Overall 9-5: Home 5-2, Road 2-2, Neutral 2-1 /
NWC 3-3: Home 2-2, Road 1-1
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Last Week: Bruins Win Week's Only Game vs. Willamette
* Coming Up: Whitworth and Whitman Visit for Bruins' Homecoming Week
* Sports Hall of Fame, Homecoming Ceremonies This Weekend
* Thomas Honorable Mention for NWC "Player of the Week"
* NCAA, NWC Stats: Cave and Thomas Among National Leaders
THIS WEEK (Previews below):
Fri., Jan. 30, 6:00 pm - vs. Whitworth College Pirates (12-3, 4-2), Newberg, Ore. (NWC DH)
Sat., Jan. 31, 6:00 pm - vs. Whitman College Missionaries (9-5, 4-2), Newberg, Ore. (NWC DH)-Homecoming
(DH - men's game at 8:00 pm)
LAST WEEK: 1-0 (Click score for link to story):
Jan. 20 - at George Fox 68, Willamette 48
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE: George Fox (9-5, 3-3) hosts Whitworth and Whitman in Homecoming weekend games Friday and Saturday, looking for a sweep to keep them in the conference chase. For the latest NWC standings and stats, go to www.nwcsports.com.
COACH SCOTT RUECK (Oregon State '91) has a record of 139-54 (.720) in his 8th season as a head coach, all at George Fox. He was Northwest Conference "Coach of the Year" in 1999-2000 and "Co-Coach of the Year" in 2000-01. He and his wife Kerry, a GFU assistant coach and former Bruin player, became proud parents on Oct. 21 with the birth of their first child, son Cole Michael.
Rueck vs. upcoming opponents:
Whitworth - 8-7 (5-2 home, 3-5 road)
Whitman - 12-2 (6-1 home, 6-1 road)
1/26 - HOMECOMING: Sports Hall of Fame, Homecoming Ceremonies This Weekend
NEWBERG, Ore. - A busy weekend looms for everyone involved with George Fox University athletics this Friday-Saturday, Jan. 30-31, with the Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2004 inductions on Friday, Homecoming ceremonies on Saturday, and four Northwest Conference basketball games at Miller Gym in the Wheeler Sports Center.
The schedule gets under way Friday with a reception at 4:00 p.m. and a dinner at 4:30 p.m. in the Klages Dining Hall of the Heacock Common on the Newberg campus for the Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2004. Tickets for the dinner are $20 and may be purchased by calling the George Fox department of athletics at 503-554-2910.
The ninth class of honorees includes Larry Craven (football, basketball, baseball, track and field 1965-69), Tim Hagen (track and field 1988-90), Charlotte Krebs (volleyball, basketball, tennis 1968-72), Jeff Nelson (men's soccer 1991-94), Juli Cyrus Rising (cross country, track and field 1991-94), Byron Shenk (women's soccer coach 1991-2001), Tim Weaver (meritorious service), and the 1980 men's track and field team.
A reception for the inductees will be held in the upstairs lobby of the Wheeler Sports Center Friday evening between games of the Bruins' doubleheader with the Whitworth College Pirates. With the women's game at 6:00 p.m. and the men's game at 8:00 p.m., that reception should take place around 7:30 p.m. The Hall of Fame class will be introduced on the court to the crowd at halftime of the men's game.
Saturday is Homecoming Night when the Bruins entertain the Whitman College Missionaries, again at 6:00 p.m. for the women's contest and 8:00 p.m. for the men's. At halftime of the men's game, the Homecoming Court will be presented.
THIS WEEK (Previews):
Fri., Jan. 30, 6:00 pm - vs. Whitworth College Pirates, Newberg, Ore. (NWC DH)
All-time series: George Fox leads the series 11-8 since 1982 (6-2 in Newberg, 4-5 in Spokane, 1-1 neutral) ... The teams split last year, the Bruins winning 67-66 in Spokane on Jan. 4, and the Pirates prevailing 41-39 on Feb. 1 in Newberg to spoil the George Fox Homecoming ... The Pirates are led by the NWC's leading scorer, Tiffany Speer (22.8, 10th in the nation), who scored a school-record 48 points in their last game, a 65-54 win over Linfield on Saturday ... Sarah Shogren averages 19.4 points (21st nationally) and 11.2 rebounds (1st in the NWC, 17th nationally), but has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle and is doubtful for this weekend ... Dani Bielec leads the NWC in steals (2.93) ... The Pirates lead the NWC in scoring (74.0, 30th nationally), scoring margin (+15.3, 31st nationally), field goal pct. (.453, 12th nationally), and assists (16.53) ...
Sat., Jan. 31, 6:00 pm - vs. Whitman College Missionaries (9-5, 4-2), Newberg, Ore. (NWC DH)-Homecoming
All-time series: George Fox leads the series 14-4 since 1982 (7-2 in Newberg, 7-2 in Walla Walla) ... The Missionaries swept both games last year, 58-50 on Jan. 3 in Walla Walla and 53-51 on Jan. 31 in Newberg ... The Bruins' last win was on Feb. 15, 2002, 69-31 in Newberg ... Whitman is 4th in the NWC in scoring (65.9) and 3rd in defense (58.4) ... The Missionaries have three double-figure scorers: Laura Vertatschitsch (13.5), Sarah Laird (11.4), and Katie Patneaude (10.3) ... Laird is the top rebounder (5.9) ... Megan Higgins leads the NWC in assists (4.57) ... Lizzy Washburn is 2nd in the league in steals (2.21) ...
BRUIN BITS:
* Thomas Honorable Mention for NWC "Player of the Week":
Kellie Thomas ((So., Medford, Ore. / South Medford HS) sparked the Bruins to victory in their only game of the week, a 68-48 win over Willamette on Tuesday, earning Honorable Mention for Northwest Conference "Player of the Week" for Jan. 19-25. She had a game-high 22 points, 16 in the first half as the Bruins opened up a big lead, hitting 8-15 (.533) from the field with 2-7 (.286) on 3-pointers and 4-4 (1.000) from the line, with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Thomas is among the league leaders in points, 3-pointers, 3-point field goal pct., and assists.
NWC "Player of the Week" honors went to Tiffany Speer of Whitworth, who scored 73 points, including a team-record 48 vs. Linfield, with 20 rebounds and 8 steals in two Pirate wins.
* Bruin Double-Doubles:
--- Darby Cave (Sr., Portland, Ore. / Central Catholic HS): season 2, career 7 - 12 pts/13 reb vs. St. Thomas (Minn.) at Northfield, Minn., 11/30/03; 10 pts/10 reb vs. Concordia-Portland, 12/30/03
--- Liz Clark (Jr., Elbe, Wash. / Eatonville HS): season 3, career 7 - 10 pts/13 reb vs. St. Thomas (Minn.) at Northfield, Minn., 11/30/03; 15 pts/10 reb vs. Concordia-Portland, 12/30/03; 17 pts/14 reb at Lewis & Clark, 1/13/04
* NCAA Stats (thru Jan. 18) - Cave, Thomas Among National Leaders:
Individual:
--- Darby Cave - 22nd in FG Pct. (.563)
--- Kellie Thomas - 26th in 3-Pt FG Pct. (.400)
Team:
---FG Pct. Defense - .335 (31st)
* NWC Stats (thru Jan. 25) - Bruins No. 1 in 4 Categories:
Team:
Scoring Offense - 62.9 (5th)
Scoring Defense - 55.0 (2nd)
Scoring Margin - +7.9 (4th)
Free Throw Pct. - .637 (9th)
Field Goal Pct. - .395 (6th)
FG Pct. Defense - .334 (2nd)
3-Pt FG Made - 5.50 (1st)
3-Pt FG Pct. - .302 (3rd)
3-Pt Pct. Defense - .225 (1st)
Rebounding Off. - 43.2 (1st)
Rebounding Def. - 37.4 (4th)
Rebounding Margin - +5.8 (1st)
Blocked Shots - 4.64 (2nd)
Assists - 16.21 (2nd)
Steals - 8.71 (6th)
Turnover Margin - -0.79 (7th)
Ast/TO Ratio - 0.80 (5th)
Individual:
--- Darby Cave - 2nd in FG Pct. (.544), 3rd in Blocked Shots (1.64), 6th in Rebounding (7.6), 5th in Offensive Rebounding (2.71), 7th in Defensive Rebounding (4.93), 9th in Scoring (12.3)
--- Kellie Thomas - 3rd in 3-Pt FG Pct. (.389), 2nd in 3-Pt FG (2.00), 6th in Assists (3.64), 4th in Blocked Shots (1.14, T), 7th in Scoring (13.0, T), 10th in Ast/TO Ratio (1.13), 11th in FT Pct. (.704)
--- Kim Leith (So., Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood HS) - 6th in 3-Pt FG (1.29), 9th in 3-Pt FG Pct. (.321), 22nd in Scoring (9.2)
--- Liz Clark - 2nd in Rebounding (9.2), 1st in Offensive Rebounding (3.58), 3rd in Defensive Rebounding (5.67), 10th in Steals (1.58, T), 11th in Blocked Shots (0.50), 12th in Assists (2.67), 11th in Ast/TO Ratio (1.10)
--- Amy Fitch (Sr., W, Ritzville, Wash. / Ritzville HS) - 9th in Assists (2.86), 9th in Ast/TO Ratio (1.18), 15th in Steals (1.50, T)
* New Career Highs:
--- Kim Leith set a new career high for steals (4) vs. Willamette on Jan. 20 ...
--- Katie Plumb set new career highs for points (7), field goals (3), attempts (5), field goal pct. (.600), and rebounds (6), and tied her high for blocks (1) vs. Willamette on Jan. 20 ... --- Erin Powers (Fr., Salem, Ore. / South Salem HS) tied her career highs for free throws (2), attempts (3), free throw pct. (.667), and steals (1) vs. Willamette on Jan. 20 ...
--- Brittanie Strutz (So., Oregon City, Ore. / Oregon City HS) tied her career highs for assists (1), blocks (1), and steals (1) vs. Willamette on Jan. 20 ...
* All-Time Lists:
--- Darby Cave, after scoring 6 points vs. Willamette last week, has 847 career points, and needs 104 to pass Angela Pettit (950, 1993-97) for 10th on the all-time list and 153 to become the 9th player in GFU history with 1,000 career points ... With 7 rebounds vs. Willamette, she has 465 in her career and needs 64 to pass Heather Gurney (528, 1987-91) for 10th on the all-time list ... She currently ranks 2nd in career field goal pct. (.519, 361-695), after All-American Katie Lacey's .543 (1997-2001) ...
--- Kellie Thomas currently ranks 5th on the career 3-pt field goal pct. list (.371, 66-178), and 5th on the career free throw pct. list (.762, 96-126) ...
--- Kim Leith currently ranks 6th on the career free throw pct. list (.753, 70-93) ...
* 2003-04 Honors:
--- Darby Cave - Elite West Region All-Tournament Team
--- Kellie Thomas - Elite West Region All-Tournament Team