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Women's Basketball Hosts Eastern Oregon; Plays at Washington
Nov. 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
Game No. 1 - EASTERN OREGON
GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (0-0, 0-0 West Coast)
EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY MOUNTAINEERS (1-0, 0-0 CCC)
Game No. 2 - WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HUSKIES (0-0, 0-0 Pacific-10)
THIS WEEK: Gonzaga University women's basketball opens its 2008-09 season this weekend with two games. The Bulldogs tip the new campaign off by welcoming Eastern Oregon University to the McCarthey Athletic Center on Friday, Nov. 14 for a 6 p.m. start. The Zags then hit the road for a game in Seattle at the University of Washington on Sunday, Nov. 16. The 19th all-time meeting between GU and UW is set to begin at 2 p.m. 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 KGA 1510 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. BULLDOGS HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR 2008-09: It is safe to say that the Gonzaga University women's basketball team is at the top of its game. The Bulldogs, who have claimed the West Coast Conference regular-season title for the past four seasons, are primed to have another successful year. The Zags finished 25-9 in 2007-08, had a 13-1 mark in conference for the second year in a row, and made a post-season appearance for the fourth time in five years. Why are the Bulldogs so confident they will again have a successful run? Well its simple, GU returns 80% of its offense from a season ago. The Zags also have the West Coast Conference Player of the Year Heather Bowman, Newcomer of the Year Courtney Vandersloot and Defensive Player of the Year Jami Schaefer (formerly Bjorklund) returning to the squad. GU also boats four-time Coach of the Year Kelly Graves, returning for his ninth year at the helm. ZAGS WIN BIG IN TWO EXHIBITION GAMES: Gonzaga University women's basketball hosted two exhibition games to help prepare itself for the new season. The Bulldogs defeated Whitman College 77-43 in their first exhibition game and then defeated Concordia University 94-32. Junior forward Vivian Frieson led the way in both games, averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per contest. Freshman Kayla Standish chipped in 12.5 points per game, along with 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over the two contests. SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS: Gonzaga University hosts Eastern Oregon University to open its 2008-09 women's basketball campaign. The Mountaineers, a NAIA school with membership in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, finished the 2007-08 season with a 25-6 overall record and a 17-3 mark in the CCC. Eastern Oregon won the CCC regular season title with its 17-3 overall record but fell in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. The Mountaineers, a No. 7 seed, then scratched their way to a 52-49 upset of No. 2 seed Cardinal Strich in the opening round of the NAIA Division II National Championships. Eastern Oregon has already played one non-conference game this season; defeating Walla Walla University 104-51 on Oct. 30. ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST EASTERN OREGON: The contest between Gonzaga University and Eastern Oregon University is only the third-ever meeting and first meeting since 1986. The Bulldogs hold a 2-0 advantage in the series, defeating the Mountaineers 92-58 in 1984 and 69-49 in 1986. SEASON OPENERS: Gonzaga University women's basketball is 10-13 overall in season-openers. Included in that is a 6-0 mark when the Bulldogs play at home in their season openers, 3-5 record opening on the road and 2-6 record when playing at a neutral site. The Zags are looking for their third-straight season-opening win as Gonzaga defeated the University of Washington 91-72 at home in 2007-08. SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: After its season-opening game against Eastern Oregon University, Gonzaga University hits the road for a contest against the University of Washington. The Huskies closed out the 2007-08 season with a 13-18 overall record and an 8-10 mark in the Pacific-10 Conference. UW lost in the opening round of the Pac-10 Conference Championship a season ago, falling 83-64 to Arizona State University. Similar to Gonzaga, Washington played two exhibition games so far this season. The Huskies defeated Love & Basketball 77-73 in overtime and beat Corban College 92-57. Tia Jackson is in her second year as head coach of the Huskies. ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST WASHINGTON: This will be the 19th meeting between Gonzaga University and the University of Washington. The Huskies had beaten the Bulldogs 17-straight times before the Zags claimed their first-ever victory over UW with a 91-72 victory to open the 2007-08 season. Gonzaga is 0-10 playing on the road at Washington. The last time the Bulldogs played at UW was Dec. 15, 2007 when it dropped a 75-61 decision. ALL-TIME IN THE McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER: Gonzaga University women's basketball is 58-7 overall when playing at home in the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs first season in the McCarthey Athletic Center was 2004-05 and they went a perfect 14-0 at home that year. Last season the Zags were nearly perfect again, finishing with a 13-1 record. GU's only loss of the 2007-08 season was a heartbreaking 64-61 loss to Purdue University on Dec. 19. HEAD COACH Kelly Graves: Kelly Graves is begins his ninth season as the head coach at Gonzaga University having built the Bulldogs into an annual West Coast Conference contender. After winning just five games his first season, Graves has guided the Bulldogs to four-straight West Coast Conference regular-season titles. In 2006-07, Graves added a WCC Tournament championship and the Zags inaugural berth in the NCAA Tournament to his GU highlights. Gonzaga finished the 2006-07 season with a 24-10 overall record and a 13-1 record in the WCC; which helped Graves garner WCC Co-Coach of the Year honors. He once again led the Zags in 2007-08, as GU finished with a 25-9 overall record, 13-1 mark in the WCC and a WNIT invitation. Graves is currently the school's career wins leader with a 145-102 record. He has been named the WCC Coach of the Year at Gonzaga four times (2003 & 2005 & 2007 & 2008) and boasts a 211-128 career record including 102-52 in WCC action. Bowman Named To Preseason Wooden Award List: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior Heather Bowman became the inaugural Bulldog player to be named to the preseason Women's Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy as the 30 student-athletes for 2008-09 were announced by Richard "Duke" Llewellyn, Wooden Award Chairman and founder. The list is composed of 30 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. BOWMAN HAS ELBOW SURGERY: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior Heather Bowman had elbow surgery Nov. 2 and will be out indefinitely. The Spokane native hurt her elbow during practice the week prior to her surgery. Bowman, a 6-2 forward for the Zags, was named the 2008 West Coast Conference Player of the Year after averaging a WCC-best 20.1 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per contest. She missed five games last season due to a spiral fracture in her non-shooting hand but still finished 12th in the nation in scoring. 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. BOWMAN AND VANDERSLOOT AMONG TOP WCC RETURNEES: Heading the group of Gonzaga University returners are 2008 WCC Player of the Year Heather Bowman and Newcomer of the Year Courtney Vandersloot. Bowman and Vandersloot were tabbed by the West Coast Conference coaches as one of the top 10 returnees this season. Bowman led the WCC in scoring at 20.1 points per game in just her second year in the league and was third in the conference in rebounding at 8.6 per game. Vandersloot will enter the year as the conferences steals (62) leader and led the team in assists (191). RECEIVING VOTES: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team begins the 2008-09 season receiving votes in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25. The Bulldogs, who finished the 2007-08 campaign 25-9, received one vote in the poll. The Bulldogs were also among a handful of schools listed as also receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs received six votes. FOUR STARTERS RETURN: This year the Gonzaga University women's basketball squad returns four starters from the 2007-08 team that made its third WNIT appearance in five years. Returning to the mix is senior guard Jami Schaefer (formerly Bjorklund), junior forwards Vivian Frieson and Heather Bowman, and sophomore point guard Courtney Vandersloot. 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.
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