‘Yote Notes – Dec. 21, 2004

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

ATHLETICS NEWS:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE COYOTES: The Albertson College athletic department would like to extend warm holiday cheer to all – Happy Holidays from the ‘Yotes.

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 (9-3, 1-1 CCC): No. 8 ranked Coyotes split on road of Cascade Conference opening weekend

 

LAST WEEK: at Northwest (L 79-72); at Evergreen (W 69-62 OT)

 

COMING UP: vs. Warner Pacific, Thursday Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Cascade, Friday Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.

 

RADIO BROADCASTS: 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.  Next week, the pregame show will begin at 7:15 p.m., with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. as the ‘Yotes host Warner Pacific and Cascade.

 

COYOTES REMAIN IN NAIA TOP-TEN: For the 12th 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, then remained at No. 8 last week.  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: Western Baptist became the fourth Cascade Conference team to be atop the NAIA poll, rising two slots to No. 1 in last week’s polling.  The Warriors are the lone unbeaten team in the NAIA Division II at 16-0.  Also in the Top-25 was Oregon Tech, whose 9-5 start dropped the defending national champs from No. 1 in the preseason to No. 20 last week.   In the NAIA Division I poll, two Coyote opponents are ranked – Montana-Western at No. 8 and Christian Heritage at No. 13.

 

NORTHWEST ENDS ‘YOTES RUN: Spending nearly two weeks away from game action hurt the Albertson men’s basketball team on Friday night, as the Coyotes had a four-game win streak snapped in a 79-72 loss at Northwest University.  After jumping out to a 15-6 lead, the ‘Yotes watched as the hosts used a 13-3 run to take the lead for good at 25-23.  The ‘Yotes, who trailed by five at the break, went over six minutes without a field goal in the second half – allowing the Eagles to go on a 17-2 run, building a 64-47 edge at the eight minute mark of the period.  Albertson would rally, scoring ten points in a two-minutes stretch to close within seven, eventually to within 73-69 with two minutes remaining.  However, Northwest hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to claim their first win over Albertson in Kirkland since the 1998-99 season. 

 

GAME LOST IN THE PAINT: Northwest used solid play in the key to help notch their fifth victory all-time against the ‘Yotes.  The Eagles shot 25-of-42 from the floor and used a 25-13 edge at the foul line in the contest.  More importantly, Northwest scored 49 of their 79 points from their posts – including 26 rebounds.  On the flip side, Albertson managed just 29 points from their bigs – with just ten rebounds.

 

OVERTIME GOES TO COYOTES: For the second time this season, the ‘Yotes were forced to overtime – and used the extra five minutes to their benefit, escaping Olympia Saturday night with a 69-62 win over Evergreen.  After building a 50-43 edge with eight minutes left, the Geoducks clamped down on the defensive end – rallying to take a 55-54 lead on a steal and bucket with 50-seconds left.  The ‘Yotes would answer, as Josh Owen  (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) beat his man baseline for a lay-up with 23 ticks on the clock.  However, Evergreen would hit two free throws to regain the lead, but Rich Fried (Middleton, Idaho / Boise State) split a pair of freebies with three seconds left to send the game to overtime.  Albertson dominated the extra session, using a 11-2 run in the first four minutes to put the game away.  Dan McFaul (Moses Lake, Wash. / Big Bend CC) scored six of his ten points in the OT.

 

FRIED HAS SOLID WEEKEND: Post Rich Fried was nominated by the ‘Yotes for the Cascade Conference Player of the Week award after a solid two-game road trip.  The senior scored 15 points in the loss at Northwest, then followed it up with his second double-double of the season – scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in the win over Evergreen.  He also recorded six blocked shots – the most blocks by a Coyote player in the Mark Owen era.  The last time an Albertson player had six or more shots was B.J. Humphreys, who recorded seven swats in a victory over Cascade on Jan. 14, 2000 – during Marty Holly’s last year as head coach.

 

NOT THE SAME FREE THROW TEAM: An interesting side note to the 2004-05 season is the struggles Albertson has had at the free throw line this year.  Two years ago, the ‘Yotes led the NAIA in free throw percentage (.775), then followed it up with a third-place finish nationally last year (.773 percent).  This season has been quite different, as Albertson has made just 157-of-229 free throws, or .686 percent.  All three teams, strangely enough, average between 19 and 20 free throw attempts per night. 

 

HUMPHREYS RETURNS: After missing three games with an eye injury, senior post Steve Humphreys (Reno, Nev. / Lassen CC) returned to the Coyote line-up.  Humphreys came off the bench, logging 28 minutes of action – scoring nine points with four rebounds at Northwest, but managed just two rebounds at Evergreen.  Albertson was without the services, however, of freshman wing Justin Fried (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS), who is nursing a sprained ankle.

 

RECORD BOOK ASSAULT: Three Coyote players have surpassed the 500-point mark in their careers – Joe Green (Pocatello, Idaho / BYU-Idaho) with 585 points, E.J. Costello (Pleasanton, Calif. / Chabot CC) with 583 points, and Derek Brown (Las Vegas, Nev. / Desert Pines HS) with 510 points.  Green currently holds the career record for steals with 242, while ranking third all-time with 373 assists.  Costello has moved into tenth-place on the career three-pointers made (119) and attempted (304) list, while Steve Humphreys is fifth all-time in blocked shots with 56.

 

COYOTES VS. NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS: With two victories over No. 17 Westminster this season, and wins over No. 13 Christian Heritage and No. 8 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).

 

CASCADE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Eric Fiegi (WB) 28.3, Shea Washington (SOU) 20.0, Jeff Dunn (WB) 19.1, Jared Alsup (CC) 18.1, Malik Edwards (CC) 17.7.  Rebound Average – Washington 9.7, Fiegi 9.1, Chad Fairbanks (EOU) 8.2, Alex Carlson (OIT) 7.0, Brandon Erlandson (CU) 6.9.  Field Goal Percentage – Stephen Ishmael (NU) .776, Tyson Dodd (NU) .677, Rich Fried (ACI) .609, Fiegi .607, Washington .584.  Assists Average – Joshua Garrett (CC) 7.7, Joe Green (ACI) 5.1, Andrew Gard (NU) 5.0, Donny Woods (WP) 5.0, Matt Larson (WB) 4.7.

 

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 (7-8, 1-1 CCC): Lady ‘Yotes earn road split on opening Cascade Conference road trip

 

LAST WEEK: vs. Northwest Nazarene (W 72-63); at Northwest (L 77-73); at Evergreen (W 60-45)

 

COMING UP: vs. Warner Pacific, Thursday Dec. 30, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Cascade, Friday Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m.

 

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. 

 

LADY ‘YOTES SPLIT CCC OPENING SERIES: An eight-hour bus ride from Caldwell-to-Bellevue, Wash. preceded the opening of Cascade Conference play for the Albertson women’s basketball team – not an easy task for a club looking to improve on a 7-11 league record.  But the Coyotes did what all CCC teams hope to do, earn a split on the road, winning at Evergreen, losing at Northwest.

 

TOUGH TIMES ON THE ROAD LATELY: Earning a split is a big plus to the Lady ‘Yotes, considering the last two years have been lean on CCC road wins.  Last year, Albertson mustered just a 2-7 road mark in conference play, while the 2002-03 team went 3-6 away from Caldwell.

 

RALLY FALLS SHORT AT NORTHWEST: Albertson rallied from a 15-point second half decifit, but could not get over the hump in a 77-73 loss to Northwest on Friday night.  A 14-2 run midway through the first half helped the Eagles to a 42-31 halftime edge, a lead they pushed to 46-31 with 17-minutes left.  The Lady ‘Yotes would mount a furious rally, getting an Angie Gribble (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) three and five quick Libby Baker (Dillon, Mont. / Beaverhead County HS) points to trim the edge to 67-64 with 5:38 left.  The Coyotes would close the gap to 69-68 and 73-71, but could not get closer – as Northwest hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to win their fourth straight game over Albertson.

 

HOOTER HAS MONSTER NIGHT IN LOSS: Post Kasey Hooter (Nampa, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) again showed why she is a dominant force in the Cascade Conference, scoring 23 points and grabbling 12 rebounds in the loss – despite spending all evening in foul trouble.  The senior now has a league-leading ten double-doubles on the season.

 

DEFENSE THE KEY AT EVERGREEN: Albertson cranked up the defense on Saturday night, limiting Evergreen to just 30-percent shooting in the game, as the Lady ‘Yotes went wire-to-wire, topping the Geoducks, 60-45.  Albertson held Evergreen to just three field goals in the first 15 minutes of the game, opening up a 22-7 advantage and took a 29-14 lead into halftime.  The Coyotes would go cold during the final 14 minutes of the game, recording just one made field goal, but hit 16-of-27 free throws in the second half to preserve the victory.

 

STRUNK TIES SCHOOL RECORDS: It was a big weekend for wing Kim Strunk (Twin Falls, Idaho / Twin Falls HS), who tied two school-records and set personal bests in the two CCC games.  On Friday night, the junior recorded her second career double-double with a career-high 22 points to go along with ten rebounds.  She followed it up with a 15 point, ten rebound performance against Evergreen – while tying the school record with 11 made free throws and 16 free throw attempts (four different players have sank 11 free throws in a game, while Kristen Bailey attempted 16 free throws in a game during the 2002-03 season).

 

N-N-WHO?  COYOTES STUN RIVALS: Albertson College held Northwest Nazarene without a field goal for the final 6:29 of the game, using a game-ending 12-0 run to upset the NCAA Division II Crusaders, 72-63, last Tuesday in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  With the win, the Lady 'Yotes ended an eight-game losing streak to NNU, topping the Crusaders for the first time since Feb. 20, 1999.  NNU, who have lost four-straight, took a 63-60 lead on a pair of Danielle Pridgen free throws with 5:52 left, but would miss their final nine shots and not score again.  Albertson would tie it on a Libby Baker trey, then make five free throws down the stretch, sandwiched around lay-ups by Angie Gribble and Desirae Boudreaux (Provo, Utah / Western Wyoming CC).  Kasey Hooter scored a game-high 17 points and 15 rebounds, making 7-of-9 shots from the floor.  Valissa Sneck (Kalispell, Mont. / Sheridan CC) had 15 points and seven assists, with Gribble recording 15 points and seven assists.  Jessica Metz had 13 points to lead the Crusaders, with Pridgen, their leading scorer, held to 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting.  The Lady 'Yotes forced 26 NNU turnovers in the game.

 

HOW RARE WAS THE WIN?: The victory for Albertson was just the third win over their Canyon County rivals since the Lady ‘Yotes brought back women’s basketball during the 1995-96 season.  It also turned the lopsided scores in the series since Northwest Nazarene joined the NCAA Division II – as NNU had won the previous four games by an average of 14 points. 

 

RECORD BOOK: Four single-game records have been tied or broken so far during the 2004-05 season.  Besides Kim Strunk tying the two free throw records over the weekend, Kasey Hooter has set the new rebounds in a game mark (21 vs. Westminster), while Angie Gribble set a new turnovers in a game mark with 13 against Northwest Nazarene.  On the record watch, Hooter has already moved into the top-ten list all-time with 358 rebounds, while currently holding the top career field goal percentage mark in school history.  Barring injury, both Strunk and Gribble will move into the top-ten in free throws made in a season, with Strunk already No. 10 on the career list for free throws made with 123.  Gribble will shortly move into the top-ten on the single-season assist list as well.

 

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) 17.2, Katie Atkins (CU) 16.3, Nikki McElligott (OIT) 16.3, Kasey Hooter (ACI) 14.7, Heidi Horobioski (EOU) 15.3.  Rebound Average – Hooter 11.4, McElligott 11.0, Atkins 8.7, Desirae Boudreaux (ACI) 7.3, Sara Beyer (SOU) 6.3. Field Goal Percentage – Sammy Smith (CU) .597, Hooter .581, Bekah Proctor (NU) .524, Tiffanie Sperry (EOU) .491, Kaeley Triller (NU) .479.  Assists Average – Vanessa Shelton (EOU) 5.4, Angie Gribble (ACI) 5.2, Andra Peterson (EOU) 4.7, Shara Brazzle (CC) 4.7, Cassie Snyder (NU) 4.7.

 

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 -