Overall 18-5: Home 7-1, Road 8-2, Neutral 3-2 / NWC 12-2: Home 5-1, Road 7-1
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HIGHLIGHTS:
* Recent Games: Bruins Close in on NWC Title by Taking Two in Tacoma
* Coming Up: Last Home Games with NWC Title, NCAA Berth on the Line
* On the Air! KFOX to Broadcast Final Home Games
* Leith Honorable Mention for NWC "Player of the Week"
* George Fox 2nd in West Region, Getting Votes in National Polls
* Career Lists: Leith Closing in on Top Ten in Points
* NWC Stats: Clark Leads in Steals and 3-Pt Pct., Leith in 3-Pt Field Goals
* NCAA Stats: Leith Ranked Among Leaders in 3-Pt Field Goals and FT Pct.
* Halftime Programs for Bruin Basketball Games
RECENT GAMES: 2-0 (Click score for link to story):
Feb. 18 - George Fox 67, at Puget Sound 45
Feb. 19 - George Fox 60, at Pacific Lutheran 59
COMING UP:
* Tue., Feb. 22, 6:00 pm - vs. Pacific University (8-14, NWC 3-10), Newberg, Ore.
Radio/internet broadcast on KFOX ... The Pacific Boxers from Forest Grove, Ore., were picked to finish 7th in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll and are currently in 8th ... Series record: GFU leads 26-23 since 1982 (14-10 home, 12-13 road) ... The Bruins have won the last 3 meetings, including a 74-55 decision on Jan. 25 in Forest Grove this year ... Pacific's last win was 59-54 in Forest Grove on Feb. 8, 2004 ... The Boxers average 59.7 ppg (8th in the NWC) and allow 66.0 ppg (8th, tie) ... The Boxers have one player in double figures in scoring: DeeDee Arnall (22.2, 1st in the NWC, 2nd nationally) ... Arnall is the top rebounder (8.5, 4th) ... Kristine Callan is 4th in the league in assists (3.86) ... Coach Jeff Thompson (Washington State '94) is 20-25 to date in his 2nd season at Pacific ...
* Fri., Feb. 25, 6:00 pm - vs. Lewis & Clark College (5-17, NWC 1-12), Newberg, Ore.
Radio/internet broadcast on KFOX ... The Lewis & Clark Pioneers from Portland, Ore., were picked to finish 9th in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll and are currently in 9th ... Series record: GFU leads 42-9 since 1981 (20-3 home, 20-6 road, 2-0 neutral) ... The Bruins have won the last 21 meetings, including a 60-47 win in Portland on Jan. 28 this year ... The Pios' last win was 87-61 in Portland on Feb. 15, 1994 ... The Pios average 52.6 ppg (9th in the NWC) and allow 61.3 ppg (7th) ... The Pios' top scorer is Sarah Moon (9.3, 21st in the NWC) ... Allison Farr is the top rebounder (6.4, 9th) ... Coach Juli Fulks (Capital U.) is 5-17 in her first season at L&C after serving as an assistant coach at Defiance (Ohio) ...
ON THE AIR! KFOX to Broadcast Final Home Games
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:
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: One Win May Do It, Two Assures It
One win ... that's all the Bruins need in their final two home games (Pacific on Tuesday, Lewis & Clark on Saturday) to clinch at least a tie for the Northwest Conference title. The automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, however, is a bit more complicated. Only Whitworth would be able to tie the Bruins if GFU wins Tuesday, but if there IS a tie between the two, the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament would be contingent upon tiebreakers ... and since the Bruins and Pirates split, whichever team finishes 3rd would be critical. If Pacific Lutheran, currently 9-4, is 3rd, George Fox gets the tiebreaker (GFU was 2-0 vs. PLU, Whitworth 0-2). If Whitman, now 8-6, is 3rd, Whitworth could get the tiebreaker (Whitworth would be 2-0 vs. Whitman if they win Tuesday in Walla Walla, while GFU is 1-1 vs. Whitman). And if PLU and Whitman tie for 3rd, then THAT tie has to be broken, and ... well, you get the idea.
Of course, the Bruins can control their own destiny, and two George Fox wins would leave no doubt.
For the latest NWC standings, visit the conference website at www.nwcsports.com.
COACH SCOTT RUECK:
Scott Rueck (Oregon State '91) is 161-66 (.709) 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 - 16-1 (home 8-0, road 8-1)
Lewis & Clark - 17-0 (home 8-0, road 9-0)
BRUIN BITS:
* Leith Honorable Mention for NWC "Player of the Week" for Feb. 14-20
Wing Kim Leith sparked the Bruins to a 2-0 week that kept the Bruins one step ahead of the pack in the conference, receiving honorable mention for Northwest Conference "Player of the Week" for Feb. 14-20. In a 67-45 win at Puget Sound on Friday, she scored 23 points on 9-18 from the field (5-10 on 3's), with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 blocked shot, and 2 steals. In a 60-59 win at Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, she scored 28 points on 10-21 from the field (5-10 on 3's), with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. She scored 25 points in the second half, including 14 straight Bruin points at one stretch, to rally the team from a 17-point second-half deficit to the win at PLU. For the week, in 2 games, she scored 51 points (25.5), hitting 19-39 (.487) from the field, including 10-20 (.500) on 3's, and 3-5 (.600) from the line, with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 3 steals. She is a three-time winner of the NWC Player of the Week award this season (Dec. 20-Jan. 2, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, and Feb. 7-13).
* 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, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, Feb. 7-13)
Kellie Thomas - Grand Canyon Classic All-Tournament Team
* George Fox 2nd in West Region, Getting Votes in National Polls
George Fox was ranked 2nd in West Region in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee ratings of Feb. 16; the next poll will not be out until Feb. 23. Ahead of the Bruins (now 18-5, 12-2 vs. regional opponents) was Buena Vista of Iowa (22-1, 19-0). Whitworth was 3rd and Pacific Lutheran 6th. In national polls, the Bruins received one vote in the WBCA poll (tied for 33rd) of Feb. 15, and 31 points in the D3hoops.com poll (29th) of Feb. 21.
Complete polls: USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Poll / D3hoops.com Poll / NCAA Division III Regional Rankings
* Odds 'n' Ends from the Tacoma Trip
The Bruins' 22-point margin in their 67-45 win at Puget Sound on Feb. 18 was the largest margin of victory for either team in their 21-game history ... Kim Leith scored 25 of the Bruins' 40 second-half points, including 14 in a row at one stretch, as the Bruins rallied from a 17-point deficit (37-20) early in the second half. "That's the biggest deficit I can ever remember us coming back from on the road against a good team," said coach Scott Rueck, who is in his 9th season at George Fox ... Leith's three-point play (a field goal and a free throw) with 51 seconds left put the Bruins up 60-59 in the PLU game, but the victory was not secured until the Lutes' Kelly Turner had her 13-foot jumper bank off the glass, roll around the rim, and fall off as time expired. "She (Turner) was leaning in a little to try to draw the foul, but Tiffany (Behary) was guarding her and she just backed off to avoid contact. I thought it was going to be good, but it was off just enough..."
* 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: Leith Closing in on Top Ten in Points
Liz Clark had 15 rebounds in the Bruins' two games last week, giving her 693 for her four-year career, 6th on the all-time list. Ahead is Susie Davis (753, 1983-87) ... With 7 steals during the week and 166 for her career, she ranks 8th all-time. Ahead are Heather Gurney (173, 1987-91) and Heidi Rueck (177, 1991-95) ... With 9 assists during the week and 206 for her career, she passed Jennifer Childress (202, 1989-91) for 8th all-time. Ahead is Melinda Day (220, 1981-85) ...
Kellie Thomas hit 3-4 free throws during the week and ranks 3rd in career free throw pct. (.787, 185-235) ... She hit 1-7 3-point field goals and ranks 5th in career 3-pt field goal pct. (.359, 110-306) ... With 4 assists during the week and 169 in her career, she needs 24 to tie Heather Gurney (193, 1987-91) for 10th ...
Kim Leith hit 3-5 free throws in two games last week and ranks 2nd in career free throw pct. (.799, 143-179) ... With 51 points last week and 927 in her three-year career, she needs 63 to tie Heidi Rueck (990, 1991-95) for 10th all-time, and 73 to become the 9th Bruin to reach 1,000 career points ... With 3 assists during the week and 175 in her career, she needs 18 to tie Heather Gurney (193, 1987-91) for 10th ...
* NWC Stats: Clark Leads in Steals and 3-Pt Pct., Leith in 3-Pt Field Goals
In the latest Northwest Conference stats (Feb. 19), George Fox is 1st in defense (52.7), scoring margin (+14.2), field goal pct. defense (.336), steals (14.26), turnover margin (+7.83), 3-pt field goals per game (8.87), blocked shots (2.87); 3rd in scoring (66.9), rebounding (37.2), 3-pt pct. (.337); 4th in assists (13.74); 7th in free throw pct. (.701), field goal pct. (.392); 9th in rebound margin (-3.8) ...
Liz Clark is 1st in steals (3.00), 3-pt pct. (.437), 5th in rebounding (8.1), 6th in assists (2.91), 7th in 3-pt field goals (1.41), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (0.93), 14th in scoring (10.6), free throw pct. (.778), blocked shots (0.45) ...
Kim Leith is 1st in 3-pt field goals (2.77), 5th in scoring (18.5), 3-pt pct. (.399), 7th in free throw pct. (.838), 8th in blocked shots (0.59), 9th in steals (1.82), 11th in field goal pct. (.446) ...
Kellie Thomas is 6th in 3-pt field goals (1.43), 7th in 3-pt pct. (.371), 8th in free throw pct. (.803), 16th in scoring (10.3) ...
Tiffany Behary is 5th in steals (2.26), 8th in assist/turnover ratio (1.08), 12th in 3-pt field goals (1.26, tie), assists (2.30, tie), 15th in 3-pt pct. (.282) ...
Robin Taylor is 8th in field goal pct. (.468), 25th in scoring (8.2) ...
Melissa Marek-Farris is 6th in blocked shots (0.71) ...
Katy Campbell is 15th in blocked shots (0.43) ...
* NCAA Stats: Leith Ranked Among Leaders in 3-Pt Field Goals and FT Pct.
In the latest NCAA Division III national stats (games thru Feb. 13), the George Fox Bruins ranked 4th in 3-pt field goals per game (8.8) behind Grinnell (11.3), Muhlenberg (9.5), and Waynesburg (9.2). Proving that a little defense is also necessary when shooting a lot of threes, however, the Bruins are the only one of the four with a winning record (16-5 as opposed to Grinnell's 5-16, Muhlenberg's 10-12, and Waynesburg's 9-12) ... The Bruins were 35th in defense (52.8) ...
Kim Leith was 19th in 3-pt field goals per game (2.6), and tied for 16th in free throw pct. (.857, 54-63) ...
* 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.
"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.