Overall 15-6: Home 6-2, Road 7-3, Neutral 2-1 / NWC 10-2: Home 5-1, Road 5-1
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HIGHLIGHTS:
* Recent Games: Bruins Split to Fall One Game behind Puget Sound in NWC
* Coming Up: Tacoma Trip Begins with "Make-or-Break" Game at Puget Sound
* On the Air! KFOX Adds Puget Sound Games to Original Schedule
* Schmick Honorable Mention for NWC "Player of the Week" for Feb. 7-13
* Career Lists: Gayman 8th in Points, Closing In on Top 10 in Rebounds
* NWC Stats: Schmick League's Most Accurate from 3-Pt Range
* NCAA Stats: Bruins Climb to 25th Among 3-Pt Field Goal Pct. Leaders
* Halftime Promotions for Bruin Basketball Games
RECENT GAMES: 2-0 (Click score for link to stories and box scores):
Feb. 11 - Willamette 101, at George Fox 77
Feb. 12 - George Fox 90, at Linfield 85, OT
COMING UP:
* Fri., Feb. 18, 8:00 pm - at University of Puget Sound (17-3, NWC 11-1), Tacoma, Wash.
Radio/internet broadcast on KFOX ... The Puget Sound Loggers, last year's NWC champions, were a heavy favorite to finish 1st in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll and lead the Bruins by one game ... UPS is ranked 7th in the latest D3hoops.com poll and 2nd in the West Region by the NCAA D-III Men's Basketball Committee ... Series record: GFU trails 8-19 since 1974 (5-6 home, 3-13 away) ... The Bruins' 68-66 win on Jan. 21 in Newberg snapped a 9-game losing streak to UPS ... The Loggers average 96.4 ppg (1st in the NWC) and allow 81.7 ppg (7th) ... UPS also leads the league in scoring margin (+14.8, 7th nationally) and steals (14.30), and is 2nd in 3-pt field goals (9.20, 13th nationally) ... The Loggers have four players in double figures in scoring: Jeremy Cross (17.6, 3rd in the NWC), Chase Curtiss (14.2, 11th), Zack McVey (14.0, 12th), and Aubrey Shelton (13.3, 16th) ... Chris O'Donnell is the top rebounder (6.6, 8th) ... Shelton is 3rd in the league in field goal pct. (.588) and 2nd in free throw pct. (.868, 20th nationally) ... Curtiss is the league leader in steals (2.40) ... Coach Eric Bridgeland, the 2003-04 NWC Coach of the Year, is 64-33 in his 4th season at UPS ...
* Sat., Feb. 19, 8:00 pm - at Pacific Lutheran University (5-15, NWC 3-8), Tacoma, Wash.
No radio/internet broadcast ... The Pacific Lutheran Lutes were picked to finish 7th in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll, and that's where they stand now ... PLU won its first 3 conference games but has since lost its last 8 ... Series record: GFU trails 8-12 since 1985 (6-4 home, 2-8 away) ... The Bruins have won the last 2 meetings, including an 83-71 decision on Jan. 22 in Newberg ... The Lutes average 71.8 ppg (6th in the NWC) and allow 85.9 ppg (9th) ... The Lutes have one player in double figures in scoring: Kurt Oliver (10.7, 23rd in the NWC) ... Drew Cardwell is the top rebounder (6.2, 10th) ... Coach Dave Harshman is 21-49 in his 3rd season at PLU ...
ON THE AIR!
George Fox sports can now be heard locally via the airwaves and across the country via the internet through campus station KFOX. The Bruins' game at Puget Sound this Friday have been added to the original KFOX broadcast schedule. To listen to Bruin athletic contests, go to www.kfoxradio.net.
Current schedule of broadcasts for basketball:
Fri., Feb. 18 - at Puget Sound (Women 6 pm, Men 8 pm)
Tue., Feb. 22 - vs. Pacific (Women 6 pm, Men 8 pm)
Fri., Feb. 25 - vs. Lewis & Clark (Women 6 pm, Men 8 pm)
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE:
The Bruins head to Tacoma this weekend, and the first game of that trip, on Friday at Puget Sound, is, for all intents and purposes, the "make or break" game for both teams in their bid to become the conference champions. The Loggers lead the Bruins by a game (UPS 11-1, GFU 10-2) in the standings, with every other team all but eliminated. A Bruin win over the 7th-ranked Loggers would produce a tie, and should the race end that way, the Bruins would have the head-to-head tiebreaker due to their previous win over UPS, 68-66 on Jan. 21 in Newberg. If Puget Sound wins, the Loggers would be two games ahead with three to play and all but assured of the league title. For the latest NWC standings, visit the NWC web site at www.nwcsports.com.
COACH MARK SUNDQUIST
Mark Sundquist (Seattle Pacific '89) is 42-78 (.350) to date in his 5th season as a college head coach, all at George Fox. He coached the boys' programs at Woodburn (Ore.) High for two years and at Newberg (Ore.) High for one year before joining the Bruins. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Sundquist.
Sundquist vs. upcoming opponents:
Puget Sound - 1-8 (home 1-4, road 0-4)
Pacific Lutheran - 4-5 (home 3-2, road 1-3)
BRUIN BITS:
* Schmick Honorable Mention for NWC "Player of the Week" for Feb. 7-13
Wing Aaron Schmick displayed a steady hand in a 1-1 week as the Bruins stayed in the conference race, receiving honorable mention for Northwest Conference "Player of the Week" for Feb. 7-13. In a 101-77 loss to Willamette on Friday, he led the Bruins with 15 points on 4-8 from the line (4-7 on 3's) and 3-4 from the line, with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. In a 90-85 overtime win at Linfield on Saturday, he had 19 points on 5-10 from the field (3-5 on 3's) and 6-6 from the line, with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. For the week, in 2 games, he scored 36 points (18.0), hitting 9-18 (.500) from the field, including 7-12 (.583) on 3's, and 9-10 (.900) from the line, with 6 rebounds (3.0), 5 assists (2.5), and 4 steals (2.0). He was NWC Player of the Week for Jan. 24-30.
* 2004-05 Honors:
Mark Gayman - Surf's Up Invitational All-Tournament Team; NWC "Player of the Week" (Jan. 3-9)
Aaron Schmick - RBC Mortgage/Windermere Real Estate Holiday Tournament All-Tournament Team; NWC "Player of the Week" (Jan. 24-30); D3hoops.com "Team of the Week" (Jan. 24-30)
* Bruins 6th in Latest West Region Ratings
As their record continues to grow, the George Fox Bruins have caught the attention of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee, who tabbed the Bruins 6th in the West Region in their latest ratings of Feb. 9 (updated rankings for Feb. 16 were not available at the time of this release). The Bruins are now 15-6 overall and 11-3 against regional opponents. Ahead of George Fox were #1 Wisconsin-Stevens Point, #2 Puget Sound, #3 Wartburg, #4 Buena Vista, and #5 Gustavus Adolphus.
Complete polls: D3hoops.com Poll / NCAA Division III Regional Rankings
* 2004-05 Records:
Best 3-Pt Field Goal Pct. (with a miss) - .923 (12-13) at Whitworth, 1-8
Attendance, Home - 2,400 vs. Whitworth, 2/5/05
* Double-Doubles:
Mark Gayman: Career 23, season 8 - 32 pts/10 reb vs. California-Santa Cruz, 11-27 at Honolulu, Hawaii; 13 pts/11 reb at Whitman, 1-7; 24 pts/12 reb at Multnomah Bible, 1-11; 18 pts/13 reb vs. Puget Sound, 1-21; 18 pts/11 reb at Lewis & Clark, 1-28; 22 pts/10 reb vs. Whitman, 2-4; 18 pts/11 reb vs. Whitworth, 2-5; 24 pts/10 reb at Linfield, 2-12
Scott Szalay: Career 7, season 2 - 25 pts/10 reb at Whitman 1-7; 11 pts/11 reb vs. Linfield, 1-15
* Career Lists: Gayman 8th in Points, Closing In on Top 10 in Rebounds
Mark Gayman scored 35 points in the Bruins' two games last week, boosting his four-year career total to 1,391. One of 31 players to have reached the 1,000-point mark as a Bruin, he moved past Mike Royer (1,367, 1978-82) into 8th place in all-time points. Ahead is Jordan Green (1,468, 1997-2001) ... With 17 rebounds during the week, he has 694 for his career, and needs 46 in the last 4 games to tie Gary Blackmar (740, 1965-68) for 10th on the all-time list ...
Aaron Schmick hit 9-10 free throws in two games last week, putting his three-year career free throw pct. at .809 (220-272), 10th on the all-time list ... With 34 points during the week, giving him 967 in his career, he needs 33 in the last 4 games to become the 32nd player in Bruin history to reach 1,000 ...
Scott Szalay had 1 blocked shot in two games last week, giving him 59 for his two-year career. He needs 15 in the last 4 games to tie Rick Schlachter (74, 1986-90) and Curtis Kimbrough (74, 1983-87) for 7th on the all-time list ...
Chris Parker hit 2-2 free throws last week, remaining 9th on the all-time free throw pct. list at .817 (85-104) ...
* NWC Stats: Schmick League's Most Accurate from 3-Pt Range
In the latest Northwest Conference stats (Feb. 13), George Fox is 1st in 3-pt field goal pct. (.397); 2nd in scoring margin (+2.7), field goal pct. (.467), field goal pct. defense (.432), free throw pct. (.726); 3rd in scoring defense (72.9), rebounding defense (35.0), assists (14.24); 4th in scoring (75.6), rebound margin (+1.1), assist/turnover ratio (0.97), blocked shots (2.90); 5th in steals (6.24); 6th in turnover margin (-1.19); 9th in 3-pt field goals (5.48) ...
Mark Gayman is 2nd in scoring (18.3), 3rd in rebounding (8.3), 13th in field goal pct. (.486) ...
Aaron Schmick is 1st in 3-pt pct. (.552), 4th in field goal pct. (.576), 7th in scoring (16.0), 3-pt field goals (2.29), 8th in assists (2.81), 9th in free throw pct. (.811), 13th in assist/turnover ratio (0.98), 14th in steals (1.19) ...
Scott Szalay is 2nd in blocked shots (1.71), 6th in rebounding (7.2) ...
Philip Heu-Weller is 4th in 3-pt pct. (.430), free throw pct. (.839), 26th in scoring (10.0) ...
Ben Melvin is 12th in assists (2.62), 14th in assist/turnover ratio (0.98) ...
Brent Satern is 8th in assist/turnover ratio (1.23), 15th in assists (2.52) ...
Chris Parker is 7th in free throw pct. (.820) ...
For the latest NWC statistics, go to www.nwcsports.com.
* NCAA Stats: Bruins Climb to 25th Among 3-Pt Field Goal Pct. Leaders
In the latest NCAA Division III national stats (games thru Feb. 13), the George Fox Bruins ranked 25th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.397) ... The Bruins have the best mark this season for 3-pt field goal pct. in one game: .923 (12-13) at Whitworth on Jan. 8 ...
Aaron Schmick has a 3-pt field goal pct. of .552, which would lead the nation, but candidates must have at last 2.5 threes made per game to qualify ...
* The Wirta Streaks:
Mike "Biggs" Wirta, George Fox's statistical guru, raised his string of consecutive Bruin men's basketball games attended, home and away, to 559 with two games last week, last missing one on Nov. 25, 1985, at Puget Sound. His streak of men's basketball home games worked is 413, last missing a home game on Dec. 15, 1972, vs. Willamette, when he was in advanced training with the Army at Ft. Jackson in Columbia, S.C. Now in his 34th season of keeping Bruin statistics, Biggs has seen 972 George Fox men's basketball games in his lifetime.
* Halftime Programs for Bruin Basketball Games
A number of special promotions are scheduled for the halftimes of George Fox men's and women's basketball games throughout the 2004-05 season, including:
"Halftime Hoop Shoot" - Co-sponsored by the Coffee Cottage in Newberg and Country Insurance & Financial Services, this promotion takes place at the halftime of every home game. Tickets for $1 are sold in the gym lobby until just before halftime, and one lucky ticketholder is selected to shoot. A made free throw earns a $5 coupon at the Coffee Cottage, a made three-pointer earns a $10 coupon. A made half-court shot earns the shooter the Country Financial "pot" for the evening, which increases by $50 each time no shot is made (the pot currently stands at $450 for the men's games and $450 for the women's games). All proceeds from the ticket sales go to the GFU basketball programs as a donation.
"Chehalem Valley Dance Academy Night", Feb. 25 - The CVDA Performing Company from Newberg will present some of their competition dance routines during halftime of both Bruin games vs. Lewis & Clark.