Press Release
Overall 5-4: Home 3-1, Road 1-1, Neutral 1-2 / NWC 1-1: Home 0-1, Road 1-0
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HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: "Whits" in Town for Conference Weekend Pair
* Recent Games: Bruins Win One, Lose One to Midwest Snow
* Polls: Bruins Get Three Votes in Two National Polls
* Point Guard Behary Rejoins Team for Second Half
* Career Lists: Taylor in Top 10 in Three Percentage Categories
* NWC Stats: Bruins Best in FG and 3-Pt FG Pct. Defense
RECENT GAMES: 1-0 in non-counting game (Click scores for link to stories and box scores):
Dec. 29 - George Fox 74, Thompson Rivers 40 (PLU Classic)
Dec. 30 - vs. Wisconsin-Oshkosh (PLU Classic), canceled by weather
COMING UP: "Whits" in Town for Conference Weekend Pair
* Fri., Jan. 5, 6:00 pm - vs. Whitman College (7-4, NWC 2-0), at Newberg, Ore.
KFOX Radio webcast at www.kfoxradio.net ... Northwest Conference doubleheader (men's game at 8 p.m.) ... The Missionaries from Walla Walla, Wash., were picked to finish 7th in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll; the Bruins were picked 4th â?¦ Series record: GFU leads 16-8 since 1982 (8-4 home, 8-4 road) ... The teams split last year, GFU winning 64-48 in Newberg on Dec. 3 and Whitman 62-58 in Walla Walla on Jan. 28 â?¦ Whitman averages 66.0 ppg (2nd in the NWC) and allows 59.6 ppg (8th) ... The Missionaries lead the league in field goal pct. (.451), free throw pct. (.742), assists (17.73), and rebound margin (+8.7) â?¦ Whitman has two players in double-figure scoring: F Kelsey Krumdieck (15.1, 3rd in the NWC) and G Katie Patneaude (11.5, 9th) ... Krumdieck, a two-time NWC Player of the Week already this season, leads the NWC in field goal pct. (.622) and is the team's top rebounder (6.1, 13th) â?¦ Patneaude was honorable mention All-NWC last year â?¦ Coach Michelle Ferenz (Montana State-Billings '91) is 70-65 to date in her is 6th season ... Whitman next plays at Linfield Saturday at 4 p.m. ...
* Sat., Jan. 6, 4:00 pm - vs. Whitworth College (8-3, NWC 2-0), at Newberg, Ore.
KFOX Radio webcast at www.kfoxradio.net ... Northwest Conference doubleheader (men's game at 6 p.m.) ... The Pirates from Spokane, Wash., were picked to finish 6th in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll; the Bruins were picked 4th â?¦ Series record: GFU leads 13-12 since 1982 (8-3 home, 4-8 road, 1-1 neutral) â?¦ The teams split last year, GFU winning 58-42 in Newberg on Dec. 2 and Whitworth 66-57 in Spokane on Jan. 27 â?¦ Whitworth averages 65.2 ppg (3rd in the NWC) and allows 57.3 ppg (6th) ... The Pirates lead the league in 3-pt field goals (5.91) and 3-pt pct. (.320) â?¦ Whitworth has three players in double-figure scoring: G Natalie Orrell (12.6, 6th in the NWC), G Alida Bower (12.6, 6th), and Susan McDaniel (11.1, 10th) ... McDaniel leads the NWC in rebounding (8.9) â?¦ Orrell is 1st in free throw pct. (.897) and 3-pt pct. (.613) â?¦ Bower leads in 3-pt field goals (1.82) â?¦ Cassie Snyder is the leader in assists (4.09) â?¦ Coach Helen Higgs (Oregon '84) is 195-120 to date in her 13th season ... Whitworth plays at Linfield Friday before meeting GFU, then hosts Puget Sound Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. ...
Click here for the latest NWC Standings.
COACH SCOTT RUECK:
Scott Rueck (Oregon State '91) is 189-77 (.711) to date in his 11th 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 to the NWC title and the "Elite 8" of the NCAA National Tournament. He was also 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:
Whitman - 14-6 (7-3 home, 7-3 road)
Whitworth - 10-11 (7-3 home, 3-8 road)
BRUIN BITS:
* 2006-07 Honors:
- Melissa Marek-Farris - Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Nov. 13-19); NWC Player of the Week (HM-Nov. 13-19)
- Katy Campbell - Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Nov. 20-26, Nov. 27-Dec. 3); NWC Player of the Week (HM-Nov. 20-26, HM-Nov. 27-Dec. 3)
- Robin Taylor - Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Dec. 4-10, Dec. 11-21); NWC Player of the Week (HM-Dec. 4-10, HM-Dec. 11-21)
* Double-Doubles:
- Melissa Marek-Farris: Career 2, season 2 - 15 pts/12 reb vs. Northwest, 11/18; 16 pts/11 reb vs. Bridgewater at Honolulu, Hawaii, 12/18
- Katy Campbell: Career 3, season 1 - 12 pts/13 reb at Puget Sound, 12/2
* Bruins vs. Ranked Teams (2-2):
Dec. 2 - defeated NCAA D-III #17 Puget Sound 58-50 in Tacoma, Wash.
Dec. 8 - lost to NAIA D-I #27 Montana State-Northern 55-72 in Lewiston, Idaho
Dec. 9 - lost to NAIA D-I #8 Lewis-Clark State 59-67 in Lewiston, Idaho
Dec. 18 - defeated NCAA D-III #16 Bridgewater 57-41 in Honolulu, Hawaii
* Polls: Bruins Get Three Votes in Two National Polls
With a 57-41 upset of 16th-ranked Bridgewater in the Hoop-n-Surf Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 18 - the Bruins' second win over an NCAA Division III ranked opponent in as many tries this season - George Fox caught the attention of voters in the two D-III national polls this week.
In the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll, the Bruins received three points in the voting by 10 head coaches around the country. Three other Northwest Conference teams were included: Puget Sound was tied for 24th with 16 points, Pacific Lutheran was in "others receiving votes" with 12 points, and Whitworth received one point. Hope was ranked first with 225 points.
George Fox also received three points in the D3hoops.com poll, which is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, sports information directors, and media members. Pacific Lutheran was 25th with 62 points, and Puget Sound had the most points among "others receiving votes" with 45. Bowdoin was the top-ranked team with 612 points.
Complete polls:
USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll / D3hoops.com Poll
* Everybody Gets to Play as Bruins Breeze by TRU
With what is known officially as a "non-counting regular season game" rather than an exhibition against Thompson Rivers University of Kamloops, British Columbia, on Dec. 29 in the Pacific Lutheran Classic in Tacoma, Wash., George Fox coach Scott Rueck was able to give his reserve players plenty of playing time in a 74-40 win. The only Bruin who did not play was starting forward Katy Campbell, who rested a sore ankle. Fifteen others got into the game, and 11 of them logged 10 minutes or more. Among the highlights were nine points each by Tiffany Behary, who hit three three-pointers, Elise Kuenzi, who started and also had six rebounds, and Mellisa Eastwold, who hit 5-6 free throws. MaryAnne Samples had eight points in only seven minutes, hitting 3-3 from the field, including two threes.
The Bruins had been scheduled to play Wisconsin-Oshkosh the following afternoon, but that game was canceled when UWO was unable to travel to due to heavy snow that closed the airport in Denver. The Titans had been routed through Denver but were stranded in Milwaukee, and could not find alternate arrangements that would get them to Tacoma on time. As a result of the cancellation and the non-counting game against TRU, the Bruins will play only 23 regular-season games this season.
* Point Guard Behary Rejoins Team for Second Half
Tiffany Behary, who started at point guard as a freshman and sophomore each of the last two seasons, has rejoined the Bruins after spending the fall semester at Oregon State University. She came off the bench to score nine points, hitting three baskets from three-point range, with two rebounds, two assists, and three steals in her first game back, a 74-40 non-counting win over Thompson Rivers of Canada in the PLU Classic on Dec. 29. With Behary at the point, the Bruins went 22-6 in 2004-05, winning the Northwest Conference crown and reaching the "Elite 8" of the NCAA Division III National Tournament, and 19-6 in 2005-06. In her first two seasons, she started 53 games, scoring 359 points (6.8 ppg) with 157 assists (2.96 apg) and 102 steals (1.92 spg) and ranking among the NWC leaders in assists and steals both years.
* Career Lists: Taylor in Top 10 in Three Percentage Categories
- Robin Taylor entered the season with the 5th-best field goal pct. in Bruin history (.468, 237-506). She was 12-26 in the last two games and is now at .451 (275-611), ranking 9th ... She entered the season with the 6th-best three-point field goal pct. (.357, 80-224). She was 3-11 in the last two games and is now at .348 (94-270), ranking 7th ... She entered the season with the 7th-best free throw pct. (.760, 114-150). She was 3-6 in the last two games and is now at .772 (146-189), still 7th ...
- Katy Campbell had no free throws in the last two games and maintained a career free throw pct. of .729 (97-133), 11th on the all-time list ...
* NWC Stats: Bruins Best in FG and 3-Pt FG Pct. Defense
Where the Bruins rank in the latest Northwest Conference stats (thru Jan. 2):
Scoring Offense - 6th (60.0)
Scoring Defense - 3rd (54.7)
Scoring Margin - 6th (+5.3)
Field Goal Pct. - 4th (.404)
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st (.347)
3-Pt Field Goals - 3rd (5.22)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. - 5th (.296)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st (.225)
Free Throw Pct. - 4th (.721)
Rebounding Offense - 6th (38.6)
Rebounding Defense - 6th (35.6)
Rebounding Margin - 6th (+3.0)
Assists - 6th (12.56)
Blocked Shots - 4th (2.78)
Steals - 6th (8.00)
Turnover Margin - 8th (-3.56)
Assist/Turnover Ratio - 6th (0.59:1)
- Robin Taylor is 4th in 3-pt field goals (1.56), 5th in scoring (13.6), free throw pct. (.821), 10th in rebounding (6.4), 13th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.304) ...
- Katy Campbell is 2nd in free throw pct. (.828), 4th in rebounding (8.7), 9th in field goal pct. (.449), 14th in assists (2.33, T), 15th in scoring (9.9) ...
- Melissa Marek-Farris is 1st in blocked shots (2.22), 2nd in field goal pct. (.591), 7th in rebounding (7.4), 8th in scoring (11.8), 13th in free throw pct. (.718) â?¦
- B.B. Gardner is 9th in assists (2.56, T), 15th in assist/turnover ratio (0.92) â?¦
- Nicole Hudson is 13th in 3-pt field goals (1.00, T), 14th in assists (2.33, T) â?¦
- Jaime Hubka is 3rd in 3-pt field goal pct. (.409), 13th in 3-pt field goals (1.00, T) â?¦
Click here for the latest NWC Statistics.