yote notes - edition 19

COMING UP: vs. Eastern Oregon, Friday, 7 p.m.; (with win) vs. Corban/Warner Pacific winner, Monday, 7 p.m. (site TBD)

LAST WEEK: vs. Southern Oregon (W 75-60)

LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO:  Friday’s playoff game will have both Live Stats and Live Video available for fans unable to make it to the Activities Center.  The Live Video can be accessed online at http://www.uppersports.com/broadcast_iframe/4415 with C of I SID Mike Safford calling the play-by-play.  Live Stats, sponsored by the Sprint Store in Meridian (2100 E. Fairview Ave, 855-9910), are available online at http://zeus.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/livestats/xlive.htm.

TOP SEEDS ADVANCE IN QUARTERFINALS: All four top seeds picked up victories in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Conference Tournament – all by double-digit margins.  Corban broke open a tight game to top Evergreen, 62-50, Eastern Oregon rolled over Northwest, 88-57, with Warner Pacific using 11 three-pointers to beat Oregon Tech, 76-58.  The four remaining teams in the tournament are all ranked in the NAIA Top-30.

HISTORY IN THE PLAYOFFS: The 2011-12 season marks the 13th-straight season that the Lady Yotes have advanced to the playoffs, the 16th time in 17 years since women’s basketball returned to the College in 1995.  The C of I has posted a 24-20 all-time record in the postseason, including a 18-14 record in their 16 trips to the CCC Tournament.  The squad has advanced to the CCC title game in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 – winning the crowd with a 70-67 victory over Eastern Oregon in 2010.  The Yotes have advanced to six previous NAIA National Tournaments, posting a 6-6 all-time record – including a trip to the national quarterfinals in 2000 and a trip to the national title game in 2001.

20-WIN SEASONS: The playoff win was the 20th victory of the season by the Lady Yotes – the third time in four years that squad has reached the 20 win plateau.  It is the 8th time in 17 years that the team has won 20 games and the fifth time under Reagan Rossi.

YOTES CLIMB TO NO. 20 IN NAIA POLL: Wins over Concordia and Warner Pacific last weekend helped the Coyotes climb three spots in the latest NAIA Division II Top-25 poll, jumping to No. 20 in the tabulation, released on Monday.  The C of I was one of three CCC teams in the poll – as Corban was ranked No. 10, and Eastern Oregon at No. 25.  It marks the highest poll position since the 2010-11 preseason ranking, when the Yotes were No. 12.

NATIONAL TOURNAMENT TEAMS: 21 teams will earn spots to the NAIA Tournament through their respective conferences, with one host berth (Morningside or Briar Cliff) and 10 at-large bids available.  Currently, seven teams – Tennessee Wesleyan, Corban, Concordia (Neb.), Friends, Indiana Wesleyan, Grand View, and Davenport have all earned berths to nationals, along with Morningside.  One team ranked higher that the Yotes (No. 11 Briar Cliff) has been eliminated from their conference tournament.  The final NAIA Top-25 poll on Feb. 29 will determine the at-large berths to the event, held at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, March 7-13.

HOME HAS BEEN FRIENDLY TO LADY YOTES: The Lady Yotes have had success at home this season, posting an 12-1 record on their own hardwood – including their first undefeated season in league play since the 2000-01 season.  In the postseason, the J.A. Albertson Activities Center has been kind to The C of I, posting a 14-1 all-time playoff record at home, including a 11-0 record under Reagan Rossi.

ABOUT EASTERN OREGON: A battle of Top-25 teams takes place on Friday night, as Eastern Oregon heads to Caldwell for a third time this season.  The Mountaineers (23-7) swept a pair of games at the Best Western Caldwell Inn and Suites Lady Yote Classic in November, then lost a 44-40 decision to The C of I two weeks ago.  Eastern has rebounded by winning four-straight games, all by double-digit margins, averaging nearly 80 points a game.  EOU is paced by a quartet of players averaging nine points or more a game – guards Brooke Randall (10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Kyle Miller (9.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg), and Dominique Johnson (8.8 ppg, 2.2 apg), and post Korrie Bourn (9.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg).  Eastern holds a six rebound edge on their opponents’ this season and forces nearly 22 turnovers a night.  It is the 39th meeting all time between the teams, with the Yotes holding a 21-17 series edge.

PLAYOFF HISTORY VS. EASTERN: It marks the fourth time that the two I-84 rivals meet in the postseason and just the second time in the CCC semifinals.  In 2002, the Lady Yotes upset top-seeded EOU 92-71 in the semis in La Grande, while in 2004, Eastern routed The C of I, 82-58, in the quarterfinals, also in La Grande.  The last playoff meeting was in 2010, when top-seeded C of I beat Eastern, 70-67, in Caldwell, for the league title – though both teams advanced to the NAIA Tournament.

OVER 70 POINTS: The playoff win over Southern Oregon was a rare offensive explosion for the Yotes, as The C of I cracked the 70-point barrier for the first time since the first weekend in December.  The Lady Yotes hadn’t scored 70 points in a game since a 72-51 win at Concordia on Dec. 3 – a span of 19 games.  Last season, the squad scored 70-or-more points 12 times.

FREE THROW PARTY: The Yotes got to the foul line a season-high 38 times in the win over Southern on Tuesday – connecting on 30 of the attempts.  It was the most free throws made and attempted by a C of I team since making 31-of-40 free throws at Cascade during the 2008-09 season.

FAKAHAFUA/JONES HIT THEIR STRIDE: Transfers Tina Fakahafua (Salt Lake City, Utah / Coll. of Southern Idaho) and Felicity Jones (Tremonton, Utah / Coll. of Southern Idaho) have been the go-to players for the Yotes over the past few weeks.  Fakahafua has recorded three-straight double-digit rebound games, scored 10-or-more points in five of the last six contests, and averaging 14 points and 13 rebounds over the past three home games.  Jones scored a season-high 23 points against SOU on Tuesday – the 17th time in 19 games that she’s scored in double-figures

UNDER 50 STREAK HITS 35: The Lady Yotes held Concordia last Friday to 46 points, the ninth time this season they’ve held a team under the 50 point mark.  It marked the 35th-straight win by the squad when holding a team to 49-or-fewer points –dating back to a 40-38 loss to Corban on Jan. 26, 2006.  The C of I has now won 77 of their last 78 games when holding a team under 50 points and has an all-time record of 105-2 in such games.

WHERE SHE STANDS ON THE ALL-TIME LISTS: Head coach Reagan Rossi  ranks No. 4 all-time in CCC women’s basketball victories – and is one of only five coaches to have won 190-or-more games.  Eastern Oregon head coach Anji Weissenfluh leads the list with 243 wins, followed by Corban’s Terry Williams (224), former Southern Oregon coach Shirley Huyett (205), Rossi (204), and former Northwest Nazarene head coach Roger Schmidt (190).  Rossi ranks No. 22 on the active wins list in the NAIA Division II and is No. 15 on the active win-percentage list among NAIA Division II coaches.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in steals (10.8), ranking third in scoring defense (57.4), defensive field goal percentage (.355), blocked shots (4.0),  rebound margin (+5.5), and turnover margin (+2.2).  The squad is No. 4 in rebounds (43.3), No. 5 in scoring margin (+7.4), field goal percentage (.388), and assists (12.9), No. 6 in free throw percentage (.695), No. 7 in scoring offense (64.8), and No. 10 in three-point percentage (.275).  Individually, four players are in the Top-10 – with Laura Geis (Frenchtown, Mont. / U. of Montana Western) No. 3 in blocks (2.4), No. 8 in rebounds (6.6), and No. 10 in field goal percentage (.427).  Felicity Jones is No. 7 in steals (2.3) and No. 8 in scoring average (13.1), Tina Fakahafua is No. 7 in rebounds (7.0), and Katelin Shannon (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) is No. 7 in free throw percentage (.802).

LEAGUE LEADERS: Scoring Average –Jessalyn Jackson (NU) 20.1, Katie Steigleman (CRB) 17.5, Chelsey Christensen (WP ) 15.4, Danielle Swain (ESC) 15.0, Lindsey Shearer (NCU) 14.1;  Rebound Average – Jackson 11.9, Tara Vanweerdhuizen (CRB) 10.9, Swain 9.6, Shearer (NCU) 9.3, Korrie Bourn (EOU) 7.2; Assist Average – Emily Tsugawa (CRB) 6.9, Nichole Jackson (WPC) 5.8,Domi Mendezona (NU) 5.2, Cameryn Calhoun (WP) 3.9, Shearer 3.6.

RECORD BOOK: Three C of I players are currently in the Top-10 all time record book –as Katelin Shannon ranks No. 4 in career steals (193) and No. 8 in both free throws made (255) and attempted (331). Meghan Hughes (Eagle, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) is No. 9 in games played (113) and field goals made (324), ranking No. 10 in field goals attempted (836), while Laura Geis is No. 5 in blocked shots (66). Geis has already cracked the single-season blocked shot list, ranking fourth heading into the postseason.

GAME RECAP – C OF I 75, SOUTHERN OREGON 60: Felicity Jones scored a season-high 23 points as The C of I opened up the 2012 CCC Championships with a 75-60 victory over Southern Oregon, tonight inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  The Raiders used a 6-0 run late in the first half, keyed by back-to-back Cassandra Tiggett baskets’, to cut a C of I lead to 23-21. The Lady Yotes would rally, rattling off 10 of the next 12 points in the final two minutes - as Tina Fakahafua begin the run with a three as the shot clock expired, and Katelin Shannon capped it with a trio of free throws after a long-distance foul with two ticks on the clock, as the hosts led 33-23 at the break. SOU would get within 35-27 early in the second half, but a Jones fast break basket and a pair of free throws gave the Yotes a 14-point lead - with the game played between a 10 and 14-point margin the rest of the way. The C of I won the game at the foul line, hitting a season-high 30-of-38 free throws in the victory, outscoring the Raiders, 30-11, at the stripe. The hosts held a 53-39 edge on the glass, including 21 offensive rebounds, while forcing 21 SOU turnovers.  Jones hit 11-of-12 free throws in the win, while adding four steals for the Yotes. Fakahafua had her second-straight double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, with Shannon scoring 11. Tiggett had a career night for Southern, scoring a game-high 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting, with RaTanya Newsome scoring 11.

ABOUT THE COACH: Reagan Rossi is in her 11th season as head coach of the Lady Yotes. The native of Mukwonago, Wis. has compiled a 204-131 overall record, with 10 consecutive appearances in the CCC Tournament, two CCC regular-season titles, and three-consecutive NAIA Division II National Tournament appearances. In 2008-09, she led the Coyotes to a school record 29-5 season, sharing their first CCC title since 2001 - earning a berth to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The team set a new school record with 21 consecutive wins, highest scoring average, and defeated Weber State for their first-ever NCAA Division I victory, climbing as high as No. 8 in the NAIA Top-25 poll. In 2009-10, her squad went 21-8, winning the CCC title outright, along with claiming their first-ever CCC Tournament championship, while last season, the Yotes advanced to the CCC Tournament title game and earned an automatic berth to the National Tournament.  She has coached a pair of second-team All-Americans and two third-team All-Americans, while 16 of her recruits have earned NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors.   Rossi was no stranger to The C of I, as she was a member of Todd Corman's inaugural coaching staff for two seasons, and was on the bench when the Lady Yotes took to the floor for the first time on Nov. 4, 1995 against Carroll College, ending an 18-year hiatus of women's basketball at the school.   Rossi has an extensive background in coaching - having been an assistant coach at Georgetown (Ky.), a fellow NAIA institution, along with Morehead State (Ky.), an NCAA Division I program. Before coming to The C of I in 1995, Rossi was an assistant coach with the Skagway High School boys' varsity team in Skagway, Alaska.   A 1994 graduate of Saint Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, Rossi played four years of basketball for the Queen Bees. Two of her teams qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, including the 1993-94 squad which advanced into the "Sweet Sixteen." She was the starting point-guard for two seasons, averaging ten points and six assists per game during her senior season. In 2006, she was inducted into the Mukwonago High School Hall of Fame.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I women’s basketball program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/womensbasketball.