‘Yote Notes –
Dec. 10, 2002
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL
ATHLETICS NEWS:
BASEBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED: The tentative 2003 Albertson
baseball schedule was released on Dec. 9. The Coyotes will play in two
preseason tournament, along with hosting a trio of three-game sereis prior to
the 20-game NAIA Region I schedule. The 'Yotes open up the season Feb. 15
at San Francisco State, and open up home action with a six-game homestand
against Whitworth and Puget Sound on Feb. 28.
DILLEY OFF TO OLYMPIC COACHES
CONFERENCE: Albertson
physical education instructor and longtime running coach Mike Dilley is
participating this week at the Elite Middle/Long Distance Summit in Las
Vegas. The top 25 distance coaches in the nation were invited to
determine how the United States can increase its medal count in the distance events
at the IAAF World Championships and the Olympic Games. Dilley coached the
last American distance runner to win a medal in an international competition
(Pete Julian in the 10,000 meters at the 1999 Pan-American Games).
SKI REPORT: As the Albertson ski programs slowly inch their way toward a January start, Brundage Mountain, site of the 'Yotes first Northwest Conference Qualifier, has a nine inch base, with snow expected all week. As of last Thursday, the home hill at Bogus Basin had an 11 inch base (BB website has not been updated since).
MEN’S BASKETBALL: ‘Yotes win Golden Rule title,
nearly upset Boise State, CCC slate starts next week
LAST WEEK: Lost
at Boise State, 52-50; exhibition win over Akron AAU, 106-94; defeated
Westminster, 67-65.
COMING UP: Idle – begin Cascade Conference season on Dec. 17
at Western Baptist
COYOTES WIN GOLDEN RULE
SHOOT-OUT: Senior Jon Thomas (Nampa,
Idaho / Gem State Academy) banked home an off-balanced runner with just
under three seconds remaining to lift Albertson College to a 67-65 victory over
Westminster in the championship game of the 16th Annual Duane Wolfe Memorial
Golden Rule Shoot-Out. The ‘Yotes
trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half before rallying for the
win. Eric Hare (San Miguel de
Allende, Mexico / West Valley College) had his third big game of the week,
scoring a team-high 18 points, along with seven rebounds for the Coyotes. Tom Perkes (Spokane, Wash. / Big
Bend CC) also had a nice all-around
game – scoring ten points, pulling down eight rebounds, to go along with a
season-high seven assists.
MORE ON THE COMEBACK: Albertson had to fight hard for its first Golden
Rule outright championship since 1999, and the sixth title in 16 years. Westminster dominated the first half of
play, taking a 43-24 lead at intermission – limiting the ‘Yotes to just 8-of-24
shooting from the floor. The lead
expanded to 48-28 with 18:29 left in the game – a point when the Coyotes flat
out took over the contest. A 10-0 run
got the squad in striking distance, finally drawing even at 56 on a Jon Thomas
trey. Albertson took a 65-61 lead late,
but back-to-back Westminster buckets tied the score with less than a minute to
play. The ‘Yotes played for the final
shot, getting Thomas to curl off a elbow screen and rattle home the runner for
the win.
HARE NAMED CASCADE CONFERENCE
PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: With two outstanding
games that counted, and another tremendous game that didn’t, senior big man
Eric Hare was named Cascade Conference Player-of-the-Week. Hare had a team high 17 points and 12
rebounds in the loss at Boise State to go along with his solid night against
Westminster. To top it off, the “Aztec Warrior”
scored 14 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in the exhibition win over the
Akron Wingfoots. Overall, he averaged
16.3 points and 12 rebounds during the week, becoming the first Coyote to earn
the honor since Neal Robertson did last January.
WILD TOURNAMENT: Not only was the large crowd each night very
energetic, but they saw four outstanding games. The tournament opener went down to the wire, as Menlo College
hung on for a 69-67 win over Westminster.
Day two saw the Akron Wingfoots play a frantic pace for 40 minutes,
demolishing tournament records along the way in a 127-110 win over Menlo. Guard Yasir Rosemond set new tournament
records with 69 points over the weekend, and marks for most field goals made
and attempted. Wingfoot forward Jon Hubbard
set a single-game record with 15 assists vs. Menlo, while post John Early tied
a Golden Rule record by hitting 17-of-21 shots in the tourney.
IN THE DARK: Power failures around Canyon County on Friday
night wrecked havoc on the Albertson-Akron game. Prior to tip-off and just following the game, all lights in the
gym went dark for two seconds. The
darkness also halted the game with three minutes left in the first half – a
half which was finished under emergency lighting. Albertson won the contest, 106-94, as Tom Perkes scored 34
points – the third-highest total in tournament history, and highest ever by a
Coyote. Jon Thomas tied a tournament
record with seven three-pointers, six coming in the second half as part of his
24 point night. Albertson never trailed
in the game, using a 16-2 first half run to take control.
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM: Coaches from all four teams voted on a five-man
All-Tournament Team. Both Tom Perkes
and Eric Hare from the ‘Yotes were a part of the squad, as was Adam Hiatt of Westminster,
Yasir Rosemond from the Akron AAU team, and Miguel Gilliard from Menlo.
BRONCOS EKE OUT WIN: It was that close - a game-winning three-point
shot by sophomore Joe Green (Pocatello, Idaho / BYU-Idaho) went
in-and-out at the buzzer, giving host Boise State a come-from-behind 52-50
victory over Albertson before 3,205 fans at the BSU Pavilion last Wednesday.
The Coyotes capped a 9-0 run with a Andy Harper three-ball with 5:32 remaining
to give Albertson a 44-38 lead. However, Boise State got three's from
Bryan DeFares and C.J. Williams to tie the score, and weathered the 'Yote rally
down the stretch to win their 14th-straight over the visitors. "I am really proud of the effort
tonight," said head coach Mark Owen. "Eric Hare and Tom
Perkes played big in the second half. Who would have believed that we
would go into this building and have a shot to win it in the final
seconds." Albertson jumped out to
a 10-3 lead, controlling the tempo with its motion offense. However, the
Coyotes went eight minutes without a field goal, allowing the Broncos to take
their first lead at 17-16. The nip-and-tuck battle would see BSU hold no more
than a three point lead all night. Hare
had a monster game for Albertson, working all night against the taller Bronco
defenders. The senior scored 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Perkes added 17 points and six boards, as the 'Yotes held a 34-29 rebound
marginBoise State converted just 4-of-25 shots from outside the arc against the
Albertson 2-3 zone, but got 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists from
the junior DeFares.
IT HADN’T HAPPENED IN TWENTY
YEARS: Following the loss to Boise
State, a pair of statistical gems was taken out of mothballs. Not since a 52-50 loss to now defunct Judson
Baptist during the 1982-83 season had the Coyotes given up so few points and
lost. How about this one – the 50
points scored by the ‘Yotes were the fewest scored by Albertson in 19 years, a
43-36 win over Western Baptist in 1984.
ON THE GLASS: Rebounding has not been one of the strong points
of the two previous clubs for Mark Owen.
Not since the 1999-2000 season had the Coyotes finished the year with
more rebounds than its opponents.
However, with a pair of strong showings this weekend, the ‘Yotes now
hold a two rebound advantage over their opponents through the first 13
games. Not bad for a team without a
player taller than 6-7.
‘YOTES FORFEIT THREE GAMES: The Albertson men’s basketball team has
voluntarily forfeited a trio of games due to the usage of an ineligible player. A member of the team dropped below the NAIA
required number of credits to be enrolled in, subsequently became ineligible –
and played in three games. The ‘Yotes
lost one of the three games in question, a 80-79 decision to Concordia on Nov.
21, but must forfeit the 87-76 win over Southern Oregon on Nov. 22, and the
93-68 win over Northwest on Nov. 23.
Following the forfeits, Albertson now has an overall record of 7-6.
INSIDE THE CONFERENCE NUMBERS:
With the preseason slate completed, the
Coyotes have fared well among the statistical categories within the Cascade
Conference. Albertson leads the
ten-team league in field goal percentage (.498) and free throw percentage
(.804), along with holding opponents to the least number of rebounds
(30.5). Tom Perkes ranks fifth in the
loop in free throw percentage (.838), sixth in field goal percentage (.556),
eighth in scoring average (17.9), and tenth in rebound average (6.6). Eric Hare is fifth in field goal percentage
(.564) and 12th in rebound average (6.5), while Joe Green is fourth in steals
per game (3.0), seventh in assists per game (4.6), and ninth in three-point
percentage (.447).
‘YOTES TAKE THE WEEK OFF: With finals being taken on campus this week, the
Coyotes will see more time in the library this week than on the court. Albertson will open up Cascade Conference
play next Tuesday night in Salem, Ore. against Western Baptist.
RADIO STILL QUESTIONABLE: As of today, the plan still is to carry all 18 Cascade Conference men’s games, along with nine CCC women’s road games on 1490 KCID-AM, however, no firm commitment from the radio station and advertisers has been reached. All games, however, will be broadcast on the Internet at (www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx), with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action.
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.
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 men’s basketball
website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mbasketball/stats/standings.htm.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Northwest Nazarene rematch final tune-up for Cascade
Conference schedule
LAST
WEEK: Lost to Northwest Nazarene, 79-66; defeated
Walla Walla, 98-33; lost to Lewis-Clark State, 90-68.
COMING
UP: at Northwest Nazarene, Saturday, 7 p.m.
UP-AND-DOWN
WEEK FOR LADY ‘YOTES: As the Cascade
Conference season draws ever so close, the Albertson women’s basketball team
finished its final three-game week until late January with a see-saw of
results. A hard-fought, but difficult
loss to Northwest Nazarene, a run of the mill blowout against Walla Walla
College, and a neutral court loss to NAIA power Lewis-Clark State.
CRUSADERS
WIN FIRST MEETING SINCE 2000: No
player on the Lady ‘Yotes active roster had ever suited up against rival
Northwest Nazarene, and only two Crusader players (Alysson Kollmann and Shelli
Bunn) had faced the Coyotes. In an
entertaining game for the nearly 400 fans in the J.A. Albertson Activities
Center, a hot shooting first half led the visitors from Nampa to a 79-66 win. The Crusaders jumped out to a 9-0 lead and
hit 19-of-33 shots from the floor in the first half. Albertson would not quit, however, trimming the lead to five in
the second half, before NNU pulled away late.
BAILEY
HAS BIG NIGHT: Post Kristen Bailey (Fountain Green, Utah / Snow CC) was a one-woman wrecking crew on Tuesday night,
doing everything in her part to keep the Coyotes in the game. Bailey scored a season-high 19 points to go
along with a season-high 16 rebounds, her fourth double-double of the
season. She also set a new school
record with eight blocked shots, breaking her own mark of seven set earlier
this year. The Coyotes also set a new
school record with ten blocks as a team.
UTTER
DOMINATION: After a fog-ridden van
ride over the Blue Mountains to Walla Walla, Wash., the ladies got down to
business in a hurry against Walla Walla College – to the tune of an 98-33
victory. Albertson actually trailed
4-2, 2:30 into the game – but from there on, it was all Lady ‘Yotes. A 17-2 run got the lead to 19-4, while an
18-0 run to end the first half gave the Coyotes a 47-16 edge at the break. The second half was more of the same – with the
second unit providing runs of 16-0 and 13-0, giving the Lady ‘Yotes a chance to
crack 100 for the first time since 2000.
The team did extend its record to 19-0 in games where they scored 90 or
more points.
YES,
THERE IS A BENCH: The majority of the Walla
Walla game was played by the Albertson bench – as the five starters combined
for an average of 12 minutes of action on Friday afternoon. Leading the 54-8 charge by the Lady ‘Yote
reserves was junior Amanda
Basañez (Elko, Nev. / College of
Southern Idaho), who erupted for 20
points and six rebounds, on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor. Freshman forward Kim Strunk (Twin Falls,
Idaho / Twin Falls HS) recorded her
first collegiate double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 14
rebounds. Also having a nice game was
junior post Sarah
Wilkin (Twin Falls, Idaho /
Southwestern Oregon CC), who had
season-highs with ten points and seven boards.
20 OFF
THE PINE? The 20-point night for
Amanda Basañez off the bench was only the fourth time in school history that a
Lady ‘Yote had tallied 20-or-more as a non-starter. Stacey Hammar holds the school record with 32 off the bench in a
victory over Warner Pacific during the 1999-2000 season.
BIGGEST
WIN SINCE?: The 65-point victory
margin was fourth-largest victory margin in school history, and the biggest
since a 102-17 win over Maine-Fort Kent in 2000. Only the NAIA record 127-14 win over CSU-Monterey Bay and the
95-29 win over Maine-Machias have larger victory margins than Friday’s
blowout. It was the sixth time in
school history that Albertson has defeated an opponent by 60-or-more
points. The largest Coyote defeat was
by 48 points, a 93-45 loss to the University of Utah, last season.
LC-STATE
CURSE CONTINUES: For the seventh time in
seven meetings, Albertson could not figure out Lewis-Clark State, as the No. 20
ranked Warriors topped the Coyotes, 90-68.
LCSC ran out to a 9-0 lead and led 48-26 at the break – extending the
mark to as many as 30 in the second half.
Pacing the Albertson attack was a season-high 18 points from point-guard
Krystal Thacker (Elko, Nev. / BYU-Idaho). The loss also ended a streak of eight
consecutive wins on a neutral court – the last neutral floor loss was to
Northwestern (Iowa) in the 2001 NAIA National Championship game.
RECORD
WATCH: With 20 games remaining in the
regular-season, junior guard Heidi
Goicoechea (Burley, Idaho / Burley
HS) has a definite chance to become the first
Lady ‘Yote to join the 1,000 point club as a junior. Averaging 13.6 points per game, Goicoechea has scored 163 points
so far this season, giving her 752 points in her Albertson career, good enough
for sixth-place all-time. At her
current pace, she would join Michelle Westcott (1996-98), Alyson Pincock
(2000-01), Jeannie Thompson (1999-02), and Linsi Sloan (1997-01) as a member of
the elite group at Southern Oregon on February 15. Incidentally, Kristen Bailey has now blocked 130 shots in her
career, which is more than double than any other Lady ‘Yote in school history.
MORE
POWER TO THE FRESHMEN: Over the last
eight years, it has been an influx of junior college transfers that have
bolstered the Lady ‘Yotes. This year,
however, a pair of freshmen are beginning to prove their worth. Not only did Kim Strunk have a solid game
against Walla Walla, but also followed it up with 14 points and four rebounds
against Lewis-Clark State. For the
week, she averaged 12.7 points and nine rebounds. Joining Strunk is starter Dani Cotterell (Nampa, Idaho /
Nampa HS), who hit all five of
her shots, including a trio of three-pointers, against Walla Walla. She is averaging over ten points a night
this season, and leads the team with a .357 three-point percentage.
HENRICHS
BEGINS REHAB: The long road to
recovery for senior forward Megan
Henrichs (Preston, Idaho /
Preston HS) has begun. Opting not to have surgery on her injured
knee, Henrichs has been in rehab for weeks and began basketball skills last
week. “Megan looked really good
shooting the basketball,” said head coach Reagan Rossi. “The key will be how her meniscus holds up
during full-speed drills.” A tentative
target date for her return is the January home games with Evergreen and
Northwest.
CONFERENCE
LEADERS: With the bulk of the
non-conference season over, and conference play just one-week away, Albertson
is faring well among the Cascade Conference statistical leaders. The Lady ‘Yotes lead the loop in rebounds
per game with 40.5, while dominating the blocked shots category (5.5 per game). Individually, Kristen Bailey leads the CCC
in blocks per game (4.5) and defensive rebounds per game (7.5), while ranking
fourth in overall rebound average (9.1), fifth in field goal percentage (.505),
and eleventh in scoring average (13.0).
Heidi Goicoechea ranks fourth in free throw percentage (.919) and ninth
in scoring average (13.9), with Lindsey
Karren (Brigham City, Utah /
Salt Lake CC) ranking seventh in
rebound average (8.3).
ROUND
TWO WITH NNU: Albertson completes its
home-and-home set with Northwest
Nazarene on Saturday night, where
the Crusaders are 4-0 on the season.
NNU (5-0) opened up Great Northwest Conference play on Saturday,
defeating Saint Martin’s, 74-63. Five
players, led by wing Heidi Buehler (13.8 ppg), average in double figures. Albertson, which is 2-4 against NNU in
Caldwell, is 0-for-9 in meetings at Montgomery Fieldhouse.
INTERNET BROADCAST
INFORMATION: Saturday’s Canyon County clash
with Northwest Nazarene in Nampa will be broadcast live on the internet at www.collegeofidaho.edu/webcam/Athletics.asx. Albertson students Jordan Komoto and Jake
McClean will call the Lady ‘Yotes action, beginning at 7 p.m. Despite radio issues, the plan is still to
have all Lady ‘Yote road games live on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr.
calling the action, beginning Dec. 17 at Western Baptist.
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.
- ALBERTSON -