WHAT’S BRUIN: Weekly News & Notes

Overall Record: 30-0 (Home 15-0, Road 10-0, Neutral 5-0)
Northwest Conference: 16-0, 1st (Home 8-0, Road 8-0)

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Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule / Results / Statistics / Box Scores / Press Releases

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins to Meet TCNJ First in NCAA “Final Four”  

* Recent Games: Bruins Beat Oglethorpe and Hope in NCAA Sectional

* Polls: Bruins 2nd in Final WBCA, 3rd in D3hoops Polls

* NCAA Stats: Bruins Nationally Ranked in 11 Statistics

* NWC Stats: Seven Bruins Among League Leaders

* Shielee Rewriting Record Books in Blocks, FG Pct.

* COMING UP: Bruins to Meet TCNJ First in NCAA “Final Four” 

--- NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament Final Four ---

Fri., Mar. 20, 6:00 pm (3:00 pm Pacific) - vs. The College of New Jersey, in Holland, Mich.  

Sat., Mar. 21, TBA - vs. TBA, in Holland, Mich.

Schedule: Advancing to the “Final Four” of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National  Championship Tournament for the first time, the George Fox University Bruins will take on The College of New Jersey Lions (27-4) in a semi-final game Friday, March 20, at 6:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. Pacific time) at Hope College’s DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland, Mich.

The other semi-final game Friday at 4:00 p.m. (1 p.m. Pacific) pits the Amherst College Lord Jeffs (29-2) vs. the Washington University-St. Louis Bears (25-4).  Saturday’s consolation game tips off at 10:00 a.m. (7:00 a.m. Pacific), with the national championship game at 1:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. Pacific). 

Tickets: Tickets for one-day sessions to the Final Four are $10 for seniors and children general admission, $12 for adult general admission, and $15 for reserved seats.  Tickets for the entire tournament are $20 for general admission and $25 for reserved seats.  They may be purchased from the respective schools until noon Thursday, when all tickets will revert to Hope College for purchase at the door.

At George Fox, tickets will be on sale in the sports information office in the Wheeler Sports Center until 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.  Tickets may be picked up in person, or reserved via e-mail through sports information director Blair Cash at bcash@georgefox.edu or by phone at 503-538-2926. 

Multimedia Coverage: Campus station KFOX Radio will webcast all Final Four games involving the Bruins, as will D3hoops.com.  Hope is providing LiveStats for all games.  Live video streaming of the semi-finals and consolation game will be available, while the championship game will be shown on national television by CBS College Sports Network, which is available locally on Comcast Cable’s digital sports tier package, Channel 412.  Links to internet multi-media coverage will be posted soon on the Bruins’ home page.

George Fox (30-0): Ranked No. 2 in the final regular season USA Today / ESPN / Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll and No. 3 in the D3hoops.com poll, the Bruins are the only remaining undefeated team in D-III women’s hoops after No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan was ousted in their at 29-0 is the other).  The Bruins are in the national tournament for the third straight year, the fourth time in five years, and the sixth time in 10 seasons of NCAA eligibility. 
The Bruins, who received a bye in the first round, are 10-5 in NCAA post-season play after dispatching Chapman University 83-40, Oglethorpe University 71-56, and Hope College 58-46.  George Fox also reached the “Sweet 16” in 2000, 2005, and 2008, and the “Elite 8” in 2005.

The Bruins earned the Northwest Conference’s automatic bid to the playoffs by winning the NWC Tournament with victories over Whitman College and the University of Puget Sound.  George Fox became only the second team in the history of the NWC and its predecessor conference, the Women’s Conference of Independent Colleges, to go undefeated through conference play, going 16-0 to win the league title by five games (Willamette University with a 10-0 record in 1985-86 was the other). 

The Bruins’ remarkable success this season was somewhat unexpected after losing all five starters and seven seniors from the 2007-08 team that went 25-5 and lost to No. 1-ranked Hope in the “Sweet 16”.  With only four returning letter winners and 10 freshmen on the roster, George Fox was picked fifth in the NWC pre-season poll.

Leading the Bruins into the Final Four is the team’s lone senior, 6-4 center Kristen Shielee, the Northwest Conference Player of the Year who averages 11.9 points and 9.7 rebounds a game.  She set a new single-season record this season with 115 blocked shots, and ranks sixth nationally in that category with 3.83 per game.  Her field goal percentage of .628 is fifth nationally.

The Bruins’ top two scorers are freshmen wings Keisha Gordon and Sage Indendi.  Gordon, a Second Team All-NWC selection, averages 13.0 points a game, while Indendi, an All-NWC First Teamer, hits at a 12.5 clip.  Gordon is fourth among the conference leaders in three-point field goals (1.55 per game), while Indendi is second in the league in steals (2.43 a game).

Two juniors round out the starting five for the Bruins, Elise Kuenzi at forward and B.B. Gardner at point guard.  Kuenzi averages 9.8 points and 5.4 rebound a game and is fifth in the NWC in free throw percentage at .798.  Gardner, who scores at a 4.9 clip, is eighth in assists (3.00 per game) while leading the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.60).

George Fox coach Scott Rueck, a six-time NWC Coach of the Year, including this year, has a record of 258-85 and a won-lost percentage of .752 in his 13th season with the Bruins.  He has been named the West Region Coach of the Year by both the Rawling Athletic / Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and D3hoops.com.

College of New Jersey (27-4): The Lions from Ewing, N.J., tied for the South Division lead in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, then won the NJAC Tournament to earn their spot in the playoffs … The Lions have won 13 straight and have been on a tear since early December, winning 24 of the last 25 games … TCNJ is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time, but this is the Lions’ first trip to the Final Four … The Lions’ 27 wins is a school record for victories in a season … The Lions and Bruins have met one time, TCNJ taking a 64-54 decision over the Bruins on Dec. 30, 2004, in the Garnd Canyon Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. ... Leading the Lions is 6-3 senior center Hillary Klimowicz, the NJAC Player of the Year who averages 20.1 ppg (12th nationally) and 10.8 rpg (38th).  She is 1st nationally in field goal pct. at .690 (the Bruins’ Shielee is 2nd) and 3rd in blocked shots at 4.2 per game (Shielee is 6th) … Three other Lions average double figures: Alexandra Gregorek (10.3), Kelsey Kutch (10.2), and Alyssa Michella (10.0) … TCNJ is 19th in the nation in defense (52.4) while averaging 67.5 ppg … They are 4th in assists (18.2 apg) and blocks (6.0 bpg) and 9th in rebound margin (+10.1) … Coach Dawn Henderson is 315-118 to date in her 16th season at TCNJ, and 361-168 in her 20th season overall.

Amherst (29-2): The Lord Jeffs from Amherst, Mass., tied for the regular season title in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, but lost in the NESCAC Tournament finals to Bowdoin and had to receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs … Amherst is making its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament, having first made it last year and reaching the “Sweet 16” … The Jeffs dispatched two teams from the powerful University Athletic Association, New York and Brandeis, to reach the Final Four … Amherst leads the nation in defense at 48.7 points allowed per game (the Bruins are 2nd) and is 2nd in scoring margin (+22.1) while scoring at a 70.8 clip … The Jeffs have two double-figure scorers in F Jaclyn Daigneault (13.0) and C Sarah Leyman (10.1) … Daignealut is the leading rebounder (7.2 rpg) … Coach G.P. Gromicki is 56-5 to date in his 2nd season at Amherst, and 219-43 in his 9th season overall.

Washington-St. Louis (25-4): The Bears from St. Louis, Mo., won the University Athletic Association championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament … Washington began the year only 4-3, with one loss to Illinois Wesleyan, the No. 1 team in the nation most of the season, and the other two to Whitworth and Whitman from the Northwest Conference … The Bears have gone 21-1 since then, winning their last 14 in a row, capped off by a 58-53 upset of unbeaten Illinois Wesleyan on the Titans’ home floor to reach the Final Four … Washington is making its 8th appearance in the Final Four, with four consecutive national titles from ’98-’01 … Washington is the No. 1 team in the nation in fewest turnovers (13.7 tpg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.26) … Point guard Shanna-Lei Dacanay leads the nation in assist/turnover ratio (4.58) … The Bears are 11th nationally in scoring margin (+18.2), averaging 72.6 pg and allowing 54.3 … Despite their high scoring average, the Bears have no one in double figures, with F Zoe Unruh the leader at 8.9 ppg, but have nine players averaging 5.0 or better … Coach Nancy Fahey is 541-97 to date in her 23rd season at Washington.

* Recent Games (2-0): Bruins Beat Oglethorpe and Hope in NCAA Sectional

Mar. 13 - George Fox 71, Oglethorpe 56 (NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16”)

Mar. 14 - George Fox 58, Hope 46 (NCAA Tournament “Elite 8”)

In a bracket featuring four teams ranked in the top 10 in both national polls, the Bruins emerged with their first “Final Four” berth after wins over the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels and the Hope Flying Dutch in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament sectional at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky.

Against Oglethorpe, an 18-0 run midway through the second half enabled George Fox to turn a tie game into a runaway.  Sage Indendi broke a 44-44 tie with a three and Elise Kuenzi ended the run with another trey as the Bruins hit seven of 12 shots in building their largest lead of the game to 62-44 with 8:26 left.  The Bruin defense held the Petrels to 0-for-7 shooting during that time and forced five turnovers.  Indendi and Keisha Gordon led the Bruins with 18 and 15 points respectively, while Kuenzi finished with 13 and Kristen Shielee had 10.  Shielee posted her 10th double-double of the year as she also grabbed 12 rebounds.

In defeating Hope, the Bruins avenged a 47-40 loss to the Dutch in the “Sweet 16” the year before and prevented them
from playing for the national title on their home floor.  The game was tight for 30 minutes before the Bruins out-scored the Dutch 20-9 to close the deal.  Ahead only 38-37, Indendi and B.B. Gardner hit threes and Gordon hit driving layup to boost the Bruins to a nine-point lead of 46-37 with 7:16 left.  With Hope trying to penetrate for close shots in an effort to catch up, Shielee was in her element, blocking five shots in the final eight minutes en route to nine in the game.  Forced to go outside, the Dutch struggled against the Bruins’ pressure zone and wound shooting a miserable percentage of only .136 (6-44) in the second half as the Bruins remained comfortably ahead.  Hope shot .224 (17-76) for the game and was held 17 points below its lowest previous output of the season.  Gordon led all scores with 20 points, Indendi added 14, and Gardner totaled 11.  

COACH SCOTT RUECK:

Scott Rueck (Oregon State '91), the 2008-09 Northwest Conference Coach of the Year and West Region Coach of the Year as selected by both Rawlings Athletic / WBCA and D3hoops.com, is 258-85 (.752) 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 ‘99-00, ‘00-01 (Co-Coach), ‘04-05, ‘06-07, and ‘07-08, and was named West Region Coach of the Year in ‘07-08 by D3hoops.com.  He has guided the Bruins to six NWC titles, six NCAA Tournament appearances, and a 10-5 playoff record in the last 10 years. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Rueck.

Rueck vs. upcoming opponents:
College of New Jersey - 0-1 (0-1 neutral)

Amherst - 0-0

Washington-St. Louis - 0-0

BRUIN BITS:

* 2008-09 Honors:

Kristen Shielee ---
- D3hoops.com West Region Player of the Year

- Northwest Conference Player of the Year

- Finalist, WBCA / State Farm Coaches’ All-American Team

- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Dec. 15-21; Jan. 12-18; Jan. 19-25; Feb. 9-15; Feb. 16-22; Feb. 23-Mar. 1)

- 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)

Sage Indendi ---
- D3hoops.com All-West Region Third Team

- All-Northwest Conference First Team

- 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)

Keisha Gordon ---
- All-Northwest Conference Second Team

- 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)

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)

* Polls: Bruins 2nd in Final WBCA, 3rd in D3hoops Polls

The George Fox Bruins (30-0) remained 2nd with 239 points in the final regular-season USA Today / ESPN NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll of Mar. 3, and 3rd with 578 points in the D3hoops.com poll of Mar. 2.  Illinois Wesleyan, which was the only other undefeated team in D-III at the time, was atop both polls.  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.

* 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 30-0 record, the Bruins have secured their 16th straight winning season, three under Sherri Murrell (1992-96), now the coach at Portland State, and the last 13 under Scott Rueck.  George Fox has posted a record of 309-116 (.727) during that time, with six NWC championships or co-championships (including this season) and six 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 - 115 by Kristen Shielee (previous record was 86 by Tammy Lewis, 1986-87)

- 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, Team, Season - 30 (previous record was 25 by 25-5 team in 2007-08)

- Most Wins at Start of Season, Team - 30, Nov. 21-Mar. 14, 2008-09 (previous record was 11 by 2001-02 and 2005-06 teams)

- Longest Winning Streak, Team - 30, Nov. 21-Mar. 14, 2008-09 (previous record was 12, Dec. 18-Feb. 1, 2007-08)

* NCAA Stats: Bruins Nationally Ranked in 11 Statistics

In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics release (thru Mar. 14), George Fox as a team ranks 1st in won-lost pct. (1.000, 30-0), 2nd in defense (48.9), 8th in scoring margin (+19.9), field goal pct. defense (.324), 9th in fouls (12.8 pg), 10th in blocked shots (5.5 pg), 20th in turnovers (15.5 pg), 31st in field goal pct. (.430), 37th in 3-pt pct. defense (.261), 38th in rebound margin (+6.6), 44th in 3-pt field goals (6.2), assist/turnover ratio (0.89) … Kristen Shielee is 2nd in field goal pct. (.628), 6th in blocked shots (3.8 pg) … B.B. Gardner is 50th in assist/turnover ratio (1.61) …

* NWC Stats: Seven Bruins Among League Leaders

Where the Bruins rank in the latest Northwest Conference stats (thru Mar. 14):
Scoring Offense – 1st (68.7)
Scoring Defense – 1st (48.9)
Scoring Margin – 1st (+19.9)
Field Goal Pct. - 1st (.430)
Field Goal Pct. Defense – 1st (.324)
3-Pt Field Goals – 2nd (6.23)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. – 1st (.333)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. Defense – 1st (.261)
Free Throw Pct. – 6th (.670)
Rebounding Offense – 1st (40.6)
Rebounding Defense – 1st (34.0)
Rebounding Margin – 1st (+6.6)
Assists – 3rd (13.83)
Blocked Shots - 1st (5.53)

Steals – 1st (10.00)
Turnover Margin – 1st (+3.37)
Assist/Turnover Ratio – 3rd (0.89)

- Kristen Shielee is 1st in blocked shots (3.83), field goal pct. (.628), 3rd in rebounding (9.7), 10th in scoring (11.9) …
- Elise Kuenzi is 5th in free throw pct. (.798), 12th in field goal pct. (.404), 15th in steals (1.33), 16th in rebounding (5.4), 21st in scoring (9.8) ...

- B.B. Gardner is 1st in assist/turnover ratio (1.61), 8th in assists (3.00) …
- Keisha Gordon is 4th in free throw pct. (.811), 5th in scoring (13.0), 3-pt field goals (1.55), 6th in steals (1.83), 7th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.341), 8th in field goal pct. (.424) …

- Sage Indendi is 2nd in steals (2.43), 6th in 3-pt pct. (.347), 7th in assists (3.13), 8th in scoring (12.5), 3-pt field goals (1.40), 9th in free throw pct. (.738), field goal pct. (.419)...

- Arianna Mohsenian is 7th in 3-pt field goals (1.47), 11th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.324) …

- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 7th in blocked shots (0.80, T) ...

* Double-Doubles:

- Elise Kuenzi: career 1, season 1 - 18 pts/11 reb at Dallas, 11/22

- Kristen Shielee: career 10, season 10 - 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; 20 pts/10 reb vs. Puget Sound, 2/28; 10 pts/12 reb vs. Oglethorpe, 3/13

* Triple-Doubles:

- Kristen Shielee: career 1, season 1 - 12 pts/21 reb/10 blocks vs. Bridgewater at Las Vegas, Nev., 12/20 (2nd in Bruin history)

* Shielee Rewriting Record Books in Blocks, FG Pct.

Kristen Shielee now has 168 blocked shots her career, 4th on the all-time list.  Ahead is Melissa Marek-Farris (182, 2004-08) … She also pushed her season total to 115 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 3.83, 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 only game all season she has not had at least one block … Shielee’s current field goal percentage of .628 (157-250) 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. 599 (14-357), would also be a new record, besting the .543 record by Katie (Greller) Lacey from 1997-2001.