February 11, 2010

WBSK: WHAT’S BRUIN - No. 5 Bruins Hoping to Clinch Share of NWC Title While on Road

* Upcoming Games:

- Fri., Feb. 12, 8:00 pm - at Willamette University (NWC), Salem, Ore.

- Sat., Feb. 13, 8:00 pm - at Linfield College (NWC), McMinnville, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. - Holding a two-game lead in the Northwest Conference with four to play, the 5th-ranked George Fox University Bruins can clinch at least a share of their fourth straight NWC championship as they hit the road this weekend for games against the Willamette University Bearcats on Friday and the Linfield College Wildcats Saturday.

This is the second week of the conference's experiment with reversed game times, so the Bruin women will play at 8:00 p.m. both nights, following the men's games at 6:00 p.m. George Fox campus radio station KFOX webcasts will be available for all four of this weekend's games at the following link:

KFOX Radio: http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/asc/kfoxradio/

For live stats and/or live video streaming, visit the Willamette or Linfield sports websites:

Willamette: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/

Linfield: http://www.linfield.edu/sports/

With 15 wins in a row, the defending NCAA Division III national champion Bruins are now 19-2 on the season and 12-0 in conference play, two games ahead of second-place Puget Sound. Any combination of GFU wins and UPS losses totaling two clinches a share of the crown for the Bruins, and a combination of three would give it to them outright. The Bruins hold the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the season series from the Loggers.

George Fox is coming off a Homecoming weekend sweep of the eastern Washington teams, posting a 50-46 win over the Whitman Missionaries on Friday and a 70-43 decision over the Whitworth Pirates on Saturday. Hannah Munger had her sixth double-double of the season (15 points, 15 rebounds) to lead the Bruins and also made five blocks, including two in the final 1:30, while Elise Kuenzi scored 13 points. The Bruins broke open the Whitworth game by out-scoring the Pirates 22-3 to start the second half and holding the visitors scoreless for over 10 minutes as they built a huge lead. Keisha Gordon scored 22 points and Munger added 18 as the Bruins shot 51% from the field while holding the Pirates to 28%.

Willamette (3-19, NWC 1-12, 9th): The Bearcats from Salem, Ore., were picked to finish 8th in the pre-season NWC coaches' poll, George Fox 1st ... Willamette has lost six in a row since defeating Pacific Lutheran 64-49 on Jan. 22, the latest a 70-58 loss at Lewis & Clark Tuesday in which Alex Zennan led the Bearcats with 10 points ... Series record (since 1982): George Fox leads 46-12 (27-3 home, 18-9 away, 1-0 neutral) ... The Bruins have won the last 15 meetings, including 74-54 in Newberg on Jan. 15 in their first game this year ... The Bearcats' last win in the series was 53-51 in Salem on Feb. 9, 2002 ... Willamette is 2nd in the NWC in blocked shots (4.32, 48th nationally), 4th in rebounding (39.5), 9th in scoring (51.6), field goal pct. (.330), free throw pct. (.626), and defense (69.9) ... G Alex Zennan is 4th in scoring (14.5), 1st in 3-point field goals (2.55, 33rd nationally), 3rd in steals (2.18), 11th in assists (2.45) ... P Keilyn Fujioka is 15th in scoring (10.2), 3rd in rebounding (8.4), 2nd in blocked shots (2.32, 33rd nationally) ... F Kaileigh Westermann is 8th in rebounding (6.7), 11th in blocked shots (0.59) ... PG Erin Barclay is 5th in assists (3.25) ... P Nicki Clowdsley is 7th in blocked shots (0.90) ... Coach Anne Lapray is 3-19 to date in her first season as the Bearcats' head coach after serving as a co-coach last year ... Next game: Feb. 19 at Pacific Lutheran, 6 p.m.

Linfield (5-16, NWC 3-9, 8th): The Wildcats from McMinnville, Ore., were picked to finish 9th in the pre-season NWC coaches' poll, George Fox 1st ... The Wildcats broke a six-game losing streak with a 93-69 home win over Willamette on Saturday behind 35 points from Gretchen Owens, 18 from Lindsey Gummersall, 15 by Nadra Evans, and 12 by Kelsey O'Neill ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 43-22 (27-4 home, 16-16 away, 0-2 neutral) ... The Bruins have won the last five meetings, including 83-49 in their first game this year on Jan. 16 in Newberg in which they tied the team record for blocks (13) and made 15 three-point field goals, one short of the record ... The Wildcats' last win in the series was 51-50 in McMinnville on Jan. 23, 2007 ... Linfield is 3rd in the NWC in free throw pct, (.704), blocked shots (3.67), 3-pt field goals (5.57), rebounding (39.6), 6th in scoring (60.8), field goal pct. (.374),7th in defense (65.7) ... F Gretchen Owens is 2nd in scoring (15.4), 1st in free throw pct. (.860), 4th in steals (2.05), 7th in 3-pt field goals (1.71), 9th in rebounding (6.3) ... F Lindsey Gummersall is 11th in scoring (11.8), 3rd in blocked shots (1.48), 6th in rebounding (7.0) ... G Nadra Evans is 7th in assists (2.81), free throw pct. (.734) ... Coach Casey Kushiyama is 5-16 to date in the 1st season at Linfield ... Linfield visits Pacific Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Next game: Feb. 19 vs. Whitman, 6 p.m.

BRUIN BITS:

* Munger Repeats as BAA Winner, HM for NWC Honors

For the third week in a row and fifth time this season, 6-5 center Hannah Munger has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week for Feb. 1-7, and received honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Women's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week.

In the Bruins' 50-46 win over Whitman on Feb. 5, Munger posted her sixth double-double of the season with 15 points on 6-14 field goals and 3-4 free throws and 15 rebounds, while also blocking 5 shots, two of them in the final 1:25 to preserve a slim lead. In a 70-43 win over Whitworth on Feb. 6, she scored 18 points on 8-11 field goals and 2-4 free throws, with 6 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and an assist. For the week, she totaled 33 points (16.5 ppg) on 14-25 field goals (.560) and 5-8 free throws (.625), with 21 rebounds (10.5 rpg), 7 blocked shots, and an assist.

Munger, a freshman from Newberg, Ore., has been honorable mention NWC Student-Athlete of the Week four times, won the award for Jan. 25-31, and has twice been named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week. She currently leads the league in blocked shots (3.29, 7th nationally), and is 2nd in field goal pct. (.537, 47th nationally), 4th in rebounding (7.9), and 12th in scoring (11.4).

* 2009-10 Honors

Keisha Gordon

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 16-22; Nov. 30-Dec. 6; Jan. 11-17

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - Nov. 16-22; HM, Nov. 30-Dec. 6; HM, Jan. 11-17

Elise Kuenzi

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 23-29; Jan. 4-10

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 23-29; HM, Jan. 4-10

Hannah Munger

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Dec. 14-20; Dec. 28-Jan. 3; Jan. 18-24; Jan. 25-31; Feb. 1-7

- D3hoops.com National Team of the Week - Dec. 14-20; Dec. 28-Jan.3

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Dec. 14-27; HM, Dec. 28-Jan. 3; HM, Jan. 18-24; Jan. 25-31; HM, Feb. 1-7

* '09 Champions, All-American Shielee Get Top Honors at Oregon Sports Awards

Former George Fox All-American center Kristen Shielee was named the Ad Rutschman Small College Female Athlete of the Year, and the 2008-09 Bruins' team which she led to the NCAA Division III national title was cited as a George Pasero Team of the Year at the 2009 Oregon Sports Awards presented Sunday night, Jan. 31, at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton, Ore. ... Bruins' head coach Scott Rueck was a finalist for the Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year, which was won by Chip Kelly, head coach of the Pacific 10 Conference champion University of Oregon football team.

* Polls: Bruins Stay 5th in Both National Polls, 1st in West Region

With their winning streak at 15 after a 2-0 week, the George Fox Bruins remained 5th in both NCAA Division III national polls. In the USA Today / ESPN / WBCA poll, the Bruins, now 19-2, received 148 points. In the D3hoops.com poll, they were 5th with 512 points, and are the highest-ranked team without a first-place vote. Coming off a 32-0 season and the D-III national championship, George Fox was ranked 4th in the D3hoops.com pre-season poll and 5th in the WBCA pre-season poll.

Puget Sound (18-3) was the only other Northwest Conference school mentioned in the polls. UPS is 17th in the WBCA poll with 60 points and in the D3hoops poll with 234 points. Amherst College (21-0) remained as the No. 1 team in both polls with 616 points in the D3hoops poll and 174 in the WBCA poll.

In the second NCAA Division III regional rankings released on Feb. 10 by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, George Fox remained No. 1 in the West Region (19-2 overall, 13-1 vs. regional competition). Following the Bruins were Puget Sound (18-3, 13-2), California Lutheran (17-4, 17-3), Simpson (20-3, 15-2), Gustavus Adolphus (17-4, 17-3), and Concordia-Moorhead (15-6, 15-5). Selections for the national tournament will be webcast on NCAA.com on Monday, March 1, at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time.

D3hoops.com Poll: http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/

USA Today / ESPN / WBCA Poll: http://www.wbca.org/DIIICoachesPoll.asp

West Regional Rankings: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/020310aab.html

* Records Set or Tied in 2008-09:

- Most Blocked Shots, Team, Game - 13 vs. Linfield, 1/16/2010 (tied record set at U of Dallas, 11/22/2008)

* Bruins Stretch Win Streaks vs. NWC Teams to 31

The Bruins' last loss to a Northwest Conference team in regular-season games was a 45-35 setback at Lewis & Clark on Feb. 15, 2008; they have won 31 regular-season NWC games since. The last George Fox loss to a conference team of any kind was a 62-52 reversal at Puget Sound on Feb. 29, 2008, in the finals of the Northwest Conference Tournament; the Bruins have also won 31 straight against all NWC competition including conference tournament and post-season games since then.

* Bruins Went 7-2 Against Toughest Non-Conference Schedule Ever

Playing perhaps its toughest non-conference schedule ever, and certainly as a D-III team, George Fox was very successful, going 7-2 before Northwest Conference play started. The Bruins were 3-0 vs. NAIA Division II teams, 1-1 vs. NAIA Division I, 2-0 vs. NCAA Division II, and 1-1 vs. NCAA Division III.

* NCAA Stats (thru Feb. 7): Munger Ranked in Both Blocks and FG Pct.

- George Fox is 5th in defense (48.6), 10th in won-lost pct. (.905), 12th in blocked shots (5.7), 14th in field goal pct. defense (.330), 19th in fewest fouls (13.7), 33rd in scoring margin (+14.2), 34th in 3-point field goals (6.6), 42nd in rebounding margin (+6.5) ... The Bruins' 15 3-pt field goals vs. Linfield are tied for the 2nd-most threes in a game this season in D-III (Sewanee had 16 in a game vs. Rhodes) ...

- Hannah Munger is 7th in blocked shots (3.3), 42nd in field goal pct. (.537) ... Her 9 blocks vs. Linfield are tied for the 3rd-most in a game in D-III this season, and her 8 vs. California Lutheran are tied for 10th (Sharon Dennis of Rochester Tech and Lyndsay Sydness of Principia each had 11 in a game) ...

* NWC Stats (thru Feb. 9): Bruins Atop League in Nine Categories

- George Fox is 1st in defense (48.6), scoring margin (+14.2), field goal pct. (.404), field goal pct. defense (.330), 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.298), rebounding defense (34.2), blocked shots (5.67), steals (10.14), 2nd in 3-pt field goals (6.57), rebounding (40.7), rebound margin (+6.5), 3rd in assists (13.29), turnover margin (+1.19), 4th in scoring (62.8), 3-pt field goal pct. (.309), assist/TO ratio (0.72), 8th in free throw pct. (.634) ...

- Keisha Gordon is 1st in steals (2.62, T), 2nd in 3-pt field goals (2.00, T), free throw pct. (.833), 3rd in scoring (14.9), 4th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.344), 7th in field goal pct. (.426), 13th in blocked shots (0.57), 14th in rebounding (5.7, T) ...

- Hannah Munger is 1st in blocked shots (3.29), 2nd in field goal pct. (.537), 4th in rebounding (7.9), 12th in scoring (11.4) ...

- Elise Kuenzi is 8th in assists (2.52, T), 19th in rebounding (5.3), 29th in scoring (8.5) ...

- B.B. Gardner is 6th in assists (2.90), 13th in steals (1.62) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 9th in blocked shots (0.80) ...

- Arianna Mohsenian is 10th in 3-pt field goals (1.19, T), 13th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.275) ...

* Double-Doubles

- Hannah Munger: season 6, career 6 - 16 pts, 11 reb vs. Concordia-Portland, 11/20; 18 pts, 10 reb at Western Oregon, 12/29; 12 pts, 13 reb vs. Puget Sound, 1/2; 12 pts, 14 reb vs. Pacific Lutheran, 1/23; 10 pts, 11 reb at Puget Sound, 1/29; 15 pts, 15 reb vs. Whitman, 2/5

- Elise Kuenzi: season 1, career 2 - 14 pts, 10 reb vs. Chaminade in Honolulu, Hawai'i, 12/20

* GFU Career Lists: Gordon Moves into 1st Career in FT Pct.

- B.B. Gardner: With 7 assists in the last two games, Gardner ranks 8th on the all-time assists list with 248. Ahead are Roxy Cate (254, 1979-82) and Amy Fitch (258, 2000-04) ...

- Keisha Gordon: Going 7-7 in the last two games, Gordon has moved into 1st in career free throw pct. (.814, 144-177). Kim Leith is 2nd (.8108, 210-259) and Christy Brock is 3rdd (.8105, 77-95) ...

* Head Coach Scott Rueck

Head coach Scott Rueck (Oregon State ‘91), the winningest coach in GFU women's basketball history, is 279-87 (.762, 141-24 home, 102-52 road, 36-11 neutral) to date in his 14th season at George Fox ... He was named the 2008-09 NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year for leading the Bruins to the national championship by D3hoops.com and the WBCA, West Region Coach of the Year by both, and Northwest Conference Coach of the Year for the sixth time (also in '00, '01, '05, '07, and '08) ... He was a finalist for the Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year which was presented at the 2009 Oregon Sports Awards show on Jan. 31 ... Against Willamette, he is 24-3 (14-0 home, 10-3 away) ... Against Linfield, he is 22-6 (13-2 home, 9-4 away) ...