WHAT’S BRUIN: Women’s Basketball News & Notes 1/27

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Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio 

Overall Record: 13-5 (Home 8-0, Road 2-3, Neutral 2-2)

NWC Record: 7-2, 2nd (Home 5-0, Road 2-2)

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins Aim for Winning Season Hosting PLU on Friday

* Recent Games: Bruins Go 2-1 in Five-Day Span of NWC Games

* Munger Earns BAA Award Again, HM for NWC Weekly Honors

* Polls: Bruins Remain Among “Others Receiving Votes” in Both Polls

* Bruins Narrowly Miss Free Throw Records in Willamette Win

* Bruins Add Two More Games to NWC Home Winning Streaks

* NCAA Stats: Munger Among Best in Blocks, FG Pct., Double-Doubles

* NWC Stats: Bruins Leading Conference in Five Categories

* Career Lists: Gordon Moves into 9th in Total Career Points

* Coming Up: Bruins Aim for Winning Season Hosting PLU on Friday

- Fri., Jan. 28, 6:00 pm – vs. Pacific Lutheran University (4-12, NWC 2-6), Newberg, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. – After playing three games in the space of five days last week, the George Fox Bruins have only one game this week as they host the Pacific Lutheran Lutes Friday at 6:00 p.m., their third home game in a row and sixth in the last seven, with a chance to nail down their 18th consecutive winning season.   

The Bruins are 13-5 overall with seven regular season games left.  With the possibility of at least one post-season game in either the Northwest Conference Tournament or NCAA Division III National Tournament (or both), they need a 14th victory be assured of finishing over .500.   Their streak of 17 straight winning seasons 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, now the coach at Oregon State.

George Fox stands alone in second place in the conference at 7-2, half a game behind Lewis & Clark and half a game ahead of third-place Puget Sound.  The league-leading Pioneers (7-1 in the NWC) visit Whitman and Whitworth this weekend, while the Loggers (6-2) will be at Pacific and Willamette.  Friday’s game is part of a doubleheader, as the men’s game between the Bruins and Lutes will follow at 8:00 p.m.

Several special activities will take place throughout Friday’s twinbill.  The entire evening has been designated as “Pink Zone” night, sponsored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to raise breast cancer awareness, and fans have been asked to wear pink to stage a “Pink-Out” at the games.  At halftime of the women’s game, the George Fox women’s golf team will be honored for their first Northwest Conference championship during the 2009-10 season.  At halftime of the men’s game, National Girls and Women in Sports Day will be celebrated, with all senior women athletes and athletic trainers at George Fox being recognized.  For complete news about the evening’s events, see the press release on the Bruins’ athletic website at http://athletics.georgefox.edu/general/2010-11/releases/0126.

Pacific Lutheran (4-12, NWC 2-6, 7th): The Lutes from Parkland, Wash. (a Tacoma suburb) were picked to finish 6th in the Northwest Conference pre-season poll, the Bruins 1st ... Last game: The Lutes have lost five in a row and 11 of their last 12, the latest a 73-69 setback at Willamette on Saturday despite 24 points by Samantha Potter and 16 by Shelly Kilcup ... Series record: George Fox leads 22-15 (13-5 home, 9-10 road) ... The Bruins have won the last nine meetings, including 83-45 in Parkland on Dec. 4 in their first meeting this season as Keisha Gordon (27 points) and Hannah Munger (17 points) combined to go 17-19 from the floor ... The Lutes’ last win in the series was 75-57 in Parkland on Feb. 17, 2006 ... PLU by the numbers: Scoring (61.4, 7th in the NWC), Defense (69.4, 7th), FG % (.400, 5th), 3-pt % (.380, 2nd), FT % (.655, 6th), Rebounding (34.1, 9th) ... PLU is 2nd in the NWC in assists (15.19) and steals (9.88) and 3rd in three-pointers (5.94) ... The Lutes have two double-figure scorers: G Shelly  Kilcup (11.1, 12th), C Samantha Potter (10.5, 16th) ... Potter is the top rebounder (6.1, 11th) ... G Sara Backstrom is the assists leader (3.64, 2nd) ... Coach Kelly Robinson is 39-52 to date in her 4th year at PLU ... Next: Jan. 29 at Pacific, 6 p.m.

Multimedia: George Fox will provide live stats, live audio webcasting via campus station KFOX, and live video streaming via Stretch Internet for both games vs. PLU; see the links 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 Go 2-1 in Five-Day Span of NWC Games

Jan. 21 - at Puget Sound 56, George Fox 40

Plagued by shooting woes all night long, the Bruins fell out of a three-way tie for first place in the Northwest Conference race with a loss to the Loggers that snapped an eight-game winning streak against their biggest rivals for the NWC title the last five years.  The Bruins shot less than 30 percent in both halves and finished with a.277 shooting percentage (13-47), their second-lowest of the season, including only 1-10 from three-point range.  Hannah Munger led the Bruins with 13 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season and 17th of her career.  Keisha Gordon added 10 points, including 6-6 from the line, but the rest of the team was only 7-18 at the stripe.   Arianna Mohsenian passed out three assists.

Jan. 22 - at George Fox 64, Linfield 49

Keisha Gordon scored a game-high 17 points and Megan Arnoldy and Hannah Munger combined for 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, leading the Bruins past their Yamhill County rivals.   Down by five early in the second half, Arnoldy tied the game 32-32 with 18 minutes left on two buckets and a free throw, and the Bruins out-scored the Wildcats 14-4 over the next seven minutes to take control. In addition to her 17 points, Gordon passed out a game-high six assists.  Munger posted her seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds while blocking five shots.  Arnoldy connected on 5-7 field goals and 4-5 free throws en route to 14 points.  Arianna Mohsenian led the defense with five steals.

 Jan. 25 - at George Fox 87, Willamette 46

A near-record night of free throw shooting enabled the Bruins to open the second half of their NWC schedule with a  win over the Bearcats.  The Bruins connected on 32 of their 46 free throw attempts, with nine different players sinking shots, falling one made free throw and one attempt short of tying their single-game records.   Keisha Gordon scored 15 points, giving her 1,095 for her career and moving her past Katy Campbell (1,093, 2004-08) into ninth on the all-time George Fox scoring list.  Megan Arnoldy added 13 points, and Carly Towne scored a career-high 11 along with a game-high four assists.  Arnoldy and Munger pulled down eight rebounds apiece as the Bruins dominated the glass 51-27.  Arianna Mohsenian had five of the Bruins’ 15 steals. 

BRUIN BITS:

* Munger Earns BAA Award Again, HM for NWC Weekly Honors

With double-doubles in points and rebounds in both games of the Bruins’ 1-1 weekend, 6-5 sophomore center Hannah Munger of Newberg, Ore., has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week for the fourth time, and was honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week, for games of Jan. 17-23.

In a 40-56 loss at Puget Sound on Jan. 21, Munger scored a team-high 13 points on 5-12 field goals and 3-9 free throws, with 10 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a blocked shot.  In a 64-49 win over Linfield on Jan. 22, she scored 16 points on 6-9 field goals and 4-4 free throws, with 14 rebounds, 5 blocked shots, and an assist.  For the week, she scored 29 points (14.5 ppg) on 11-21 field goals (.524) and 7-13 free throws (.538), with 24 rebounds (12.0 rpg), 6 blocked shots (3.0 bspg), 2 assists and a steal.  She now has seven double-doubles this season and 18 in her two-year career.

Munger, an All-Conference and Second Team All-West Region performer last year, currently leads the NWC in field goal pct. (.576), rebounding (9.9), blocked shots (3.22), and is 5th in scoring (15.3). She ranks 5th on the all-time George Fox list in blocked shots with 165.

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; Jan. 10-16; Jan. 17-23

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - Nov. 15-21; Nov. 29-Dec. 5; Jan. 10-16; HM, Jan. 17-23

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 Remain Among “Others Receiving Votes” in Both Polls

Despite a 1-1 week, the George Fox Bruins (13-5) remained among “others receiving votes” in both NCAA Division III national polls.  In the USA Today / ESPN / Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll of Jan. 25, the Bruins received 2 votes, while in the D3hoops.com poll, they got 1 point ... Thomas More College (17-0) replaced Hope College as the No. 1 team in both polls ... Among other NWC teams, Puget Sound received 11 votes in the D3hoops poll and 7 in the WBCA poll, and Lewis & Clark got 2 points in the D3hoops poll, placing them among “others receiving votes”.

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)

* Bruins Narrowly Miss Free Throw Records in Willamette Win

In their 87-46 win over the visiting Willamette Bearcats on Jan. 25, the Bruins fell just short of two free throws records.  The Bruins connected on 32 of their 46 free throw attempts in the game, with nine different players sinking shots, falling one made free throw and one attempt short of tying their single-game records.  George Fox made a record 33 charity tosses against Chapman University on Dec. 13, 2008, and attempted 47 shots from the line against Central Washington on Nov. 19, 1993.

* Bruins’ Add Two More Games to NWC Home Winning Streaks

With recent wins over Linfield and Willamette, George Fox extended its two home court winning streaks against Northwest Conference opponents.  The Bruins have now won 38 straight regular season games vs. the NWC in Newberg since a 55-51 setback to Linfield on Nov. 28, 2006.  Including post-season games in the NWC and NCAA Division III Tournaments, the Bruins have won 37 in a row over conference teams at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym since falling at home to Puget Sound 51-48 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 3, 2007.

* NCAA Stats: Munger Among Best in Blocks, FG Pct., Double-Doubles

In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics (thru Jan. 23), George Fox was ranked 12th in blocked shots per game (5.8), 23rd in field goal pct. (.442), 43rd in assists per game (16.1), 44th in rebound margin (+6.9), and 48th in field goal pct. defense (.338) ... Center Hannah Munger ranked 12th in blocked shots per game (3.3) and field goal percentage (.579), and 46th in double-doubles (7) ...

* NWC Stats: Bruins Leading Conference in Five Categories

- Thru NWC stats of Jan. 25, George Fox is 1st in scoring margin (+11.7), field goal pct. defense (.337), blocked shots (5.67), assists (16.17), steals (10.39), 2nd in defense (55.8), field goal pct. (.443), 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.270), rebounding (42.8), rebound margin (+7.9), assist/TO ratio (0.76), 3rd in scoring (67.4), rebounding defense (34.9), 6th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.310), 7th in 3-pt field goals (4.44), turnover margin (-1.22), 9th in free throw pct. (.604)...

- Keisha Gordon is 1st in steals (2.94), assist/TO ratio (1.50), 3rd in assists (3.50), 5th in rebounding (7.4), 6th in scoring (15.0), 7th in free throw pct. (.767), 8th in 3-pt field goals (1.56), 12th in field goal pct. (.454), 15th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.315) …

- Hannah Munger is 1st in field goal pct. (.576), rebounding (9.9), blocked shots (3.22), 5th in scoring (15.3) …

- Arianna Mohsenian is 5th in 3-pt field goals (1.83), 6th in steals (1.83), 10th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.351), 14th in assists (1.94), 25th in scoring (8.1) …

- Hayley Cusick is 3rd in blocked shots (1.18), 4th in steals (2.12), 7th in assists (2.71), 28th in scoring (7.9) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 7th in blocked shots (0.69, T) ...

- Carly Towne is 12th in assists (2.00, T) ...

* Double-Doubles

- Hannah Munger: season 7, career 18 - 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; 21 pts/11 reb vs. Whitman; 13 pts, 10 reb at Puget Sound, 1/21; 16 pts, 14 reb vs. Linfield, 1/22

- 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 Moves into 9th in Total Career Points

- Keisha Gordon: With 42 points in the last three games, Gordon pushed her career points total to 1,095, passing Katy Campbell (1,093, 2004-08) for 9th on the all-time scoring list.  Ahead is Nicole Prazeau (1,133, 1998-2002) … She hit 14-15 free throws during the week, putting her career free throw pct. at .805 (223-277), 3rd behind Kim Leith (.8108, 210-259, 2002-06) and Christy Brock (.8105, 77-95, 1997-98) ... With 4 steals during the week, she raised her career total to 186, tied for 6th on the all-time list with Melody Groeneveld-McMaster (186, 1981-85).  Ahead are Tiffany Behary (187, 2004-08), and Tracy Nelson (192, 1988-92) ... With 203 assists in her career, she needs 17 to tie Melinda Day (220, 1981-85) for 10th on the all-time list ...

- Hanna Munger: With 8 blocked shots in the last three games, Munger has 165 career blocked shots, 5th on the all-time list at George Fox.  She needs 10 to tie Kristen Shielee (175, 2005-09) for 4th on the all-time list ... After going 15-29 from the field during the week, she has a career field goal pct. of .562 (285-507), 2nd to Kristen Shielee (.599, 223-372, 2005-09) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young: Rinehart-Young had 2 blocked shots in the last three games, giving her 60 in her career.  She needs 12 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 13-5 (.722) 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 1-0 (1-0 road) vs. Pacific Lutheran.