‘Yote Notes –
Dec. 2, 2004
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@collegeofidaho.edu
ATHLETICS
NEWS:
SOCCER
TEAM NABS AWARDS: The Albertson College men's soccer team did not
qualify for the playoffs in 2004, but that did not stop the club from earning
multiple postseason honors. Leading the way was senior
defender Drake Jakovac, who was named to the All-NAIA Region I and the
honorable mention NAIA All-America team for the third consecutive season.
Jakovac,
along with Brad Brooks, Ryan Abo, and John Reinschmidt were also honored by for
the second consecutive season as NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes. The
quartet all maintained a grade-point average of 3.50 or better during their
collegiate careers.
DILLEY
TO SPEAK AT OLYMPIC CONVENTION: Albertson College intramural
director and physical education instructor Mike Dilley will be on the big
stage on Dec. 15 and 16 in Las Vegas at the Advanced Middle/Distance Running
Summit, put on by the United States Track and Field Association and the United
States Olympic Committee. The event helps the USOC combine science and
training methods to enhance success in distance running in the Olympic
Development Program. Last year, Dilley addressed the group on training
methods for 5,000 and 10,000-meter runners.
MAKE
YOUR NEW YEARS PLANS NOW: The Albertson College basketball teams invite you
to spend New Years Eve with them - as the Coyotes and Lady 'Yotes take on
Cascade College in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. It will be a
festive night, as Albertson hosts its second-annual "Caldwell Appreciation
Night." We hope to see you there.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (6-2): ‘Yotes
take Westminster title, finish non-conference slate at Eastern’s Quinn Classic
LAST WEEK: at Weber State (L 69-54), at Westminster College
Classic, Salt Lake City – vs. No. 17 Westminster (W 89-84 2OT), vs. Adams State
(W 76-57)
COMING UP: at Quinn Classic, La Grande, Ore. – vs.
Montana-Western, Friday, 6 p.m. (PST); vs. Montana Tech, Saturday, 6 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. Friday and Saturday night, the pregame show
is set for 6:40 p.m., with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. (MST) from La
Grande. Live stats from the Quinn
Classic will also be available, courtesy of Eastern Oregon at www.eou.edu/athletics.
THREE TOURNAMENTS, THREE
TITLES: It
has been a clean sweep of the hardware so far 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, and last week, the title in the Westminster College Classic. In all, the Coyotes have a perfect 6-0
record in tournament play during the 2004-05 season.
CLAMPS ON ADAMS STATE: Defense was the key on
Friday night, as Albertson forced 32 turnovers in a 76-57 victory over Adams
State in Salt Lake. The Coyotes used a
23-0 second half run to build a 70-40 lead against the NCAA Division II club
from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
E.J. Costello (Pleasanton,
Calif. / Chabot CC) led the way with 18 points on the evening, becoming the
12th player in school history to make 100 three-point baskets in a career
(currently with 110).
RASMUSSEN KEY IN WIN: The Coyotes got a big spark off the bench in the
Adams State win from Zach Rasmussen (Boise,
Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS). The lone
fourth-year senior on the squad hit a trio of first half three-point baskets –
finishing with a career-high 14 points in the victory. Rasmussen went 4-for-6 in the game, while
the other three shooting guards struggled to an 11-for-35 evening.
OVERTIME DÉJÀ VU IN SALT LAKE:
Last season,
Albertson needed two overtimes to defeat Westminster College in Payne Gym. Nearly one year to the day, the two teams
decided 40 minutes, nor 45 minutes were enough to complete a game. Taking two overtimes, Albertson used clutch
free throw shooting to defeat the No. 17 ranked Griffins for the second time
this season, this time by an 89-84 margin.
The Coyotes never trailed in the contest, jumping out to an 8-0 lead in
the game – however, a furious Westminster rally, capped by a desperation bucket
at the final horn sent the game to overtime.
The Griffins had a chance to win it – but missed the back half of a two
shot foul with four seconds remaining.
In the second extra session, Albertson nailed eight consecutive free
throws to clamp down the win. Derek
Brown (Las Vegas, Nev. / Desert Pines
HS) had his first career double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds in
47 minutes of work.
HUMPHREYS REBOUNDS SECOND TIME
AROUND: After
not scoring in the first meeting with Westminster, post Steve Humphreys (Reno, Nev. / Lassen CC) took care of
business the second time around. The
senior scored a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds – including seven
consecutive free throws in crunch time, in the win. Humphreys leads the Coyotes in blocked shots (10) and rebound
average (5.9).
COYOTES VS. NATIONALLY RANKED
OPPONENTS: With
the two victories over No. 17 Westminster this season, the Coyotes now hold a
30-17 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 30 of the last 41.
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 now 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 58
non-conference games played by Albertson during the five-year stretch, 43 have
been on the road (a combined 24-19 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 13-8 in games played on a neutral court.
WEBER STATE ENDS COYOTE
STREAK: It
was a good night for the Coyotes last Tuesday at Weber State – outside of a
seven minute stretch of the first half, as the NCAA Division I club ended an
Albertson four-game win streak with a 69-54 victory in the Dee Events
Center. The ‘Yotes jumped out to a 10-4
lead early, and held a 13-11 advantage when the Wildcats held Albertson without
a field goal for a seven minutes, outscoring the Coyotes 17-1 to take control
of the game. Dan McFaul (Moses Lake, Wash. / Big Bend CC) led
the club with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Rich Fried (Middleton, Idaho / Boise State Univ.) came
off the bench to score 11 points.
GREEN PADS STEALS RECORD: Add another record to the
list of Joe Green (Pocatello,
Idaho / BYU-Idaho), as the all-time steals leader tied the mark for steals
in a game with eight against Westminster last Wednesday. The senior leads the NAIA Division II with
45 steals (for a 5.6 per game clip), which is more than halfway to the previous
school record. Green established a new
single-season record with 107 takeaways last season and now has 234 career
steals, to go along with 352 career assists.
CASCADE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Eric
Fiegi (WB) 27.8, Chris Lynn (EOU) 22.2, Shea Washington (SOU) 20.7, Jared Alsup
(CC) 20.1, Brandon Erlandson (CU) 19.6.
Rebound Average – Fiegi 9.8, Chad Fairbanks (EOU) 8.4, Washington 8.3,
Alex Carlson (OIT) 7.7, Donny Woods (WPC) 7.3.
Field Goal Percentage – Washington .667, Stephen Ishmael (NU) .667, Rich
Fried (ACI) .636, Fiegi .610, Damian Brown (EOU) .600. Assists Average – Joshua Garrett (CC) 9.1,
Andrew Gard (NU) 5.7, Matt Larson (WB) 5.6, Lynn 5.3, Joe Green (ACI) 5.0.
MEETING THE BIG SKY IN OREGON:
Last season,
Albertson began the preseason with a pair of games in Montana. This year, the ‘Yotes end the non-conference
slate with two games at the Quinn Classic at Eastern Oregon – against the same
Big Sky schools. Albertson opens the
tournament against a solid Montana-Western club which hasn’t lost to a
non-NCAA Division I school this season.
The Bulldogs (8-2) are coming off an impressive road swing to North
Dakota – where they upended both Jamestown and Dickinson State, NAIA Division II
national tournament teams from last season.
Western is led by a pair of D-I transfers – former Montana player Matt
Luedtke (22.3 ppg) and former Montana State star Bo Segeberg (19.2 ppg, 9.6
rpg). Albertson defeated the Bulldogs
99-87 on their home court in Dillon last year, thanks to 27 points from E.J.
Costello. Friday’s game is the 46th
meeting between the teams, dating back to 1955, with the ‘Yotes holding a 28-17
advantage. Saturday, the Coyotes meet Montana
Tech, who lost a 109-60 decision to Idaho State on Wednesday. The Orediggers (2-7) have lost four-straight
after posting home wins against Eastern Oregon and the University of
Regina. Albertson defeated Tech 85-58
last season in Butte and hold a 15-7 edge in the series, dating back to 1971.
‘YOTES RANKED #21 TO START
SEASON: Fresh off their Round of 16
finish at the NAIA Division II national tournament, the Albertson men’s
basketball team was ranked No. 21 in the preseason NAIA Division II Top-25 poll
– released October 28. The ‘Yotes were
one of four Cascade Conference teams in the group – Oregon Tech (No. 1),
Southern Oregon (No. 16), and Western Baptist (No. 34).
PRESEASON RANKINGS BECOMING
FAMILIAR: For the fourth consecutive
season, the Coyotes have been ranked to start the season. Last season, Albertson began the year No. 12
and ascended as high as No. 3 in the nation.
During the 2002-03 season, the ‘Yotes began at No. 15, fell out of the
poll, then rebounded for a second-round appearance at the NAIA tournament. The 2001-02 team began the year at No. 8,
but injuries plagued the team, as it failed to get out of the Cascade
Conference tournament. The last team
not to be ranked to start a season was the 2000-01 club, Mark Owen’s first as head coach, a team
that eventually advanced to the Elite Eight of the NAIA Tournament.
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 (3-5): Lady
‘Yotes earn split at Best Western Classic, off to Walla Walla for tournament
LAST WEEK: hosted 6th Annual Best Western Caldwell Inn and
Suites Lady ‘Yote Classic – vs. No. 6 Dominican (W 75-67), vs. Westminster (L
62-58)
COMING UP: at Whitman College Classic, Walla Walla, Wash. –
vs. Walla Walla, Friday, 2 p.m. (PST); vs. Whitman, Saturday, 7 p.m. (PST)
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 Athetic Website, with students Jordan Komoto and Jake McClean calling
the play-by-play.
LADY ‘YOTES UPSET SIXTH-RANKED
CLUB: The Lady ‘Yote Classic opened
with a bang on Friday night, as the Albertson women’s basketball team stunned
No. 6 ranked Dominican, 75-67. The Lady
‘Yotes trailed for less than a minute in the contest (at 2-0) and weathered a
Dominican second half rally to notch their seventh upset of a top-ten team in
the ten-year history of women’s hoop.
Albertson jumped out to an 11-point first half lead and took a 39-32
edge to the break. The Coyotes had a
57-46 edge with 11-minutes left, but watched as the Penguins cut the margin to
one – however, the hosts hit 14-of-16 free throws down the stretch for the
win. Valissa Sneck (Kalispell,
Mont. / Sheridan CC) had 17 points in the win, while Desirae Boudreaux (Provo,
Utah / Western Wyoming CC) added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
MAJOR UPSETS: It was the third time in the four-plus seasons at
Albertson that a Reagan Rossi club knocked off a nationally-ranked
foe. The Coyotes defeated then No. 16
Eastern Oregon during the 2001-02 Cascade Conference tournament, then
dispatched of No. 24 Oregon Tech last season.
Overall, the Lady ‘Yotes have recorded six other upsets of teams in the
NAIA Division II top-ten.
Albertson
50, No. 7 Northwest Nazarene 49 – February 20, 1999
Albertson
70, No. 6 South Dakota Tech 53 – December 29, 1999
Albertson
59, No. 4 Holy Family (Pa.) 56 – March 10, 2000
Albertson
73, No. 7 Hastings (Neb.) 54 – March 9, 2001
Albertson
75, No. 1 Shawnee State (Ohio) 65 – March 10, 2001
Albertson
69, No. 3 Briar Cliff (Iowa) 68 – March 12, 2001
Albertson 75, No. 6 Dominican
(Calif.) 67 – November 26, 2004
HOOTER CONTINUES STELLAR PLAY:
With a ten point
and 11 rebound performance in the upset win, post Kasey Hooter (Nampa, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) recorded
her sixth double-double in eight games this season. The senior leads the NAIA Division II in rebounds per game
(12.5), offensive rebounds per game (4.4) and defensive rebounds per game
(8.1), while ranking seventh in field goal percentage (.587). Hooter leads Albertson in scoring average,
notching 14.8 points per game.
GRIBBLE SEES DOUBLE-VISION: After playing behind
three senior point-guards last season, Coyote starter Angie Gribble (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) waited
patiently, learning every move. It has
paid off, as the junior has scored in double figures in five of the eight games
this season, including her first career double-double – a 13 point, ten assist
game in the win over Dominican. Gribble
also recorded six steals in the Lady ‘Yote win.
BAKER TAKES ADVANTAGE OF
OPPORTUNITY: A
key component of the Coyotes win over Dominican was the boost reserve Libby
Baker (Dillon, Mont. / Beaverhead
County HS) gave Albertson off the bench.
The redshirt freshman, who had played a total of three minutes in the
first six games of the season, hit four three-pointers – good for 12 points and
three rebounds, in the big win. Baker
was 4-for-8 from outside the arc in 19 minutes of action.
KNOCKING HOME THE FREEBIES: As a team, the Lady
‘Yotes are hitting nearly 70-percent of their free throws on the season. Leading the way for Albertson is Angie
Gribble, who has converted 29-of-33 free throws (88-percent). However, it has been junior Kim Strunk (Twin Falls, Idaho / Twin Falls HS) who
has been the opponents’ nightmare at the stripe – averaging over six trips to
the line a game. Strunk has made the
most of her opportunities, hitting 43-of-50 free throws this season.
TOUGH LOSS TO WESTMINSTER: Playing the next day
after a big win is always difficult – ask the Lady ‘Yotes. Albertson won all facets of Saturday’s game
with Westminster except the score, as the Griffins rallied for a 62-58
win. The Coyotes had a late eight-point
lead, only to watch as Westminster hit 4-of-5 three-point baskets in the final
four minutes, including a trey with 36-seconds left to give them the lead for
good. Albertson compounded the loss by
missing 14 lay-ups during the game. Kim
Strunk and Angie Gribble each had 16 points in the loss, while Kasey Hooter
tracked down 14 rebounds, with Desirae Boudreaux added 13 boards.
INJURY BUG: Albertson was 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 (Idaho
Falls, Idaho / Boise State Univ.) for the season with a knee injury.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average – Nikki
McElligott (OIT) 20.6, Christie Weaver (EOU) 20.5, Bekah Proctor (NU) 19.0,
Katie Atkins (CU) 18.0, Sammy Smith (CU) 16.7.
Rebound Average – Kasey Hooter (ACI) 12.5, McElligott 10.6, Atkins 10.5,
Proctor 9.0, Kailee Short (SOU) 7.4. Field Goal Percentage – Smith .759, Sarah
Smith (EOU) .600, Hooter .587, Darcy Madison (CU) .550, McElligott .539. Assists Average – Shara Brazzle (CC) 5.8,
Andra Peterson (EOU) 5.7, Atkins 5.5, Tosha Wilson (WB) 5.3, Angie Gribble
(ACI) 5.3.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The first Cascade
Conference Player of the Week award was announced on Tuesday, with Eastern
Oregon guard Christie Weaver getting the nod.
Weaver averaged 20 points and six rebounds during the first four games
of the season for the Mountaineers, helping Eastern to a 2-2 record. She averaged 25 points a game during the
Lady ‘Yote Classic.
OFF TO WALLA WALLA: Albertson will be making
a trek westward for each of the next two weekends – starting off with the
Whitman College Classic in Walla Walla, Wash.
It is the second time that the Lady ‘Yotes have played in the tournament
– the squad went 1-1 in the festivities during the 2002-03 season. The Coyotes open with Walla Walla College
in the opener, a team they defeated 98-33 during the previous tournament
two years ago. The Wolves (0-7), a
four-year Seventh-Day Adventist school and member of the NCCAA, have struggled
against NAIA competition this season – being outscored 393-172 (an average of
98-43) against Cascade, Bethany, Concordia, and Northwest. The Wolves are led by post Bridgette Presley
(14.0 ppg) and Ashley Anderson (13.0 ppg).
Game two of the tourney should be much tougher, as host Whitman
looks to rebound after a 56-46 loss to Point Loma Nazarene in the finals of the
Menlo Invitational. The Missionaries
(2-1) have had votes in each of the first two NCAA Division III polls – a year
after sharing a Northwest Conference title for the first time in ten seasons. Lizzy Washburn (12.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Kate
Patneaude (11.7 ppg) lead the Whitman charge – as the Missionaries look to
defeat Albertson for the first time ever (Coyotes lead the series, 4-0).
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.
SWIMMING:
Coyotes head to Tacoma for Northwest Invitational
‘YOTES AT NORTHWEST INVITE: The Albertson College swim team will make their
final appearance of 2004 this weekend at the Northwest Invitational, the oldest
swim meet in the Northwest. The Coyotes
will join Linfield, Lewis & Clark, Pacific, Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound,
Willamette, Whitworth, and Whitman in the event. The Albertson men will compete in eight individual events and two
relays, while the women will compete in six individual events and two relays.
COMING UP: The ‘Yotes
will be off for Winter Break, returning to the pool in early January, preparing
for a short-course dual with Lewis & Clark.
- ALBERTSON -