WHAT’S BRUIN: Women’s Basketball News & Notes 12/7

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

Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio

Overall Record: 6-0 (Home 2-0, Road 3-0, Neutral 1-0)

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

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Bruins to Host Pair of Non-Conference Games Dec. 9-10

* Recent Games: Bruins Sweep Whits on Road to Open Conference Play

* Gordon Takes BAA Award, HM for NWC Honors for 2nd Straight Week

* Polls: Bruins Remain No. 3 in 2nd D3hoops In-Season Rankings

* NWC Stats: Gordon, Munger Both in NWC Top 10 in 4 Categories

* Career Lists: 21 Points Needed for Munger to Become 13th Bruin to 1,000

* Coming Up: Bruins to Host Pair of Non-Conference Games Dec. 9-10

- Fri., Dec. 9, 6:00 pm – vs. Colorado College (4-3), Newberg, Ore.

- Sat., Dec. 10, 6:00 pm – vs. Chapman University (3-3), Newberg, Ore.

NEWBERG, Ore. – After starting Northwest Conference play with a pair of road wins, the George Fox University Bruins return to non-conference play for their next five games, including two this weekend at home against Colorado College on Friday, Dec. 9, and Chapman University on Saturday, Dec. 10.  Both games will start at 6:00 p.m. as a part of doubleheaders with the George Fox men’s team, who will play Corban University on Friday and Concordia University-Portland on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. each night.

Multimedia: George Fox will provide live audio internet coverage through campus station KFOX, live video through Stretch Internet, and live stats for all games this week; see the George Fox 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.

Colorado College (4-3): The Tigers from Colorado Springs, Colo., are NCAA Division III members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference ... The Tigers have won their last four in a row, including a 64-61 home win over Trinity (Texas) in their last game on in which Marissa Gradoz scored 17 points, Becky Luetjen 13, Shelby Hansen 12, and Kalli Kemling 10 ... Series record (since 1981): First meeting ... Colorado College by the numbers: Scoring (66.6 ppg), Defense (63.7 ppg), FG% (.409), 3-pt FG% (.294), FT% (.646), Reb Avg. (39.4 rpg) ... The Tigers have two double-figure scorers: F Becky Luetjen (16.4 ppg) and G Jordy Stephenson (13.0 ppg) .... Luetjen is the top rebounder (9.4 rpg) ... G Marissa Gradoz is the assists leaders (2.86 apg) ... Coach Liz Doran is 43-40 to date in her 4th season at Colorado College ... Next game: Dec. 10 at Linfield, 6 p.m.

Chapman (3-3): The Panthers from Orange, Calif., have been an NCAA Division III independent for many years but were received into the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this year, though they will not be eligible for league championships until 2012-13 ... Chapman has made seven NCAA appearances, including last year, in eight seasons under head coach Carol Jue, who is 166-59 to date ... Series record (since 1981): George Fox leads 7-0 (4-0 home, 3-0 neutral) ... Three of the Bruins’ wins over the Panthers have come in the first or second rounds of the NCAA D-III National Tournament ... The Bruins won this year’s first meeting 74-57 at the Posada Royale Thanksgiving Classic in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Nov. 26 behind Hannah Munger’s 24 points and 13 rebounds and 13 points each by Keisha Gordon and Jami Roos.  Kimi Takaoka had 16 points and Brandi Hood and Andrea Villanueva had 13 points each for the Panthers, and Hood added 10 rebounds for a double-double ... Chapman by the numbers: Scoring (68.7 ppg), Defense (70.5 ppg), FG% (.426), 3-pt FG% (.347), FT% (.611), Reb Avg. (35.3 rpg) ... The Panthers have three players in double-figure scoring: G Kimi Takaoka (19.8 ppg), C Brandi Hood (11.8 ppg), F Andrea Villanueva (10.7 ppg) ... Hood is the top rebounder (10.0 rpg) ... G Anne Yoshimura is the assists leader (4.33 apg) ... The Panthers host Redlands on Dec. 7 and visit Linfield on Dec. 9 before meeting the Bruins ... Next game: Dec. 17 vs. Puget Sound, 5 p.m.

* Recent Games: Bruins Sweep Whits on Road to Open Conference Play

Dec. 2 - George Fox 54, at Whitman 53

Hannah Munger scored 17 points and Keisha Gordon added 15 to climb into fourth on the all-time George Fox scoring list as the Bruins survived a serious scare from the Whitman Missionaries.  The Bruins led by as many as 12 points in the first half and led 29-19 at the break, but could not put the Missionaries away, though they never trailed.  The Bruin lead was one at 48-47 with 4:26 to go when Megan Arnoldy hit two big baskets around a putback by Munger, boosting the Bruin lead to seven at 54-47 with 2:35 left, but it was the last points the visitors could muster as the home team made one final run.  Whitman cut the lead to 54-53 and had the ball last with a chance to win, but tough Bruin defense forced a tough three-point try that missed as time ran out.  Munger and Gordon were the only players in double figures for the Bruins, and they also had seven rebounds apiece.

Dec. 3 - George Fox 81, at Whitworth 69

Keisha Gordon scored a game-high 23 points and Hannah Munger posted her fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds as Bruins equaled their highest-scoring output of the season in a win over the Whitworth Pirates.   After falling behind 5-0, the Bruins rallied and went up 29-18 on a drive by Keisha Gordon, but the Pirates got within eight when Jamie Lyons hit a jumper to make it 31-23 George Fox with 7:29 left.  The Bruins then held the Pirates scoreless for over five minutes while they ran the lead to 40-23 with a 9-0 run and led 40-25 at the half.  The Bruins opened the second half with a 6-0 run anbd later added an 11-0 run to clinch the win.  Gordon hit 9-11 field goals with a pair of threes and 3-3 from the line while Munger hit 8-11 field goals and 3-5 free throws.  Carrie Myers added 10 rebounds, Gordon picked up five steals, Arnoldy handed out four assists, and Munger blocked three shots.  Breezy Rinehart-Young also had a blocked shot, the 74th of her career, which ties her for ninth all-time at George Fox.

* Gordon Takes BAA Award, HM for NWC Honors for 2nd Straight Week

In leading the Bruins to a 2-0 start in Northwest Conference play, George Fox wing Keisha Gordon had two fine games that have earned her the Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week award and honorable mention for the NWC Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week honor for Nov. 28-Dec. 4, the second week in a row for her to achieve those accolades.

Gordon, a senior from Vancouver, Wash., had 15 points on 5-12 field goals and 5-9 free throws, with 7 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 assists as the Bruins won a hard-fought 54-53 decision at Whitman on Dec. 2.  She followed that up with a game-high 23 points, hitting 9-11 field goals (2-3 on three-pointers) and 3-3 free throws, with 6 boards, 5 steals, and 3 assists in an 81-69 victory at Whitworth on Dec. 3.  For the week, she score 38 points (19.0 ppg) on 14-22 field goals (.636), including 2-6 (.333) on threes, and 8-12 (.667) free throws, with 13 rebounds (6.5 rpg), 10 steals (5.0 spg), and 5 assists (2.5 apg).

In NWC stats, Gordon ranks 3rd in steals (19), 4th in field goal pct. (.621), 6th in scoring (15.7 ppg), and 7th in rebounding (7.3 rpg).  A pre-season Third Team All-America selection by D3hoops.com, she ranks 3rd all-time at George Fox is steals (226), 4th in points (1,378), 7th in free throw pct. (.775), 9th in assists (253), and 10th in rebounds (588).

The George Fox 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.

2011-12 Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athletes of the Week

Aug. 29-Sept. 4 - Patti Reeves (Volleyball)

Sept. 5-11 - Melanie Gaither (Soccer)

Sept. 12-18 - Kelsey Morrison (Golf)

Sept. 19-25 - Megan McGrew (Golf)

Sept. 26-Oct. 2 - Kate Freiheit (Cross Country)

Oct. 3-9 - Stephanie Kerr (Volleyball)

Oct. 10-16 - Courtney Hochstetler (Cross Country)

Oct. 17-23 - Megan McGrew (Golf)

Oct. 24-30 - Tiffany Burk (Volleyball)

Oct. 31-Nov. 6 - Patti Reeves (Volleyball)

Nov. 7-13 - Courtney Hochstetler (Cross Country)

Nov. 14-20 - Jami Roos (Basketball)

Nov. 21-27 - Keisha Gordon (Basketball)

Nov. 28-Dec. 4 - Keisha Gordon (Basketball)

BRUIN BITS:

* 2011-12 Honors

Jami Roos

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 14-20

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - Nov. 14-20

Keisha Gordon

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Nov. 21-27; Nov. 28-Dec. 4

- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week - Nov. 21-27; (HM) Nov. 28-Dec. 4

- Posada Royale Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team

Hannah Munger

- Posada Royale Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team

* Polls: Bruins Remain No. 3 in 2nd D3hoops In-Season Rankings

With two conference wins last week to run their record to 6-0, the George Fox Bruins maintained their No. 3 ranking in the second in-season NCAA Division III national poll of Dec. 6 by D3hoops.com. After receiving two first-place votes and 574 points last week, the Bruins this week got one vote for first and 578 points.  The top three teams all held their places as defending national champion Amherst College (5-0) was first with 20 firsts and 618 points, followed by the University of Chicago (6-0) with four firsts and 599 points. Fellow Northwest Conference member Lewis & Clark College (7-0) moved up from 18th to 15th with 244 points.

In the USA Today / ESPN / Women’s Basketball Coaches Association pre-season poll, the Bruins received 156 points. Amherst was first with four votes for the top spot and 172 points, followed narrowly by Chicago with three firsts and 171 points. The first WBCA in-season poll is not due out until after the holidays.

USAToday/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

* Bruins Aiming for 19th Consecutive Winning Season

Under first-year coach Michael Meek, the 2010-11 Bruins finished 25-6, their 18th straight winning season, and will be out to make it 19 in a row in 2011-12. 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 winning seasons under Scott Rueck, who left in the summer of 2010 for the women’s basketball position at his alma mater, Oregon State. George Fox went 364-127 (.738) during that 18-year span from 1993-2011.

* Bruins Take Home Streaks of 41 in a Row vs. NWC into New Season

Entering the 2011-12 season, the Bruins have a home court winning streak against Northwest Conference opponents in all games, including post-season NWC and NCAA Division III Tournament games, of 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 to Puget Sound in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 3, 2007. The Bruins have also won 41 straight regular season-only games vs. the NWC in Newberg since a 55-51 setback to Linfield on Nov. 28, 2006. 

NWC Poll: Bruins Favored to Win 6th Straight League Title

After winning or sharing each of the last five Northwest Conference championships, and with five starters returning, it is perhaps little wonder that the George Fox Bruins are favored to win their sixth straight NWC title as predicted in a pre-season poll of the league’s nine coaches The Bruins picked up seven of nine first-place votes and tallied 70 of 72 possible points in the poll. Lewis & Clark, which shared last year’s regular-season conference crown with George Fox, was second in the poll with 59 points and picked up the other two first-place votes.

(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis).

* NWC Stats: Gordon, Munger Both in NWC Top 10 in 4 Categories

- Thru NWC stats of Dec. 7, George Fox is 1st in blocked shots (5.8 bspg), 2nd in field goal pct. (.445), steals (11.5 spg), 3rd in scoring (72.0 ppg), rebounding (43.2 rpg), 4th in assists (14.7 apg), 5th in 3-pt field goals (34), 3-pt field goal pct. (.304), 9th in free throw pct. (.627), fewest turnovers (21.5 topg) ...

- Keisha Gordon is 3rd in steals (19), 4th in field goal pct. (.621), 6th in scoring (15.7 ppg), 7th in rebounding (7.3 rpg) …

- Hannah Munger is 1st in blocked shots (26), 2nd in rebounding (10.8 rpg), 3rd in field goal pct. (.623), 5th in scoring (15.8 ppg) …

- Arianna Mohsenian is 10th in steals (12, T), 26th in scoring (7.5 ppg) ...

- Jami Roos is 6th in 3-pt field goals (11, T), 22nd in scoring (9.7 ppg) ...

- Hayley Cusick is 8th in free throw pct. (.706) …

- Carrie Myers is 10th in rebounding (6.7 rpg) ...

- Breezy Rinehart-Young is 6th in blocked shots (5, T) ...

* Double-Doubles

- Hannah Munger: season 4, career 29 - 10 pts, 10 reb vs. Corban, 11/15; 14 pts, 18 reb vs. Northwest (Wash.), 11/19; 24 pts, 13 reb vs. Chapman at Thousand Oaks, Calif., 11/26; 19 pts, 10 reb at Whitworth, 12/3

- Keisha Gordon: season 2, career 9 - 12 pts, 12 reb vs. Northwest (Wash.), 11/19; 21 pts, 10 reb at California Lutheran, 11/27

- Megan Arnoldy: season 0, career 1

* Career Lists: 21 Points Needed for Munger to Become 13th Bruin to 1,000

- Keisha Gordon: With 38 points in the last two games, Gordon raised her career points total to 1,378, passing Tammy Lewis (1,341, 1985-89) and Kim Leith (1,348, 2002-06) and moving into 4th on the all-time list. Ahead is former NAIA All-American Nancy Rissmiller (1,403, 1994-98).  She needs 252 more points to surpass Melody Groeneveld-McMaster (1,629, 1981-85) for first on the list … With an 8-12 week at the free throw line last week, her career free throw pct. is .775 (300-387), 7th-best all-time ... With 13 rebounds in the last two games, she has 588 in her career, 10th on the all-time list. Ahead is Angela Pettit (613, 1993-97) ... She had 10 steals in the last two games, giving her 226 in her career, 3rd all-time. Ahead are Becky Thompson (236, 1998-2002) and Linda Funderhide (243, 1987-91) ... She had 5 assists in the last two games, giving her 253 in her career, 9th all-time. Ahead are Roxy Cate (254, 1979-82) and Amy Fitch (258, 2000-04) ...

- Hanna Munger: With 36 points in the last two games, Munger has 979 for her career and needs 21 more to become the 13th player in Bruin history to reach 1,000 for her career.  Ahead on the 1,000-point list are Traci Nelson (1,001, 1988-92) and Robin Taylor (1,006, 2002-05) ... With 4 blocked shots in the last two games, she has 226 career blocked shots, 2nd on the all-time list. Ahead is Tammy Lewis (287, 1985-89) ... After going 14-22 from the field in the last two games, she has a career field goal pct. of .561 (407-725), 2nd to Kristen Shielee (.599, 223-372, 2005-09) ... With 17 rebounds in the last two games, she has 631 in her career, 8th on the all-time list. Ahead are Liz Clark (743, 2001-05), Katy Campbell (747, 2004-08), and Susie Davis (753, 1983-87) …

- Breezy Rinehart-Young: With three blocked shots in the last two games, Rinehart-Young has 74 career blocks, passing Melody Groeneveld-McMaster (72, 1981-85) and tying Lillian Jeske (74, 1981-82) for 9th on the all-time list.  Ahead is Kristy Fleming (76, 1992-94) ...

* Head Coach Michael Meek

Head coach Michael Meek (Eastern Oregon ‘99) is 31-6 (.838) to date in his second season at George Fox. Prior to joining the Bruins, he 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 ...

Meek vs. upcoming opponents:

0-0 vs. Colorado College

2-0 vs. Chapman (1-0 home, 1-0 neutral)