poll, won the NWC regular season championship with
a 16-0 record and will have home-court advantage for all tournament
games. Whitman (18-7) tied for third in the
conference with the Pacific University Boxers, both 10-6, but is
seeded fourth in the tournament due to tiebreaking factors.
The other semifinal game has third-seeded Pacific (11-13) visiting
the University of Puget Sound (17-8), which finished second in the
conference at 11-5, Thursday at 6:00 p.m. (UPS is also hosting
Linfield College in the Men’s NWC Tournament later that night
at 8:00 p.m.) Pacific earned the third spot by
splitting with Puget Sound during the regular season while Whitman
lost twice to the Loggers.
Thursday’s winners will play Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at the
site of the highest-remaining seed, with the tournament champion
earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division
III National Tournament.
NWC Tournament Tickets: Tickets for all tournament games
as established by the Northwest Conference are $6 for adults and $3
for students and children 18 and under and seniors 55 and
up. They will be sold at the door
only. Regular season passes are not valid for
post-season games, including the NWC Tournament.
Students from the participating schools in each game will be
admitted to the NWC Tournament free of charge with the presentation
of a valid student ID card.
Internet Coverage: Campus station KFOX Radio will webcast
all NWC Tournament games involving the Bruins, and LiveStats and
live video streaming will also be available.
Links to George Fox multimedia coverage when provided:
KFOX radio webcasts - http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/asc/kfoxradio/
LiveStats - http://academic.georgefox.edu/~sports/xlive.htm
Live video streaming - http://media.georgefox.edu/bruinsports.html
Whitman (18-7, NWC 10-6, 3rd T): The Whitman Missionaries
from Walla Walla, Wash., were picked to finish 1st in the Northwest
Conference pre-season coaches’ poll, the Bruins 5th …
Series record: George Fox leads 22-8 since 1982 (11-4 home, 11-4
road) … The Bruins have won the last six meetings, sweeping
this year’s games 62-51 on Jan. 3 in Walla Walla, Wash., and
67-36 on Jan. 31 in Newberg … The Missionaries’ last
win in the series was 62-58 in Walla Walla on Jan. 28, 2006
… Whitman averages 68.1 ppg (1st in the NWC) and allows 58.5
ppg (4th) … The Missionaries lead the NWC in 3-pt field goal
pct. (.328), free throw pct. (.757, 11th nationally),
assist/turnover ratio (1.01, 15th nationally) … Whitman is
9th nationally in turnovers per game (14.7) … The
Missionaries have four double-figure scorers: G Hilary White (13.5
ppg, 4th), P Rebecca Sexton (11.2 ppg, 13th), G Jenele Peterson
(10.3 ppg, 16th T), and F Michelle Krall (10.2 ppg, 19th). …
Sexton is the top rebounder (5.6, 15th) … Peterson is the
assists leader (3.68, 3rd) … Sexton is 2nd in the NWC in
field goal pct. (.583) … Peterson leads the NWC in free
throw pct. (.871, 23rd nationally) and Krall is 2nd (.862, 29th
nationally) … Coach Michelle Ferenz is in her 8th season at
Whitman.
* Recent Games (2-0): Bruins Win Twice to Complete Perfect
Season
Feb. 20 - at George Fox 67, Willamette 55
Feb. 21 - at George Fox 73, Pacific Lutheran 51
Completing a perfect run through their regular season schedule,
the Bruins ran their record to 25-0 by winning their final two
games before big Homecoming crowds.
Willamette’s Bearcats battled the Bruins on even terms for 15
minutes Friday before the Bruins took control with a 15-4 spurt to
close out the first half with a 10-point advantage, and they kept a
steady lead the rest of the way. Sage Indendi
led the Bruins with 18 points, 14 in the first half, Kristen
Shielee added her 8th double-double of the season with 16 points
and 17 rebounds along with 5 blocked shots, and Elise Kuenzi scored
13 points. The Bruins sewed up their unblemished
regular season by jumping ahead of the Pacific Lutheran Lutes early
before a record crowd of some 2,250 Homecoming Night fans
Saturday. The Bruins built up a double-digit
lead in the game’s first 10 minutes, led 43-20 at the break,
and allowed the Lutes no closer than 12 in the second
half. Keisha Gordon led the Bruins with 18
points, Shielee had 14, Kuenzi 13, and Indendi
11.
COACH SCOTT RUECK:
Scott Rueck (Oregon State '91), the 2007-08 Northwest
Conference and NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year, is
253-85 (.749) to date in his 13th season as a college head coach,
all at George Fox. He picked up his 250th win on
Feb. 10 when the Bruins defeated Pacific 73-52 in Forest Grove,
Ore. He also received NWC Coach of the Year
honors in 1999-2000, 2000-01 (Co-Coach), 2004-05, and 2006-07.
He has guided the Bruins to six NWC titles
(including this season), five NCAA Tournament appearances and a 7-5
playoff record in the last nine years. Click here for the complete
bio on Coach
Rueck.
Rueck vs. possible upcoming opponents:
Whitman - 20-6 (10-3 home, 10-3 road)
Puget Sound - 17-14 (11-4 home, 6-10 road)
Pacific - 25-1 (13-0 home, 12-1 road)
BRUIN BITS:
* Shielee Again Earns BAA Award, HM for NWC Honors
Senior center Kristen Shielee was named the Bruin
Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week and received
honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Women’s
Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week for Feb.
16-22. In a 67-55 win over Willamette on Feb.
20, she scored 16 points on 6-8 field goals and 4-7 free throws,
with 17 rebounds for her 8th double-double of the season, 5 blocked
shots, a steal and an assist. In a 73-51 win
over Pacific Lutheran on Feb. 21, she scored 14 points on 6-7 field
goals and 2-2 free throws, with 9 rebounds and an
assist. For the week, she totaled 30 points
(15.0 pg) on 12-15 field goals (.800) and 6-9 free throws (.667),
with 26 rebounds (13.0 pg), 5 blocked shots (2.5 pg), 2 assists and
a steal. She now has 96 blocks on the season,
surpassing the previous Bruin record of 86 by Tammy Lewis in
1986-87. Shielee ranks 1st in the NWC in blocked
shots (3.84, 6th nationally), field goal pct. (.626, 5th
nationally), 3rd in rebounding (9.8), 9th in scoring (12.0)…
* 2008-09 Honors:
Elise Kuenzi ---
- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Nov.
17-23; Dec. 29-Jan. 4)
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week (HM, Nov.
17-23)
Keisha Gordon ---
- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Nov.
24-30; Jan. 5-11; Feb. 2-8)
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week (Nov. 24-30;
HM, Jan. 5-11; Feb. 2-8)
Sage Indendi ---
- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Dec.
8-14; Jan. 26-Feb. 1)
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week (HM, Dec. 8-14;
HM, Jan. 26-Feb. 1)
Kristen Shielee
---
- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Dec.
15-21; Jan. 12-18; Jan. 19-25; Feb. 9-15; Feb. 16-22)
- Northwest Conference
Student-Athlete of the Week (Dec. 15-Jan. 4; HM, Jan. 12-18; HM,
Jan. 19-25; HM, Feb. 9-15; HM, Feb. 16-22)
* Polls: Bruins Alone in 2nd in WBCA, 3rd in D3hoops
Poll
After winning their final two home games of the season, the George
Fox Bruins (25-0) moved from a tie for 2nd into sole possession of
2nd with 236 points in the USA Today / ESPN NCAA Division III
Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll of Feb. 24, and
remained 3rd with 580 points in the D3hoops.com poll of Feb.
23. No other Northwest Conference teams are
listed in the voting. Illinois Wesleyan (24-0),
the only other undefeated team in D-III, sits atop both polls for
the fifth week in a row. Hope (22-1) is 2nd in
the D3hoops poll by four points and two points behind the Bruins in
the WBCA poll. George Fox has been ranked in the
top 25 at some point in eight of the past 10 years (‘00,
‘01, ‘02, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08,
‘09), finishing last season 15th in the WBCA poll and 16th in
the D3hoops poll after a 25-5 season and a trip to the “Sweet
16”. The Bruins’ highest ranking
ever was No. 1, a spot they held for two weeks in February of 2001.
George Fox remained atop the West Region rankings which came out
for the second time on Feb. 15 from the NCAA Division III Selection
Committee. At the time, the Bruins were 23-0
overall, 18-0 in the region. The rest of the
West included St. Benedict (20-3, 20-3), Concordia-Moorhead (16-7,
15-5), Simpson IA (20-3, 16-3), St. Thomas MN (17-6, 17-6), and La
Verne (17-5, 15-4).
* Bruins Set New NWC Standards with Perfect Season
The Bruins’ 16-0 record in Northwest Conference play is only
the second unbeaten season for a team in the NWC or its
predecessor, the Women’s Conference of Independent
Colleges. The only other known undefeated team
was Willamette University in 1985-86, which went 10-0 in the
WCIC. Only one other conference team has won
more than 15 games, Pacific Lutheran University going 17-1 in
1998-99 when there were ten teams in the NWC instead of the current
nine.
* Bruins Have Posted 16 Straight Winning Seasons
With their 25-0 record, the Bruins have secured their 16th
straight winning season, three under Sherri Murrell (1992-96) and
the last 13 under Scott Rueck. George Fox has
posted a record of 304-116 (.724) during that time, with six NWC
championships or co-championships (including this season) and five
NCAA post-season appearances.
* Ten Records Set or Tied in 2008-09:
The Bruins have set or tied 10 records thus far in 2008-09:
- Most Blocked Shots, Game, Team - 13 at Dallas
in U of Dallas Tip-Off Tournament, 11/22 (previous record was 12
vs. Lewis & Clark, 1/19/1985, and vs. Eastern Oregon,
2/18/1989)
- Most Free Throws Made, Game, Team - 33 (45 fta) vs. Chapman, 12/13 (previous record was 32 vs. Central Washington, 11/19/1993)
- Most Blocked Shots, Game, Player - 10 by Kristen Shielee vs. Bridgewater in Las Vegas Hoopla, 11/20 (tied record set by Shawna Chandler vs. Western Oregon, 1/11/1983)
- Best Free Throw Pct., Game, Player - 1.000 (13-13) by Elise Kuenzi at Whitman, 1/3 (previous record was 11-11 by Nancy Rissmiller vs. Hamline, 11/22/1997)
- Most Blocked Shots, Season, Player - 96 by Kristen Shielee (previous record was 86 by Tammy Lewis, 1986-87)
- Most Wins, Team, Season - 25 (ties record set by 25-5 team in 2007-08)
- Most Conference Wins, Team, Season - 16 (previous record was 15 in 2000-01)
- Highest Conference Winning Percentage, Team, Season - 1.000, 16-0 (previous record was .885, 15-1 in 2000-01)
- Most Wins at Start of Season, Team - 23, Nov. 21-Feb. 21, 2008-09 (previous record was 11 by 2001-02 and 2005-06 teams)
- Longest Winning Streak, Team - 23, Nov. 21-Feb. 21, 2008-09 (previous record was 12, Dec. 18-Feb. 1, 2007-08)
* NCAA Stats: Bruins in Top Ten in Four Categories
In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics release (thru
Feb. 22), George Fox as a team ranked 1st in
won-lost pct. (1.000, tied with unbeaten Illinois Wesleyan), 4th in
defense (48.8), 9th in blocked shots (5.5 pg), 10th in fouls (12.9
pg), 13th in scoring margin (+19.2), 16th in field goal pct.
defense (.328), 21st in turnovers (15.6 pg), 41st in rebound margin
(+6.5) … There are 3 other unbeaten women’s teams left
at other levels: Connecticut in D-I, and Morningside (Iowa) and
Shawnee State (Ohio) in the NAIA Division II …
Kristen Shielee was 5th in
field goal pct. (.626), 6th in blocked shots (3.8 pg) …
* NWC Stats: Seven Bruins Among League Leaders
Where the Bruins rank in the latest Northwest Conference stats
(thru Feb. 22):
Scoring Offense – 2nd (67.9)
Scoring Defense – 1st (48.8)
Scoring Margin – 1st (+19.2)
Field Goal Pct. - 1st (.423)
Field Goal Pct. Defense – 1st (.328)
3-Pt Field Goals – 2nd (5.96)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. – 2nd (.324)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. Defense – 1st (.276)
Free Throw Pct. – 6th (.667)
Rebounding Offense – 2nd (40.1)
Rebounding Defense – 1st (33.6)
Rebounding Margin – 1st (+6.5)
Assists – 3rd (13.72)
Blocked Shots - 1st (5.52)
Steals – 1st (10.48)
Turnover Margin – 1st (+3.96)
Assist/Turnover Ratio – 3rd (0.88)
- Kristen Shielee
is 1st in blocked shots (3.84), field goal pct. (.626), 3rd in
rebounding (9.8), 9th in scoring (12.0) …
- Elise Kuenzi is 5th in free throw pct. (.792),
15th in steals (1.28), 18th in scoring (10.2), rebounding (5.2, T)
...
- B.B. Gardner is
1st in assist/turnover ratio (1.62), 7th in assists (3.04)
…
- Keisha Gordon is 3rd in free throw pct. (.844),
5th in 3-pt field goals (1.63), 3-pt field goal pct. (.351), steals
(2.00, T), 7th in scoring (12.5), 9th in field goal pct. (.422)
…
- Sage Indendi is 2nd in steals (2.32), 8th in free throw pct. (.750), 10th in scoring (11.9), 3-pt field goals (1.16), assists (2.84), 13th in field goal pct. (.400), 3-pt pct. (.312) ...
- Arianna Mohsenian is 7th in 3-pt field goals (1.40), 10th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.315) …
- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 7th in blocked shots (0.84) ...
* Double-Doubles:
- Elise Kuenzi: career 1, season 1 - 18 pts/11
reb at Dallas, 11/22
- Kristen Shielee: career 8, season 8 - 11 pts/15 reb vs. Virginia Wesleyan at Las Vegas, Nev., 12/19; 12 pts/21 reb/10 blocks vs. Bridgewater at Las Vegas, Nev., 12/20; 16 pts/19 reb at Whitman, 1/3; 12 pts/13 reb at Pacific Lutheran, 1/24; 16 pts/11 reb vs. Whitworth, 1/30; 13 pts/10 reb vs. Lewis & Clark, 2/6; 13 pts/10 reb at Pacific, 2/10; 16 pts/17 reb vs. Willamette, 2/20
* Triple-Doubles:
- Kristen Shielee: career 1, season 1 - 12 pts/21 reb/10
blocks vs. Bridgewater at Las Vegas, Nev., 12/20 (2nd one in Bruin
history)
* Shielee Rewriting Record Books in Blocks, FG Pct.
With 5 blocked shots in the past two games, Kristen
Shielee now has 149 in her career, 4th on the all-time
list. Ahead is Melissa Marek-Farris (182,
2004-08) … She also pushed her season total to 96 blocks,
further extending her new George Fox single-season
record. She surpassed the previous record of 86
set by Tammy Lewis in 1986-87. Shielee’s
per-game average is 3.84, which would surpass Lewis’s season
record of 3.44 blocks per game in 1986-87 (86 blocks in 25
games). The Pacific Lutheran game on Feb. 21 was
the first game all season she has not had at least one block
… Shielee’s current field goal percentage of .626
would set a new single-season record, topping the .582 mark posted
by Katie Greller in 1997-98 … Her career field goal
percentage, now at. 594, would also be a new record, besting the
.543 record by Katie (Greller) Lacey from 1997-2001.
