Yote Notes – Jan. 3,
2007
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Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
msafford@collegeofidaho.edu
ATHLETIC
NEWS:
COYOTE
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION DINNER JANUARY 10: The next Coyote Athletic
Association dinner is scheduled for January 10 in the Simplot Dining Hall on
the ACI campus. The all-you-can-eat
buffet is just $8.00 and is open to all Coyote fans. To RSVP, contact Dave Hahn at 459-5835.
HALL OF
FAME CLASS TO BE REVEALED: Next week, the 2007 class of the Albertson
College of Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame will be unveiled. The induction ceremony will be held on February
3 at the Simplot Dining Hall on the ACI campus.
To RSVP for this event, contact Dave Hahn at 459-5835.
PREVIEW
OF INDOOR TRACK, SKIING NEXT WEEK: The ACI indoor track and alpine
skiing seasons are quickly approaching.
Previews of both teams will be included in upcoming editions of Yote
Notes.
MEN’S
BASKETBALL (10-2, 4-1 CCC): Coyotes head to
COMING
UP: at Cascade, Friday, 5:30 p.m. (PST); at No. 5 Warner Pacific, Saturday,
5:30 p.m. (PST)
LAST
WEEK: vs.
RADIO /
INTERNET BROADCAST: All
regular-season men’s basketball games will be broadcast live in the
LIVE
STATS: Although Live Stats are currently not available for ACI home games, they
will be available Saturday night at Warner Pacific via the WPC athletic website
(www.wpcknights.com) – by clicking on
the link at the very bottom of the front page.
YOTES EQUAL BEST START UNDER OWEN: The hot start to the season by the
Yotes was the best start by an ACI team in the seven years Mark Owen has been head coach.
The 2001-02 squad opened the year with an identical 9-1 record, while
the 2003-04 team posted a 9-2 start to the year – but the 10-1 start (prior to
the loss Saturday to Northwest) eclipsed both.
BEST STARTS OF ALL-TIME: The ironic side to the loss to
Northwest was that the Yotes could have tied the fastest start to a season by
an ACI team in program history (dating back to 1933). Only the NAIA Division II championship team
had a better start – going 11-1, before a loss at Hawaii Pacific. Two teams (the 1983-84 and 2001-02 squads)
began 9-1, three teams (the 1952-53, 1981-82, and 1984-85 squads) began 8-1,
with two teams (1958-59 and 1994-95 squads) beginning 7-1.
COYOTES REMAIN AT NO. 13 IN NAIA
DIVISION II: With a
10-2 start to the season and three wins against nationally ranked opponents,
the Coyotes remained at No. 13 in the third NAIA Division II national poll,
released this afternoon. ACI maintained its perfect mark in the NAIA Division
II, as the Yotes have been ranked at least once in the Top-25 every season
since the NAIA split into two divisions in 1991 (The Coyotes were the very
first No. 1 ranked team in the NAIA Division II, topping the initial poll
during the 1991-92 season). The Cascade Conference had five teams in the Top-25
– Warner Pacific ranked No. 5, Oregon Tech at No. 7, Northwest at No. 20, and
18-STRAIGHT YEARS: The ranking of the Yotes last week
extended the overall mark to 18 consecutive years that the ACI men’s basketball
team has been in the Top-25 – including all seven years under head coach Mark
Owen. The following are the high-water mark each season since Coach “O” has
been at the helm
2000-01 No.
24 2001-02 No.
8 2002-03 No.
15
2003-04 No.
3 2004-05 No.
5 2005-06 No.
16
2006-07 No. 13
YOTES STILL THIRD IN CCC POLL: ACI remained at No. 3 in the weekly
Cascade Conference top-six coaches’ poll, released Monday. Warner Pacific took over the top spot for the
first time this season, followed by Oregon Tech and the Yotes. Northwest narrowly took the fourth spot over
Eastern Oregon, with
PLAYING IN THE THUNDERDOME: ACI opens up the latest road trip in
the always raucous Thunderdome at Cascade.
The Thunderbirds (3-12, 0-5 CCC) have struggled this season, mired in a
seven-game losing streak – with the squad dropping five league games by an
average of 33 points a contest.
First-year head coach Zac Olson has seen his
club struggle offensively this season – ranking last in the CCC in scoring
average, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and
turnover margin. However, forward Tayo Cotton (13.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is tough to defend in the
block, and Gerry Pickens (11.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg) has good outside touch. It is the 41st meeting between the teams
(dating back to the Columbia Christian days), with ACI holding a 38-2 all-time
series edge, including 14-wins in a row.
YOTES TO MEET DEFENDING LEAGUE
CHAMPS: A big test
awaits the Yotes on Saturday night, as high-flying Warner Pacific hosts ACI in
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average –
Scott O’Gallagher (WPC) 22.9, Adam Moore (ESC) 22.4,
Alex Hartman (CU) 19.4, Ike Stafford (ACI) 19.4, Josh Jackson (WPC) 18.0;
Rebound Average – Paul Carollo (EOU) 8.9, Joshua Wetzler (OIT) 8.8, Aaron Sawyer (NU) 8.2, Jalonta Martin (WPC) 7.6, Tayo
Cotton (CAS) 7.0; Field Goal Percentage – Derek Brown (EOU) .676, Erion Moore (SOU) .635, Carollo
.612, A. Moore .602, Jackson .597; Assist Average – Levell
Hesia (OIT) 5.4, Jesse Alvarez (CU) 5.1, Jeremy
Templeton (EOU) 4.9, Dwain Hicks (ESC) 4.6, Casey Britton (CAS) 3.7.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the
Coyotes lead the Cascade Conference in five statistical categories – scoring
average (94.0), steals per game (14.4), three-pointers made per game (12.0), turnovers
forced per game (26.5) and turnover margin (+10.7). Individually, Ike
Stafford (
ON THE NATIONAL FRONT: As a team, the
Yotes lead the NAIA Division II in turnover margin, ranking second in both
three-pointers made per game and steals per game, and third in scoring average.
BIG FLURRY SENDS YOTES PAST
EVERGREEN: ACI used
a 38-9 second half run to blow open a tight game, sprinting past Evergreen
State, 111-87, Friday in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. After 15 ties and 16 lead changes, Devon
Connor-Green gave the Geoducks a 62-60 lead with a
lay-up with 13:10 remaining. However, back-to-back Brandon Nielsen
lay-ups gave the Yotes the lead for good, starting a string of 14-straight
points for ACI. Josh Owen hit four of his six three-pointers in the
second half, scoring a season-high 26 points, with Ike Stafford scoring 19
points and eight rebounds. Nielsen added 18 points, with Craig McGee
recording his second-straight double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
THREE TIMES OVER THE CENTURY MARK: The 111 points
scored by the Yotes on Friday was the third time this season ACI has topped the 100-point
mark in a game. It marks the first time
since 1999 since the Coyotes have accomplished the feat, but still well off the
school record for 100-point games in a season – seven, set during the 1990-91
season.
AN EIGHT-POINT PLAY?: Fans saw a rarity in basketball on Friday night, an eight-point
play. After Brandon Nielsen made a
lay-up and was fouled, a trio of technical fouls were
levied on Evergreen. Ike Stafford hit
5-of-6 free throws assessed by the officials, then
Nielsen hit his free throw, allowing ACI to record the eight-point play.
TIGHT LOSS TO NORTHWEST: Two free throws by Morgan Axton
with 11 seconds remaining provided the difference, as Northwest upset ACI,
87-85, Saturday night. After converting
just one of their first 20 three-point attempts and trailing by as many as 13
in the second half, the Yotes rallied, tying the score on four occasions in the
second half, the last at 85-85 on a Brandon Nielsen driving lay-up with 49
seconds left. The senior then stripped Axton of the ball on the ensuing
possession, but following a timeout, was called for charging with 16 seconds
left. The Yotes decided to foul Axton
intentionally on the resulting possession, to put destiny in their own
hands. The senior swished the first freebie, the rattled the second in to
give Northwest the two-point lead. Ike Stafford
rushed the ball up floor, finding Nielsen on the left wing, but his three at
the horn was partially blocked by Kendrick Holley, giving the Eagles the win. Nielsen led all scorers with 29 points, with
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and
information regarding the ACI men’s basketball program, head to the official
site Coyote Basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL (9-5, 5-0 CCC): Lady Yotes earn votes in
NAIA poll, take five-game win streak on the road to
COMING
UP: at Cascade, Friday, 5:30 p.m. (PST); at Warner Pacific, Saturday, 5:30
p.m. (PST)
LAST
WEEK: vs.
RADIO/INTERNET
BROADCAST: All Cascade Conference women’s road games will be
broadcast live in the
LIVE
STATS: Although Live Stats are currently not available for ACI home games, they
will be available Saturday night at Warner Pacific via the WPC athletic website
(www.wpcknights.com) – by clicking on
the link at the very bottom of the front page.
HOME SWEEP
KEEPS LADY YOTES UNBEATEN: The ACI women’s basketball team continued
their winning ways, topping both
ON A
ROLL: The wins helped ACI to extend their win streak to five games, as the
Coyotes have won eight of their last nine games. It equals the second-longest win streak under
sixth-year head coach Reagan Rossi, one off her six-game run late in the
2004-05 – leading ACI to the conference tournament title game. The longest win streak in program history is
13 games – set during the 1996-97 season.
COYOTES
SIT ATOP CCC WEEKLY POLL: For the first time since the Cascade
Conference began making the women’s basketball weekly top-six poll public, ACI
tops the list. The Lady Yotes received
five of the seven first-place votes cast (three teams did not vote), sitting in
the No. 1 slot. They are followed by
Oregon Tech and Corban, with Eastern Oregon, Warner
Pacific, and
VOTES IN
THE NATIONAL POLL: The third NAIA Division II Top-25 poll was released
this morning, and ACI received votes in the poll for the first time since the
2002-03 season.
The Lady Yotes were ranked No. 28 with 65 points – the third team listed
in the others receiving votes category.
Indiana Wesleyan was the unanimous No. 1 team, followed by the Ozarks (
IT’S
BEEN A WHILE: The last time an ACI women’s basketball team had
earned votes in the national poll was on Jan. 7, 2003, when the Coyotes
received nine points in the poll. The
last time the squad was in the Top-25 was in the 2001-02 preseason poll, went
the Lady Yotes opened the season ranked No. 24.
THERE
WAS A STREAK: Years ago, ACI was a staple in the NAIA Division II
poll, climbing all the way to a high-water mark of No. 4 during the polling
period conducted Jan. 16, 2001. In fact,
the Lady Yotes were in the Top-25 or others receiving votes each poll from Jan.
11, 2000 through Jan. 7, 2003 – a span of 20-consecutive rankings.
NEARING
AN ACTIVITIES CENTER MILESTONE: Playing at home has always been a
big key for the Lady Yotes, as ACI has posted a 96-40 all-time record in the
J.A. Albertson Activities Center – needing just four wins to reach the coveted
100-win plateau on their home floor. This
year’s team has excelled in
THE
OTHER DAVID AND GOLIATH STORY: The talk
of the
ranks last in the league in four stat categories (scoring offense, scoring
margin, three-point percentage, and turnover margin), held OIT to just
15-percent shooting from the field in the win.
The T-Birds are led by Kristin Woller (13.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg), an honorable
mention All-CCC pick last year, and post Te Awhina Aranui (8.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg) – the loop’s top rebounder
this season. It is the 13th all-time meeting
between the teams, with ACI holding a 9-3 series edge, including a 4-2 mark in
TRYING TO BREAK THE WARNER HEX: The Lady Yotes will be trying to buck the trend on Saturday night in
their match-up at Warner Pacific. ACI has struggled at C.C. Perry Gym over the
years, recording a 3-4 all-time mark at the Division Street gym – and has
dropped three of their last four games in the building, including a last-season
61-59 loss last year. The Knights (7-8,
3-2) of 2006-07 have played a demanding schedule, ended a two-game losing
streak on Tuesday with a 62-56 win at Pacific.
The defending CCC regular-season champs are led by Nicole Brown (18.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg),
the CCC’s leading scorer, along with Danica Wilson (11.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Jessica Mendezona (11.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg). It is the 15th meeting between the teams,
with ACI holding a 8-6 all-time series edge.
CONFERENCE
LEADERS: Scoring Average – Nicole
Brown (WP) 18.8, Whitney Clark (ACI) 15.4, Christie Weaver (EOU) 15.4, Jessi Norton (CRB) 14.7, Jessica Steigleman
(CRB) 14.0; Rebound Average – Te Awhina Arunui (CAS) 9.6, Jackie Spear (SOU) 8.0, Denise Hill (ACI)
7.9, Brianne Carras (CRB) 7.6, Tiffanie
Ulmer (EOU) 7.3; Field Goal Percentage – Rebekah
Johnson (NU) .561, Lindsey Diaz (CAS) .542, Kelsey Richards (SOU) .540, Carras .536, Tosha Wilson (CRB)
.528; Assist Average – Wilson 5.3, Whitney Leman (EOU) 5.3, Chelsey
Zimmerman (SOU) 4.2, Lindsey Wells (WPC) 3.8, Denise Benedict (CU) 3.5.
AMONG
THE LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in
steals per game (17.0), turnover margin (+6.1), and turnovers forced per game
(28.4). Individually, Whitney Clark
(Jerome, Idaho / Northwest Nazarene U.) ranks
second in the loop in scoring average (15.4) and is fourth in free throw
percentage (.836), with Jori Grady (Roseburg, Ore. / Umpqua CC) leading the
league (3.0) and Christon Vander Esch (Grangeville, Idaho /
Treasure Valley CC) fifth in steals per game (2.6). Also among the league leaders is Denise Hill (
NATIONAL
LEADER IN STEALS: As a team, the Lady Yotes rank No. 1 in the NAIA
Division II in steals per game and rank No. 7 in turnover margin. Individually, Jori
Grady ranks No. 15 in the nation in steals per game.
LADY YOTES SPRINT PAST EVERGREEN: Kayla Brewer (
FRESHMEN GET INTO THE ACT: In the win over Evergreen, the seven
ACI freshmen combined for 29 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and eight
steals. Katee Brewer (Arco, Idaho / Butte
County HS) had a season-high four rebounds, Chelsea Williamson (Pleasant
View, Utah / Weber HS) had two points and three rebounds, Sarah Bodes (Kuna, Idaho / Cole Valley Christian) scored her first career
bucket, and Kendal Burt (Sandpoint, Idaho / Sandpoint HS) had an
assist and steal in her first collegiate game.
SECOND HALF RUN LEADS ACI PAST
NORTHWEST: Whitney
Clark led five ACI players in double figures with 18 points, as the Lady Yotes blew
past Northwest 86-65 on Saturday night. Leading
49-36 at the break, ACI used a 16-2 run over the opening six minutes of the
second half to take control. The Coyotes built a
82-51 lead with seven minutes left - then emptied their bench, allowing all 15
players in uniform to see game action. A
quartet of players scored 13 points on the night for ACI - Jori
Grady, Christon Vander Esch,
Denise Hill, and Savannah Ames. Clark, Vander Esch,
and Hill each had six rebounds in the win.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For up-to-date statistics, stories,
and information about the ACI women’s basketball team, head to the official
website for the Lady Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.