WHAT’S BRUIN: Women’s Basketball News & Notes 1/13

Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases

Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio 

Overall Record: 9-4 (Home 4-0, Road 2-2, Neutral 2-2)

NWC Record: 3-1, 2nd T (Home 1-0, Road 2-1)

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins Welcome Eastern Washington Teams on Weekend

* Recent Games: Bruins Fall at L&C, Beat Pacific as NWC Play Resumes

* Gordon Wins BAA Award Again, HM for NWC Weekly Honors

* Polls: Bruins Slide Out of Top 25 for First Time in Over Two Years

* Whitworth Games to be Taylor-Made (or Made-for-Taylors)

* Bruins’ Winning Streaks vs. NWC Foes Ends in Loss at L&C

* NCAA Stats: Munger Climbs to 20th in National Field Goal Pct.

* NWC Stats: Mohsenian Moves Up Among Leaders in 3-Pt Shooting

* Career Lists: Gordon Enters Top 10 in Bruin All-Time Steals

* Coming Up:

- Fri., Jan. 14, 6:00 pm - vs. Whitworth University (6-7, NWC 2-2), Newberg, Ore.

- Sat., Jan. 15, 4:00 pm - vs. Whitman College (7-5, NWC 2-2), Newberg, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. – After having their 37-game winning streak against Northwest Conference teams snapped at Lewis & Clark but bouncing back with a win over Pacific, the George Fox Bruins hope to get a new winning streak going as they host the NWC’s eastern Washington teams, Whitworth and Whitman, this weekend.

The Bruins will take on the Whitworth Pirates, one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, Friday at 6:00 p.m., then meet the Whitman Missionaries Saturday at 4:00 p.m.  Both are conference doubleheaders with men’s game to follow.  The Whitman games will start two hours earlier than usual to accommodate the Missionaries’ travel plans back home.

Whitworth (6-7, NWC 2-2, 4th T): The Pirates from Spokane, Wash., were picked to finish 5th in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins 1st ... Last game: The Pirates ended a three-game losing streak with a 69-67 home win over league-leading and 24th-ranked Puget Sound on Saturday behind 16 points from Taylor Taylor, 15 from Emily Guthrie, and 11 from Lexi Belcher ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 20-13 (12-3 home, 7-9 road, 1-1 neutral) ... The Bruins have won the last six meetings, sweeping last year 60-51 in Spokane on Jan. 9 and 70-43 in Newberg on Feb. 6 ... The Pirates’ last win in the series was 63-62 in Spokane on Feb. 2, 2007 ... Whitworth by the numbers: Scoring (66.2, 4th in the NWC), Defense (68.5, 6th), Rebounding (35.2, 8th), FG % (.389, 7th), 3-pt % (.386, 1st, 13th nationally), FT % (.730, 1st, 49th nationally) ... Whitworth is 1st in the NWC and 8th nationally in 3-pointers per game (8.1) ... The Pirates have three double-figure scorers: G Emily Guthrie (11.8, 11th in the NWC), F Taylor Taylor (10.2, 16th), Kayla Johnson (10.1, 17th) ... Guthrie is 15th nationally in 3-pointers per game (2.9) ... Guthrie is the top rebounder (5.0, 19th) ... G Lauren Picha is the assists leader (2.23, 9th) ... Coach Helen Higgs is 247-171 to date in her 17th season ... Next: Jan. 15 at Willamette, 4 pm.

Whitman (7-5, NWC 2-2, 4th T): The Missionaries from Walla Walla, Wash., were picked to finish 3rd in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins 1st ... Last game: The Missionaries ended a three-game losing streak with a 77-65 home win over Pacific Lutheran as Jenele Peterson scored 24 points, Catelyn Webber 13, and Sarah Anderegg 11 ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 25-8 (13-4 home, 12-4 road) ... The Bruins have won the last nine meetings, sweeping last year 60-49 in Walla Walla on Jan. 8 and 50-46 in Newberg on Feb. 5 ... The Missionaries’ last win in the series was 62-58 in Walla Walla on Jan. 28, 2006 ... Whitman by the numbers: Scoring (65.2, 6th in the NWC), Defense (60.3, 3rd), Rebounding (39.1, 5th), FG % (.410, 4th), 3-pt % (.349, 4th), FT % (.729, 2nd) ... The Missionaries have one double-figure scorer: G Jenele Peterson (14.9, 6th in the NWC) ... F Sarah Anderegg is 21st nationally in free throw pct. (.879) ... G Anna Forge is the top rebounder (5.3, 18th) ... Peterson is the assists leader (2.83, 7th) ... Coach Michelle Ferenz is in her 10th season at Whitman ... The Missionaries visit Willamette Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Next: Jan. 18 at Whitworth, 6 p.m.

Multimedia: George Fox will provide live stats, live internet audio through campus station KFOX radio, and live video streaming through Stretch Internet for all four games this weekend.  Links to each are provided above.

Tickets:  Ticket prices for basketball games at the Wheeler Sports Center / Miller Gym are $6 for adults and $3 for non-GFU students and seniors 55 and over.  Children 6 and under who are not in school are free.  George Fox faculty, staff, and students are admitted free with valid GFU ID; the ID covers immediate family members for George Fox employees.

* Recent Games: Bruins Fall at L&C, Beat Pacific as NWC Play Resumes 

Jan. 7 - at Lewis & Clark 58, George Fox 56

Christina Herring’s three-pointer with 18 seconds left ended the Bruins’ 37-game regular season winning streak against NWC teams and 40-game streak against NWC teams including NWC Tournament and NCAA post-season games.  The Pioneers rallied from 12 points down with nine minutes left to upset the Bruins.  Keisha Gordon was the only Bruin in double figures with 12 points, giving her 1,015 for her career and moving her past Robin Taylor (1,006, 2003-07) into 10th on the all-time scoring list.  Gordon, Hannah Munger, and Carrie Myers had eight rebounds apiece, Arianna Mohsenian handed out three assists, and Munger blocked four shots.  

Jan. 8 - at George Fox 89, Pacific 53

Bouncing back from their first loss against Northwest Conference competition in over two years, the Bruins cruised past the Boxers in their NWC home opener.  The Bruins took over the game immediately, scoring the game’s first 15 points, including 13 in the first four minutes before the Boxers, committing six turnovers, could even get a shot off.  Keisha Gordon led all scorers with 17 points, while Hannah Munger added 14, Arianna Mohsenian 13, and Breezy Rinehart-Young 12, tying her career high.  Jordin Ketelsen led the Bruins’ bench players with eight points and seven rebounds, both career highs.  The Bruins shot .547 (35-64) as a team, including .556 (10-18) from beyond the arc.  Munger had eight rebounds, Kylee Parker had a career-high six assists, and Gordon had four steals as Pacific made 29 turnovers.

BRUIN BITS:

* Gordon Wins BAA Award Again, HM for NWC Weekly Honors

Leading the Bruins in scoring in both games during a 1-1 week, junior wing Keisha Gordon of Vancouver, Wash., has repeated as the Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week for Jan. 3-9, and also received honorable mention for Northwest Conference Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week.

In a 58-56 loss at Lewis & Clark on Jan. 7, Gordon scored 12 points on 6-17 field goals with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a blocked shot.  In an 89-53 win over Pacific in the Bruins’ NWC home opener on Jan. 8, she had 17 points on 7-12 field goals (3-6 on threes), with 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.  In two games, she totaled 29 points (14.5 ppg) on 13-29 field goals (.448), including 3-10 on threes (.300), with 10 rebounds (5.0 rpg), 6 assists (3.00 apg), 5 steals (2.50 spg), and a blocked shot.

Gordon, a two-time All-Conference performer, currently leads the NWC in steals (3.31) and assist/TO ratio (1.70), and is 3rd in scoring (15.9), assists (3.54), 4th in 3-pt field goals (1.92, T), 5th in rebounding (7.7), 10th in field goal pct. (.462), free throw pct. (.684), 15th in blocked shots (0.38, T).  She ranks 10th on the all-time George Fox scoring list with 1,032 points, and 9th in steals with 176.

The Athlete of the Week Award for both men and women is presented throughout the Bruin sports seasons by the Bruin Athletic Association, whose mission is to provide George Fox student-athletes with an outstanding athletic and academic experience and to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the Bruin athletics program.  For more information about the organization or to become a member, visit the Bruin Athletic Association website.

* 2010-11 Honors

Hannah Munger

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 15-21; Nov. 29-Dec. 5

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - Nov. 15-21; Nov. 29-Dec. 5

Keisha Gordon

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 22-28; Dec. 23-Jan. 2; Jan. 3-9

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - HM, Nov. 22-28; Dec. 23-Jan. 2; HM, Jan. 3-9

* Polls: Bruins Slide Out of Top 25 for First Time in Over Two Years

For the first time in over two seasons, the George Fox Bruins (9-4) have slipped out of the national top 25 polls into the “others receiving votes” category after going 1-1 last week.  In the USA Today / ESPN / Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll of Jan. 11, the Bruins slid from 20th and received 15 votes, while in the D3hoops.com poll of Jan. 10, they dropped from 21st with 38 points.  The last time the Bruins were not in the top 25 was in the polls of Dec. 2, 2008.  They moved in the next week and eventually went to the top of the charts while going 32-0 and winning the 2008-09 national championship, then remained in the polls all of 2009-10 en route to a 28-3 record and the ‘Elite 8’ round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament ... Amherst College, (13-0), which won last year’s Final Four consolation game and finished 32-1, remained No. 1 in both polls, as the Lord Jeffs have been all season ... Among other NWC teams, Puget Sound was also listed among “others receiving votes”, receiving 7 votes in the WBCA poll and 23 in the D3hoops.com poll.

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

USA Today / ESPN / WBCA Poll: http://www.wbca.org/news/top-25-polls/usa-today-espn-division-iii-top-25-coaches-poll/

* Records Set or Tied in 2010-11

- Best FG Pct. in a Game (with a miss) - .900 (9-10), Keisha Gordon at Pacific Lutheran, 12/4 (ties record set by Katie Lacey vs. Menlo, 11/27/1999)

* Whitworth Games to be Taylor-Made (or Made-for-Taylors)

No will be able to tell the Taylors without a scorecard during Friday’s Northwest Conference doubleheader between the George Fox Bruins and the Whitworth Pirates.  The George Fox men’s team features Mike Taylor of California, an NCAA Division I transfer from Marist - but Whitworth has TWO Mike Taylors, one from Colorado and one from Washington, the latter also a D-I transfer from Montana.  The Whitworth women’s team has Taylor (LaMoreaux) Taylor, who is married to the Mike Taylor from Washington.  Keeping statistics at the game will be two George Fox sports information student assistants named Taylor Kanen and Taylor Blair, and Casey Taylor, a member of the Bruins’ track and field team, will be operating the internet video camera.  The only Taylor missing will be George Fox director of athletics Craig Taylor, Casey’s father, who is attending the NCAA National Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

* Bruins’ Winning Streaks vs. NWC Foes Ends in Loss at L&C

With a 58-56 loss at the hands of the Lewis & Clark Pioneers in Portland, Ore., on Jan. 7, the Bruins saw their extensive winning streaks against Northwest Conference opponents come to an end.  The Bruins had won 37 in a row in regular-season games vs. conference teams, and 40 in a row against NWC teams in all games including conference tournament and post-season action. 

The Bruins’ last loss to an NWC team in regular-season games only had been a 45-35 setback at Lewis & Clark on Feb. 15, 2008.  They won their last three games vs. the NWC that season, went 16-0 in the conference in both 2008-09 and 2009-10, and had won their first two leagues game this year. 

The last George Fox loss to a conference team of any kind had been a 62-52 reversal at Puget Sound on Feb. 29, 2008, in the finals of the Northwest Conference Tournament.  The next week, the Bruins beat Puget Sound in the NCAA Tournament regional, won 16 regular season games plus two NWC Tournament games in both 2008-09 and 2009-10, beat UPS again in last year’s NCAA regional, and won two more regular season games this season before the Pioneers ended the streak. 

The Bruins bounced back from the loss to Lewis & Clark with an 89-53 win at home over Pacific on Jan. 8 to begin what they hope will be another long streak.

* Bruins Look to Stretch String of Winning Seasons in a Row to 18 

Last year’s 28-3 overall record extended the Bruins’ string of winning seasons to 17 in a row.  The streak began in 1993-94 when Sherri Murrell, now the coach at Portland State, went 16-12 in the first of her three years at George Fox.  The last 14 came under Scott Rueck, who is now the coach at Oregon State.  To make it 18 in a row, the Bruins need 13 wins to guarantee no worse than a .500 record, and 14 wins to be assured of a winning record. 

* NCAA Stats: Munger Climbs to 20th in National Field Goal Pct.

In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics (thru Jan. 9) , George Fox was ranked 10th nationally in blocked shots per game (5.9), 20th in assists per game (17.2), 18th in field goal percentage (.450), and 43rd in rebound margin (+7.7) ... Center Hannah Munger ranked 11th in blocked shots per game (3.4) and 20th in field goal percentage (.554) ... Wing Keisha Gordon ranked 49th in steals per game (3.3) ...

* NWC Stats: Mohsenian Moves Up Among Leaders in 3-Pt Shooting 

- Thru NWC stats of Jan. 11, George Fox is 1st in blocked shots (5.92), assists (17.23), steals (10.62, T), assist/TO ratio (0.78), 2nd in scoring (68.7), defense (57.7), scoring margin (+11.0), field goal pct. (.450), field goal pct. defense (.345), 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.276), 3rd in 3-pt field goal pct. (.349), rebounding (42.7), rebounding defense (35.0), rebound margin (+7.7), 5th in 3-pt field goals (5.15), 7th in turnover margin (-1.62), 9th in free throw pct. (.598)...

- Keisha Gordon is 1st in steals (3.31), assist/TO ratio (1.70), 3rd in scoring (15.9), assists (3.54), 4th in 3-pt field goals (1.92, T), 5th in rebounding (7.7), 10th in field goal pct. (.462), free throw pct. (.684), 15th in blocked shots (0.38, T) …

- Hannah Munger is 1st in blocked shots (3.38), 2nd in rebounding (9.8), field goal pct. (.554), 7th in scoring (14.8) …

- Arianna Mohsenian is 2nd in 3-pt field goals (2.23), 4th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.414), 12th in assists (2.15, T), 13th in steals (1.46, T), 24th in scoring (9.0) …

- Hayley Cusick is 3rd in steals (2.25, T), 5th in blocked shots (1.17), assist/TO ratio (0.82), 6th in assists (3.00), 9th in field goal pct. (.465), 25th in scoring (8.8) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 7th in blocked shots (0.82) ...

- Carly Towne is 14th in assists (2.00, T) ...

* Double-Doubles

- Hannah Munger: season 4, career 15 - 20 pts, 13 reb vs. Corban, 11/16; 11 pts, 14 reb vs. Chapman, 11/21; 25 pts, 19 reb at Willamette, 11/30; 22 pts, 10 reb vs. St. Mary’s (Ind.) at San Diego, Calif., 12/28

- Megan Arnoldy: season 1, career 1 - 17 pts, 12 reb vs. Southern Oregon, 11/19

- Keisha Gordon: season 3, career 4 - 27 pts, 10 reb at Pacific Lutheran, 12/4; 22 pts, 11 reb vs. Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham at San Diego, Calif., 12/27; 17 pts, 10 reb vs. St. Mary’s (Ind.) at San Diego, Calif., 12/28

* Career Lists: Gordon Enters Top 10 in Bruin All-Time Steals

- Keisha Gordon: With 29 points in the last two games, Gordon pushed her career points total to 1,032, passing Robin Taylor (1,006, 2003-07) for 10th on the all-time scoring list.  Ahead is Katy Campbell (1,093, 2004-08) … She shot no free throws during the week, leaving her career free throw pct. at .797 (203-255), which is 3rd behind Kim Leith (.8108, 210-259, 2002-06) and Christy Brock (.8105, 77-95, 1997-98) ... With 5 steals during the week, she raised her career total to 176, passing Heather Gurney (173, 1987-91) and Liz Clark (175, 2001-05) for 9th on the all-time list.  Ahead are Robin Taylor (177, 2003-07) and Heidi Rueck (177, 1991-95)  ...

- Hanna Munger: With 5 blocked shots in the last two games, Munger has 151 career blocked shots, 5th on the all-time list at George Fox.  She needs 24 to tie Kristen Shielee (175, 2005-09) for 4th on the all-time list ... After going 11-16 from the field during the week, she has a career field goal pct. of .553 (250-452), 2nd to Kristen Shielee (.599, 223-372, 2005-09) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young: Rinehart-Young had 1 blocked shot in the last two games, giving her 58 in her career.  She needs 14 more to tie Melody Groeneveld-McMaster (72, 1981-85) for 10th on the all-time list ...

* Head Coach Michael Meek

Head coach Michael Meek (Eastern Oregon ‘99) is 9-4 (.692) to date in his first season at George Fox after replacing Scott Rueck, who took the women’s basketball head coaching job at his alma mater, Oregon State.  Meek composed a record of 264-79 (.769) in 13 years of high school coaching in Oregon, three at La Grande (1997-2000) and 10 at Beaverton Southridge (2000-10).  He led Southridge to five large-school state championships in his last six years, received 12 league or state Coach of the Year awards during his career, and was the 2006 MaxPrep National Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year ... He is 0-0 vs. Whitworth and Whitman.