‘Yote Notes – Nov. 15, 2005

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

ATHLETIC NEWS:

LADY ‘YOTES HAMBURGER / HOT DOG FEED COMING UP: Next Friday, Treasure Valley Wendy’s Restaurants are sponsoring a hamburger and hot dog feed between the Lady ‘Yotes home opener against Bethany and the first-game of the Golden Rule Shoot-Out.  The feed, which will begin at 5 p.m. between the J.A. Albertson Activities and Aquatics Centers, will have hamburgers available for three dollars and hot dogs for a dollar – with all proceeds benefiting the Albertson College women’s basketball team.

 

HERE COME THE ORANGES: Be on the lookout around the Treasure Valley for the Albertson baseball team, as the annual Orange Sale will take over Canyon County.  If you cannot locate a player to purchase the boxes oranges or grapefruits, contact head coach Shawn Humberger at 459-5861.

 

CROSS COUNTRY: ‘Yotes to compete at NAIA Championships on Saturday, McCurry wins Boise City of Trees Marathon

 

COMING UP: NAIA Championships, Louisville, Ky., Saturday

 

OFF TO THE MIDWEST FOR ALL THE MARBLES: The Albertson College men’s cross country team, along with standout women’s runner Shannon Edwards (Sherwood, Ore. / Eastern Oregon U.), will head to Louisville, Ky. this week to compete at the NAIA Championships on Saturday afternoon.  The ‘Yotes earned an at-large team berth by virtue of their fourth-place finish at the NAIA Region I Championships, while Edwards was the second at-large qualifier from the NAIA Region I.

 

ABOUT THE MEN: The Coyotes will be sending seven men to nationals, including two with experience on the 8,000-meter course at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park.  Last year, David Fluckiger (Herisou, Switz. / Va. Commonwealth U.) placed 94th in the field, while Tyler Hopper (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) finished 200th out of 259 runners competing.  With two weeks of solid training behind them, Albertson looks for a Top-10 finish in the meet.

 

ABOUT EDWARDS: Shannon Edwards will be making her third appearance at the NAIA Championships (including the 2003 season as a member of the Eastern Oregon squad).  Last year, she finished 112th out of 258 runners over a very sloppy course.  This year, Edwards is gunning for a Top-30 performance and a chance at All-America status.

 

McCURRY WINS MARATHON: Last summer, cross country and track coach Pat McCurry took home the title at the Race to Robie Creek.  A week ago, the Coyote leader decided to run a bit further, but the result was the same.  McCurry outdistanced the field on Nov. 6 at the City of Trees Marathon in Boise, traversing the 26-plus mile course in just under two hours and 37 minutes.  Also running in the race was Albertson College CFO Chris Anton, who placed 15th in three hours and 15 minutes.

 

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information on the 2005 cross country team, including meet-by-meet results and top times, can be found on the Albertson cross country official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/xc.htm.   

 

VOLLEYBALL (21-5): Coyotes win first-ever CCC Tourney title, No. 3 seed to NAIA Region I Tourney

 

LAST WEEK: at Cascade Conference postseason tournament – vs. Eastern Oregon (W 3-0), vs. No. 11 Northwest (W 3-1), vs. No. 8 Southern Oregon (W 3-2)

 

COMING UP: at NAIA Region I tournament, Salt Lake City, Utah – Thursday vs. Carroll, 3:45 p.m.; vs. No. 8 Southern Oregon, 8:15 p.m. (semifinals to be played Friday, championship to be played Saturday)

 

COYOTES STUN CONFERENCE, WIN TITLE: With two teams ranked in the NAIA’s Top-11 and a combined five losses, the Albertson College volleyball team was not expected to be a factor at last weekend’s Cascade Conference postseason tournament at McNeal Hall in Ashland, Ore.  Boy, were the critics wrong!  The Lady ‘Yotes stunned the field, sprinting past Eastern Oregon, then avenging two losses each to both No. 11 Northwest and No. 8 Southern Oregon to claim the championship banner.  Albertson played inspired ball – recording 214 kills in the three matches, a .270 hitting percentage, and 26 aces.

 

FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE?: The CCC tournament title was the first-ever by a Coyote volleyball team, but not the first championship by the Lady ‘Yotes.  The 1982 College of Idaho spikers, under the direction of Don Braunecker, won the Cascade Conference championship, but lost at the NAIA District II tournament.

 

20-WIN SEASONS: With the three wins over the weekend, the Coyotes eclipsed the 20-win mark for the fifth time in program history.  The 21 wins equal the highest win total in the tenure of head coach Liz Mendiola, and rank just behind the 23 wins from 1997, the 24 wins from 2000, and the 28 wins from 1982.

 

THREE ‘YOTES NAMED ALL-CCC: For their efforts during the regular-season, three Lady ‘Yotes were named to the All-Cascade Conference team.  Leading the group is setter Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle Park HS), who was named an all-star for the second-consecutive season.  The junior established a new school-record in Saturday night’s five-game victory over No. 8 ranked Southern Oregon, recording 80 assists in the title-clinching match.  Cherrington is averaging 13.38 assists per game – on pace to shatter the single-season school record.  Also named to the All-CCC team was middle blocker Fran Hartman (Lakeview, Ore. / Lakeview HS).  The senior leads the CCC with a .373 hitting percentage, on pace to shatter the school record, while ranking among the league’s top-ten in both kills per game and blocks per game.  Hartman is just 45 kills away from becoming the fifth player in school history to record 1,000 kills in a career.  Rounding out the Lady ‘Yote honorees is middle blocker Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS).  The sophomore, who was the 2004 CCC Freshman of the Year, leads the conference in blocks per game and ranks third in the loop in hitting percentage.  She had 16 kills and seven blocks in the conference tournament title game vs. Southern.  Nicholette LeBel of Southern Oregon was named CCC Player of the Year, while Northwest outside hitter Sara Bendorf was honored as Freshman of the Year.  Paul Elliott of Southern Oregon earned Coach of the Year honors, with Erin Blythe of Concordia and Becky Horn of Corban sharing the Libero of the Year honors.

 

OFF TO THE REGIONAL: Albertson will head to Salt Lake City on Wednesday in preparation for the NAIA Region I tournament.  The Coyotes will be a part of Pool A (Southern Oregon, ACI, Carroll), while Northwest, Oregon Tech, and Westminster comprises Pool B.  The top-two teams following round-robin competition within the pool advance to the semifinal round (Pool A #1 vs. Pool B #2, Pool B #1 vs. Pool A #2), with the winners playing for the automatic berth to the NAIA Championships in San Diego, Calif.  A possible second berth to nationals may be awarded to the Region I – to be determined by the NAIA on Tuesday afternoon.

 

HISTORY AT REGIONAL: 2005 marks the fourth time in school history that the Lady ‘Yotes have advanced to the NAIA Region I Tournament in its current format.  The 2000 squad won pool play matches against Rocky Mountain and Southern Oregon, then upset Simon Fraser to reach the championship match.  Albertson would lose to Concordia in the title game, but received an at-large berth to the NAIA Championships.  In 2001, the Coyotes dropped close pool-play games with Southern and Carroll (this year’s opponents), while in 2003, the ‘Yotes dispatched Montana Tech and Carroll, but lost a semifinal contest with host Lewis-Clark State.  Overall, ACI holds a 5-4 record at the NAIA Region I Tournament.

 

SIZING UP THE FIELD: For the second-straight season, four teams from the Cascade Conference will play in the regional tournament.  Southern Oregon and Northwest are the top seeds in their respective pools, despite both losing to Albertson in the conference tournament.  The Raiders (26-4) have to be hungry for Thursday’s rematch with the Lady ‘Yotes, especially after Albertson ended SOU’s 18-match win streak.  The Eagles (25-3) would also like a rematch with the ‘Yotes, but also a chance to avenge three-straight losses to Southern, including a five-gamer in last year’s regional final.  Oregon Tech (17-10) is the No. 2 seed in Pool B, as the Owls were the final at-large selection, beating out Frontier Conference regular-season runner-up Great Falls.  Host Westminster (19-11) is the No. 3 seed in Pool B, having posted their best season in school history – including winning the Frontier Conference regular-season and tournament titles.  Rounding out the field is Carroll (15-15), the No. 3 seed in Pool A, a team that began the season highly touted, but struggled to a below .500 mark in Frontier play, before rallying to reach the tournament title game.

 

BIG FIRST DAY AT CCC TOURNEY: Albertson College avenged two regular-season losses to No. 11 ranked Northwest University, stopping the Eagles 30-26, 26-30, 30-26, 30-28 to advance to the Cascade Conference Tournament championship game at McNeal Hall on Friday afternoon.  The tandem of blockers Fran Hartman and Katie Hogue proved too much for the Eagles, as Albertson upset the tourney's No. 2 seed.  Hartman recorded 16 kills and three blocks, while Hogue had 16 kills and five blocks.  Albertson received a monster game from setter Erin Cherrington, who contributed 67 assists and 15 digs, while libero Charity Gaston (Harrisonburg, Va. / James Madison U.) had a game-high 30 digs.  The Lady 'Yotes got to the semifinals with a 30-14, 30-22, 30-15 win over Eastern Oregon earlier in the day.  Albertson hit .443 as a team, racking up 54 kills in the match.  The blockers did a number on the Mountaineers, as Hartman and Hogue combined for 23 kills and four blocks.

 

ENDING THE MCNEAL HORRORS AGAIN: A Fran Hartman kill and a Southern Oregon blocking error helped Albertson College break a 13-13 Game 5 tie and win the 2005 Cascade Conference volleyball tournament with a 30-22, 30-28, 34-36, 27-30, 15-13 win before 650 fans at McNeal Hall.  It was just the second win in program history for the Coyotes against Southern in Ashland.  Albertson roared out of the gates, taking the first two games and had three match points in Game 3.  However, Southern, who had an 18-game win streak snapped, got kills from Jaclyn Hamilton-Smith and Shanna Claflin to end the game.  After losing Game 4, the 'Yotes held leads of 10-6 and 13-10 in the final game, only to watch the Raiders tie the score at 13-13 on a Katie Pluchos ace.  However, Albertson went to Hartman, who blasted her 20th kill of the nice to force championship point, where a drive by Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS) was dug by SOU - but official Jana Howarth ruled a Raider blocker was in the net, ending the match.  Setter Erin Cherrington set a new school record with 80 assists to go along with 14 digs, while Tiffany Sower (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) had 19 kills and a career-high 28 digs.  Charity Gaston led all players with 35 digs, the third-highest total in Albertson history.  Ely added 18 kills and 16 digs, while Katie Hogue smashed 16 kills and had seven blocks.  Anne Parker (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) got in the act with 13 kills, with Jennifer Horn (Notus, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) recording a new career-high with 16 digs.

 

BIGGEST UPSET IN SCHOOL HISTORY: The victory for the Coyotes was just the second-time Albertson had defeated a NAIA Top-10 ranked team – with Southern Oregon No. 8 ranking behind the highest ranked club the ‘Yotes had ever defeated.  The other time the Purple and Gold defeated a Top-10 team was during the 2001 season – the first match in Liz Mendiola’s head coaching career, knocking off then No. 9 ranked Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) in five games

 

ANOTHER RECORD FALLS: For the second-straight weekend, the Lady ‘Yotes also established a new school record for hitting attempts in a match.  Albertson recorded 260 swings in the match, one more than the club registered in the regular-season finale at Southern Oregon.

 

CAREER RECORD BOOK: Three players are climbing on the career record list heading into this weekends action.  Erin Cherrington reached the 3,200 career assist mark last week (3,209, third-most in school history), while remaining in fourth-place on the all-time ace list with 132.  Fran Hartman now has 955 kills, sixth-best in Coyote history (39 behind fifth-place), while she also moved into fifth-place all-time with 250 blocks (three behind fourth-place).  In less than two seasons, Katie Hogue now has 232 blocks, seventh-place all-time.

 

SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS: The 2005 Lady ‘Yotes look to make a dent in the single-season record book when the year is complete.  Erin Cherrington currently is on pace to break her own school-record for assists per game, Charity Gaston is on pace to top the school-record for digs per game, while Fran Hartman is currently on pace to break the school-record for attack percentage.

 
MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2005 volleyball team can be found on Albertson volleyball official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm.  Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball/stats/standings.htm.

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL (1-1): Coyotes set to host 19th Annual Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shoot-Out

 

LAST WEEK: exhibition vs. Northwest Nazarene (W 78-71), at Quinn Classic – vs. No. 7 Carroll (L 81-71), vs. Montana-Western (W 97-89)

 

COMING UP: host 19th Annual Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shoot-Out – Friday, Corban vs. Westminster, 6 p.m., Bethany vs. Albertson, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Corban vs. Bethany, 6 p.m., Westminster vs. Albertson, 8 p.m.

 

RADIO: All 27 regular-season men’s basketball games will be broadcast live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM, the “Home of the Coyotes.”  Mike Safford Jr. begins his fifth season as the play-by-play man for Albertson basketball, with the pregame show beginning 20 minutes prior to every game. 

 

HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN RULE: This weekend marks the 19th edition of the Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shoot-Out, tabbed the “Premier Small-College Tournament in the West.”  A total of 28 different teams have played in the tournament from 1987-2004, which has seen six different champions. 

 

LAST YEARS GOLDEN RULE: Albertson College rallied from a 21-point second half deficit to claim their eighth Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shoot-Out title, knocking off No. 17 ranked Westminster, 66-54, in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  Trailing 37-16 with 19:09 left in the game, the Coyotes would hold Westminster without a field goal for a nine-minute stretch, rattling off a 20-0 run to get back in the game.  Defense was the key, as Albertson registered 18 Westminster turnovers in the period - with five steals coming from Dan McFaul (Moses Lake, Wash.  / Big Bend CC).  The Griffins, who dominated play in the first half, saw wing Shane Humpherys hit three treys midway through the second half, ballooning the lead back to 47-39.  But Albertson would respond, as Derek Brown (Las Vegas, Nev. / Desert Pines HS) would scored seven straight points - then feeding McFaul for a lay-up to give the 'Yotes their first lead, a lead they would not relinquish.

 

PAST GOLDEN RULE CHAMPIONS:

 

2004 – Albertson            1998 – Albertson                        1992 – Central Washington

2003 – Westminster       1997 – NW Nazarene                 1991 – Northwest Nazarene

2002 – Albertson            1996 – Northwest Nazarene        1990 – College of Idaho

2001 – Westminster       1995 – Willamette                      1989 – Central Washington

2000 – Albertson            1994 – Albertson                        1988 – Northwest Nazarene

1999 – Albertson            1993 – Albertson                        1987 – Northwest Nazarene

 

THIS YEAR’S FIELD: Two-time Golden Rule champion Westminster returns for their sixth consecutive appearance, as the Griffins (3-1) continue a tough preseason schedule.  Tommy Connor’s club has already defeated Concordia-Irvine, Fresno Pacific, and San Diego Christian, while dropping a tight game at Point Loma Nazarene.  Nick Booth (21.0 ppg) leads Westminster, which trails the all-time series with the ‘Yotes 13-11.  Two newcomers make their Golden Rule debut, including Bethany of Scotts Valley, Calif.  The Bruins (0-2) are members of the California Pacific Conference and are the lone NAIA Division II team on the ‘Yotes preseason schedule.  Quentin Boston (26.0 ppg) is the go-to player for Bethany – who dropped close games with Northwest and Biola to open the season.  It will be the second meeting all-time between the clubs, with the ‘Yotes winning the initial battle, 84-42 at the Cougar Classic in Azusa, Calif.  The fourth team in the field (and the lone team to not play the ‘Yotes) is CCC foe Corban, the former Western Baptist Warriors.  Head coach Justin Sherwood returns NAIA All-America post Eric Fiegi and two starters from a team that was ranked No. 1 in the NAIA for two weeks last season and advanced to the NAIA Division II national tournament.  The Warriors will play the early game on both nights – meeting Westminster on Friday and Bethany on Saturday.

 

RECAP OF UNITED HERITAGE TIP-OFF:  Josh Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) had 15 of his 19 points in a 35-13 second half run as the Albertson College men's basketball team rallied to claim the United Heritage TipOff title with a 78-71 exhibition victory over Northwest Nazarene, before 4,550 fans Tuesday night at the Idaho Center.  After leading 33-31 at the break, the Coyotes did not convert a field goal for the first six and a half minutes of the second half, allowing NNU to open up a 44-33 lead with 13:28 remaining.  However, Owen hit back-to-back treys, followed by a Dan McFaul triple to cut the margin to two with 11:42 left.  Owen would hit his fourth three of the half to give the 'Yotes the lead for good at 53-50.  The Crusaders opened the game with four quick points, including one of seven Ryan McCarthy three's, however, Albertson rattled off 11-straight points to take the lead.  NNU would respond, scoring eight straight to take the lead - as the teams would see the lead change hands nine times in the first half.  McCarthy led all scorers with 24 points, but the 'Yotes held Crusader all-star Mesut Ademoglu to just 12 points.  McFaul had 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Albertson, with Brandon Nielsen (Twin Falls, Idaho / Twin Falls HS) adding 15 off the bench and Derek Brown scoring 14 points.

 

TOUGH LOSS TO CARROLL: Jeff Hays had nine of his game-high 21 points in a 12-0 second half run, as Carroll College topped Albertson College, 81-71, in the opening game of the Quinn Classic on Friday.  With Carroll leading 56-54, Hays hit back-to-back three's, followed by a three-point play.  Sinan Guler added another trey to give the Saints, the No. 7 ranked team in the NAIA Division I a 68-54 edge with 6:29 left.

The Coyotes, who lost their season opener for the first time since 2000, cut the margin to 71-67 on two Brandon Nielsen free throws, but could not draw closer.  Nielsen had 20 points, including 6-of-8 shooting from outside the arc, helping the 'Yotes erase an early 13-4 deficit to take a 30-28 at the break.  Ike Stafford (Auburn, Wash. / Salt Lake CC) added 15 points for the Coyotes, with Dan McFaul scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

 

COYOTES WIN UPTEMPO MEETING WITH WESTERN: Brandon Nielsen scored 26 points and Ike Stafford added 22 as the Albertson College men's basketball team won their first game of the 2005-06 season, a 97-89 victory over Montana-Western at the Quinn Classic.  Nielsen scored 15 and Stafford 11 in the opening half, as the Coyotes took a 49-38 lead at half.  The lead would balloon to 68-49 with 13 minutes remaining, before Western would make a furious rally.  The Bulldogs used a 9-0 run, capped by a Charlie Cox three with 4:58 left to pull within 82-81.  Albertson would see Western close to within one on two other occasions, but the NAIA Division I club could not regain the lead.  Josh Owen scored a career-high 19 for the 'Yotes, with Dan McFaul scoring 14 points and pulling down ten rebounds. 

 

‘YOTES RANKED #16 TO START SEASON: A year removed from their third consecutive trip to the NAIA Division II national tournament, the Albertson men’s basketball team was ranked No. 16 in the preseason NAIA Division II Top-25 poll.  The ‘Yotes were one of five Cascade Conference teams in the group – Southern Oregon (No. 2), Oregon Tech (No. 4), Warner Pacific (No. 36) and Corban (No. 42).  Last season, the CCC advanced four teams to the NAIA tournament – with Oregon Tech advancing to the Final Four and Southern Oregon to the Elite Eight.

 

PRESEASON RANKINGS BECOMING FAMILIAR: For the fifth-consecutive season, the Coyotes have been ranked to start the season.  Last season, Albertson began the year No. 21 and ascended as high as No. 5 in the nation.  The last team not to be ranked to start a season was the 2000-01 club, the first season with Mark Owen 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 (2-3): Lady ‘Yotes meet Boise State on Tuesday, open home schedule Friday vs. Bethany

 

LAST WEEK: at Holiday Inn Downtown Salt Lake City Classic – vs. Great Falls (L 68-63), vs. No. 18 Montana-Western (L 76-62), vs. Westminster (W 83-78 OT).

 

COMING UP: exhibition at Boise State, Tuesday, 7 p.m.; vs. Bethany (Calif.), Friday, 3 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.

 

WENDY’S TO SPONSOR TAILGATE PARTY: Following the Lady ‘Yotes home opener on Friday afternoon, Treasure Valley Wendy’s restaurants will be sponsoring a tailgate party, with all proceeds benefiting the Albertson women’s basketball program.  From 5-6 p.m. (following the Lady ‘Yotes game and prior to the men’s Golden Rule Shoot-Out), hamburgers and hot dogs will be served in the covered walkway between the J.A. Albertson Activities and Aquatic Centers – along with drinks provided by Nagel Beverage.  Hamburgers are $3.00 (with a drink included), with hot dogs $1.50 (with a drink included) – bring an appetite when coming to the game on Friday.

 

UPS AND DOWNS IN SALT LAKE: A road trip that got off to a rocky start on Wednesday night ended in dramatic fashion on Saturday – as the Lady ‘Yotes saw peaks and valleys during their exodus to the Wasatch Front.  After having a hotel snafu that had the team packed into three rooms the first night, the Coyotes struggled in their opening game Thursday against Great Falls.  After playing hard, but losing to Montana-Western on Friday night, Albertson put the pitfalls behind them, rallying for an overtime victory against host Westminster.

 

HUGE WEEKEND FOR GRADY: Albertson saw the emergence of transfer Jori Grady (Roseberg, Ore. / Umpqua CC) as an impact player over the weekend in Salt Lake City.  The junior averaged 28 points over the final two games at the tournament, including a 30-point explosion in the win over Westminster – the seventh-highest single-game scoring total in school history (and the most points scored by a Lady ‘Yote since the 2002-03 season).  Grady went 24-for-39 from the floor during the three-game set, including 6-for-11 from outside the arc.  For the season, she is averaging 18.6 points per game, while converting .625 percent of her shots.

 

BIG WIN VS. WESTMINSTER: For the second season in a row, the Lady ‘Yotes notched a victory over host Westminster College in SLC, this year, a 83-78 overtime decision on Saturday.  “I was really pleased with the way we played on Saturday night,” said head coach Reagan Rossi.  “We came out and scored on the first possession of overtime and did not look back.”  Besides Jori Grady’s aforementioned monster game, Kim Strunk (Twin Falls, Idaho / Twin Falls HS) scored 14 points, had eight rebounds, and had a career-high eight assists.  Also getting in the act was Angie Gribble (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), who added a season-high 13 points, and transfer Krystn Patterson (Wells, Nev. / College of So. Idaho), who recorded the first double-double of the year for Albertson – a ten point, 14 rebound performance.

 

WINNING IN OVERTIME: The win by the ‘Yotes was the first overtime win by Albertson in Reagan Rossi’s five-years as head coach.  In fact, the victory was just the second overtime win in program history, as the 1996-97 team defeated Concordia, 99-94.

 

SOLID HALF NOT ENOUGH AGAINST WESTERN: Despite a 26-point night from junior Jori Grady, the Albertson College women's basketball team lost a tough 76-62 decision to Montana-Western at the Holiday Inn Downtown Salt Lake City Classic on Friday night.  Grady went 9-of-12 from the floor, including three three-pointers, but the rest of the Coyotes combined for a 13-for-38 night.  Albertson hung close in the first half, thanks to 21 free throw attempts, trailing just 38-35 at the break to the No. 18 ranked team in the NAIA Division I.  However, the Bulldogs forced ten second half turnovers and shot 50-percent from outside the arc to take the win.  Laura Shea led Western with 15 points and eight rebounds.  Kim Strunk had eight points for the Lady 'Yotes.

 

GREAT FALLS STOPS COYOTES: The Albertson College women's basketball team dropped the opening game of the Holiday Inn Downtown Salt Lake City Classic in Payne Gymnasium, losing 68-63 to the University of Great Falls.  "We did not execute tonight," said head coach Reagan Rossi.  "Great Falls is a very scrappy team and they beat us on the boards and in the hustle plays - that was the key tonight."

 Senior post Desirae Smoot (Provo, Utah / Western Wyoming CC) led the way with 18 points for the Coyotes, while junior Krystn Patterson recorded ten rebounds.

 

PAIR OF GAMES THIS WEEK: The Coyotes continue their fast-paced early season schedule, playing two more games this week.  Tuesday night, Albertson will play their lone exhibition contest of 2005 – heading to Taco Bell Arena to meet Boise State.  Three days later, the Lady ‘Yotes open up their home schedule with a 3 p.m. tip-off (due to the Golden Rule Shoot-Out) against Bethany.

 

ABOUT BOISE STATE:  The Broncos (10-19 in 2004-05) are coming off an 85-49 victory over Northwest Nazarene in their first of two preseason exhibition games.  Sophomore Jackie Lee led the way with 18 points, with Nadia Begay adding 14.  BSU is rebuilding with a new head coach in Gordy Presnell, who came to the Treasure Valley via Seattle Pacific Univ., where he built an NCAA Division II national power.  Last season, the Broncos defeated the Lady ‘Yotes 81-54 at Taco Bell Arena – the first true exhibition game between the teams.  BSU defeated ACI in counting games in both 2002 and 2003.

 

LIVE STATS: Live stats of Tuesday’s game with Boise State will be available for fans on the internet, thanks to the Bronco sports information office.  Click on http://www.broncosports.com/livestats/topview.htm to access the live stats.

 

ABOUT BETHANY: An unknown opponent heads to Caldwell for the home opener on Friday, as Bethany University of Scotts Valley, Calif. makes their first trip to Caldwell.  The Bruins (8-23 in 2004-05) have dropped a pair of exhibition games to tough foes – an 88-39 loss at Sacramento State, and a 114-48 loss to Chico State – averaging 40.5 turnovers in the two contests.  Bethany, an NAIA Division II member of the California Pacific Conference, returns a pair of honorable mention all-league selections in Vanessa Irving, who scored 14 vs. Sac State, and Sarah Kirtchner, who had 11 vs. the Hornets.  Albertson has faced the Bruins on two other occasions, topping Bethany 107-47 in 1997 and 99-36 in 2001 – a game in which the Lady ‘Yotes established a record for rebounds in a contest.

 

NAIA NATIONAL POLL: Two-time defending national champion Morningside of Iowa was named the unanimous choice as the No. 1 team in the NAIA Division II in the preseason Top-25 poll.  Two Cascade Conference teams were in the poll – Corban was ranked No. 27, while Oregon Tech was ranked No. 38.  Two other opponents in the NAIA Division I were ranked – Montana-Western, whom the Lady ‘Yotes play twice this season, is No. 18, and MSU-Northern at No. 36.

 

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.  
 
 
- ALBERTSON -