Yote Notes – December 30, 2008

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

ATHLETIC NEWS:

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE COYOTES: The C of I athletic department would like to wish all Yote fans a happy holiday season and a Happy New Year.

 

C-TOWN FIGHT NIGHT SET FOR JANUARY 15: The fourth-annual C-Town Fight Night amateur boxing event is scheduled for January 15 in the Caldwell Events Center (O'Conner Fieldhouse).  All proceeds for the event, which will pit Caldwell High students vs. Caldwell High Students, and C of I students against C of I students in three one-minute round bouts, will benefit The C of I baseball team and CHS football teams.  For tickets, contact Josh Hegstad at 459-5862 or at jhegstad@collegeofidaho.edu.  Tickets are limited, as the last two events have been capacity crowds.

 

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.

 

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: Yotes complete homestand with NW Christian on Saturday, No. 22 E. Oregon on Tuesday

 

LAST WEEK: vs. Warner Pacific (L 84-72), vs. Cascade (postponed to 1/20)

 

COMING UP: vs. Northwest Christian, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. No. 22 Eastern Oregon, Tuesday (1/6), 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: All C of I home men’s 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 AVAILABLE: All C of I home games will also feature Live Stats online at http://yotestats.i8.com/basketball/xlive.htm.

 

CASCADE GAME RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 20: The Coyotes game with Cascade College, which was postponed on Dec. 20 due to difficult travel conditions, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20.  Game time is still scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with Ticket No. 11 in the season ticket packages still valid.

 

OTHER CCC DATE CHANGES: Two other CCC men’s games will have to be made up on January 19, as Cascade will travel to Eastern Oregon, while Southern Oregon will travel to Evergreen State.  The original SOU-ESC was postponed on Dec. 19, as the Evergreen campus was closed due to heavy snow.

 

HOME SWEET HOME: The Yotes continue their homestand with games Saturday and Tuesday, finishing up a three-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 185-49 record all time in the facility, dating back to the 1991-92 season.

 

CORPORATE PARTNERS: Starting this weekend, the Coyotes will honor their corporate partners at all remaining home games.  Saturday night is Preferred Real Estate Company Night against Northwest Christian, while Tuesday is West Valley Medical Center Night against Eastern Oregon.  The Yotes would like to thank the employees, families, and friends of their corporate partners for their support of C of I athletics.

 

REBOUNDING FROM TOUGH STARTS NOTHING NEW: For the Coyotes, an early season struggle does not mean the demise of the season.  Five times in the last ten seasons (including this year), The C of I has lost six or more games before the start of the new year.  However, of the previous four times – two of the squads reached the NAIA National Tournament (2000-01 squad started 1-5, finishing in the NAIA Elite Eight; 2002-03 squad started 7-8, finishing in the NAIA Sweet Sixteen), while the 2006-07 squad started 5-8 and advanced to the CCC Tournament semifinals.

 

CCC/NATIONAL POLL: The second regular-season NAIA Top-25 Poll was released on Dec. 9, 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.

 

POTTS PICKING UP SCORING PACE: Over the last two weekends, point-guard Kelvin Potts (Oakland, Calif. / Chabot CC) has been giving the Yotes a boost offensively.  The junior transfer has averaged 16 points a night over his last three games, including a season-high 18 points against Warner Pacific.  Potts also leads the team with 44 assists and is third on the team with 14 steals.

 

CHAMP HEATING UP: Senior Bryan Champ (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) continues to roll on as the Yotes dive deeper into the CCC season.  The two-time league Defensive Player of the Year has scored in double-figures in each of his last four games, averaging 16 points a night in those contests – connecting on 14 of his last 19 three-point attempts.  Champ has now recorded a steal in 42 consecutive games, at least two points scored in 60-straight games, and at least one rebound in 70 consecutive games. 

 

LONG TO REDSHIRT: Guard Tucker Long (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.  The junior, who hit 49-percent of his three-point attempts last season, will look to obtain a medical redshirt – as he played in just two games early this season.  Long is the second Yote to miss the season due to injury, as Londale Theus (Los Angeles, Calif. / New Mexico State) is also redshirting.

 

CAREER RECORDS: Two Coyotes find themselves in the Top-10 on The C of I all-time career record book.  Bryan Champ ranks second all-time in steals (219), while needed 32 assists to crack the Top-10 in the category (197).  Craig McGee (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) ranks fifth all-time in blocked shots (57) and ninth in free throw attempts (335), while closing in on the Top-10 in free throws made (205) and rebounds (371).

 

COYOTES IN THE CCC STATS: As a team, the Yotes rank third in a pair of CCC stat categories – scoring defense (71.5) and turnover margin (+1.5).  The C of I is fourth in the loop in blocked shots per game (3.5), fifth in opponents rebounds per game (35.9) and steals per game (8.4), seventh in defensive field goal percentage (.445) and three-pointers made per game (5.4), eighth in free throw percentage (.658), ninth in scoring margin (+0.2), rebounds per game (34.5), rebound margin (-1.5), and assists per game (12.9), tenth in three-point percentage (.308) and defensive three-point percentage (.388), and eleventh in scoring offense (71.7), and field goal percentage (.451).  Individually, Craig McGee ranks among the Top-10 in three categories – fourth in blocked shots per game (1.2), fifth in minutes played per game (31.2), and sixth in field goal percentage (.607).  Bryan Champ leads the loop in three-point percentage (.563) and is third in steals per game (2.8), with Kelvin Potts ranking ninth in assists per game (3.4) and Brian Bergerson (Modesto, Calif. / Modesto CC) tenth in three-pointers made per game (1.9).

 

CCC LEADERS: Scoring Average – Nate Menefee (ESC) 24.6, Adam Moore (WP) 22.5, Ben Pawlak (CAS) 22.0, Josh Brown (CAS) 18.4, Paul Martin (CRB) 18.4; Rebound Average – Kaylone Riley (WP) 10.5, Josh Wetzler (OIT) 9.0, Ryan Barker (CAS) 8.8, Steve Trotter (ESC) 8.4, Paul Carollo (EOU) 8.0; Field Goal Percentage – Christian Cavanaugh .714, Wetzler .662, Trotter .654, Dylan Perry (NCU) .649, Neil Fryer (EOU) .614; Assists Average – Justin Parnell (OIT) 5.9, Kao Saelee (CAS) 5.1, Jeremy Templeton (EOU) 4.7, Menefee 4.1, Martin 3.9.

 

ABOUT NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN: The Yotes open the 2009 portion of their season Saturday against Northwest Christian.  The Beacons (9-4, 3-1 CCC) have played well throughout – riding a three-game win streak into their eastern swing.  First-year player Dylan Perry (12.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .649 fg%) leads the team in scoring, while shooter Jordan Whittenburg (10.6 ppg) and forward Andrew Miller (9.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg) provide experience.  Expect the game to be around the 70-point mark, as the two teams are among the lowest scoring clubs in the loop, while NCU hits .733 percent of their free throws.  It is the seventh meeting between the teams since 1981, with the Yotes holding a 6-0 series edge, including a home-and-home sweep last year.

 

CAN THE YOTES GET THE I-84 CUP BACK?: Next Tuesday, the Yotes rekindle their longest continuous rivalry, as Eastern Oregon makes the 150-mile jaunt down I-84.  The Mountaineers (7-3, 1-2) opened the season ranked No. 6 in the NAIA Preseason Poll after a Sweet Sixteen appearance at the NAIA Tournament, but dropped 16 slots after losing back-to-back road games at Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech.  EOU is eight-deep, with six different players averaging in double figures – all shooting above 50-percent from the field, as the Mounties hit on .53-percent of the shots as a team.  Division I transfer Kris Groce (15.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) leads the club in scoring, with bruisers Neil Fryer (12.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Paul Carollo (12.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg) controlling the paint.  It is the 161st meeting between the schools, with the Yotes holding a 101-59 all-time series edge.

 

MORE ON THE CUP BATTLE: The two teams will play once again for more than just a victory, as the victor Tuesday will claim the I-84 Cup – which signifies the rivalry between the two most eastern outposts in the CCC.  EOU and The C of I have met on the hardwood every season since 1945, but began the I-84 Cup tradition in 2004.  Since then, the series is tied 4-4 – but EOU has held the Cup since a 78-75 win over the Yotes in February of 2007. 

 

GAME RECAP: WARNER PACIFIC 84, C OF I 72: A 22-2 first half run blew open a close game, as No. 12 ranked Warner Pacific won their fifth-straight game with an 84-72 victory over The C of I, Dec. 19,  in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  The Knights led 9-8 with 15-minutes remaining in the first half, but the visitors would force four C of I turnovers, with Tom Higgins hitting back-to-back triples, sandwiched around a three-point play, to lead 31-10 with 9:35 remaining in the period.  The lead would grow to 44-20, before the Yotes cut the margin to 48-33 at the break.  The C of I would cut the margin to 54-42 at the 14-minute mark of the second half - but the Yotes would not get closer than nine the rest of the way.  Adam Moore scored a game-high 30 points, on 11-of-14 shooting, with Aukai Wong scoring 16 points in his WP debut.  Four Yotes scored in double figures, led by Kelvin Potts with a season-high 18.  Craig McGee added 17 points and eight rebounds, Brian Bergerson had 15 points, with Bryan Champ recording his second career double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds.

 

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: Lady Yotes to host NNU Wednesday, close homestand vs. NW Christian and EOU

 

LAST WEEK: vs. Warner Pacific (W 65-64), vs. Cascade (postponed to 1/20)

 

COMING UP: Exhibition vs. Northwest Nazarene, Wednesday, 7 p.m.; vs. Northwest Christian, Saturday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Eastern Oregon, Tuesday (1/6), 5:30 p.m.

 

RADIO: Wednesday’s game vs. Northwest Nazarene will be carried live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford calling the play-by-play.  The Jackson’s Pregame show will begin 15-minutes prior to tip-off.  The remaining eight Cascade Conference road games will also be carried live on radio.

 

LIVE VIDEO ON THE WEB: All C of  I home women’s 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 AVAILABLE: All C of I home games will also feature Live Stats online at http://yotestats.i8.com/basketball/xlive.htm.

 

CASCADE GAME RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 20: The Lady Yotes game with Cascade College, which was postponed on Dec. 20 due to difficult travel conditions, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20.  Game time is still scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with Ticket No. 11 in the season ticket packages still valid.

 

OTHER CCC DATE CHANGES: Two other CCC women’s games will have to be made up on January 19, as Cascade will travel to Eastern Oregon, while Southern Oregon will travel to Evergreen State.  The original SOU-ESC was postponed on Dec. 19, as the Evergreen campus was closed due to heavy snow.

 

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 Monday.

 

BEST START EVER: With a 12-game win streak (13, 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 an 11-2 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 12-game win streak marks the second time in program history that the Lady Yotes have won double-digit games in a row.  The school-record win streak is 13, set during the 1996-97 season.  The 12-game streak is the longest under head coach Reagan Rossi.

 

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.

 

FRESHMAN IMPRESSING: It has been a banner rookie season for C of I guard Meghan Hughes (Eagle, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), who scored a career-high 19 points against Warner Pacific.  The true freshman ranks seventh in the CCC in field goal percentage, while averaging eight points and three rebounds per game.  Hughes is on pace to become just the third freshman to average eight or more points per game as a Lady Yote – joining Amber Paulson in 1998-99 (8.2) and Dani Cotterell in 2002-03 (10.1).

 

GALL HOT FROM 3: After a difficult opening month to the season, transfer guard Nicole Gall (Boise, Idaho / Santa Clara U.) has lived up to her Preseason All-CCC Team accolades.  The former NCAA Division I player connected on six of her first 33 shots from outside the arc, averaging just seven points per game through the Yotes first eight contests.  However, Gall has reversed her fortunes over the last five games – hitting 19 of 34 long range shots and averaging 17 points a night.  She ranks among the league’s leaders in three different categories – including three-pointers made per game.

 

VANDER ESCH STREAKS INTACT: Forward Christon Vander Esch (Riggins, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) extended a pair of long streaks in the victory over Warner Pacific – she has now scored at least one point in 52-straight games, recorded a rebound in 62-straight games, and a steal in 30-straight games.  She is No. 2 on the all-time steals (203) and blocked shots (121) lists – needing just two steals to break the career school record.  Vander Esch is sixth all-time in free throws attempted (305), seventh all-time in free throws made (208), ninth in field goal attempts (687), and tenth in rebounds (515) and points scored (765) – closing in on the top ten in field goals made (259), three-pointers made (39), and three-point attempts (131).

 

LADY YOTES IN THE CCC STATS:  As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in two team categories – rebounds per game (46.9) and blocked shots per game (5.7), ranking second in steals per game (17.6) and turnover margin (+6.3), and third in scoring offense (80.9).  The squad is fourth in opponents field goal percentage (.379) and opponents three-point percentage (.281), fifth in scoring margin (+10.4) and three-point percentage (.335), sixth in assists per game (15.8), seventh in free throw percentage (.680), eighth in field goal percentage (.403) and rebound margin (+0.3), and last in opponents rebounds (46.6) and scoring defense (70.5).  Individually, Christon Vander Esch leads the loop in blocked shots per game (2.3), is second in steals per game (4.1), fifth in rebounds per game (8.4), and seventh in scoring average (14.8).  Nicole Bruce (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) is fifth in blocked shots per game (1.3), ninth in free throw percentage (.780), and tenth in rebounds per game (6.8), while Nicole Gall ranks fifth in three-pointers per game (1.9), sixth in steals per game (2.5), and tenth in blocked shots per game (0.9).  Katie Strunk (Shoshone, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) and Meghan Hughes are tied for sixth in the league in field goal percentage (.519), while Alexandria Allen (Yakima, Wash. / Columbia Basin CC) is tenth in steals per game (1.9) and ShaNae Horner (West Jordan, Utah / Snow CC) is tenth in three-pointers per game (1.5).

 

CCC LEADERS: Scoring Average – Kristina Schumacher (CAS) 27.1, Emily Gray (NCU) 16.7, Katie Steigleman (CRB) 16.0, Robin Swain (CAS) 15.8, Jacki Speer (SOU) 15.3; Rebound Average – Maya Gross (CAS) 9.6, Gray 9.3, Amy Russell (CAS) 9.1, Speer (SOU) 8.6, Christon Vander Esch (CI)  8.4; Field Goal Percentage – Callie McVicker (NCU) .631, Danielle Clauson (CU) .568, Ann Snodderly (CU) .564, Amanda Johnston (OIT) .539, Speer .524; Assist Average – Meagan Miyasaka (OIT) 6.5, Jenny Fiso (EOU) 5.3, Whitney Scott (SOU) 4.7, Swain 4.6, Kailey Bostwick (CRB) 4.1.

 

CANYON COUNTY CLASH IN CALDWELL: It should be a quality game on Wednesday night, as Canyon County rival Northwest Nazarene meets the Lady Yotes.  For the Crusaders (6-4), the game will count in the standings, while for the Lady Yotes, the game will be marked as their second and final exhibition of the season (the first was a 69-65 win at Weber State in November).  It should be a fast-paced game, as NNU likes to run, with four players averaging in double figures – Lindsay Brady (15.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg), Brittney Roggenkamp (14.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Janae Olds (11.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg), and Briaunna King (10.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg).  It marks the 19th meeting and first exhibition game between the teams – with NNU holding a 18-4 series edge, with all four C of I wins coming in Caldwell – including a 70-54 win in 2006.

 

ON NEW YEARS EVE: Wednesday’s game marks the fourth time in the last decade that the Lady Yotes have rang in the new year on the basketball court.  In 1999, the squad played on Dec. 31 in Phoenix, Ariz., at the Grand Canyon Sports Classic, then met Cascade on the same date in 2004.  Last season, The C of I and NNU met on New Years Eve in Nampa – with NNU notching a 79-64 victory.

 

SECOND TIME FOR NW CHRISTIAN IN IDAHO: For the second time this season, Northwest Christian will be heading to Idaho – this time for CCC play, looking to end a five-game losing streak.  The Beacons (4-8, 0-4 CCC) played a pair of games in the Gem State early in November, losing to both the Lady Yotes and Northwest Nazarene.  It has not been a banner season for NCU, as their four victories have come over teams with a combined record of 5-37 – however, six of their eight losses have been by 12 points or less.  Preseason All-CCC selection Emily Gray (16.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg) had 19 rebounds in a recent loss to Corban, while Elise Gray (10.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg), McKenzie Gambee (9.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg), and Callie McVicker (8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .631 fg%) have contributed big minutes.  It marks the fourth meeting between the clubs, with the Lady Yotes holding a 3-0 series edge.

 

I-84 CUP ON THE LINE FOR THE WOMEN: Next Tuesday, the Activities Center will heat up, as Eastern Oregon puts the I-84 Cup on the line for the first of two meetings this season.  The Mountaineers (6-3, 2-1) have rebuilt their hoop machine this season after a trip to the Sweet Sixteen at last year’s NAIA Tournament, with returner Salena Leavitt (10.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg) leading the way.  Newcomers Ashlee Michelson (14.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Briana Smith (10.3 ppg, .463 3fg%) have provided a big spark for the Mounties, the five-time defending CCC champions.  EOU holds the all-time series edge 15-14 and has won 13 of the last 14 regular season meetings between the teams – the lone win for the Lady Yotes a 62-56 victory in Caldwell during the 2006-07 season.

 

GAME RECAP – C OF I 65, WARNER PACIFIC 64:  A Meghan Hughes three-point play with one minute remaining provided the difference, as The C of I withstood a late Warner Pacific rally, winning their 12th-straight game, 65-64, Dec. 19 in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  The No. 17 ranked Lady Yotes took a 60-48 lead on a pair of Hughes free throws with five minutes left, but missed their next three shots, two free throws, and turned the ball over twice, as the Knights used a 13-0 push, capped by a Jacque Barton lay-up with two minutes left, to give the visitors a 61-60 lead.  However, the Coyotes would not be denied, as a pair of Christon Vander Esch free throws gave The C of I the lead for good, followed by the Hughes hoop and harm.  A Karissa Boyd triple cut the margin to one, with the Knights forcing a turnover to have a chance at the win - but Stephanie Rider mishandled a pass in the near corner and the Lady Yotes were able to run out the clock.  Hughes had a career-high 19 points in the win, with Nicole Gall adding 14 points, and ShaNae Horner scoring ten points with six assists.  Katie Allen had 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, with Kelsey Mattsen adding ten points - as all eight players who played for WP scored at least six points.  The Knights held a 48-33 edge on the glass, but turned the ball over 33 times.

 

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.