‘Yote Notes –
Dec. 14, 2004
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@collegeofidaho.edu
ATHLETICS
NEWS:
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL SCHEDULES RELEASED: The 2005 Albertson College baseball and softball schedules have been released. The Coyotes baseball team will be playing 22 home games this season, including a Feb. 8 (if there is no snow) meeting with Northwest Nazarene. Complete Baseball Schedule The Lady ‘Yotes softball team will play 22 home games this season, with their season opener at NNU on Feb. 10. Complete Softball Schedule
MEN’S BASKETBALL (8-2): Albertson
heads to Seattle for Cascade Conference openers at Northwest & Evergreen
LAST WEEK: Idle since Dec. 4
COMING UP: at Northwest, Friday, 7:30 p.m. (PST); at
Evergreen, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (PST)
RADIO AND LIVE STATS: All 29 Albertson men’s basketball games will be broadcast
live on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr. calling the play-by-play, along with
a simulcast via the Albertson Athletic Website. Airtime this weekend is set for 5:15 p.m. (PST) for the women’s
action, with the men’s pregame show beginning 20-minutes prior to their
tip-off.
COYOTES REJOIN NAIA TOP-TEN: For the 11th consecutive regular-season
polling period, the Albertson College men’s basketball team has been a part of
the NAIA Division II top-ten. Beginning
the season ranked No. 21, the ‘Yotes climbed 13 spots to No. 8 in the first
poll of the 2004-05 season. Last year,
the Coyotes were ranked No. 9 in the initial national poll, climbing to as high
as No. 3, where Albertson spent a total of three weeks.
OTHER TEAMS IN THE POLL: Making the biggest jump in the poll was fellow
Cascade Conference team, Western Baptist.
The Warriors, one of four unbeaten teams remaining in the NAIA Division
II, moved to No. 3 in the poll – the highest ranking in school history. Western earned four first-place votes from
the voters. Also in the Top-25 was
Oregon Tech, whose 6-4 start dropped the defending national champs from No. 1
to No. 19. In the NAIA Division I poll,
two Coyote opponents – Montana-Western and Christian Heritage, were tied for
the No. 10 spot.
THE GAMES THAT COUNT: After a solid preseason schedule, the Coyotes open
up probably the most difficult Cascade Conference schedule in the 14-year
history of the league. Things will
definitely be shook up by the time Sunday rolls around, as Oregon Tech and
Southern Oregon head north to meet Concordia and Western Baptist, Cascade heads
to Warner Pacific – while Eastern and Albertson head to Seattle for a pair of
games.
NORTHWEST WANTS TO JOIN THE
PARTY: After dropping three games to
Albertson last season, including one in overtime, Northwest looks for
redemption in the CCC opener Friday night.
The Eagles (8-4) return all five starters from last season, including
four players 6-7 or taller – which has helped them to a plus-ten rebound margin
this season, tops in the Cascade Conference.
Leading the group is Aaron Sawyer (16.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg), who had 23 point
and ten rebounds in a win at Whitman on Friday night. Sawyer averaged 16 points and eight rebounds in the three games
against the ‘Yotes last year. Two other
posts to watch out for are freshman Stephen Ishmael (10.7 ppg, .776 FG%) and
Tyson Dodd (8.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) – the No. 1 and No. 2 field goal percentage
leaders in the league. It is the 17th
meeting between the teams, with Albertson holding a 12-4 advantage.
ALWAYS TOUGH TO PLAY IN THE
CLAMDOME: For one season, the CCC hoop
parade centered around Evergreen, when the Geoducks took home the
2001-02 league championship. Since
then, the club has struggled – a 13-20 mark in 2002-03 and a 10-20 mark last season. The Geoducks (5-7) have been up-and-down
this season – road wins at Pacific Lutheran and Lewis & Clark, but are 1-4
this season in the Clamdome. Head coach
John Barbee, who picked up his 100th win earlier in the year,
returns starters Walter Tucker (10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Julius Marshall (8.5
ppg, 4.3 rpg) – but has a team shooting just 42-percent from the field,
31-percent from the arc, and 58-percent from the line. Albertson swept the series from Evergreen
last season and has won four-straight against the state-school in Olympia,
Wash. Saturday’s match-up is the 11th
between the teams, with Albertson holding a 7-3 edge.
COYOTES VS. NATIONALLY RANKED
OPPONENTS: With
the two victories over No. 17 Westminster this season, and wins over now No. 10
Christian Heritage and No. 10 Montana-Western, the Coyotes now hold a 32-17
record against NAIA Division I and II nationally ranked teams in Mark Owen’s
coaching tenure. The ‘Yotes dropped
their first six games against Top-25 teams during the 2000-01 season, but have
rebounded to win 32 of the last 43. The
top marks for Albertson were during the 2002-03 season in which the ‘Yotes went
10-5 against ranked teams, while going 9-2 against ranked teams last season (including
three wins against preseason No. 1 ranked Oregon Tech and a win over now No. 2
ranked William Jewell).
RECORD ON ROAD UNDER COACH
OWEN: Home
has not been where the Coyotes have stayed during their non-conference games in
the Mark Owen era. In fact, of the 60
non-conference games played by Albertson during the five-year stretch, 45 have
been on the road (a combined 26-19 record).
Since the start of the 2000-01 season, the ‘Yotes have a 12-3 mark in
the J.A. Albertson Activities Center against non-Cascade Conference teams (with
two of the losses coming to Westminster in the Golden Rule Shoot-Out). On the road, Albertson has an 11-11 mark,
while the ‘Yotes are 15-8 in games played on a neutral court.
ALBERTSON HANDLING NAIA
DIVISION I FOES: Over the last four
seasons, the Coyotes have had amazing success against teams from the Frontier
Conference and the NAIA Division I.
Including the 6-0 mark this season, Albertson is an astounding 23-3
against NAIA Division I clubs since the 2001-02 season. An even more startling number is the ‘Yotes
record away from Caldwell against the same group – as Albertson boasts a 16-1
road mark against the higher-caliber teams.
FOUR TOURNAMENTS, FOUR TITLES:
It has been a
clean sweep of the hardware this season for the Albertson College men’s
basketball team. A championship at the
Point Loma Collegiate Classic, the title of the Golden Rule Shoot-Out, the
title in the Westminster College Classic, and the title of the Quinn
Classic. In all, the Coyotes have a
perfect 8-0 record in tournament play during the 2004-05 season.
CONFERENCE AND NATIONAL NUMBERS: As a team, the Coyotes
lead the Cascade Conference in a pair of statistical categories – steals per
game (12.1) and turnover margin (+ 7.6), while ranking last in rebounds per
game (29.0) and rebound margin (-8.0).
In the two positive categories, Albertson ranks No. 2 in the NAIA
Division II in turnover margin and No. 8 in steals per game. Individually, Joe Green (Pocatello, Idaho /
BYU-Idaho)
leads the league and the NAIA in steals per game, while ranking second in the
CCC and 11th nationally in assists per game (5.5). Also among the nation’s elite is E.J. Costello (Pleasanton, Calif. /
Chabot CC),
who ranks third in the league and 23rd nationally in three-pointers
made per game (2.7), with Dan McFaul (Moses Lake, Wash. / Big Bend CC) ranking
third in the loop and 31st in the NAIA in steals per game
(2.3). Rich Fried (Middleton, Idaho /
Boise State Univ.) is third in the CCC in blocks per game (1.3) and fifth
in field goal percentage (.629), with Steve Humphreys (Reno, Nev. / Lassen
CC) second in both blocks per game (1.42) and offensive rebounds per game
(3.3). Rounding out the group is Derek Brown (Las Vegas, Nev. /
Desert Pines HS), who sits in eighth-place in both assists per game (3.9) and steals per game
(2.0).
CASCADE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Eric
Fiegi (WB) 28.9, Chris Lynn (EOU) 22.2, Shea Washington (SOU) 21.8, Jeff Dunn
(WB) 18.8, Jared Alsup (CC) 18.1.
Rebound Average – Washington 10.3, Fiegi 8.8, Chad Fairbanks (EOU) 8.7,
Alex Carlson (OIT) 7.2, Brandon Erlandson (CU) 6.9. Field Goal Percentage – Stephen Ishmael (NU) .776, Tyson Dodd
(NU) .709, Washington .649, Fiegi .632, Rich Fried (ACI) .629. Assists Average – Joshua Garrett (CC) 7.9,
Joe Green (ACI) 5.5, Andrew Gard (NU) 5.2, Donny Woods (WP) 5.1, Matt Larson
(WB) 4.9.
HUMPHREYS SET FOR RETURN: The injury report for the Coyotes got a bit of
good news as starting post Steve Humphreys was cleared to return to action this
week. The senior sustained an eye
injury during the Thanksgiving road trip to Utah and had missed the past two
weeks. Freshman Justin Fried (Middleton,
Idaho / Middleton HS) and junior Mark Black (Hammett, Idaho /
Glenns Ferry HS) continue to nurse sprained ankles and are day-to-day.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information
regarding the Albertson men’s basketball program, head to the official site
Coyote Basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (5-7): Boudreaux
named CCC Player of the Week, ‘Yotes to host NNU, open CCC play on road
LAST WEEK: at Aramark Holiday Classic, La Grande, Ore. – vs.
Walla Walla (W 97-33), vs. Whitworth (L 64-53)
COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene, Tuesday, 7 p.m.; at
Northwest, Friday, 5:30 p.m. (PST); at Evergreen, Saturday, 5:30 p.m. (All Live
on 1490 KCID-AM and Internet)
RADIO AND INTERNET: All nine women’s CCC road games will be broadcast
live this season on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford Jr. calling the action. In addition, all home games (along with the
nine CCC road tilts) will be broadcast live on the internet, courtesy of the
Albertson Athletic Website, with students Jordan Komoto and Jake McClean
calling the play-by-play. All three
games this will be carried live on radio and the internet, beginning 15-minutes
prior to the scheduled tip-off.
BOUDREAUX EARNS WEEKLY HONOR: With a pair of double-doubles and a school-record,
Coyote post Desirae Boudreaux (Provo, Utah / Western Wyoming CC) earned
Cascade Conference Player of the Week honors.
The junior set a new school record with 11 offensive rebounds in a 97-33
win over Walla Walla. Boudreaux scored
22 points and had 13 in the contest, then followed it up with 18 points and ten
rebounds against Whitworth – earning All-Tournament team honors for the
second-straight week.
RIVALRY GAME DURING FINALS
WEEK: The men played their game in
the Idaho Center, the women will meet in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center –
as Albertson and Northwest Nazarene tussle in women’s basketball on Tuesday
night. The game has double meaning for
both teams, as finals are being conducted on the Canyon County campuses –
putting basketball on the backburner for some.
So far this season, the ACI-NNU rivalry is tied at 1-1 (Albertson
volleyball defeating NNU in five games, NNU men’s basketball topping the ‘Yotes
78-75).
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS: A perennial NAIA Division II power in the 1990s,
Northwest Nazarene has held their own since their move to the NCAA Division II
four years ago. This year, the
Crusaders (4-4) have played a brutal non-conference schedule – including games
at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal-State Bakersfield.
Scoring has not been a problem for NNU, averaging 74 points per game and
ranking second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a .772 free
throw percentage. However, the uptempo
style has hurt the ‘Saders at times, as the squad averages 24 turnovers per game. Sophomore Danielle Pridgen (15.1 ppg, 8.4
rpg) leads the club in scoring and rebounds – including 27 against Cal Poly
over the weekend. Whitney VanBrocklin
(11.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Carrie Metz (11.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) also average in
double-figures.
HISTORY OF NNU-ALBERTSON
WOMEN: Tuesday’s game is the 19th
meeting between the teams since Albertson reinstated women’s basketball in
1995. NNU has dominated the series,
winning 16 of the 18 previous games, including eight-straight. The last Albertson win was on Feb. 20, 1999
– when the Lady ‘Yotes defeated the Crusaders, 50-49. Last season, NNU defeated Albertson, 80-68 in Caldwell, and 82-62
in Nampa.
A CRUSADER ON THE COYOTES
BENCH?: The Coyotes will have a former
Northwest Nazarene player to help them with preparation this week. Heidi Buehler, a two-time All- GNAC
selection for the Crusaders, is a student-assistant coach for Albertson – as
she finishes up her undergraduate work at NNU.
Buehler averaged over 20 points a game against the Lady ‘Yotes in her
career, but will be coaching against her former teammates for the first time on
Tuesday.
CONFERENCE RACE WIDE OPEN: As the league season opens on Friday, there is no
clear-cut favorite to win the Cascade Conference and an automatic berth to the
NAIA Division II national tournament.
Only two of the ten teams posted winning records in preseason (Concordia
and Western Baptist) – although all but two teams recorded three-or-more
wins. Key match-ups this weekend
include Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon traveling to Concordia and Western
Baptist, Cascade heading to Warner Pacific, and the Lady ‘Yotes and Eastern
heading to Seattle area for two games.
RUN-AND-GUN NORTHWEST TO HOST
LADY ‘YOTES: Albertson opens up the CCC
campaign at Northwest, in one of the more difficult gyms in the
loop. The Eagles (5-6) are one of the
more uptempo teams in the league, averaging 72 points a game – but also give up
a ton of points (74 points a game, No. 9 in the league) and are the worst foul
shooting team (.627 percent) in the CCC.
Sierra Tornga (12.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg), who missed last season due to injury,
leads three players in double-figures.
Returning forward Kaeley Triller (10.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and newcomer Bekah
Proctor (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg) have also been solid for head coach Lori
Napier. Northwest is a perfect 3-0 on
their home court this season, but just 2-6 on the road (wins on neutral courts
against Walla Walla and Westmont). It
is the 20th meeting between the teams, with Albertson holding a 15-4
advantage, but the Eagles have won the past three meetings.
SURGING CLAMS READY FOR
ALBERTSON CHALLENGE: Credit has to go to
Monica and Mychael Heuer and the staff at Evergreen, who host Albertson
on Saturday night, for a great rebuilding job this season. After earning their first trip to the CCC
tournament, the Geoducks (4-5) graduated their top-two scorers, but have found
new cogs for their system – and have a Pacific Lutheran University Thrivent
Classic title to their collection.
Evergreen topped Pacific, Linfield, and PLU all on the road last week,
before dropping a tough game at Western Washington on Monday night. The Clams offense is led by forward Jenny
Olson (11.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and newcomer Kamrica Ary-Turner (10.3 ppg, 5.0 ppg) –
averaging 67 points a game over the last four outings (after scoring 51 points
a game during the first five games of the year). Evergreen picked up their first win in 13 tries against Albertson
the last time the Lady ‘Yotes came to Olympia, rallying from a 21-point deficit
to take a 57-55 win.
STILL PERFECT OVER 90: At the Aramark Holiday Classic in La Grande, the
Lady ‘Yotes pounded Walla Walla College for the second time in two weeks,
jumping out to a 31-4 lead and topping the Wolves, 97-33. It was the 19th time in school
history that Albertson had scored 90-or-more points, with the Coyotes a perfect
19-0 in those games. Kasey Hooter (Nampa,
Idaho / Walla Walla CC) had a monster game, scoring a career-high 26
points, to go along with 15 rebounds.
Also in the scoring act was Valissa Sneck (Kalispell, Mont. /
Sheridan CC), who had 17 points, seven assists, and seven steals, along
with Angie Gribble (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), who chipped
in 16 points, six rebounds, and six steals.
MOST POINTS SINCE?: The 97 points scored by the Lady ‘Yotes is the
ninth-most scored in school history and the most tallied since a 98-33 win over
Walla Walla on Dec. 6, 2002. Albertson
has scored over 100 points in a game on four occasions (127-14 against
CSU-Monterey Bay in 1997, 107-47 vs. Bethany in 1997, 103-53 over Medger Evans
(N.Y.) in 1998, and 102-17 over Maine-Fort Kent in 2000).
INJURY BUG: Albertson is without the
services of freshman guard Magen Dufurrena (Denio, Nev. / Lowry HS), who is nursing a chronic ankle
injury. The Lady ‘Yotes have also lost
transfer guard Merliee Caldwell (Pocatello,
Idaho / Boise State Univ.) for the season with a knee injury.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Christie
Weaver (EOU) 17.6, Katie Atkins (CU) 15.6, Nikki McElligott (OIT) 15.6, Heidi
Horobioski (EOU) 15.3, Sammy Smith (CU) 14.9.
Rebound Average – Kasey Hooter (ACI) 11.3, McElligott 10.8, Atkins 8.4, Desirae
Boudreaux (ACI) 7.7, Smith 7.0. Field Goal Percentage – Smith .631, Hooter .581,
Bekah Proctor (NU) .541, Leigh-Ann Durham (CU) .518, Kaeley Triller (NU) .510. Assists Average – Andra Peterson (EOU) 5.4,
Shara Brazzle (CC) 5.4, Vanessa Shelton (EOU) 5.3, Angie Gribble (ACI) 5.2, Cassie
Snyder (NU) 4.5.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE
LADY ‘YOTES: For up-to-date statistics,
stories, and information about the Albertson women’s basketball team, head to
the official website for the Lady ‘Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm. For updated scores and standings from the
Cascade Conference women’s basketball season, head to www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wbasketball/stats/standings.htm.
- ALBERTSON -