Overall 11-4: Home 5-0, Road 3-2, Neutral 3-2 / NWC 5-1: Home 3-0, Road 2-1
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Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule / Statistics / Results
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Recent Games: Bruins Go 3-0 to Move into 3-Way Tie for First in NWC
* Coming Up: Pair of Road Games at Pacific and Lewis & Clark
* On the Air! Most Bruin Games Now on KFOX Radio/Internet
* Clark Named NWC "Player of the Week" for Jan. 17-23
* Both Bruin Cage Teams Tied for First for First Time Ever
* Thomas Battled Flu Bug as Well as UPS and PLU
* Career Stats: Clark in Top Ten in Rebounds and Steals, Assists Next
* NWC Stats: Bruins Take Lead in Defense and Scoring Margin
* NCAA Stats: Bruins 4th Nationally in 3-Pointers Per Game
* Halftime Programs for Bruin Basketball Games
RECENT GAMES: 3-0 (Click score for link to story):
Jan. 18 - George Fox 69, at Willamette 36
Jan. 21 - at George Fox 60, #16 Puget Sound 52
Jan. 22 - at George Fox 68, Pacific Lutheran 54
COMING UP:
* Tue., Jan. 25, 6:00 pm - at Pacific University (5-8, NWC 1-4), Forest Grove, Ore.
No radio/internet broadcast ... The Pacific Boxers were picked to finish 7th in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll ... Series record: GFU leads 25-23 since 1982 (14-10 home, 11-13 road) ... The Bruins won both games last year, 70-42 in Newberg on Jan. 13 and 77-68 in Forest Grove on Feb. 14 ... Pacific's last win was 59-54 in Forest Grove on Feb. 8, 2004, snapping a 15-game GFU winning streak in the series ... The Boxers average 64.7 ppg (5th in the NWC) and allow 70.1 ppg (9th) ... The Boxers have one player in double figures in scoring: First Team All-NWC post DeeDee Arnall (23.2, 1st in the NWC, 2nd nationally) ... Arnall averages 8.7 rebounds (4th) and shoots .544 from the field (3rd, 32nd nationally) ... Kristine Callan averages 4.33 assists (3rd) ... Head coach Jeff Thompson (Washington State '94) is 17-19 to date in his 2nd season at Pacific ...
* Fri., Jan. 28, 6:00 pm - at Lewis & Clark College (5-9, NWC 1-4), Portland, Ore.
Radio/internet broadcast on KFOX ... The Lewis & Clark Pioneers were picked to finish 9th in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll ... The Pios host Linfield on Tuesday before playing the Bruins ... Series record: GFU leads 41-9 since 1981 (20-3 home, 19-6 road, 2-0 neutral) ... The Bruins have won the last 20 meetings, including 65-45 in Portland on Jan. 16 and 82-55 in Newberg on Feb. 17 last year ... The Pios' last win was 87-61 in Portland on Feb. 15, 1994 ... The Pioneers average 55.1 ppg (9th in the NWC) and allow 60.9 ppg (7th) ... The Pios have one double-figure scorer: Sarah Moon (11.2, 15th in the NWC) ... Allison Farr is L&C's top rebounder (6.3, 10th) ... Coach Juli Fulks (Capital U.) is 5-9 in her 1st season at L&C after serving as an assistant coach at Defiance (Ohio) ...
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. To listen to Bruin athletic contests, go to www.kfoxradio.net.
Current schedule of broadcasts for basketball:
Fri., Jan. 28 - at Lewis & Clark (Women 6 pm, Men 8 pm)
Fri., Feb. 4 - vs. Whitman (Women 6 pm, Men 8 pm)
Sat., Feb. 5 - vs. Whitworth (Homecoming - Women 6 pm, Men 8 pm)
Fri., Feb. 11 - vs. Willamette (Women 6 pm, Men 8 pm)
Sat., Feb. 12 - at Linfield (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:
With big home wins over 16th-ranked Puget Sound and league-leading Pacific Lutheran over the weekend, the Bruins find themselves in a three-way for 1st in the NWC as they head out on the road this week. George Fox is deadlocked with PLU and Whitworth, now ranked 16th in the D3hoops.com poll, at 5-1. The Bruins are a combined 15-1 under Scott Rueck at Pacific and Lewis & Clark, but there is rarely such a thing as an "easy win" anywhere in the NWC, and the Bruins will have to avoid upsets to stay in the conference race. For the latest NWC standings, visit the conference website at www.nwcsports.com.
COACH SCOTT RUECK:
Scott Rueck (Oregon State '91) is 154-65 (.703) to date in his 9th season as a college head coach, all at George Fox. He notched his 150th win when the Bruins defeated Whitman 62-55 in overtime in Walla Walla, Wash., on Jan. 7. He was NWC Coach of the Year in 1999-2000 and Co-Coach of the Year in 2000-01. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Rueck.
Rueck vs. upcoming opponents:
Pacific - 15-1 (home 8-0, road 7-1)
Lewis & Clark - 16-0 (home 8-0, road 8-0)
BRUIN BITS:
* Clark Named NWC "Player of the Week" for Jan. 17-23
Liz Clark played key roles in every game as the Bruins went 3-0 and moved into a tie for 1st in the conference, earning Northwest Conference "Player of the Week" honors for Jan. 17-23. In a 69-36 win at Willamette on Tuesday, she scored only 4 points on 2-9 from the field (0-1 on 3's), but had 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in 24 minutes. In a 50-42 win over 16th-ranked Puget Sound on Friday, she scored a game-high 17 points on 8-16 from the field (1-2 on 3's), with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocked shot, and 4 steals. In a 68-54 win over league-leading Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, she scored 12 points on 5-10 from the field (1-2 on 3's) and 1-1 from the line, with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. It was her 11th career double-double and 4th of the season. For the week, in 3 games, she scored 33 points (11.0), hitting 15-35 from the field (.429), 2-5 on 3's (.400), and 1-1 from the line (1.000), with 26 rebounds (8.7), 13 assists (4.3), 1 block, and 12 steals (4.0).
* 2004-05 Honors:
Liz Clark - Sodexho Tipoff Classic All-Tournament Team; NWC Player of the Week (Jan. 17-23)
Kim Leith - Grand Canyon Classic All-Tournament Team; NWC Player of the Week (Dec. 20-Jan. 2)
Kellie Thomas - Grand Canyon Classic All-Tournament Team
* Both Bruin Cage Teams Tied for First for First Time Ever
With both the men's and women's basketball teams at George Fox 5-1 and tied for first in the Northwest Conference, a quick check of the record books seems to indicate that this is the first time that both teams have been atop league standings this late in the same season. The only comparable year in which both teams got off to such good conference starts was 1997-98, when the men started off 5-1 (raising it 8-1 before losing again) and the women were 4-2. The Bruins have been members of the NWC since 1995, were members of the Cascade Collegiate Conference from 1991-95, and the men were NAIA independents prior to 1991.
The Bruins' combined record of 21-9 (women 11-4, men 10-5) is the second-best start ever for both teams after 15 games each, and only the second time both teams had at least 10 wins after 15 games. In 1989-90, the men opened the year 12-3 and the women were 10-5 for a 22-8 record.
* Thomas Battled Flu Bug as Well as UPS and PLU
While almost everyone else was enjoying one of the best weekends in Bruin history with wins over 16th-ranked Puget Sound and NWC-leading Pacific Lutheran, starting wing Kellie Thomas struggled through two off-games while battling a case of the flu. Normally one of the finest outside shooters in the league, she scored only 11 points on 4-14 shooting and was just 1-7 from three-point range after ranking 16th in the nation in three-point percentage.
"We knew she wasn't feeling well, but left it up to her whether to play or not," explained GFU coach Scott Rueck. "She's a battler and wanted to give it a shot, but it was obvious she was not her usual self."
Thomas played only 34 minutes total in the two games becasue of the illness, but still contributed 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.
"It is a testimony to our players that we were able to win those games against two of the conference's top teams without Kellie at her best," Rueck commented. "Hopefully she will be recovered for this week's games at Pacific and Lewis & Clark."
* 2004-05 Records:
Most Points, Player, Half - 30 (1st half) by Kim Leith vs. Neumann, 12/31/04 at Phoenix, Ariz.
Most 3-Pt Field Goal Attempts, Team, Game - 33 at Whitworth, 1/8/05
* Double-Doubles:
Liz Clark: career 11, season 4 - 13 pts/12 reb at Seattle Pacific, 11-20, 12 pts/12 reb vs. Denison, 12-21 at Las Vegas, Nev.; 16 pts/19 reb at Whitman, 1-7; 12 pts/10 reb vs. Pacific Lutheran, 1-22
* Career Lists: Clark Moves into 6th on Career Rebound Chart
Liz Clark had 26 rebounds in the Bruins' three games last week, giving her 634 for her four-year career and moving her past Angela Pettit (613, 1993-97) into 6th place on the all-time list. Ahead is Susie Davis (753, 1983-87) ... With 12 steals during the week and 146 for her career, she is 9th on the all-time list. Ahead is Jennifer Childress (153, 1989-91) ... With 13 assists during the week and 179 for her career, she needs 5 to tie Jennifer Bearse (184, 1985-89) for 10th ...
Kellie Thomas hit 2-3 free throws in three games last week and remained 3rd in career free throw pct. (.785, 168-214) ... She hit 1-9 3-point field goals and slipped to 5th in career 3-pt field goal pct. (.364, 102-280) ... With 810 points in her three-year career, she needs 180 in the last 10 games to tie for 10th all-time, and 190 to become the 9th Bruin to reach 1,000 career points ... With 5 assists during the week and 154 in her career, she needs 30 to tie Jennifer Bearse (184, 1985-89) for 10th ...
Kim Leith hit 3-3 free throws in three games last week and remained 2nd in career free throw pct. (.800, 120-150) ... With 4 assists during the week and 155 in her career, she needs 29 to tie Jennifer Bearse (184, 1985-89) for 10th ...
* NWC Stats: Bruins Take Lead in Defense and Scoring Margin
In the latest Northwest Conference stats (Jan. 22), George Fox is 1st in defense (52.9), scoring margin (+14.9), field goal pct. defense (.333), steals (15.47), turnover margin (+9.00), 3-pt field goals per game (8.80); 3rd in scoring (67.8), free throw pct. (.706), blocked shots (2.87), 3-pt pct. (.332); 4th in rebounding (37.9), 5th in assists (13.40); 9th in field goal pct. (.384), rebound margin (-4.9) ...
Liz Clark is 1st in steals (3.29), 6th in rebounding (8.5), 13th in blocked shots (0.43), 19th in scoring (10.1) ...
Kellie Thomas is 5th in 3-pt pct. (.397), 6th in 3-pt field goals (1.67), 9th in free throw pct. (.800), 13th in scoring (11.8) ...
Kim Leith is 1st in 3-pt field goals (2.64), 2nd in 3-pt pct. (.430), 3rd in free throw pct. (.872), 5th in scoring (17.2), 11th in blocks (0.50, tie), 14th in steals (1.64, tie) ...
Tiffany Behary is 2nd in steals (2.47, tie), 9th in assist/turnover ratio (1.12), 3-pt field goals (1.20, tie), 13th in assists (2.47, tie), 14th in 3-pt pct. (.254) ...
Robin Taylor is 7th in free throw pct. (.808,tie), field goal pct. (.490), 22nd in scoring (9.1) ...
Melissa Marek-Farris is 3rd in blocked shots (0.86) ...
Katy Campbell is 14th in blocked shots (0.40, tie) ...
* NCAA Stats: Bruins 4th Nationally in 3-Pointers Per Game
In the latest NCAA Division III national stats (games thru Jan. 16), the George Fox Bruins ranked 4th in 3-pt field goals per game (8.9) behind Muhlenberg (11.2), Grinnell (10.5), and Waynesburg (8.9) ...
Kim Leith ranked 14th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.446, 29-65), 18th in 3-pt field goals per game (2.6, tie), and 23rd in free throw pct. (.861, 31-36) ...
Kellie Thomas ranked 16th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.444, 24-54) ...
* 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 $200 for the men's games and $200 for the women's games). All proceeds from the ticket sales go to the GFU basketball programs as a donation.
"GFU Cheer Team", Feb. 4-5 - The George Fox Cheer Team will perform a special dance routine at halftime of the women's games vs. Whitman and Whitworth.
"GFU Sports Hall of Fame", Feb. 4 - The George Fox Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2005 will be inducted in special ceremonies at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4, in the Klages Dining Hall on campus, then the entire class will be introduced to the crowd at halftime of the men's game vs. Whitman that evening at 8:00 p.m.
"Homecoming", Feb. 5 - The Homecoming Court for 2005 will be presented in ceremonies during halftime of the men's game vs. Whitworth on Saturday, Feb. 5.
"Border Collies Night", Feb. 11 - The always-popular Border Collies show from Dallas, Ore., will perform during halftime of both Bruin games vs. Willamette. This entertaining group of trained dogs has performed at many college and professional games, including the Portland Trailblazers and Portland Beavers.
"GFU Cheer Clinic Night", Feb. 22 - Participants in the GFU Cheer Team's Youth Clinic on Feb. 19 will perform some of the stunts and routines they will have learned at haltime of the women's game only.
"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.