‘Yote Notes – Dec. 12, 2006

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL (6-1): Coyotes ranked No. 13 in first NAIA poll of year, travel to Montana-Western Saturday

 

COMING UP: at Montana-Western, 8 p.m.

 

LAST WEEK: Idle

 

RADIO: All 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 will have all the action beginning 20-minutes prior to tip-off each night, on the Home of the Coyotes, 1490 KCID-AM – America’s Best Music.  The game will also be carried live in Montana via Dillon’s Real Country, 1490 KDBM-AM.

 

INTERNET BROADCAST: All Coyote games can be heard live on the Internet at www.collegeofidaho.edu/media/audio/YoteSports.asx., with all games archived online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mbasketball/2006Radio.htm.

 

LIVE STATS: Live stats of the ACI-UM-Western game Saturday night can be accessed online at http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/TeamPage.aspx?association=10&sg=MBB&sea=NAIMBB_2006&team=454, thanks to the UM-Western athletic department.

 

COYOTES RANKED NO. 13 IN NAIA DIVISION II: Fueled by a 6-1 start to the season and three wins against nationally ranked opponents, the Coyotes jumped into the NAIA Division II national poll last week, ranked No. 13.  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).  Cascade Conference rivals Oregon Tech (No. 2), Warner Pacific (No. 7), and Eastern Oregon (No. 23) were in the Top-25, while both Northwest and Southern Oregon received votes.  Both Westminster (No. 17) and Carroll (No. 25) were NAIA Division I opponents of the Yotes that entered the upper-division Top-25.

 

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

 

CONFERENCE COACHES POLL: The second Cascade Conference coaches poll was released on Monday, with the Coyotes remaining in third-place  Unbeaten Oregon Tech took seven of the ten first-place votes, while another unbeaten, Warner Pacific, took one of the remaining first-place votes, sitting in second-place.  The Yotes took the remaining two first-place votes, but were third-place in the balloting.  Rounding out the top-six were Northwest, Eastern Oregon, and Southern Oregon.

 

HEADING TO MONTANA: Following final exams, the Coyotes will head to Dillon, Mont. for their final non-conference game of the season, a return game against Montana-Western.  The Bulldogs (5-4) have won three of their last four games, including a 114-108 victory over Dickinson State.  Tyler Palmer (17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), who had 37 points in an ACI 129-120 victory over Western in November, is one of six players on the Bulldogs averaging in double figures – as the squad averages 92 points a game, but turns the ball over 24 times each night.  It is the 52nd meeting between the teams since 1942, with ACI holding a 34-17 all-time series edge, including eight wins in a row.

 

LAST TIME IN BIG SKY COUNTRY: The last time ACI has traveled to Montana was the opening weekend of the 2003-04 season.  The Yotes opened with a convincing 85-58 victory at Montana Tech, thanks to 22 points from All-American, Tom Perkes.  Following a travel day, ACI won an afternoon game at Montana-Western, 99-87.  E.J. Costello led the Coyotes with 27 points, as ACI hit 14-of-25 shots from outside the arc.

 

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 (5-5): Lady Yotes complete difficult non-conference schedule 4-5, take weekend off

 

COMING UP: Idle until 12/19 at Concordia, 5:30 p.m. (PST)

 

LAST WEEK: vs. Northwest Nazarene (W 70-54), at Aramark Holiday Classic – vs. No. 4 Montana-Western (L 71-54), vs. Whitworth (W 83-66).

 

COYOTES WALLOP NORTHWEST NAZARENE: The Lady Yotes went wire-to-wire for the first-time ever against rival Northwest Nazarene, as ACI forced 27 turnovers in a 70-54 victory over the Crusaders, last Tuesday in the J.A. Albertson Activites Center.  ACI hit eight of their first ten shots, jumping out to a 20-7 lead on a Savannah Ames (Skagway, Alaska / SkagwayHS) lay-up, six minutes into the game.  The Crusaders would draw within five points on a pair of occasions in the second half, but the Yotes used an 8-0 run to get the lead back to double-figures and were never headed.  Whitney Clark (Jerome, Idaho / Jerome HS) went 7-of-8 from the field, leading all scorers with 17 points, with Denise Hill (Eugene, Ore. / Boise State U.) scoring 15 points, grabbing nine rebounds, four blocks, and three steals.  NNU was led by post Danielle Dwello, who had 14 points and 14 rebounds, with Brittney Roggenkamp adding 11 - but the Crusaders shot just 33-percent from the floor as a team.

 

BIGGEST WIN EVER VS. CRUSADERS: In an all-time series that has been dominated by NNU, the 16-point victory by the Coyotes was the largest victory margin in the 21 games between the Canyon County schools.  The previous mark was a 13-point win by the Yotes, 73-60, during the 1997-98 season.

 

HELP OFF THE BENCH: ACI got key contributions from its bench in the win over NNU, as Savannah Ames and Whitney Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) combined for 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting.  Ames scored 13 points and had three steals in 13 minutes of action, while Owen scored eight points and had two rebounds in 13 minutes of action. 

 

SUCCESS IN THE ACTIVITIES CENTER: Playing at home has always been a big key for the Lady Yotes, as ACI has posted a 94-40 all-time record in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  This year’s team is now 4-1 at home.

 

FIRST TEN MINUTES DOOM YOTES: Despite a 14-point effort from junior guard Whitney Clark, the Lady Yotes could not shake off a very slow start, as No. 4 ranked Montana-Western topped the Lady Yotes, 71-54, in the opening game of the Aramark Holiday Classic in La Grande, Ore., on Friday night.  ACI missed their first 15 shots from the field, allowing UM-Western to take a 15-0 lead before the Yotes converted their first shot, a Savannah Ames jumper, with 9:53 remaining in the half.  The Coyotes would close to within nine at the break, but could not get closer.  Katherine Sunwall was dominant in the paint for the Bulldogs, scoring 17 points, grabbing ten rebounds, and recording six blocks.  Becky O'Neil had 13 points and ten boards in the win.  Ames, Jori Grady (Roseburg, Ore. / Umpqua CC), and Whitney Owen each scored eight points in the loss for the Yotes, snapping a three-game win streak.

 

IF THE GAME HAD BEEN 30 MINUTES: Looking at the UM-Western game from a different perspective sees a much closer game than the score indicates.  Taking out the opening ten minutes, the Lady Yotes made 19-of-47 shots from the floor (40-percent) – which is above their season average.  The score during the final 30-minutes was that of a typical basketball game, 56-54, even against the No. 4 ranked team in the NAIA Division I.

 

NICE WIN VS. WHITWORTH: ACI used a 15-2 run to open the second half, sprinting to an 83-66 victory over Whitworth College on Saturday night at the Aramark Classic.  Denise Hill had a big night, scoring 17 points and nine rebounds, with Whitney Clark adding 16.  Jori Grady had a well-rounded evening – scoring eight points, recording five assists, four rebounds, and three steals.  The Lady Yotes are now 17-3 all-time against members of the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference.

 

BREWER HAS CAREER NIGHT: A key to the win over Whitworth was the play of true freshman Katee Brewer (Arco, Idaho / Butte County HS).  The guard connected on all five of her field goal attempts, including a trio of three-pointers, part of a 15-point night – coming in a season-high 18 minutes of action.  Her 15 points were more than double her total for the previous nine games this season.

 

CLARK HAS SOLID WEEK: Whitney Clark was the Coyotes nominee for Cascade Conference Player of the Week, after averaging 16 points, three assists, and two rebounds a game during the three games last week.  The junior made 15-of-29 shots from the field, including 5-of-11 from outside the arc.  Clark has scored in double figures in seven straight games and 9-of-10 this season – and has scored nine or more points in 27 of her last 29 games, dating back to last season.

 

WEEKLY CONFERENCE POLL: The second Cascade Conference coaches’ poll was released Monday, as the ten league coaches vote on a Top-6 that helps determine the NAIA Division II national poll.  Oregon Tech took the top spot, followed closely by Warner Pacific and the Lady Yotes.  Rounding out the group were Corban, Eastern Oregon, and Northwest.  OIT is the lone CCC squad ranked in the NAIA Top-25, coming in at No. 24.

 

AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in steals per game (16.8), turnover margin (+6.7), and turnovers forced per game (28.9).  Individually, Whitney Clark ranks second in the loop in scoring average (14.8), with Jori Grady and Christon Vander Esch (Grangeville, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) tied for third in steals per game (2.9).  Also among the league leaders is Denise Hill, who is fourth in rebound average (8.1).

 

FINALS WEEK: The Lady Yotes are taking the weekend off from competition, as final exams are being conducted on the ACI campus.  The team will return to action next Tuesday and Wednesday, heading to the Willamette Valley for games against Concordia and Corban.

 

ROSTER CHANGES: Two players are no longer on the ACI women’s basketball roster.  Freshman guard Grace Kelly (Vale, Ore. / Steilacoom HS) left the program for personal reasons, while freshman forward Sarah Buhler (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS) decided to focus on volleyball after the Lady Yote volleyball program finished their run to the NAIA Championships.  The Lady Yotes currently hold a roster of 15 players.

 

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.

 

 

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