Yote Notes – December 17, 2008

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

ATHLETIC NEWS:

TENNIS TEAM TO HOST FUNDRAISER: The C of I men’s and women’s tennis teams will be hosting their annual fundraiser just after the New Year. The third-annual “Friends of the Yotes” Tournament will be held at the River City Racquet Club, January 2-4. Entry fees for doubles and mixed-doubles teams is just $30. For more information, contact head coach Cisco Limbago at 794-4468.

TRACK CLINIC THIS WEEKEND: The C of I will host the annual Snake River Regional Track and Field Clinic in the Kathryn Albertson International Center. Coaches will be able to learn from some of the best T&F minds on sprints/hurdles, throws, jumps, or middle distance/distance – for just $80, which includes a light breakfast and lunch. For more information, contact head coach Pat McCurry at 459-5085.

WOLFE FIELD UPDATE: The playing surface at Wolfe Field, the new home of the Coyote baseball team, was completed last week. Sod was installed in the outfield to complement the artificial turf infield – prior to the first snow of the season. Weather permitting, the Yotes will host Concordia at the new field on March 7.

DONATE TO THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: Click here to make your tax deductible gift to assist the CIAA with post-season championships team travel, scholarships and recruiting - https://www.collegeofidaho.edu/media/_secure/makeagift.asp

MEN’S BASKETBALL (5-7, 1-1 CCC): Yotes split at Wendy’s Classic, host No. 12 Warner Pacific and Cascade in weekend tilts

LAST WEEK: at Wendy’s Classic – vs. San Diego Christian (W 88-85 OT), vs. Montana Western (L 90-78)

COMING UP: vs. No. 12 Warner Pacific, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Cascade, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

ON THE RADIO: Both C of I games will be carried live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford calling the action. The Jackson’s Pregame Show will begin 20 minutes prior to tip-off each night

LIVE VIDEO ON THE WEB: It is expected that all future C of I basketball games will be available for pay-per-view viewing via the Internet, thanks to Penn Atlantic. To access the games, head to http://www.pennatlantic.com/main.php, click College of Idaho on the “Choose School” dropdown bar, and select the game. The viewing window should be available 15 minutes prior to game-time. Radio voice, Mike Safford, will provide the play-by-play, of all internet games.

LIVE STATS NOW AVAILABLE: All C of I home games will also feature Live Stats online at http://yotestats.i8.com/basketball/xlive.htm.

OVERTIME UNDER COACH O: The San Diego Christian game on Friday night marked the 16^th time under head coach Mark Owen that the Coyotes have played an overtime game. The Yotes are now 11-5 in OT games under Coach O, rebounding from a 1-2 record in extra sessions last season.

SPINKS CONTINUES TO SCORE: Over the past seven games, guard Steffen Spinks (Manteca, Calif. / East Union HS) has been on a scoring binge. The junior, who averaged just five points a night over the first five games of the season, has averaged 15.4 points per game over his last seven games – working his way into the starting line-up.

CHAMP KEEPS STREAKS GOING: Senior guard Bryan Champ (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) kept his consecutive game streaks alive during the Wendy’s Classic – a steal in 41 consecutive games, at least two points scored in 59-straight games, and at least one rebound in 69 consecutive games. He is now second-place on the all-time steals list with 217.

MORE ON CHAMP: Bryan Champ also had possibly his best game in his 94^th game as a collegian. The former 5A Player of the Year connected on all six of his first half three-point attempts against Montana Western, finishing the night with a career-high 22 points. His 6-for-7 shooting from three-point range was just off the school record of 5-for-5 set by Andy Harper (2002-03) and Derek Brown (2003-04).

STOKES LEAVES TEAM: According to head coach Mark Owen, junior forward Jordan Stokes (Las Vegas, Nev. / Lassen CC) has left the team for personal reasons. The transfer was averaging ten points and six rebounds per game over the first month of the season.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Yotes return home this weekend, opening up a four-game homestand that spans 18 days. Playing in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center has been the ticket for The C of I, as the Yotes have recorded a 185-48 record all time in the facility, dating back to the 1991-92 season.

ABOUT WARNER PACIFIC: In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the defending CCC Tournament champions, the Knights (7-1, 1-0 CCC) have had a fabulous start to the season, climbing to No. 12 in the latest NAIA Division II national poll. Despite needing to replace all five starters from a team that advanced to back-to-back NAIA Tournaments, head coach Bart Valentine brought in a talented recruiting class that is paying dividends. Leading the Knights is Adam Moore (23.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, .471 3FG%), who was an All-CCC selection two years ago at Evergreen State, while transfer Kaylone Riley (12.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg) leads the NAIA in rebounds per game and blocked shots per game. Shooters Kenan Dizdarevic (12.6 ppg, 2.4 apg) and Jake Glisson (10.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) have combined to hit 24-of-61 treys this season. It marks the 42^nd meeting between the schools, with the Yotes holding a 28-13 series edge.

ABOUT CASCADE: Saturday, a resurgent group of Thunderbirds (7-1, 0-1) head to Caldwell for possibly the final time, as the Portland school will be closing their doors at the end of the Spring Term. However, Anthony Baugher’s bunch has scored 100-or-more points in four of their eight games and have scored 80-or-more points in every game. The T-Birds are led by guard Ben Pawlak (23.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg), who takes nearly ten three-point attempts per game. Three others average in double figures – Josh Brown (19.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg), Jared Mace (12.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg), and Ryan Barker (10.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg), as the team connects on .526 percent of their field goal attempts and averages 98 points a night. Cascade looks to break an 18-game losing streak to the Yotes, who lead the all-time series, 42-2.

CCC LEADERS: Scoring Average – Nate Menefee (ESC) 23.6, Ben Pawlak (CAS) 23.5, Adam Moore (WP) 23.1, Josh Brown (CAS) 19.5, Steven Vaughan (CU) 18.1; Rebound Average – Kaylone Riley (WP) 12.4, Ryan Barker (CAS) 9.4, Steve Trotter (ESC) 9.3, Josh Wetzler (OIT) 8.8, Paul Carollo (EOU) 8.0; Field Goal Percentage – Cavanaugh .759, Wetzler .683, Dylan Perry (NCU) .651, Trotter .623, Neil Fryer (EOU) .618; Assists Average – Justin Parnell (OIT) 6.5, Kao Saelee (CAS) 5.8, Jeremy Templeton (EOU) 4.7, Pawlak 4.0, Paul Martin (CRB) 3.9.

CCC/NATIONAL POLL: The latest CCC Top-6 ranking was released last Monday, with the Coyotes sitting in the No. 5 spot. Oregon Tech sat in the top spot, followed by Warner Pacific, Evergreen State, Eastern Oregon, the Coyotes, and Northwest. The second regular-season NAIA Top-25 Poll was released Monday afternoon, with OIT claiming the No. 1 spot, with Warner Pacific No. 12, Evergreen State No. 16, and Eastern Oregon at No. 22. The next Top-25 Poll will be released on January 5.

GAME RECAP: C OF I 88, SAN DIEGO CHRISITIAN 85 (OT): Five C of I players scored in double figures and the Yotes rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to force overtime, as The C of I stopped San Diego Christian, 88-85, in the opening game of the Wendy’s Classic Friday at the Johnson Sports Center in Nampa. The Hawks built a 51-39 lead with 14 minutes remaining on a Jesse LeBeau trey, but the Coyotes rallied, using a 23-5 run over a six minute stretch, capped by a Craig McGee lay-up, to take a 62-56 lead. SDCC would respond, retaking the lead at 70-68 on a Craig Jackson runner, with 13 seconds left. The Coyotes (5-6) would hand the ball to Kelvin Potts, who went coast to coast for a lay-up with five seconds remaining to send the game to the extra session. In overtime, a triple by LeBeau gave the Hawks their final lead at 80-79, but a Bryan Champ three-point play gave the Yotes the lead for good. The Coyotes would hit nine-consecutive free throws down the stretch to ice the victory. Steffen Spinks led The C of I with 18 points, with Potts adding 15. McGee had 14 points, Champ 13, and Brian Bergerson 12 in the victory – as the Yotes committed just two turnovers after halftime. Paul Wolf led all scorers with 19 for the Hawks, with James Green scoring 16 points and pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds.

GAME RECAP: MONTANA WESTERN 90, C OF I 78: Cody Thueringer scored all 17 of his points in the second half, as Montana Western defeated The C of I, 90-78, Saturday at the Wendy’s Classic in the Johnson Sports Center. Trailing 51-43 at the break, the NAIA Division I Bulldogs limited the Coyotes to 11-of-38 shooting in the second half, pulling even at 60-60 on a Thueringer trey, starting a 23-5 run that put the game away. Western hit 15 three-pointers in the win, as Terry Hauser led the way with 25 points, with Brandon Lawson adding ten points and 15 rebounds. The Yotes, who connected on 9-of-16 three-point attempts in the first half, struggled after the break, hitting just 3-of-20 long range attempts. Brian Champ had a career-high 22, all in the first half, knocking home his first six treys. However, the senior fouled out with just under ten minutes remaining. Steffen Spinks had a season-high 20, Kelvin Potts added 15, with Craig McGee recording a double-double with ten points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on The C of I men’s basketball program, head to the homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (11-1, 2-0 CCC): No. 17 Lady Yotes run win streak to 11, host Warner Pacific and Cascade this weekend

LAST WEEK: at No. 24 Whitman (W 65-62)

COMING UP: vs. Warner Pacific, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Cascade, Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

LIVE VIDEO ON THE WEB: It is expected that all future C of I basketball games will be available for pay-per-view viewing via the Internet, thanks to Penn Atlantic. To access the games, head to http://www.pennatlantic.com/main.php, click College of Idaho on the “Choose School” dropdown bar, and select the game. The viewing window should be available 15 minutes prior to game-time. Radio voice, Mike Safford, will provide the play-by-play, of all internet games.

LIVE STATS NOW AVAILABLE: All C of I home games will also feature Live Stats online at http://yotestats.i8.com/basketball/xlive.htm.

YOTES RANKED NO. 17: The Lady Yotes were ranked No. 17 in the latest NAIA Division II Top-25 Poll, released December 8. It marked the highest national ranking for the team since the final poll of the 2000-01 season, when the Lady Yotes were ranked No. 8, the same season the team elevated to the No. 4 slot in the poll. Two other CCC teams are in the poll – Southern Oregon at No. 20, while Concordia received votes.  Three other C of I opponents were in their respective national polls - Westminster, ranked No. 21 and Cal Baptist is receiving votes in the NAIA Division I poll, with Holy Names receiving votes in the NAIA Division II poll. The next poll will be released on January 5.

BEST START EVER: With an 11-game win streak (12, if counting the exhibition win over Weber State), the Lady Yotes are off to their best in school history. The squad has surged past the 1997-98 team that opened with a 7-1 record, sprinting out of the gates to a 13-2 mark on the season – ending with a trip to the NAIA Division II national tournament.

WIN STREAKING: The 11-game win streak marks the third time in program history that the Lady Yotes have won nine-or-more games in a row. The school-record win streak is 13, set during the 1996-97 season, while the last time the Coyotes won nine-straight was during the 2006-07 campaign.

STILL PERFECT OVER 90: The Lady Yotes have scored 90-or-more points in a game three times this season, and are now a perfect 25-0 mark when reaching the 90-point mark since 1995.

LOOKING AHEAD: The C of I will host Northwest Nazarene on New Years Eve night, at 7 p.m., in the Activities Center. The game will be a counting game for NNU, however, the game has been designated an exhibition for the Lady Yotes.

GOOD FREE THROWS, BAD FREE THROWS: Through the first 11 games of the season, the Lady Yotes hit .715 percent of their free throw attempts (206-of-288), However, the squad struggled in Saturday’s win over Whitman, converting 4-of-18 freebies – dropping the season all the way to .686 percent.

MORE FREE THROW TALK: With Warner Pacific coming to town over the weekend, expect the Lady Yotes to get to the foul line. In the last two seasons (five meetings) against the Knights, The C of I has averaged 29 free throw attempts per game against WP – including 52 attempts in the 85-72 victory in Portland last December.

VANDER ESCH KEEPS HER STREAKS ALIVE: Forward Christon Vander Esch (Riggins, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) extended a pair of long streaks in the victory over Whitman – she has now scored at least one point in 51-straight games, recorded a rebound in 61-straight games, and a steal in 29-straight games. She is No. 2 on the all-time steals (199) and blocked shots (118) lists – needing just six steals to break the career school record. Vander Esch is sixth all-time in free throws attempted (300), seventh all-time in free throws made (204), ninth in field goal attempts (681), and tenth in rebounds (511) and points scored (759) – closing in on the top ten in field goals made (258), three-pointers made (39), and three-point attempts (130).

ABOUT WARNER PACIFIC: The Knights (5-4, 1-0 CCC) come to Caldwell riding a two-game win streak – picking up a 84-73 victory at Willamette and a 55-50 home win over Northwest Christian to open up CCC play. Four of their five wins have come against teams the Lady Yotes have already defeated – including Great Falls and Linfield. WP has hit 39-percent of their three-point attempts, but are averaging 24 turnovers a game. Freshman Kelsey Mattsen (14.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg) has been a pleasant surprise for first-year head coach Matt Gregg, with returning guard Jacque Barton (12.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) putting up quality numbers. It is the 20th meeting between the two squads, with the Yotes holding a 13-6 series edge, including the past five in a row.

ABOUT CASCADE: The T-Birds (8-0, 1-0) have rallied together this season – after learning that their school will close at the end of the spring term, with their best start in program history. Cascade leads the league in scoring average (90.1 ppg), while forcing their opponents into 30 turnovers per game. The T-Birds have played just one counting road game (a 93-65 win at Walla Walla), but have lost three exhibition games at NCAA Division II squads by an average of 29 points. Kristina Schumacher (27.1 ppg, 5.8 spg, 3.8 rpg) has been the go-to player for Cascade, taking nearly a third of their shots and a quarter of their free throw attempts overall. She is joined by returners Robin Swain (15.8 ppg, 4.4 apg) and Amy Russell (12.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg) – who helped the T-Birds to the CCC Tournament semifinals as a No. 8 seed last year. It is the 17th meeting between the clubs, with the Yotes holding a 13-3 all-time series lead, including seven in a row.

CCC LEADERS: Scoring Average – Kristina Schumacher (CAS) 27.1, Emily Gray (NCU) 17.0, Katie Steigleman (CRB) 16.6, Robin Swain (CAS) 15.8, Christon Vander Esch (CI) 15.5; Rebound Average – Maya Gross (CAS) 9.6, Amy Russell (CAS) 9.1, Vander Esch 8.8, Gray 8.5, Jacki Speer (SOU) 8.0; Field Goal Percentage – Callie McVicker (NCU) .648, Danielle Clauson (CU) .571, Alyssa Garro (EOU) .558, Ann Snodderly (CU) .544, Katie Strunk (CI) .535; Assist Average – Meagan Miyasaka (OIT) 6.4, Whitney Scott (SOU) 5.2, Jenny Fiso (EOU) 5.1, Swain 4.6, Kailey Bostwick (CRB) 4.1.

GAME RECAP – C OF I 65, WHITMAN 62: Overcoming early in both halves of play, The C of I handed Whitman College their first loss of the season Saturday night, 65-62, in a battle of nationally-ranked women’s teams in Walla Walla, Wash. The Missionaries, ranked No. 24 in the latest NCAA Division III poll, threatened to blow the Coyotes out of the gym in the first six minutes of play, racing away to a 13-0 lead. The visitors missed their first six shots from the floor (plus two free throws) and committed six turnovers. Hilary White fueled the Missionary outburst with six points and guard Jennifer Keyes capped the run with a 3-pointer. The Lady Yotes countered with a 17-4 run to knot the score at the 7:51 mark and the score remained tied, 28-28, at intermission. Whitman opened the second half with another quick blitz, jumping in front 35-28 in the first 90 seconds, but a Nicole Gall (Boise, Idaho / Santa Clara U.) three-ball pulled the Coyotes even at 48, fueling a 12-2 run to push the Purple and Gold’s lead to 57-50 with six minutes left. A six-point Missionary run, which included two Rebecca Sexton hoops, forged a 60-60 tie with 2:14 left. After Christon Vander Esch and Sexton traded baskets, ShaNae Horner (West Jordan, Utah / Snow CC) scored to give the Coyotes the lead for good at 64-62 with 26 seconds remaining. After Whitman missed its next shot from the floor and The C of I misfired on the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity, the Missionaries turned the ball over with 10 seconds left, with Alexandria Allen (Yakima, Wash. / Columbia Basin CC) hitting 1-of-2 free throws – then getting a hand in the face of Keyes on her desperation three at the horn that went wide.  Horner led the way with 19 points, while Vander Esch had 17 in the win – despite the team connecting on just 4-of-18 free throws. Sexton led Whitman with 22 points, with Krall adding 13 in the loss.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on The C of I women’s basketball program, head to the homepage of the Lady Yotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.