‘Yote Notes –
Jan. 6, 2003
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
C.A.A. BOOSTER CLUB DINNERS SET FOR
NEXT TWO MONTHS: The
first Coyote Athletic Association booster club dinners have been set for the
next two months. The first dinner is
set for Thursday, January 23 – with men’s and women’s basketball as the theme,
with the February dinner set for Thursday, Feb. 20 – with playoff basketball,
along with skiing and spring sports the focus.
Both dinners will take place in the Simplot Dining Hall on the Albertson
campus at 7 p.m.
ALPINE
SKIING:
COMING UP: Northwest Conference Qualifier #1, Brundage Mountain, Friday-Sunday
WEEKEND
IN MCCALL: The Albertson alpine ski program will head up Highway 55
this weekend for the first Northwest Conference Qualifier of the season at
Brundage Mountain Resort. Eleven other
programs will join the Coyotes on the mountain – Boise State, British Columbia,
Central Oregon CC, Gonzaga, University of Idaho, University of Oregon, Oregon
State, Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Seattle University, University of
Washington, and Western Oregon. The conditions
should be perfect for racing, considering no big accumulating snows are
forecasted for the next week – which will lead to firm, icy conditions.
SNOW
REPORT: Bogus Basin – 44 inch base, 46 inches at the summit;
Brundage Mountain – 52 inch base, 74 inches at the summit.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (4-0 CCC, 10-8 overall): Lady
‘Yotes sweep weekend set, take five-game win streak on road to Portland
LAST
WEEK: Defeated Evergreen, 81-54; defeated
Northwest, 69-60.
COMING
UP: at Cascade, Friday, 7 p.m. (MST); at Warner
Pacific, 7 p.m. (MST)
WIN
STREAK EXTENDED TO FIVE: With weekend wins
over Evergreen and Northwest, the Albertson women’s basketball team extended
their home court win streak to three and their overall winning streak to five
in-a-row. It
is the longest run for the Lady ‘Yotes since the 2000-01 season, when Albertson
won its final nine Cascade Conference games.
The school record is 11 games, set during the 1996-97 season.
SECOND
HALF SURGES CONTINUE: In what is
becoming a game after game occurrence, Albertson has used big second half runs
to put away opponents. In their past
five games, the Coyotes have outscored their opponents by an average of 18
points in the second half – dropping in nearly 47 points per game after
halftime. In the second half against
Northwest, the Lady ‘Yotes hit their first six shots of the period, while
against Evergreen, the team drained 18-of-29 shots from the floor (62-percent).
BAILEY
STOPS NORTHWEST, EARNS PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK HONOR: When the going got tough against Northwest,
Albertson went to the paint and post Kristen Bailey (Fountain Green,
Utah / Snow CC) to rally for a 69-60
victory over the pesky Eagles. The
senior scored 19 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked six shots on the
evening – and was a deciding force down the stretch. Her bucket with less than seven minutes left erased a 51-50
Northwest lead, and her offensive board and put back with three minutes left
paved the way for the win. It was
Bailey’s seventh double-double of the season, and 20th of her Coyote career. She earned her first Cascade Conference Player-of-the-Week
honor for the effort, averaging 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five
blocks during the two Coyote wins.
MORE
ON BAILEY: Averaging 13 points and
ten boards a game this season, Bailey has seen herself move up the all-time
ladder in a pair of categories. She now
ranks tenth all-time in points scored with 560 and seventh all-time in rebounds
with 453. Bailey now has 155 career
blocked shots, nearly three times as many as her closest counterpart. Incidentally, she is just 16 blocks away
from surpassing her 2001-02 total of 85.
LONG
DROUGHT DOOMS EVERGREEN: The last-place
Geoducks from Evergreen salvaged half of the battle on Friday night, trailing
just 36-28 at halftime. However, thanks
to a hot shooting half from the Coyotes, and missing 13 consecutive shots early
in the second stanza, Albertson pulled away for an 81-54 win. Heidi
Goicoechea (Burley, Idaho / Burley
HS) led four players in double figures with 19
points, hitting five three-pointers on the night. The Lady ‘Yotes had a season-high 24 assists in the game, paced
by point-guard Alyssa
Latham (Walla Walla, Wash. /
Walla Walla CC) with eight assists to go
along with nine points.
GOICOECHEA
HAS STRONG WEEKEND: Averaging 20 points and
eight rebounds, Heidi Goicoechea was one of many standout players for the
Coyotes this weekend. The junior
converted 6-of-7 shots from the foul line, and continues to lead the Cascade
Conference in that category at a .875 percent clip. She now has 838 points (sixth all-time), 364 rebounds (ninth),
and 155 assists (eight) in her career.
KARREN
DOUBLING UP: Consistency was the name
of the game for Lindsey
Karren (Brigham City, Utah /
Salt Lake CC), who recorded
double-doubles in both weekend games.
The junior scored ten points with 12 rebounds against Evergreen, and
followed it up with 13 points, 12 boards, and five steals versus
Northwest. It was the eighth time in 18
games that Karren has recorded double-figure rebounds, and it was her second
and third double-doubles of the year.
She leads the Coyotes in a pair of categories – offensive rebounds with
61, and steals with 35.
THE
NEW GIRL: The Lady ‘Yotes have
added a new player to their roster as the Winter Term begins at Albertson
College. Six-foot three-inch forward Michelle Dyreng (Kaysville, Utah / Snow CC) was a teammate of fellow Coyote Kristen Bailey at
Snow Community College during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, where their
team went 57-9 during their tenure.
Dyreng, who took a year off from basketball, will play the power forward
and post positions for Albertson, and head coach Reagan Rossi has not ruled out the
option of having “twin towers” on the floor at the same time.
CONFERENCE
NUMBERS: Although the Lady ‘Yotes
do not lead the Cascade Conference in any team categories when the entire
season is taken into context, the Coyotes dominate the stats in CCC play. Through four games, Albertson leads the
conference in scoring margin (+21.5), rebounding margin (+13.5), blocked shots
per game (8.0), and three-pointers made per game (6). In conference-only play, Heidi Goicoechea leads the loop in
three-pointers made per game (3.2) and ranks third in scoring average (18.5
ppg). Kristen Bailey leads the CCC in
both blocked shots per game (5.0) and defensive rebounds per game (8.5), while
her and Lindsey Karren rank third in rebounds per game (10.8).
AROUND
THE CONFERENCE: The Lady ‘Yotes are tied
atop the Cascade Conference standings with Southern Oregon after the Raiders
won home games against Cascade and Warner Pacific. Oregon Tech fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a loss to
Cascade, and sits tied for third-place with Eastern Oregon, who also swept
Northwest and Evergreen. With the road
split, Cascade is in fifth-place, with Concordia and Western Baptist tied for
sixth. Northwest, Warner Pacific, and
Evergreen have yet to notch a CCC win.
This week’s marquee match-ups have Oregon Tech heading to Ashland for
the first-ever meeting with Southern, and Albertson facing Cascade.
FINAL
ROAD TRIP FOR A WHILE: The schedule
makers were kind to the Coyote basketball teams this year, as Albertson will
make just one road trip West during what typically is the harshest winter
month. The Lady ‘Yotes return to the
Willamette Valley this weekend, traveling to the self-proclaimed “Thunderdome”
and a meeting with Cascade
College. The
Thunderbirds (2-1, 11-5) have been the talk of the Cascade Conference this
season, recording more wins this season than in the past three years
combined. First-year head coach John
Phillips has been plagued by the up-and-downs – coaching the top scorer (Nicole
Brown at 25.2 ppg) and rebounder (Marquetta Pruitt at 11.9 rpg), but having
just lost a pair of starters to grades.
The T-Birds are last in the conference in three-point percentage (.256),
but still hoist 17 three-point attempts per game. Cascade’s record could be even better, but the squad ended games
with Christian Heritage and Linfield with just four players on the floor. Albertson has won all four previous meetings
with Cascade, including a 70-42 win in Portland. Day two of the trip has the Lady ‘Yotes headed to Southeast
Portland for a encounter with Warner
Pacific. The
Knights (0-3, 2-13) have lost five in-a-row, and 11 of their past 12, but have
played just three games at home all season.
CCC Freshman-of-the-Year Shawna Damon (14.8 ppg) is one of three Warner
Pacific players averaging in double figures – transfers Joy Best (12.4 ppg) and
Angie Sun (10.5 ppg) are guards who can shoot from the perimeter. Of the Knights 12 preseason games, seven were
against NCAA Division II teams, three were against NCAA Division III teams, and
two against NAIA Division I schools.
Albertson has won 5-of-6 meetings with WPC, including a 66-41 victory in
Portland last season.
RADIO AND INTERNET BROADCAST INFORMATION: Friday’s game at Cascade and Saturday’s game at Warner Pacific will be broadcast live on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action. The pre-game show will begin at 6:55 p.m. in the Treasure Valley, with the tip-off set for 7 p.m. The game can also be heard live on the internet at www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES:
For game stories, statistics, and
information regarding the Albertson women’s basketball program, head to the
official site of Lady ‘Yote basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.
CASCADE CONFERENCE HOTLINE: For up-to-date scores from the Cascade Conference,
call the Cascade Conference Hotline at (208) 459-5135. Each night, scores and updated standings are
posted on the Conference Standings page within the Albertson women’s basketball
website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wbasketball/stats/standings.htm.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (1-3 CCC, 8-9 overall): ‘Yotes
split home games, Perkes named CCC Player-of-the-Week
LAST WEEK: Defeated
Evergreen, 97-86; lost to Northwest, 81-75.
COMING UP: at Cascade, Friday, 9 p.m. (MST); at Warner
Pacific, Saturday, 9 p.m. (MST)
LOST HOME COURT EDGE: To be successful in the Cascade Conference during
the 2002-03 season, a team must win their games at home and try their best to
salvage a split at home. This weekend,
the Albertson men’s basketball team did not live up to the challenge, defeating
Evergreen on Friday night, but succumbing to Northwest College on Saturday. The loss, coupled with back-to-back road
losses to open the CCC season, and the Coyotes are sitting in a tie for
eighth-place in the ten-team league.
One saving grace – there are 14 games remaining in the regular-season.
ONE MAN CAN’T STOP COYOTES: Mike Parker single-handedly tried to stop
Albertson on Friday night, but even with a career-high 40 points, Evergreen
dropped a 97-86 decision to the ‘Yotes, ending a Coyote two-game losing
streak. A 16-2 first half run gave
Albertson the lead for good, and Andy Harper (Idaho Falls, Idaho /
Columbia Basin CC) salted the game away with all 17 of his points in the
second half. Both Tom Perkes (Spokane,
Wash. / Big Bend CC) and Eric
Hare (San Miguel de Allende, Mex. / West Valley CC) recorded double-doubles
in the win. Perkes scoring 22 points
and 13 rebounds, going 11-for-12 from the line, while Hare scored 18 points to
go along with 11 boards. Jon Thomas (Nampa,
Idaho / Gem State Academy) hit five three-pointers en route to a 17 point
evening.
REBOUND PARTY: Part of the reason for the victory over Evergreen
was the Coyotes unrelenting assault of the boards. The ‘Yotes held a 43-22 rebound advantage on the night, the
biggest rebound margin in a game since Feb. 12, 2000 against Cascade. Albertson also held a 15-8 margin on the
offensive glass.
MATT WHO?: A combination of poor play and foul trouble forced
Mark Owen to go deep into his bench early Friday night. His selection of true freshman Matt
Barclay (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) paid off, as the youngster
scored seven points and netted six rebounds.
Barclay, who had played in just a total of nine minutes in three games
prior to Friday, went 3-for-6 from the floor in 16 minutes of action. He did not score, but logged 12 more minutes
of playing time on Saturday against Northwest.
A NIGHT TO FORGET: It was plain as day to the more than 1,300 fans in
the J.A. Albertson Activities Center on Saturday night – Northwest played 40
minutes of tenacious basketball, the Coyotes did not. The result was a 81-75 loss to the Eagles, the first ‘Yote home
loss of the season. Albertson trailed
43-34 at halftime, and by as many as 13 in the second half before cutting the
lead to 70-69 down the stretch.
However, a missed one-and-one and two subsequent three-pointers ended
the Coyote threat, as Northwest won for the first time in school history in
Caldwell. Albertson shot just 27-of-67
from the floor in the loss.
COMMON THEME IN LOSSES: Although the ship seemed righted against Evergreen,
common problems were exposed again in the loss to Northwest on Saturday –
missing open shots and rebounding. In
the three Cascade Conference losses, Albertson has shot just 70-of-183 from the
floor (.382 percent) and a woeful 22-of-71 (.310 percent) from outside the
three-point stripe. On the glass it is
worse, as the ‘Yotes are being outfought on the boards by nearly 13 rebounds in
the three defeats.
PERKES NAMED CONFERENCE
PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: In one of the more
surprising events in recent memory, junior forward Tom Perkes was named Cascade
Conference Player-of-the-Week after a pair of solid performances against
Evergreen and Northwest. Perkes
averaged 22 points and ten rebounds in the two contests, going 13-of-22 from
the floor and 16-of-17 from the line.
It is the second Coyote selection in the first five weeks of the award.
TOUGH ROAD SWING THROUGH
PORTLAND: In what has turned out to be
one of the more difficult road trips for Cascade Conference teams of late,
Albertson is looking for at least a split this weekend against Cascade and
Warner Pacific in Portland. Last
season, it was the No. 17 ranked Thunderbirds (1-2, 11-4) who gave Albertson
fits, dominating both meetings between the clubs. However, in one of more stranger situations in recent memory,
Cascade had to forfeit both wins against Albertson along with 13 other game,
along with its CCC tournament berth, for using an ineligible player. With that behind them, Craig Moody has
assembled another ultra-athletic team which was rolling (including a victory at
NCAA Division I Portland State) before dropping games at Southern Oregon and
Oregon Tech this weekend. Fruitland
native Matt Evers (17.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg) has had an outstanding start to the season,
as has transfer Tevis Jones (16.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg). The T-Birds dominate the boards (+8 rebound margin), but shoot
just .618 from the foul line. Albertson
holds a 29-2 all-time mark against Cascade, including five straight dating back
to 2000. Saturday’s night against the
Knights (0-3, 11-6), currently the last-place team in the CCC, should be a
doozy. Warner is 5-0 at home this
season, including a win over Simon Fraser, the No. 1 ranked team in
Canada. Two-time All-Conference
selection Matt Segrin (17.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is a workhorse inside, with
sharp-shooting point-guard Demarcus Best (14.3 ppg, 5.4 apg) patrolling the
backcourt. The well-coached Knights,
led by Bart Valentine, opened up CCC play with what may have been the toughest
schedule in the loop – and road losses at Cascade, Southern Oregon, and Oregon
Tech. Each team won on their home court
last season – Albertson 79-73 in Caldwell, and Warner 93-87 in Portland. The Coyotes hold a 21-7 all-time edge in the
series.
ON THE AIR: Listen to both weekend games (Friday at Cascade, Saturday at Warner Pacific) live on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action, with the pregame show beginning around 8:50 p.m. (MST) each night. For those outside the Treasure Valley, the games can also be heard via the Albertson athletic website at the following address: www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE
COYOTES: For game stories, statistics,
and information regarding the Albertson men’s basketball program, head to the
official site of Coyote basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
- ALBERTSON -