 |  |
WHAT’S BRUIN: Women’s Basketball News & Notes 3/1
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
Overall Record: 22-5 (Home 12-0, Road 8-3, Neutral 2-2)
NWC Record: 14-2, 1st T (Home 8-0, Road 6-2)
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: Bruins Open NCAA Tourney with Occidental in Orange
* Recent Games: Bruins Topple Pioneers in OT to Win NWC Tournament
* Munger’s NWC Tourney Performances Earn BAA Weekly Award
* Polls: Bruins Back in National Rankings at No. 23 in WBCA Poll
* NCAA Stats: Bruins Climb to 8th in Nation in Field Goal Pct.
* NWC Stats: Munger, Gordon Maintain Lead in Five Categories
* Munger’s Numbers Rank Among Top 10 in Single-Season History
* Career Lists: Munger Takes Over as No. 2 All-Time Shot Blocker
* Coming Up: Bruins Open NCAA Tourney with Occidental in Orange
- Fri., Mar. 4, 5:00 pm - George Fox University (22-5) vs. Occidental College (19-8), Orange, Calif. (NCAA Tournament)
- Fri., Mar. 4, 7:00 pm - Louisiana College (24-3) at Chapman University (22-5), Orange, Calif. (NCAA Tournament)
- Sat., Mar. 5, 7:00 p.m. - NCAA D-III West Regional Championship Game, Orange, Calif.
NEWBERG, Ore. – Occidental College, the champion of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, will be George Fox University’s first-round opponent this Friday, March 4, colliding at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., in the 2010-11 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship Tournament.
George Fox (22-5), the Northwest Conference representative, and Occidental (19-8) will be joined in the West Regional by host Chapman (22-5), the only “Pool B” independent selection, and Louisiana College (24-3), a “Pool C” at-large pick from the American Southwest Conference. Times for Friday’s games are 5:00 p.m. for the George Fox-Occidental game and 7:00 p.m. for the Chapman-Louisiana College game. The regional title game will be Saturday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m., with the winner advancing to a four-team sectional site to be determined for Friday-Saturday, March 11-12. The “Final Four” is set for Friday-Saturday, March 18-19, at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.
Tickets: Ticket prices for all games at Chapman’s Hutton Sports Center are $6 for adults and $3 for students with a valid ID and children under 12. A group of 100 tickets have been allocated to each visiting team, but there are no advance sales through George Fox. Tickets will be on sale the day of the game at Chapman.
Multimedia: George Fox will provide a live audio feed by campus station KFOX radio on the internet for all Bruins’ games in the West Regional; see above for GFU multimedia links. Chapman has established a “Tournament Central” website at http://chapmanathletics.com/splash/index, with live stats to be found at http://livestats.prestosports.com/chapman/. Plans for live video streaming are currently being pursued, with details forthcoming when they become available.
George Fox was the NWC co-champion with Lewis & Clark College, which was also selected for the tournament as an at-large team and will play Howard Payne University at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Bruins earned the league’s automatic bid by defeating the Pioneers 76-68 in overtime in the NWC Tournament championship game. This is the first time ever that the NCAA has split two NWC teams into separate brackets, which means the two will not have to face each other for a fourth time in the first and second rounds as has often happened in the past, but the trade-off is that the move probably cost one or the other a chance at hosting the regional.
Occidental, located in Los Angeles, Calif., claimed both the SCIAC regular season and tournament titles to earn an automatic bid. The Tigers are making their second NCAA appearance, having also played in 2009, when they lost in the first round to Chapman. This will be the first meeting ever between the Bruins and the Tigers. For more on the Tigers, visit the Occidental College website at http://www.oxyathletics.com/landing/index.
Chapman will be making its 10th tournament appearance in the past 11 years. The Panthers and Bruins have met six times, with George Fox winning them all, including a 75-57 win this season on Nov. 21 in Newberg. Three times the teams have met in the NCAA Tournament, with the Bruins eliminating the Panthers in 2005, 2008, and 2009. For more on the Panthers, visit the Chapman University website at http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index.
Louisiana College, from Pineville, La., received its bid after losing 83-69 at Howard Payne in the finals of the ASC Tournament. The Wildcats made their first NCAA appearance last year and lost to George Fox in the first round 65-49 on March 5, the only time the two have ever met. LC is ranked 21st in both the USA Today / ESPN / WBCA and D3hoops.com polls for games through Feb. 27. For more on the Wildcats, visit the Louisiana College website at http://www.lcwildcats.net/.
Bruins in the NCAA Tournament: This will be the fifth consecutive year and eighth time overall in 12 years of NCAA eligibility for George Fox to make the national tournament. In their previous seven appearances, the Bruins have compiled a 15-6 record (7-2 home, 1-2 road, 7-2 neutral), reaching the “Sweet 16” five times, the “Elite 8” three times, and winning the national championship in 2008-09 with a 32-0 record.
99-00 W 63-51 vs. Linfield
W 71-63 vs. California Lutheran
L 64-76 vs. St. Thomas MN at Abilene, Texas (Sweet 16)
00-01 L 52-64 vs. St. Thomas MN (2nd round - had 1st-round bye)
04-05 W 86-55 vs. Chapman (had 1st-round bye)
W 74-69 vs. St. Benedict at Ashland, Va.
L 51-63 at Randolph-Macon (Elite 8)
06-07 W 61-47 vs. Gustavus Adolphus
L 48-51 vs. Puget Sound
07-08 W 71-55 vs. Chapman at Tacoma, Wash.
W 72-66 at Puget Sound
L 40-47 vs. Hope at Brownwood, Texas (Sweet 16)
08-09 W 83-40 vs. Chapman (had 1st-round bye)
W 71-56 vs. Oglethorpe at Crestview Hills, Ky.
W 58-46 vs. Hope at Crestview Hills, Ky.
W 67-52 vs. College of New Jersey at Holland, Mich.
W 60-53 vs. Washington-St. Louis at Holland, Mich. (National champions)
09-10 W 65-49 vs. Louisiana College
W 59-37 vs. Puget Sound
W 55-48 vs. Carthage at St. Louis, Mo.
L 52-59 at Washington-St. Louis (Elite 8)
* Recent Games: Bruins Topple Pioneers in OT to Win NWC Tournament
Feb. 26 - George Fox 76, at Lewis & Clark 68 (OT)
In a battle befitting regular-season co-champions, the Bruins out-lasted the Pioneers 76-68 in overtime to win the Northwest Conference Tournament and their fifth straight post-season berth. The game featured four ties and 16 lead changes through regulation, with the largest lead by either team no more than five points until the overtime. Hannah Munger’s scoop shot gave George Fox the lead to open the overtime, and a back-door layup by Breezy Rinehart-Young with 3:50 left gave the Bruins the lead for good. They eventually stretched the lead to 76-65 with 22 seconds left. George Fox hit .571 (28-49) from the field and held a 50-39 rebound advantage. Munger finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, her 12th double-double of the season and 23rd of her career, along with five blocked shots. Rinehart-Young added 12 points, hitting 5-6 from the field. Keisha Gordon added 11 points, while Hayley Cusick and Carrie Myers scored 10 each. Cusick passed out four assists.
GFU in NWC Tournament: The Bruins have appeared in the Northwest Conference Tournament 10 times since joining the conference for the 1955-96 season, winning it five times (2001, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011). The Bruins are 9-5 all-time in the tournament.
95-96 L 51-68 at Pacific
96-97 L 50-65 at Pacific Lutheran
97-98 L 52-63 at Puget Sound
00-01 W 53-58 vs. Pacific Lutheran (Tournament champions; three-team tournament)
01-02 L 58-66 at Whitworth
06-07 W 58-51 vs. Puget Sound (Tournament champions; three-team tournament)
07-08 W 76-71 (OT) vs. Lewis & Clark
L 52-62 at Puget Sound
08-09 W 85-47 vs. Whitman
W 67-58 vs. Puget Sound (Tournament champions)
09-10 W 98-57 vs. Lewis & Clark
W 77-51 vs. Puget Sound (Tournament champions)
10-11 W 62-56 vs. Puget Sound
W 76-68 (OT) at Lewis & Clark (Tournament champions)
BRUIN BITS:
* Munger’s NWC Tourney Performance Earns BAA Weekly Award
In leading the Bruins to their third consecutive Northwest Conference Tournament title and fifth overall this past week, 6-5 sophomore center Hannah Munger of Newberg, Ore., has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week for Feb. 14-20.
In a 62-56 win over Puget Sound on Feb. 24 in the NWC Tournament semi-finals, Munger scored 11 points on 4-10 field goals and 3-9 free throws, with 10 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and an assist. In a 76-68 overtime win at Lewis & Clark on Feb. 26 that propelled the Bruins into the NCAA Tournament, she scored 17 points on 6-11 field goals and 5-8 free throws, with 14 rebounds, 5 blocked shots, 2 assists and a steal. For the week, she scored 28 points (14.0 ppg) on 10-21 field goals (.476) and 8-17 free throws (.471), with 24 rebounds (12.0 rpg), 9 blocked shots (4.5 bspg), 3 assists and a steal.
Munger, a two-time First Team All-Conference selection and Second Team All-West Region last year, currently leads the NWC in field goal pct. (.565), rebounding (10.1), blocked shots (3.15), and is 4th in scoring (15.8). She has been the Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week eight times, NWC Student-Athlete of the Week three times, and honorable mention for NWC honors four times.
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
- All-Northwest Conference First Team (second year in a row)
- 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; Feb. 7-13; Feb. 21-27
- 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; HM, Feb. 7-13
Keisha Gordon
- All-Northwest Conference First Team (second year in a row)
- 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; HM, Feb. 14-20
Arianna Mohsenian
- All-Northwest Conference Honorable Mention
* Polls: Bruins Back in National Rankings at No. 23 in WBCA Poll
In the latest national polls through games of Feb. 27, the George Fox Bruins (22-5) have moved back into the top 25 in the USA Today / ESPN / Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll at No. 23, receiving 30 points in the voting. In the D3hoops.com poll, they were the top vote-getter among “others receiving votes” with 33 points ... Lewis & Clark was the only other Northwest Conference team to get votes with 7 in the WBCA poll and 12 in the D3hoops.com poll ... Thomas More (28-0) is ranked No. 1 in both polls.
In the fourth NCAA Division III regional rankings (thru games of Feb. 20), George Fox (20-5, 15-3 vs. regional opponents) was rated 3rd in the West Region. Coe (22-3, 21-3) was the top-ranked team in the West, followed by Lewis & Clark (20-5, 16-3), George Fox, Chapman (20-5, 14-3), Simpson IA (20-5, 18-4), and Wartburg (21-4, 20-4).
USA Today/ESPN/WBCA poll: http://www.wbca.org/news/top-25-polls/usa-today-espn-division-iii-top-25-coaches-poll/
D3hoops.com poll: http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/index
Regional rankings: http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d3/regional_rankings
* Bruins Claim Share of 5th Consecutive NWC Championship
George Fox won a share of its fifth straight Northwest Conference women’s basketball regular season championship this season and its eighth overall in 12 seasons of NCAA eligibility. The Bruins won NWC titles in 1999-2000 (shared with Pacific Lutheran), 2000-01, 2004-05, 2006-07 (with Puget Sound), 2007-08 (with Puget Sound), 2008-09, and 2009-10, with perfect 16-0 records in ’09 and ’10. This year’s team is NWC co-champion with Lewis & Clark College. The Pioneers and Bruins, who split their regular season games, both finished with 20-5 overall regular season records and 14-2 conference records. Each won semi-final NWC Tournament games before George Fox won the title game 76-68 in overtime.
* Bruins Stretch Streak of Winning Seasons to 18 in a Row
The 2010-11 Bruins under first-year coach Michael Meek are 22-5, their 18th consecutive winning season. The Bruins’ string 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 351-125 (.740) during that 18-year span.
* Bruins Add Another Game to NWC Home Winning Streak
With a win over Puget Sound on Feb. 24 in the NWC Tournament, George Fox extended its home court winning streak against Northwest Conference opponents in all games, including post-season NWC and NCAA Division III Tournament games, to 41 in a row at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym. The last time the Bruins lost at home to a conference team was 51-48 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 3, 2007. The Bruins have also won 41 straight regular season games vs. the NWC in Newberg since a 55-51 setback to Linfield on Nov. 28, 2006.
* NCAA Stats: Bruins Climb to 8th in Nation in Field Goal Pct.
In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics (thru Feb. 27), George Fox was ranked 8th in field goal pct. (.456), 17th in blocked shots per game (5.5), 33rd in rebound margin (+7.8) ... Center Hannah Munger ranked 15th in field goal percentage (.565) and blocked shots per game (3.1), and 38th in double-doubles (12) ...
* NWC Stats: Munger, Gordon Maintain Lead in Five Categories
- Thru NWC stats of Feb. 28, George Fox is 1st in defense (57.0), scoring margin (+11.7), field goal pct. (.456), field goal pct. defense (.345), blocked shots (5.48), assists (15.22), steals (9.56), 2nd in scoring (68.7), 3-pt field goal pct. defense (.294), rebounding (42.0), rebounding defense (34.1), rebound margin (+7.8), assist/TO ratio (0.74), 4th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.317), 7th in 3-pt field goals (4.48), turnover margin (-1.48), 8th in free throw pct. (.606)...
- Keisha Gordon is 1st in steals (2.54), assist/TO ratio (1.42), 3rd in assists (3.27), 6th in scoring (15.2), rebounding (7.3), 7th in free throw pct. (.769), 10th in field goal pct. (.459), 12th in 3-pt field goals (1.31) …
- Hannah Munger is 1st in field goal pct. (.565), rebounding (10.1), blocked shots (3.15), 4th in scoring (15.8) …
- Arianna Mohsenian is 4th in 3-pt field goals (1.78), 8th in steals (1.59), 13th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.345), 14th in assists (1.81), 30th in scoring (7.9) …
- Hayley Cusick is 3rd in steals (2.04), 5th in blocked shots (0.88), 7th in assists (2.56, T), 12th in assist/TO ratio (0.74), 25th in scoring (8.4) ...
- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 7th in blocked shots (0.72) ...
* Double-Doubles
- Hannah Munger: season 12, career 23 - 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; 33 pts, 12 reb at Whitworth, 2/12; 11 pts, 10 reb vs. Puget Sound, 2/24; 17 pts, 14 reb at Lewis & Clark, 2/26
- Megan Arnoldy: season 1, career 1 - 17 pts, 12 reb vs. Southern Oregon, 11/19
- Keisha Gordon: season 5, career 6 - 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; 26 pts, 11 reb at Whitworth, 2/12
* 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)
* Munger’s Numbers Rank Among Top 10 in Single-Season History
Several of Hannah Munger’s statistics (thru Feb. 27) rank among the top 10 single-season numbers in Bruin history. Her 427 points rank 7th on the single-season list, her 85 blocked shots are tied for 4th-best, her 272 rebounds are 8th-best, and her .565 field goal pct. (174-308) is the 4th-best ...
* Career Lists: Munger Takes Over as No. 2 All-Time Shot Blocker
- Keisha Gordon: With 11 points at Lewis & Clark Saturday, Gordon raised her career points total to 1,221, 7th on the all-time list. Ahead is Susie Davis (1,274, 1983-87) … After going 3-5 from the line at L&C, her career free throw pct. is at .799 (267-334), third-best in Bruin history behind Kim Leith (.8108, 210-259, 2002-06) and Christy Brock (.8105, 77-95, 1997-98) ... She had one steal at L&C, giving her 199 in her career, 4th on the all-time list. Ahead is Nancy Rissmiller (205, 1994-98) ... She had one assist at L&C, giving her 225 in her career, 10th on the all-time list. Ahead is Kim Leith (235, 2002-06) ...
- Hanna Munger: With 5 blocked shots at Lewis & Clark Saturday, Munger has 192 career blocked shots and has passed Shawna Chandler (188, 1982-85) for 2nd on the all-time list. Ahead is Tammy Lewis (287, 1985-89) ... With 14 rebounds at L&C, she has 525 in her career, and needs 30 to tie Tracy Nelson (555, 1988-92) for 10th on the all-time list … After going 6-11 at L&C, she has a career field goal pct. of .559 (342-612), 2nd to Kristen Shielee (.599, 223-372, 2005-09) ...
- Breezy Rinehart-Young: Rinehart-Young had one blocked shot at Lewis & Clark Saturday and has 67 in her career. She needs 5 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 22-5 (.815) 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. Occidental and Louisiana College, 1-0 (1-0 home) vs. Chapman.
