WHAT’S BRUIN: Women’s Basketball News & Notes 2/9

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Overall Record: 16-5 (Home 10-0, Road 3-3, Neutral 2-2)

NWC Record: 10-2, 2nd T (Home 7-0, Road 3-2) 

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: NWC Tourney Positions on the Line in Eastern Washington

* Recent Games: Bruins Win at Pacific, Repay Lewis & Clark at Home

* Munger Earns 6th BAA Weekly Award, HM Again for NWC Honors

* Bruins Stretch Streak of Winning Seasons to 18 in a Row

* Bruins Add Another Game to NWC Home Winning Streaks

* NCAA Stats: Bruins Climb Eight Spots in FG Pct. to 16th Nationally

* NWC Stats: Bruins Take Conference Lead in Eight Categories

* Career Lists: Gordon Regains Lead in Career Free Throw Pct. 

* Coming Up: NWC Tourney Positions on the Line in Eastern Washington

- Fri., Feb. 11, 6:00 pm – at Whitman College (12-9, NWC 6-6), Walla Walla, Wash.

- Sat., Feb. 12, 6:00 pm – at Whitworth University (10-11, NWC 6-6), Spokane, Wash.

NEWBERG, Ore. – With positioning and berths in the Northwest Conference women’s basketball tournament on the line this weekend, the George Fox Bruins face perhaps their toughest road trip of the season when they make the eastern Washington swing to play the Whitman Missionaries Friday and the Whitworth Pirates Saturday.

George Fox (16-5, NWC 10-2) is currently tied for second place with the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, both half-a-game behind the Puget Sound Loggers, who defeated Pacific Lutheran Tuesday night.  Those three are all but assured of tournament spots.  Whitman (12-9, NWC 6-6) and Whitworth (10-11, NWC 6-6) are tied for the fourth and final tournament spot with four games left, so the Missionaries and Pirates will be  literally playing for their playoff lives, making them very dangerous opponents at home for the Bruins.

Both George Fox games this weekend will be a part of conference doubleheaders, with men’s games following at 8:00 p.m.    

Whitman (12-9, NWC 6-6, 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 fell 81-78 in overtime at Puget Sound Saturday despite 23 points by Jenele Peterson and 20 by Kelly Peterson ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 26-8 (14-4 home, 12-4 road) ... The Bruins have won the last 10 meetings, including a 64-57 win in Newberg on Jan. 15 this season as Hannah Munger posted a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds ... The Missionaries’ last win in the series was 62-58 in Walla Walla on Jan. 28, 2006 ... Whitman by the numbers: Scoring (66.9, 3rd in the NWC), Defense (60.0, 3rd), Rebounding (39.5, 4th), FG % (.411, 4th), 3-pt % (.344, 3rd), FT % (.723, 1st) ... The Missionaries have one double-figure scorer: G Jenele Peterson (13.9, 7th in the NWC), but four players between 8 and 10 ... G Anna Forge and C Rebecca Sexton are the top rebounders (5.0, tied for 17th) ... Peterson is the assists leader (3.05, 5th) ... Coach Michelle Ferenz is in her 10th season at Whitman ... Next: Feb. 5 vs. Willamette, 6 p.m.

Whitworth (10-11, NWC 6-6, 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 have lost their last three, including a 58-57 setback at Pacific Lutheran on Saturday despite 20 points by Emily Travis and 16 by Emily Guthrie ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 21-13 (13-3 home, 7-9 road, 1-1 neutral) ... The Bruins have won the last seven meetings, including a 66-46 win in Newberg on Jan. 14 behind 24 points from Hannah Munger, 12 from Arianna Mohsenian, and 11 from Keisha Gordon ... The Pirates’ last win in the series was 63-62 in Spokane on Feb. 2, 2007 ... Whitworth by the numbers: Scoring (65.7, 6th in the NWC), Defense (66.2, 6th), Rebounding (35.8, 7th), FG % (.386, 7th), 3-pt % (.379, 1st, 8th nationallu\y), FT % (.719, 2nd) ... Whitworth is 1st in the NWC and 8th nationally in 3-pointers per game (8.1) ... The Pirates have one double-figure scorer: G Emily Guthrie (11.7, 11th in the NWC), and three others between 8 and 10 ... Guthrie is 1st in the NWC and 20th nationally in 3-pointers per game (2.8) ... G Taylor Taylor is the top rebounder (5.1, 16th) ... G Lauren Picha is the assists leader (2.62, 7th) ... Coach Helen Higgs is 251-175 to date in her 17th season ... The Pirates host Willamette Friday before meeting the Bruins ... Next: Feb. 15 at Whitman, 6 pm.

Multimedia: Whitman will provide live stats at http://www.whitman.edu/athletics/livestats/xlive.htm and live video streaming via Stretch Internet at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/whitman.portal# for both games on Friday.  There is a charge for Whitman’s live video.  Whitworth will provide live stats at http://www.whitworth.edu/Athletics/Teams/Basketball/livestats/xlive.htm. George Fox will provide live audio streaming of all four games this weekend via campus radio station KFOX; see the GFU links above.

* Recent Games: Bruins Win at Pacific, Repay Lewis & Clark at Home

Feb. 4 - George Fox 76, at Pacific 63

Down by a point with under five minutes left, the Bruins out-scored the Boxers 18-4 the rest of the way, including 10 in a row to take the lead, to earn an important road win.  After trailing most of the second half, the Bruins took the lead for good when Keisha Gordon made a three-point play for a 61-59 edge with 4:17 left.  Over the next three minutes, the Bruins scored nine more unanswered points to build an insurmountable 70-59 lead with 1:19 to go.  Hannah Munger scored 24 points and had nine rebounds with four blocked shots.  Hayley Cusick scored a career-high 17 points, making every shot she took - 7-7 from the field, including a three, and 2-2 from the line - and made four steals.  Megan Arnoldy added 10 points as the Bruins shot .531 (26-49) as a team. 

Feb. 5 - at George Fox 77, Lewis & Clark 58

Led by double-doubles from Keisha Gordon and Hannah Munger, the Bruins knocked off the Pioneers to split the season series and move into a three-way tie for first place in the NWC race.  The Pios led by as much as nine in the first half, but Arianna Mohsenian hit two free throws at the 17:12 mark of the second half to give the Bruins a 36-35 lead.  From there, the Bruins went on an 18-5 tear to build a 54-40 lead with 10 minutes left.  Gordon scored 19 points with 11 rebounds, and Munger finished with 15 points and 13 boards after having three and none in the first half.  Carley Towne added 10 points, hitting a trio of threes.

BRUIN BITS: 

* Munger Earns 6th BAA Weekly Award, HM Again for NWC Honors

With two games that included her ninth double-double of the season and a narrow one-rebound miss of another, 6-5 sophomore center Hannah Munger of Newberg, Ore., has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week for the sixth time, and was honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week, for games of Jan. 31-Feb. 6.

In a 77-58 win at Pacific on Feb. 4, Munger scored 24 points, 17 in the first half, on 9-14 field goals and 6-10 free throws, with 9 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, 3 steals and 3 assists.  In a 77-58 win vs. Lewis & Clark on Feb. 5, she scored 15 points, 12 in the second half, on 6-10 field goals and 3-6 free throws, with 13 rebounds, all in the second half, 2 blocked shots, and 3 assists.  For the week, she scored 39 points (19.5 ppg) on 15-24 field goals (.625) and 9-16 free throws (.563), with 22 rebounds (11.0 rpg), 6 blocked shots (3.0 bspg), 6 assists (3.0 apg), and 3 steals.

Munger, an All-Conference and Second Team All-West Region performer last year, currently leads the NWC in field goal pct. (.581, 10th nationally), rebounding (10.2, 48th nationally), and blocked shots (3.24, 13th nationally), is 5th in scoring (15.6), and is 40th nationally in double-doubles (9). 

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; Jan. 24-30; Jan. 31-Feb. 6

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - Nov. 15-21; Nov. 29-Dec. 5; Jan. 10-16; HM, Jan. 17-23; HM, Jan. 24-30; HM, Jan. 31-Feb. 6

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

* 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 Stretch Streak of Winning Seasons to 18 in a Row

With two more wins this past week, the Bruins are 16-5 under first-year coach Michael Meek and have secured their 18th consecutive winning season.  The Bruins’ string of winning seasons began in 1993-94 in their first year under Sherri Murrell, now the women’s basketball coach at Portland State.  Following three winning seasons with Murrell, the Bruins added 14 more winnings season under Scott Rueck, who left this past summer for the women’s basketball position at his alma mater, Oregon State.  George Fox is 345-125 (.734) during that span.

* Bruins Add Another Game to NWC Home Winning Streaks

With a win over Lewis & Clark on Feb. 5, George Fox extended its two home court winning streaks against Northwest Conference opponents.  The Bruins have now won 40 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 39 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.

* 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.

* NCAA Stats: Bruins Climb Eight Spots in FG Pct. to 16th Nationally

In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics (thru Feb. 6), George Fox was ranked 10th in blocked shots per game (5.8), 16th in field goal pct. (.447), 33rd in rebound margin (+7.6) ... Center Hannah Munger ranked 10th in field goal percentage (.581), 13th in blocked shots per game (3.2), 40th in double-doubles (9), and 48th in rebounding (10.2) ...

* NWC Stats: Bruins Take Conference Lead in Eight Categories

- Thru NWC stats of Feb. 8, George Fox is 1st in scoring (68.3), scoring margin (+11.7), field goal pct. (.447), field goal pct. defense (.346), 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.274), blocked shots (5.76), assists (15.71), steals (10.33), 2nd in defense (56.7), rebounding (42.2), rebounding defense (34.6), rebound margin (+7.6), assist/TO ratio (0.73), 5th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.310), 7th in 3-pt field goals (4.43), turnover margin (-1.33), 8th in free throw pct. (.615)...

- Keisha Gordon is 1st in steals (2.75), assist/TO ratio (1.48), 3rd in assists (3.40), 5th in free throw pct. (.803), rebounding (7.5), 6th in scoring (14.9), 10th in 3-pt field goals (1.45), 13th in field goal pct. (.444) …

- Hannah Munger is 1st in field goal pct. (.581), rebounding (10.2), blocked shots (3.24), 5th in scoring (15.6) …

- Arianna Mohsenian is 5th in 3-pt field goals (1.81), 6th in steals (1.71), 12th in assists (1.90, T), 3-pt field goal pct. (.342), 27th in scoring (8.1) …

- Hayley Cusick is 2nd in steals (2.15), 5th in blocked shots (1.05), 8th in assists (2.60), 26th in scoring (8.6) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 6th in blocked shots (0.79) ...

- Carly Towne is 14th in assists (1.81, T) ...

* Double-Doubles

- Hannah Munger: season 9, career 20 - 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; 14 pts, 14 reb vs. Pacific Lutheran, 1/28; 15 pts, 13 reb vs. Lewis & Clark, 2/5

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

- Keisha Gordon: season 4, career 5 - 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; 19 pts, 11 reb vs. Lewis & Clark, 2/5

* Career Lists: Gordon Regains Lead in Career Free Throw Pct.

- Keisha Gordon: With 28 points in two games last week, Gordon has 1,123 career points, 9th on the all-time scoring list.  Ahead is Nicole Prazeau (1,133, 1998-2002) … After going 11-11 from the line in two games, her career free throw pct. is at .813 (234-288), the best in Bruin history ahead of Kim Leith (.8108, 210-259, 2002-06) and Christy Brock (.8105, 77-95, 1997-98) ... She had 2 steals last week, giving her 188 in her career and moved her past Melody Groeneveld-McMaster (186, 1981-85) and Tiffany Behary (187, 2004-08) into 5th on the all-time list.  Ahead is Tracy Nelson (192, 1988-92) ... She had 5 assists last week, giving her 208 in her career.  She needs 12 to tie Melinda Day (220, 1981-85) for 10th on the all-time list ...

- Hanna Munger: With 6 blocked shots in the last two games, Munger has 175 career blocked shots and has moved into a tie for 4th on the all-time list with Kristen Shielee (175, 2005-09).  Ahead are Melissa Marek-Farris (182, 2004-08) and Shawna Chandler (188, 1982-85) ... After going 15-24 in two games, she has a career field goal pct. of .565 (304-538), 2nd to Kristen Shielee (.599, 223-372, 2005-09) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young: Rinehart-Young had 2 blocked shots in that last two games, giving her 64 in her career.  She needs 8 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 16-5 (.762) 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 home) vs. Whitman, and 1-0 (1-0 home) vs. Whitworth.