Overall 21-5: Home 10-1, Road 8-2, Neutral 3-2 / NWC 14-2: Home 7-1, Road 7-1
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HIGHLIGHTS:
* Recent Games: Bruins Advance to NCAA "Sweet 16" with Win over Chapman
* Coming Up: George Fox vs. St. Benedict in NCAA Sectional in Ashland, Va.
* Quick Facts about George Fox in NCAA Tournament Play
* On the Air! Entire Sectional to be Broadcast by D3hoops.com
* George Fox Ranked 24th in WBCA Poll, 2nd in West Region
* Leith, Rueck Garner NWC's Top Honors, Clark First Team All-NWC
* Career Lists: Leith Nears Top Ten in Scoring and 1,000 Career Points
* NWC Stats: Bruins Top League in 7 Team, 2 Individual Statistics
* NCAA Stats: Bruins 4th Nationally in Threes, 13th in Defense
RECENT GAMES: 1-0 (Click score for link to story):
Mar. 5 - at George Fox 86, Chapman 55 (NCAA Tournament, 2nd round)
COMING UP:
* Fri., Mar. 11, 3:00 pm (6:00 pm EST) - vs. College of St. Benedict (24-4), Ashland, Va. (NCAA Sectional)
Game information: Radio/internet broadcast by D3hoops.com via ncaasports.com ... Sectional host is Randolph-Macon College, with all games in Crenshaw Gym ... Tickets for the entire three-game sectional are $8.00m while single-game tickets for Saturday's title game are $5.00 ... Friday's second game at 5:00 pm (8:00 pm EST) features the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets (27-1) and Trinity University (Texas) Tigers (25-4) ... Friday's winners will meet Saturday at 4:00 pm (7:00 pm EST), with the winner advancing to the Final Four March 18-19 at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Va. ...
About the opponent:The College of St. Benedict Blazers from St. Joseph, Minn., finished 3rd in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference but defeated No. 1-seeded Carleton in the MIAC Tournament to win the league's automatic bid ... St. Benedict advanced to the sectional with a 1st-round 80-63 win at home over Simpson and a 2nd-round upset 77-71 at Buena Vista ... St. Benedict is ranked 27th in the D3hoops.com poll and 20th in the WBCA poll ... Series record: First meeting ... No common opponents ... Both teams enter play on 8-game winning streaks ... The Blazers are led by 5-11 forward Anna Heikenan and 6-4 center Kim Johnson, who both repeated as All-MIAC First Team selections this year ... Both reached 1,000 career points this season, and Johnson became only the 2nd Blazer to reach 800 rebounds ... 5-8 wing Darby Noreen was honorable mention All-NWC ... Coach Mike Durbin (Kent State '81) is 431-115 in his 19th season at CSB ...
Probable St. Benedict starters:
G #22 Katie Kempe (5-6 So, 8.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.1 apg)
G #33 Darby Noreen (5-8 So, 10.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg)
F #24 Jen Dalhed (5-8 So, 4.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.1 apg)
F #34 Anna Heikenen (5-11 Jr, 17.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 0.8 apg)
C #51 Kim Johnson (6-4 Sr, 9.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Probable George Fox starters:
G #24 Tiffany Behary (5-6 Fr, 6.4 ppg, 1.9 ppg, 2.5 apg)
G #14 Kim Leith (5-7 Jr, 17.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 apg)
F #23 Liz Clark (5-9 Sr, 10.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.9 apg)
F #30 Kellie Thomas (5-10 Jr, 10.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
C #22 Erin Powers (5-11 So, 3.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 apg)
* Quick Facts about George Fox in NCAA Tournament Play
--- George Fox is making its 3rd appearance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, having also made it in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. Counting this year's 2nd-round win over Chapman, the Bruins are 3-2 in NCAA Tournament play.
--- In 1999-2000, the Bruins were co-champions of the Northwest Conference and were one of four teams from the NWC to play in the tournament. It was the NWC's first year as eligible members of the NCAA and the league had no automatic bid until the following year. The Bruins were joined by Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, and Whitworth as four of the seven Pool B teams selected.
--- In the '00 tournament, the Bruins defeated Linfield 63-51 in the first round and California Lutheran 71-63 in the second, both in Newberg, before being eliminated by St. Thomas (Minn.) 76-64 in the "Sweet 16" in a sectional at Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, Texas.
--- In the '01 tournament, the 4th-ranked Bruins received a first-round bye and then hosted 10th-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.), who again knocked the Bruins out of the tournament with a 64-52 win in Newberg. George Fox, which had spent two weeks as the #1-ranked team in the country, finished with a final #11 ranking.
--- Coach Scott Rueck is 3-2 in NCAA Tournament play (3-1 home, 0-1 neutral), the Bruins' only post-season appearances in team history. George Fox never made it to the NAIA Tournament while a member of that organization for 14 years.
* On the Air! Entire Sectional to be Broadcast by D3hoops.com
George Fox's games in the NCAA Division III sectional may be heard on D3hoops.com, which will broadcast/webcast the entire three-game sectional from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. To listen to the games, go to www.d3hoops.com.
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE: Bruins Win Third NWC Title in Six Years
Winning their final two home games by a combined total of 69 points, the George Fox Bruins nailed down their 3rd Northwest Conference crown in the last 6 seasons with emphasis. The Bruins won NWC titles in 1999-2000, sharing 1st place with Pacific Lutheran with a 14-2 league record, and won an outright title in 2000-01 with a 15-1 mark. Whitworth finished one game behind the Bruins at 13-3, while the defending co-champions, Puget Sound and Whitman, tied for 4th at 9-7. George Fox clinched the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament that goes with the conference championship as well. For the latest NWC standings, visit the conference website at www.nwcsports.com.
COACH SCOTT RUECK:
Scott Rueck (Oregon State '91) is 164-66 (.713) to date in his 9th season as a college head coach, all at George Fox. He was named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in 2004-05 after leading the Bruins, who were picked to finish 5th in the pre-season coaches poll, to the NWC title and a berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. He was also NWC Coach of the Year in 1999-2000 and Co-Coach of the Year in 2000-01. He notched his 150th win this season when the Bruins defeated Whitman 62-55 in overtime in Walla Walla, Wash., on Jan. 7. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Rueck.
Rueck vs. 2004-05 NCAA Tournament opponents:
California Lutheran - 1-0 (home 1-0)
Denison - 1-0 (neutral 1-0)
DePauw - 1-0 (neutral 1-0)
BRUIN BITS:
* 2004-05 Honors:
Liz Clark - Sodexho Tipoff Classic All-Tournament Team; NWC Player of the Week (Jan. 17-23); All-NWC First Team
Kim Leith - Grand Canyon Classic All-Tournament Team; NWC Player of the Week (Dec. 20-Jan. 2, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, Feb. 7-13); NWC Player of the Year
Kellie Thomas - Grand Canyon Classic All-Tournament Team
Scott Rueck - NWC Coach of the Year
* George Fox Ranked 24th in WBCA Poll, 2nd in West Region
George Fox made its first appearance of the season in the top 25 in the final regular-season poll, moving into a tie for 24th with Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the Women's Basketball Coach of America poll of March 1, receiving 15 points. In the D3hoops.com poll of Feb. 28, the Bruins received 67 points, which would place them 28th. In the latest West Region rankings by the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee ratings (Feb. 23), the Bruins were 2nd behind Buena Vista of Iowa.
Complete polls: USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Poll / D3hoops.com Poll / NCAA Division III Regional Rankings
* Leith, Rueck Garner NWC's Top Honors, Clark First Team All-NWC
George Fox ran away with all the top honors in Northwest Conference women's basketball for the 2004-05 season in voting by the league's nine head coaches. Sharp-shooting wing Kim Leith, the conference leader in three-point field goals and 5th-leading scorer, was the top choice on six of the ballots to earn NWC Player of the Year honors, while forward Liz Clark, the Bruins' top rebounder and league leader in steals, garnered two votes for POY and was named First Team All-Conference. Coach Scott Rueck, in taking his team from a predicted 5th-place finish to the conference crown and an NCAA Tournament berth, won his third NWC Coach of the Year award (he also won in 1999-2000 and was Co-COY in 2000-01). Click here for the complete story on the All-Conference Bruins.
* 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
Fewest Points Allowed, Team, Game - 23 vs. Pacific, 2/22/05
Fewest Points Allowed, Team, Half - 6 vs. Pacific, 2/22/05 (2nd half)
* Double-Doubles:
Liz Clark: career 12, season 5 - 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; 12 pts/20 reb vs. Chapman, 3-5
* Career Lists: Leith Nears Top Ten in Scoring and 1,000 Career Points
Liz Clark had a career-high 20 rebounds in the Bruin' NCAA Tournament win over Chapman on Saturday, giving her 726 for her four-year career, 6th on the all-time list. Ahead is Susie Davis (753, 1983-87) ... With 3 steals in the game and 174 for her career, she passed Heather Gurney (173, 1987-91) for 7th on the all-time list. Ahead is Heidi Rueck (177, 1991-95) ... With 2 assists in the game and 215 for her career, she is 8th all-time. Ahead is Melinda Day (220, 1981-85) ...
Kellie Thomas hit 7-8 free throws vs. Chapman and climbd one spot to 5th in career free throw pct. (.784, 192-245) ... She hit 1-3 3-point field goals and ranks 5th in career 3-pt field goal pct. (.363, 116-320) ... With 2 assists in the game and 175 in her career, she needs 18 to tie Heather Gurney (193, 1987-91) for 10th ... With 14 points in the game, she went over the 900-point mark with 908. She needs 82 to tie Heidi Rueck (990, 1991-95) for 10th all-time, and 92 to become the 9th Bruin to reach 1,000 career points.
Kim Leith scored 10 points vs. Chapman Saturday, giving her 960 in her three-year career. She needs 30 to tie Heidi Rueck (990, 1991-95) for 10th all-time, and 40 to become the 9th Bruin to reach 1,000 career points ... She did not have a free throw in the game, leaving her 2nd in career free throw pct. (.801, 145-181) ... With 182 assists in her career, she needs 11 to tie Heather Gurney (193, 1987-91) for 10th ...
* NWC Stats: Bruins Leaders in 7 Team, 2 Individual Statistics
In the latest Northwest Conference stats (Mar. 5), George Fox is 1st in scoring (67.5), defense (51.2), scoring margin (+16.4), field goal pct. defense (.334), steals (14.46), turnover margin (+8.42), 3-pt field goals per game (9.00); 2nd in blocked shots (2.88), rebounding (37.9); 3rd in 3-pt pct. (.337); 4th in assists (14.42); 6th in field goal pct. (.392); 7th in free throw pct. (.693); 9th in rebound margin (-2.6) ...
Liz Clark is 1st in steals (2.96), 4th in rebounding (8.4), 5th in 3-pt pct. (.395), 7th in assists (2.92), 10th in 3-pt field goals (1.28), 11th in assist/turnover ratio (0.96), 16th in scoring (10.3) ...
Kim Leith is 1st in 3-pt field goals (2.72), 4th in free throw pct. (.843), 3-pt pct. (.395), 5th in scoring (17.6), 7th in steals (1.92), 10th in blocked shots (0.56), 12th in field goal pct. (.441) ...
Kellie Thomas is 5th in 3-pt field goals (1.50), 6th in 3-pt pct. (.379), 10th in free throw pct. (.790), 14th in scoring (10.6) ...
Tiffany Behary is 5th in steals (2.19), assist/turnover ratio (1.18), 11th in 3-pt field goals (1.27), 12th in assists (2.50), 15th in 3-pt pct. (.292) ...
Robin Taylor is 8th in field goal pct. (.455), 26th in scoring (8.2) ...
Melissa Marek-Farris is 7th in blocked shots (0.75) ...
Katy Campbell is 15th in blocked shots (0.42) ...
* NCAA Stats: Bruins Among National Leaders in Four Categories
In the latest NCAA Division III national stats (games thru Feb. 27), the George Fox Bruins ranked 4th in 3-pt field goals per game (8.9) behind Grinnell (11.3), Muhlenberg (9.2), and Waynesburg (9.1). 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 (20-5 as opposed to Grinnell's 6-17, Muhlenberg's 11-14, and Waynesburg's 10-14) ... The Bruins were 13th in defense (51.0), 27th in scoring margin(+15.8), and 28th in field goal pct. defense (.332) ...
Kim Leith was tied for 12th in 3-pt field goals per game (2.8), 27th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.398), 35th in scoring (18.0), and would rank 19th in free throw pct. (.843, 59-70) but is three free throws shy of qualifying ...