February 17, 2010

WBSK: WHAT’S BRUIN - No. 5 Bruins Need One Win to Clinch Conference Title Outright

* Upcoming Games:

- Fri., Feb. 19, 6:00 pm - vs. Lewis & Clark College (NWC), Newberg, Ore.

- Sat., Feb. 20, 6:00 pm - at Pacific Lutheran University (NWC), Tacoma, Wash.

NEWBERG, Ore. - After clinching at least a share of their fourth straight Northwest Conference women's basketball title with two wins last weekend, the 5th-ranked George Fox University Bruins hope to secure the crown outright as they close the season at home against Lewis & Clark College on Friday and at Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday.

Both games tip off at 6:00 p.m., followed by men's NWC games at 8:00 p.m. George Fox campus radio station KFOX webcasts will webcast all four of this weekend's games, while live stats and live video streaming via Stretch Internet will be available for the Lewis & Clark home games at the following links:

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

Women's live stats: http://webservices.georgefox.edu/athletics/livestats/wbasketball/xlive.htm

Men's live stats: http://webservices.georgefox.edu/athletics/livestats/mbasketball/xlive.htm

Live video: http://secure.stretchinternet.com/demo/games.php?user=georgefox&o=cal_stamp&sd=today

Riding a 17-game winning streak, the defending NCAA Division III national champion Bruins are now 21-2 on the season and 14-0 in conference play, two games ahead of the second-place University of Puget Sound. In case of a tie, the Bruins hold the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the season series from the Loggers, and hold home court advantage for all their game in the NWC Tournament coming up on Feb. 25 and 27. The top four teams in the final standings make the tournament. Lewis & Clark is third and Whitworth University fourth at this time, and both have nailed down tournament berths, but this weekend's final games are still needed to determine the pairings.

George Fox is coming off wins at Willamette and Linfield in which the Bruins posted their highest-scoring games of the season on back-to-back nights. In their 84-42 win over the Bearcats on Friday, B.B. Gardner led the way with 14 points, Elise Kuenzi scored 13, and Keisha Gordon added 10. Hannah Munger had a triple-eight in points, rebounds, and blocked shots, MJ Samples came off the bench to hit three three-pointers for nine points, and Lindsay Keener handed out seven assists. The Bruins topped their scoring total the next night in an 86-54 win over the Wildcats as Munger scored a career-high 22 points, scoring 14 in a row for the Bruins to close out the first half. Keisha Gordon scored 16 points and had seven assists, while Elise Kuenzi posted her second double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds along with seven assists.

Lewis & Clark (16-7, NWC 10-4, 3rd): The Pioneers from Portland, Ore., were picked to finish 6th in the pre-season NWC coaches' poll, the Bruins 1st ... The streaky Pioneers won their first six NWC games, lost four straight, and have now won their last four, the latest a 68-52 home win over Pacific in which Christina Herring had 21 points and 9 assists, Talerra Rich 11 points and 10 rebounds, Megan Spence 11 points, and Kristina Williams 10 points ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 52-10 (26-3 home, 24-7 away, 2-0 neutral) ... The Bruins have won the last four meetings and 31 of the last 32, including a 40-24 win in Portland on Jan. 22 this year in which the 24 points was the lowest the Bruins have ever allowed to an NWC team on the road, and L&C's .123 shooting percentage was the lowest ever against GFU by a conference opponent ... The Pioneers' last win in the series was 45-35 in Portland on Feb. 15, 2008, the last time the Bruins lost a regular season conference game ... In the NWC, Lewis & Clark is 1st in rebounding (42.8), 2nd in free throw pct. (.710), rebound margin (+7.1, 33rd nationally), 4th in scoring (63.7), field goal pct. (.383), defense (60.6) ... G Kristina Williams is 5th in scoring (14.2), 3rd in free throw pct. (.826), 7th in steals (1.83), 12th in rebounding (6.0), 13th in assists (2.43) ... G Christina Herring is 1st in assists (4.52, 46th nationally), 6th in steals (1.91), 19th in scoring (9.9) ... F Margaret Dowling is 1st in rebounding (8.8) ... F Neva Hauser is 30th in scoring (8.4) ... C Megan Spence is 5th in field goal pct. (.486), 9th in rebounding (6.2), 11th in blocked shots (0.57) ... F Talerra Rich is 20th in rebounding (5.5) ... Coach Juli Fulks is in her 6th season at Lewis & Clark ... Next game: Feb. 20 at Puget Sound, 6 p.m.

Pacific Lutheran (7-16, NWC 5-9, 6th): The Lutes from Tacoma, Wash., were picked to finish 7th in the pre-season NWC coaches' poll, George Fox 1st ... The Lutes have dropped their last four, including a 62-57 setback at Whitworth Saturday in which Sara Backstrom scored 20, points, Melissa Pixler 14, and Meghan Dowling grabbed 10 rebounds ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 20-15 (13-5 home, 7-10 away) ... The Bruins have won the last seven meetings, including a 67-47 win in Newberg on Jan. 23 this year in which Keisha Gordon had 14 points, Hannah Munger 12 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks, and the Bruins out-rebounded the Lutes 52-25 ... The Lutes' last win in the series was 75-57 in Tacoma on Feb. 17, 2006 ... In the NWC, Pacific Lutheran is 3rd in assists (14.13), 4th in 3-pt field goals (5.48), 6th in defense (64.3), 7th in free throw pct. (.671), 8th in scoring (57.1), field goal pct. (.366) ... G Sarah Backstrom is 4th in assists (3.48), 13th in scoring (11.0) ... G Jordan Westering is 2nd in 3-pt field goal pct. (.384), 5th in 3-pt field goals (1.87), 20th in scoring (9.8) ... G Melissa Pixler is 1st in 3-pt field goal pct. (.429), 7th in 3-pt field goals (1.70), 11th in field goal pct. (.401), 22nd in scoring (9.7) ... P Tracy Goehri is 10th in steals (1.74), 17th in rebounding (5.6), 28th in scoring (8.5) ... P Meghan Dowling is 11th in rebounding (6.1) ... Coach Kelly Robinson (Warnke) is 35-38 to date in her 3rd season at PLU ... PLU hosts Willamette Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Next game: end of season.

BRUIN BITS:

* Munger Repeats as BAA Winner, HM for NWC Honors

For the fourth week in a row and sixth time this season, 6-5 center Hannah Munger has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week for Feb. 8-14, and received honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Women's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week.

In the Bruins' 84-42 win at Willamette on Feb. 12, Munger scored 8 points on 4-7 field goals, with 8 rebounds and 8 blocked shots. In an 86-54 win at Linfield on Feb. 13, she scored a career-high 22 points on 10-14 field goals and 2-3 free throws, with 6 rebounds and a blocked shot. For the week, she totaled 30 points (15.0 ppg) on 14-21 field goals (.667) and 2-3 free throws (.667), with 14 rebounds (7.0 rpg) and 9 blocked shots (4.5 bspg).

Munger, a freshman from Newberg, Ore., has been honorable mention NWC Student-Athlete of the Week five 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 (3.39, 7th nationally) and field goal pct. (.550, 30th nationally), and is 4th in rebounding (7.8) and 12th in scoring (11.7).

* 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; Feb. 8-14

- 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; HM, Feb. 8-14

* '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 17 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 21-2, received 150 points. In the D3hoops.com poll, they were 5th with 514 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 (20-3) was the only other Northwest Conference school mentioned in the polls. UPS is 17th in the WBCA poll with 60 points and 15th in the D3hoops poll with 265 points. Amherst College (24-0) remained as the No. 1 team in both polls with 21 first-places votes and 617 points in the D3hoops poll, and 7 firsts and 175 points in the WBCA poll.

In the third NCAA Division III regional rankings released on Feb. 17 by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, George Fox remained No. 1 in the West Region (21-2 overall, 15-1 vs. regional competition). Following the Bruins were Puget Sound (20-3, 15-2), Occidental (19-4, 18-3), Gustavus Adolphus (19-4, 19-3), California Lutheran (18-5, 18-4), and Coe (16-7, 15-7). 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/021710aab.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 33

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 33 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 33 straight against all NWC competition including conference tournament and post-season games since then.

* Bruins Take Aim at Back-to-Back Perfect NWC Seasons

If the Bruins can win their last two games, they will have accomplished something no other team in NWC history has ever done - post back-to-back perfect conference seasons. The Bruins' 16-0 record in league play last year was only the second unbeaten season for a team in the NWC or its predecessor, the Women's Conference of Independent Colleges; Willamette in 1985-86 went 10-0 in the WCIC. Only one other conference team has won more than 15 games, Pacific Lutheran going 17-1 in 1998-99 when there were ten teams in the NWC instead of the current nine.

* 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. 14): Bruins Among Top 20 in Seven Categories

- George Fox is 5th in defense (48.5), 9th in won-lost pct. (.913), 14th in blocked shots (5.7), 15th in field goal pct. defense (.329), fewest fouls (13.4), 17th in 3-point field goals (7.1), 20th in scoring margin (+16.2), 31st in rebounding margin (+7.3) ... The Bruins' 15 3-pt field goals vs. Linfield on Jan. 16 and at Willamette on Feb. 12 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 (3.4), 30th in field goal pct. (.550) ... Her 9 blocks vs. Linfield are tied for the 5th-most in a game in D-III this season ...

* NWC Stats (thru Feb. 16): Gordon Ranked in Nine Conference Stats

- George Fox is 1st in defense (48.5), scoring margin (+16.2), field goal pct. (.412), field goal pct. defense (.329), 3-pt field goals (7.13), 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.304), rebounding defense (33.9), rebound margin (+7.3), blocked shots (5.70), steals (9.96), 2nd in 3-pt field goal pct. (.325), rebounding (41.1), assists (14.30), 3rd in scoring (64.7), turnover margin (+1.52), 4th in assist/TO ratio (0.79), 8th in free throw pct. (.629) ...

- Keisha Gordon is 2nd in steals (2.52), 3rd in scoring (14.7), 3-pt field goals (2.09), 3-pt field goal pct. (.353), 4th in free throw pct. (.822), 9th in field goal pct. (.424), 11th in blocked shots (0.57, T), 14th in assists (2.39), 15th in rebounding (5.8) ...

- Hannah Munger is 1st in blocked shots (3.39), field goal pct. (.550), 4th in rebounding (7.8), 12th in scoring (11.7) ...

- Elise Kuenzi is 8th in assists (2.61), 14th in field goal pct. (.398), 17th in rebounding (5.6, T), 27th in scoring (8.9) ...

- B.B. Gardner is 4th in assist/TO ratio (1.13), 6th in assists (3.09), 13th in steals (1.57) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 9th in blocked shots (0.77) ...

- Arianna Mohsenian is 11th in 3-pt field goals (1.26), 14th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.299) ...

* 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 2, career 3 - 14 pts, 10 reb vs. Chaminade in Honolulu, Hawai'i, 12/20; 13 pts, 12 reb at Linfield, 2/13

* GFU Career Lists: Gardner Now Tied for 6th in All-Time Assists

- B.B. Gardner: With 10 assists in the last two games, Gardner has 258 in her career, passing Roxy Cate (254, 1979-82) and moving into a tie with Amy Fitch (258, 2000-04) for 6th on the all-time assists list. Ahead is Tiffany Behary (271, 2004-08) ...

- Keisha Gordon: Going 4-6 from the line in the last two games, Gordon slipped into 3rd in career free throw pct. (.809, 148-183). Kim Leith is 1st (.8108, 210-259) and Christy Brock is 2nd (.8105, 77-95) ...

* GFU Season Lists: Munger Tied for 4th-Most Blocks in a Season

- Hannah Munger: With 9 blocks shots in the last two games, Munger has 78 on the season, tied for the 4th-most in a season with Melissa Marek-Farris in 2007-08 ... Ahead are Tammy Lewis's 85 in 1988-89 and 86 in 1986-87 ...

* Head Coach Scott Rueck

Head coach Scott Rueck (Oregon State ‘91), the winningest coach in GFU women's basketball history, is 281-87 (.764, 141-24 home, 104-52 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 Lewis & Clark, he is 27-1 (14-0 home, 13-1 away) ... Against Pacific Lutheran, he is 18-11 (11-4 home, 7-7 away) ...