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Tough Road Trip Lies Ahead For Women's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format
Game No. 27 - LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
NEXT UP: Gonzaga University women's basketball hits the road for its final regular-season road trip of the season. The Bulldogs play at Loyola Marymount University on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. and then face off against Pepperdine University on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. The Lions are currently in third place in the West Coast Conference standings with a 7-3 mark, while the Waves are fourth at 6-4. LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE: All home Gonzaga University women's basketball contests can be seen live on CBS College Sports all-access through GoZags.com. Check out the women's basketball schedule page for the link to the video broadcast. Gametracker is also available for all home games and can be accessed at GoZags.com ON THE RADIO: Gonzaga University will have all regular-season home games broadcast on the radio this season as Steve Myklebust returns for his fifth year of calling the action. Each game will be broadcast on either KGA 1510 AM or KJRB 790 AM in Spokane with a pre-game show 20-minutes prior to tip. Games will also be available on the internet at GoZags.com. TICKET INFORMATION: Single game tickets to Gonzaga University women's basketball can be purchased through TicketsWest at 325-SEAT (7328), TicketsWest.com, at any TicketsWest outlet, or at the McCarthey Athletic Center Ticket Office, Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Women's Basketball Ticket Prices are as follows: $8-Reserved, $5-General Admission Adult; $3-General Admission Child (12 and under), or Senior (65 and over); Gonzaga Students, Faculty & Staff are free with a valid Gonzaga ID. SCOUTING THE LIONS: Loyola Marymount University currently holds a 17-7 overall mark and a 7-3 record in West Coast Conference action. The Lions, who have won three-straight, are third in the WCC standings, two games behind Gonzaga University and one game behind the University of Portland. LMU is led by reigning WCC Co-Player of the Week Renahy Young who is averaging 15.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: This will be the 47th meeting between Gonzaga University and Loyola Marymount University. The Lions hold the slight 24-22 advantage in the all-time series but the Bulldogs have won eight out of the last nine meetings. Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount split its two WCC match ups a year ago. The Zags defeated the Lions 81-65 at the McCarthey Athletic Center and then fell to LMU 75-60 on the road. GU's setback to LMU last season was its lone loss in conference play. This season, Gonzaga took a 83-58 win over Loyola Marymount at the McCarthey Athletic Center Jan. 24. SCOUTING THE WAVES: Pepperdine University brings a 13-11 overall mark and a 6-4 record into its contest against Gonzaga University. The Waves, who are fourth in the West Coast Conference standings, have won four out of their last five games, including two-straight. Miranda Ayim is averaging a team-best 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PEPPERDINE: This will be the 50th meeting between Gonzaga University and Pepperdine University. The Waves hold the 28-21 lead in the all-time series but the Bulldogs have won 11 of the last 14 meetings, including all three meetings last year and their first meeting this season. Gonzaga defeated Pepperdine 68-56 and 92-85 in regular season action a season ago and then earned the 77-67 victory over the Waves in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament. This season, the Bulldogs took a 66-43 victory over the Waves at the McCarthey Athletic Center Jan. 22. BREAKING THE 100-POINT BARRIER: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team has scored 100 points on two different occasions this season. The Bulldogs opened the year with a 101-44 victory against Eastern Oregon University and broke 100 in their last game, a 109-73 victory at the University of San Diego. The 109 points was the highest point total scored by the Zags since the 1985 season when they defeated Seattle Pacific University 111-84 and ranks ninth in the country for total points in a game. The 109 points is also the most points scored in a West Coast Conference game. US International previously held the record scoring a 108 points against Loyola Marymount University on Feb. 21, 1986. BIG WINS: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team currently holds a 9-1 record in West Coast Conference action. The Bulldogs have defeated their conference foes by an average of 26 points per game. The Zags largest victory in conference this season is 36. They defeated both the University of San Diego (109-73) and the University of San Francisco (71-35) by 36. PORTLAND STUNS BULLDOGS: The curse of the eighth game of the West Coast Conference season continues to haunt the Gonzaga University women's basketball team as it dropped the first game of the second half of WCC play for the fourth-straight season with a 70-67 setback to the University of Portland Feb. 8. The loss broke a 16-game winning streak over the Pilots that dated back to 2001-02 campaign and also ended the Zags current eight-game winning streak. LOOKING FOR NUMBER FIVE:The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is looking to capture its fifth-straight West Coast Conference regular-season championship and second WCC Tournament title in three years. The Bulldogs, who are 51-5 over the past four WCC seasons, are coming off a 13-1 WCC campaign in 2007-08. Of the five losses during the past four seasons, two have been to both Pepperdine University and Loyola Marymount University, while one came against Santa Clara University. Last year's lone loss was at LMU. SCHAEFER RETURNS: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Jami Schaefer, formerly Bjorklund, returned to the floor Feb. 8, playing 19 minutes against the University of Portland. Schaefer had been out six week rehabbing a partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, suffered Dec. 22 against the University of Wyoming. Schaefer scored two points, grabbed four rebounds, made two steals and dished out one assist in her return. SOLD OUT: The Gonzaga University women's basketball contest against the University of Tennessee Dec. 30 at the McCarthey Athletic Center was the first Bulldog women's basketball game to be played in front of a sold out crowd. Six thousand fans braved winter weather to watch GU do battle with the two-time defending national champions. The largest crowd for a Zags contest at the McCarthey Athletic Center prior to the Lady Vols contest was Feb. 26, 2005 when 5,825 fans showed up for a the Bulldogs game against University of Portland. BOWMAN MAKES ANOTHER PRESTIGIOUS LIST: Gonzaga University women's basketball player Heather Bowman was named to the Naismith Trophy Early Watch List presented by AT&T as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Bowman, a junior forward averaging 19.3 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Bulldogs this season, became the inaugural Zag to be named to this list. The Naismith Trophy watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis, MO. FIRST COLLEGIATE DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Freshman Kelly Bowen, a starting forward on the Gonzaga University women's basketball team, collected her first collegiate double-double in the Bulldogs 91-63 victory at Saint Mary's College, Jan. 29. The Aussie finished with 17 points, tying her career-high, and brought down a game-high 10 boards. Bowen, who has started the last 15 contests for the Zags, is averaging 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in West Coast Conference action. OFF THE BENCH: Sophomore Claire Raap has played a vital role off the bench for Gonzaga University this season. Raap is averaging 13.9 minutes per contest for the Zags and is shooting a team-best 55.1 percent (54-of-98) from the field. Her shooting percentage in West Coast Conference games is even better. The forward has hit a smoking 58.7 percent (27-of-46) of her shots. In the Bulldogs 84-56 victory over Saint Mary's College Feb. 12, Raap came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points in a 23 minutes of action. Raap's previous career-high was 13 tallied in the Zags 109-73 win at the University of San Diego, Jan. 31. SEVEN MORE FREE THROWS: Gonzaga University junior Heather Bowman needs to make just seven more free throws to become the Bulldog career record holder. Bowman has hit 380 free throws to date and can break Ashley Burke's record of 386 by sinking seven more at the charity stripe. TWENTY WIN SEASON: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team secured its fifth 20-plus win season in school history with its victory over Saint Mary's College on Feb. 12. The Zags, who are 21-5 overall, have won 20 or more games for three-straight seasons and four times under head coach Kelly Graves. RECEIVING VOTES IN THE ESPN/USA TODAY POLL: The Gonzaga University women's basketball, who received one votes in last week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 poll, received 16 votes this week and is just three spots away from cracking the Top 25. RECEIVING VOTES IN THE AP POLL: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is one of 10 schools also receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25. The Bulldogs garnered six votes this week. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: When looking at the Gonzaga University women's basketball roster some may wonder what happened to Bulldog Jami Bjorklund. Don't fret, the senior guard from Spokane is still on the squad, she is just going by a different name. Bjorklund was married to Drew Schaefer this past August and is now going by her married name - Jami Schaefer. CAREER NIGHT: Courtney Vandersloot scored a career-high 32 points in the Bulldogs 80-77 setback to Marquette University in the first round of the WBCA Classic. Vandersloot joined nine other former Bulldogs in the 30-Point Club. She was six points off a single-game record, as Amy Simpson scored 38 points against Lewis-Clark State Feb. 1, 1983. The previous Zag to score 30 or more points, prior to Vandersloot scoring 32, was junior Heather Bowman who tallied 30 against Santa Clara on Feb. 28, 2008. NEARING 1,000 POINTS: Senior guard Jami Schaefer is closing in on 1,000 career points. Schaefer has scored 926 total points at Gonzaga University and only needs 74 more to become the 14th Bulldog all-time to score 1,000 or more points. CRASHING THE BOARDS: Gonzaga University junior Vivian Frieson grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds at the University of San Francisco Jan. 17 to help the Zags secure their 21-point victory. Frieson, who was one shy of tying her career-high, grabbed five offensive boards and 10 defensive boards in the Bulldogs third West Coast Conference victory of the season. Frieson has recorded double-digit rebounds in five contests this season. ZAGS KNOCK OFF RANKED OPPONENT: Heather Bowman scored 18 points to lead Gonzaga University to a 69-62 upset over then-No. 15/16 University of Virginia in the WBCA Classic. The win secured the Bulldogs the WBCA Classic title. The victory against Virginia was the first over an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) school in three tries and the second-ever over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs only other win over a top ranked team was Nov. 24, 2006 when they defeated then-No. 19 UCLA 62-57 at the Rainbow Wahine Tournament. WBCA ALL-TOURNAMENT: Junior Heather Bowman and classmate Vivian Frieson both were named to the WBCA Classic All-Tournament squad after leading the Gonzaga University women's basketball team to a 2-1 record. Bowman also was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. Bowman averaged 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest, while Frieson averaged 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. NATIONAL STATISTICS - INDIVIDUALS: Heather Bowman and Courtney Vandersloot, of the Gonzaga University women's basketball team, all are among the nations leaders in NCAA Division I statistics. Bowman is 19th in scoring at 19.3 per game, 57th in free throw percentage (82.7) and 66th in field goal percentage (49.3). Vandersloot is third in assists per game at 7.3 and 22nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9). NATIONAL STATISTICS - TEAM: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is ranked in the Top 25 of the NCAA Division I statistics in eight categories. The Bulldogs are 9th in turnover margin (5.88), 12th in scoring margin (16.4), 14th in both scoring offense (74.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.03), 17th in both free throw percentage (75.0) and assists per game (16.0), 21st in steals per game (11.3) and 23rd in won-lost percentage (80.8). SIXTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Junior Vivian Frieson posted her sixth career double-double on Jan. 17 against Loyola Marymount University. Frieson helped Gonzaga University to a 83-58 victory with a 15 point, 13 rebound performance. It was her second double-double in three games as she scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, one board shy of tying her career-high, in GU's 63-42 victory at the University of San Francisco, Jan. 17. The forward, who didn't have any double-doubles as a freshman, had her first two late in the season as a sophomore. Frieson had 12 points and 11 rebounds against Pepperdine University in the Zags opening game of the West Coast Conference Tournament. She then posted a 10 point, 11 rebound performance at the University of Colorado, in the second round of the WNIT. Frieson's first double-double of her junior season was a 12 points, 11 rebound performance against the University of Utah. Her other double-double this season was a 10 point, 10 rebound output against Saint Joseph's on Jan. 2. PICKING POCKETS: Gonzaga University junior Vivian Frieson was a big factor in why the Bulldogs defeated the University of Washington 64-59 on Nov. 16. Frieson finished the contest with a career-high 10 steals. The forward, who was playing in her hometown of Seattle, had five steals in each half. It is the single-highest steal total during head coach Kelly Graves' tenure. For the season, Frieson has a team-best 55 steals to her credit. DOUBLE-DIGIT ASSISTS: Sophomore Courtney Vandersloot has recorded five double-figure assists contests this season, including two in West Coast Conference action. Vandersloot dished out 10 assists against Utah Valley University on Nov. 19 and then had a career-high 13 assists versus Montana State University, Nov. 21. Those two games were also double-doubles for the point guard as she finished with 15 and 19 points, respectively. Vandersloot then had 10 assists against then-No. 8 Tennessee Dec. 30. She also scored 13 points in GU's 19-point setback. Her two double-figure assist outing in WCC play came at the University of San Francisco where she had 10 assists and at the University of San Diego where she collected 11. Vandersloot is averaging 7.3 assists per contest; tops in the conference and third most in the nation. INJURY REPORT: Junior sharpshooter Tiffanie Shives had microfracture surgery on her right knee on Monday, Dec. 15 and will be out for the rest of the season. Shives was averaging 10.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists before her injury. She was also the Bulldogs leading three-point shooter, sinking 19-of-48. BREAKING INTO BULLDOG CAREER RECORD BOOK: Sophomore point guard Courtney Vandersloot is fourth in the Gonzaga University women's basketball career record book for total assists. Vandersloot, who finished her freshman campaign with 191 assists, has dished out 175 this season for a total of 366. Vandersloot is also just the fifth player in Bulldog history to dish out 300 or more assists during her career. VANDERSLOOT WCC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore Courtney Vandersloot, of the Gonzaga University women's basketball squad, was named West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week as announced by the conference office Monday. Vandersloot averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while helping the Zags to victories over both Saint Mary's College and the University of San Francisco this past week. She shot 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from the field and 84.6 percent (11-of-13) from the free throw line. Against the Gaels, Vandersloot recorded a game-high 20 points, while tallying five assists, five boards and four steals. The Kent, Wash., native then was only two rebounds and two assists shy of a triple-double in the Bulldogs dominate 71-35 victory over the Dons. She scored 18 points, along with her eight rebounds and eight assists. POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: The Gonzaga University women's baskeball team is forcing its West Coast Conference opponents to turn the ball over 21.3 times per contest this season. In turn, the Zags, who are averaging 75.9 points per game, are scoring 20.9 points off their opponents miscues. LOWEST SCORING OUTPUT: Junior forward Heather Bowman scored a game-high 16 points with eight rebounds, but the Gonzaga women's basketball team lost to Santa Barbara 59-47, Dec. 7. Vivian Frieson added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who had their lowest scoring output since losing 85-46 to Middle Tennessee State in the 2007 NCAA tournament (45 games). It was GU's sixth road game in 15 days. BULLDOGS PICKED TO WIN WCC: Gonzaga University was chosen as the favorite to claim the West Coast Conference women's basketball title, as the Zags try to defend their WCC regular season title. The Bulldogs, who received seven first place votes for a total of 49 points, lost in the finals of last year's WCC Tournament to host University of San Diego and hosted their first round matchup in the WNIT, where they beat UC Davis. SCHAEFER EARNS ALL-ACADEMIC: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Jami Schaefer, formerly Bjorklund, has been named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First-Team as selected by members of the College Sports Information of America (CoSIDA). Schaefer earned first-team honors for the third-straight year in District 8 which includes student-athletes from NCAA Division I institutions in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. WBCA'S `SO YOU THINK YOU WANT TO BE A COACH': Senior Amanda Brown was selected as part of the 2009 class of the WBCA's So You Think Want To Be A Coach program. The coaching program, which is a collaborative effort between the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), provides female minority student-athletes with the experience and resources to become successful coaches in the future. In early April Brown will have her chance to pull from the coaching repertoire she has known and tweak the styles of coaches she will meet in order to create her own leadership style. She will spend three days in St. Louis, Mo. at the WBCA Convention and take part in coaching clinics and workshops. Brown said she is excited to be on the court in a whole new facet. ZAGS HOLD DONS TO 35 POINTS: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team defeated the University of San Francisco 71-35 at the McCarthey Athletic Center Feb. 14. It was the second time this season Gonzaga held an opponent under forty points. The Bulldogs defeated the University of Wyoming 67-38 on Dec. 22. The last time Gonzaga held a WCC opponent under forty points was 77 games ago. The Zags defeated Pepperdine University 58-35 on Jan. 7, 2007.
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