Press Release
Overall 23-4 (Home 12-0, Road 9-3, Neutral 2-1)
NWC 14-2, 1st, T (Home 8-0, Road 6-2)
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HIGHLIGHTS:
* Recent Games: Bruins Beat L&C but Fall to UPS in NWC Tourney Finale
* Coming Up: Bruins to Face Chapman First in NCAA West Regional
* Marek-Farris Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week
* Campbell, Rueck Repeat NWC Awards, Two Others Honored
* Polls/Rankings: Bruins Ranked 21st/22nd in National Polls
* Bruins Secure Fifth NWC Title in Last NineYears
* Bruins Equal Wins Record with 23, Aim for One More
* NCAA Stats: Gap Narrows but Bruins Still No. 1 in Defense
* NWC Stats: Campbell 1st in FG Pct., Marek-Farris in Blocks
* Career Lists: Behary Jumps 3 Spots to 6th in All-Time Steals
RECENT GAMES: 1-1 (Click scores for link to stories and box scores):
Feb. 27 - at George Fox 76, Lewis & Clark 71, OT (NWC Tournament)
Feb. 29 - at Puget Sound 62, George Fox 52 (NWC Tournament)
COMING UP: Bruins to Face Chapman First in NCAA West Regional
Fri., Mar. 7, 5:00 p.m. - vs. Chapman University in Tacoma, Wash. (West Regional)
Sat., Mar. 8, 7:00 p.m. - vs. TBA in Tacoma, Wash. (West Regional, tentative)
George Fox will meet Chapman University in the first round of the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament Friday in Tacoma, Wash. The University of Puget Sound is the host for the West Regional and will play the University of La Verne in the evening's second game at 7:00 p.m. The two winners will advance to the West Regional final Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $3 for students (with ID), seniors and children (12 and under). Children under 2 will be admitted free of charge. Fans who cannot get to the games may listen to the internet webcast the GFU campus station, KFOX, at www.georgefox.edu/offices/asc/kfoxradio/, or follow the action on the University of Puget Sound's LiveStats program.
George Fox received one of 21 at-large "Pool C" bids after tying for the Northwest Conference crown with Puget Sound but falling to the Loggers in the NWC Tournament title game. Chapman was one of three teams taken out of "Pool B" for independents. Puget Sound and La Verne of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference earned two of the 39 automatic bids given to conference or conference tournament champions.
George Fox has a 5-4 record in four NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2000, the Bruins defeated Linfield 63-51 and California Lutheran 71-63 at home before losing to St. Thomas (Minn.) 76-64 in Abilene Texas, in the "Sweet 16". In 2001, the Bruins received a first-round bye and then lost at home to St. Thomas (Minn.) 64-52. In 2005, the Bruins received a first-round bye, defeated Chapman 86-55 at home, then in the sectional in Ashand, Va., defeated St. Benedict 74-69 and lost at Randolph-Macon 63-51 in the "Elite 8". Last year, hosting the West Regional, the Bruins defeated Gustavus Adolphus 61-47 before falling to Puget Sound 51-48.
Chapman (24-3) - KFOX radio webcast ... The Panthers from Orange, Calif., are making their 8th straight post-season appearance as an independent, and have reached the second round three of the last four years ... Series record: George Fox leads 1-0 (1-0 home) ... The only previous meeting came in the 2005 NCAA Tournament 2nd round, when the Bruins defeated the Panthers 86-55 in Newberg on Mar. 5 ... The Panthers have won a school-record 24 games this season ... Chapman enters the tournament with a 12-game winning steak ... The Panthers average 66.2 ppg and allow 54.0 ... In the latest national stats, Chapman was tied for 15th in won-lost pct. (.889), 23rd in defense (53.1), 56th in scoring margin (+12.0), 73rd in steals (11.6), and 74th in free throw pct. (.711) ... The Panthers have two double-figure scorers: G Nikki Hayman (15.6) and G Linda Ly (10.3) ... C Andrijana Kerkez is the top rebounder (5.4) ... G Lauren Kamiyama is the assists leader (4.77), ranking 32nd nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.81) and 71st in assists ... Coach Carol Jue (Claremont '92) is 107-29 to date in her 5th season at Chapman, and 122-39 in 6 seasons overall ...
La Verne (20-7) - KFOX radio webcast ... The Leopards from La Verne, Calif., won the SCIAC for the second year in a row ... La Verne lost in the first round of the NCAA National Tournament last year ... Series record: George Fox leads 1-0 (1-0 neutral) ... The only previous meeting came in the 2005 D3 Hoops in Hawai'i Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i, an 87-54 win by the Bruins on Nov. 25 ... La Verne enters the tournament on a five-game winning streak ... The Leopards average 69.4 pg and allow 57.9 ... In the latest national stats, La Verne is 2nd in fewest turnovers (14.3), 14th in assist/turnover ratio (1.02), 34th in field goal pct. (.434), 61st in scoring margin (+11.7), 63rd in scoring (69.4), and tied for 68th in won-lost pct. (.741) ... The Leopards have three double-figure scorers: G Marissa Raya (16.7), F Trenecca Jones (16.5), and F Emily Carrillo (11.5) ... Jones averages a double-double, grabbing 11.0 rebounds per game, and ranks 25th nationally in rebounds ... Raya is 68th nationally in 3-pt field goal pct. (.346) ... G Lindsey Shiomi is the assists leader (6.28), ranking 7th nationally in assists and 24th in assist/turnover ratio (2.00) ... Coach Julie Kline (Whittier) is 237-126 to date in her 17th season at La Verne ...
Puget Sound (22-4) - KFOX radio webcast ... The Loggers from Tacoma, Wash., tied with George Fox for the Northwest Conference championship for the second year in a row ... Series record: George Fox trails 14-16 since 1982 (10-5 home, 4-11 road) ... GFU defeated UPS in the first meeting this year 45-39 in Newberg on Feb. 5, but the Loggers returned the favor 59-43 in Tacoma on Feb. 2, then won the NWC Tournament 62-52 over the Bruins on Feb. 29 to earn the league's automatic bid ... UPS is ranked 16th in the latest D3hoops.com poll and 17th in the WBCA poll ... The Loggers have won their last four games entering the tournament ... UPS averages 66.4 ppg and allows 53.0 ... In national stats, UPS is 7th in fewest turnovers (14.5), 14th in 3-pt pct. (.369), 21st in defense (53.0), tied for 28th in won-lost pct. (.846), 35th in free throw pct. (.734), 37th in scoring margin (+13.4), 42nd in assist/turnover ratio (0.91), 51st in 3-pt field goals (6.1), and 63rd in fewest fouls (15.0) ... The Loggers have three double-figure scorers: P Marissa Cain (15.2), G Laura Hirsh (13.3), and F Morgan Harter (10.3) ... Cain is the Loggers' top rebounder (6.2) ... Harter is the assists leader (3.15) and is 49th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.61) ... Coach Suzy Barcomb (Univ. of Washington) is 194-72 to date in her 10th season at Puget Sound ...
Click here for the latest NWC Standings.
COACH SCOTT RUECK:
Scott Rueck (Oregon State '91), the 2007-08 Northwest Conference Coach of the Year, is 226-84 (.729) to date in his 12th season as a college head coach, all at George Fox. He also received NWC Coach of the Year honors in 1999-2000, 2000-01 (Co-Coach), 2004-05, and 2006-07. He has guided the Bruins to five NWC titles, five NCAA Tournament appearances and a 5-4 playoff record in the last nine years. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Rueck.
Rueck vs. upcoming opponents:
Chapman - 1-0 (1-0 home)
La Verne - 1-0 (1-0 neutral)
Puget Sound - 14-14 (10-4 home, 4-10 road)
BRUIN BITS:
* Marek-Farris Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week
Senior center Melissa Marek-Farris has been named the Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week for Feb. 25-Mar. 2 for her performances in the Northwest Conference Tournament. In a 76-71 overtime over Lewis & Clark on Feb. 27, she scored a career-high 22 points on 7-10 field goals and 8-11 free throws, with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, and tied her career high with 6 blocked shots. In a 62-52 loss at Puget Sound on Feb. 29, she had 12 points on 5-8 field goals and 2-4 free throws, with 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals and an assist. In two games, she scored 34 points (17.0) on 12-18 field goals (.667) and 10-15 free throws (.667), with 15 rebounds (7.5), 10 blocks (5.0), 4 steals and 3 assists. Marek-Farris, a three-time winner of the BAA award this year, leads the NWC in blocked shots (2.48), and is 2nd in field goal pct. (.547), 9th in free throw pct. (.738), rebounding (6.4), 14th in scoring (10.8), and is 26th nationally in blocked shots ...
* Campbell, Rueck Repeat NWC Awards, Two Others Honored
George Fox senior forward Katy Campbell was named the Northwest Conference Player of the Year for the second year in a row and head coach Scott Rueck repeated as NWC Coach of the Year after guiding the Bruins to a 23-4 record, a 14-2 NWC mark and league co-championship, and national rankings in both major NCAA Division III polls. Also honored by the voting of the league's nine coaches were senior center Melissa Marek-Farris, who was picked for the All-NWC First Team after being a Second Team choice last year, and senior point guard Tiffany Behary, who received honorable mention for All-NWC honors. The complete story is available on the George Fox web site at www.georgefox.edu/athletics/womens_bball/2008/releases/allnwc.html.
* 2007-08 Honors:
Katy Campbell:
- D3hoops.com All-America Pre-Season 4th Team
- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Nov. 12-18; Nov. 19-25; Dec. 17-23; Dec. 24-30; Dec. 31-Jan. 6; Jan. 7-13; Jan. 14-20; Jan. 21-27; Feb. 18-24)
- NWC Player of the Week (HM, Nov. 12-18; HM, Nov. 19-25; HM, Dec. 17-26; HM, Dec. 27-Jan. 6; Jan. 7-13; HM, Jan. 14-20; HM, Jan. 21-27; HM, Feb. 11-17; HM, Feb. 18-24)
- Trinity Thanksgiving Classic MVP (Nov. 24-25)
- Posada Royale #1 All-Tournament Team (Dec. 17-18)
- ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Women's Basketball College Division Second Team
- Northwest Conference Player of the Year (2nd year in a row)
Tiffany Behary:
- Trinity Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team (Nov. 24-25)
- All-Northwest Conference Honorable Mention
Kristen Shielee:
- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Dec. 3-9)
- NWC Player of the Week (HM, Dec. 3-9)
Melissa Marek-Farris:
- Bruin Athletic Association Women's Athlete of the Week (Jan. 28-Feb. 3; Feb. 4-10; Feb. 25-Mar. 2)
- NWC Player of the Week (HM, Jan. 28-Feb. 3; Feb. 4-10)
- All-Northwest Conference First Team
Scott Rueck:
- Northwest Conference Coach of the Year (2nd year in a row, 5th time overall)
* Polls/Rankings: Bruins Ranked 21st/22nd in National Polls
After going 1-1 in the Northwest Conference Tournament, the George Fox Bruins (23-4) slipped one spot to 21st with 44 points in the USA Today / ESPN NCAA Division III poll of Mar. 4 as voted on by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association after being 20th with 60 points the week before. In the D3hoops.com national poll of Mar. 3, the Bruins were down four spots to 22nd with 110 points after being 18th with 208 points the week before. George Fox has been ranked in the polls at some point in the season seven of the past nine years (2000, '01, '02, '05, '06, '07, '08). The Bruins' highest ranking ever was No. 1, a spot they held for two week in February of 2001.
Puget Sound (22-4) was 16th with 210 points in the D3hoops.com poll and 17th with 84 points in the WBCA poll. Chapman (24-3) received 44 points, most among "others receiving votes", in the D3hoops.com poll, and 2 points in the WBCA poll. Hope (27-0), one of three remaining unbeatens, was ranked No. 1 in both polls for the 10th week in a row. No. 2 Howard Payne and No. 3 Thomas More are both 28-0.
In the third NCAA Division III regional rankings of Feb. 27, George Fox was 2nd in the West Region behind Simpson IA (23-2). Other teams ranked in the West were Puget Sound, St. Thomas MN (19-6), Chapman (24-3), and St. Benedict MN (20-5).
Complete polls:
USA Today/ESPN / WBCA Poll / D3hoops.com Poll / West Region rankings
* Bruins Secure Fifth NWC Title in Last NineYears
By finishing with a 14-2 record in Northwest Conference play, the Bruins earned a share of the conference title with Puget Sound, their fifth NWC crown in the last nine years. In 1999-2000, the Bruins were 14-2 in league play and shared the title with Pacific Lutheran. In 2000-01, they were 15-1 and won their first outright championship. The Bruins stood by themselves again in 2004-05, going 14-2. Last year, they shared first place with Puget Sound, both teams at 13-3. This year is the first time the conference has had back-to-back co-champions since the 1984 and 1985 seasons when Willamette and Pacific shared the title in both seasons.
* Bruins Equal Wins Record with 23, Aim for One More
With their 76-71 overtime win over Lewis & Clark in the Northwest Conference Tournament on Feb. 27, the Bruins equaled the school record for wins in a season with 23, reached in both the 1999-2000 (23-5) and 2000-01 (23-3) seasons. Although they could not get the record 24th win two nights later, falling in the tournament finals to Puget Sound 62-52, the Bruins will get another chance to break the record Friday, Mar. 7, when they meet the Chapman Panthers at 5:00 p.m. in the first game of the NCAA Division III West Regional at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. The Bruins long ago sewed up their 15th straight winning season, including one in each of coach Scott Rueck's 12 seasons at George Fox.
* 2007-08 Records
The Bruins have set or tied eight new records thus far in 2007-08:
- Most Wins, Season - 23 (ties record set in 1999-2000 and 2000-01)
- Most Consecutive Wins - 12, 12/18-2/1 (previous record was 11, achieved 4 times)
- Most Points, Game - 111 vs. Multnomah Bible, 11/16 (previous record was 105 vs. Western Baptist, 11/20/1992)
- Fewest Points Allowed, Game - 13 vs. Multnomah Bible, 11/16 (previous record was 23 vs. Pacific, 2/22/2005)
- Largest Winning Margin, Game - 98 (111-13) vs. Multnomah Bible, 11/16 (previous record was 76 vs. Columbia Christian, 104-28, 1/30/1993)
- Most Field Goals, Game - 47 vs. Multnomah Bible, 11/16 (previous record was 44 vs. Columbia Christian, 1/30/1993)
- Most Assists, Game - 34 vs. Multnomah Bible, 11/16 (previous record was 27 vs. Northwest Nazarene, 2/8/1991, and vs. Columbia Christian, 1/30/93)
- Lowest Opponents' Field Goal Pct., Game - .105 (4-38) vs. Multnomah Bible, 11/16 (previous record was .136, 8-59 at Whitman, 2/19/2000)
* NCAA Stats: Gap Narrows but Bruins Still No. 1 in Defense
Despite allowing their two highest total of points in any games this season in a 76-71 overtime win over Lewis & Clark and a 62-52 loss at Puget Sound in the Northwest Conference Tournament last week, George Fox remained the best defensive team in the nation in the latest NCAA statistics thru Mar. 2, allowing only 44.2 points per game to 46.2 for runner-up Mount St. Mary of New York. The Bruins have been atop the defensive stats in every report this season. The Bruins also rank 9th in rebound margin (+11.3), 11th in scoring margin (+20.4), 12th in fewest personal fouls (13.1), 17th in field goal pct. (.448), 21st in field goal pct. defense (.334) and blocked shots (5.0), tied for 26th in won-lost pct. (.852), 28th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.353), 35th in fewest turnovers (16.0), 37th in 3-pt field goals (6.2), 39th in free throw pct. (.732), and 52nd in assist/turnover ratio (0.89) ... The Bruins' 111 points vs. Multnomah Bible on Nov. 16 is tied for the 10th-most scoring in a game this season ... Individually, Katy Campbell is 15th in field goal pct. (.573) ... Melissa Marek-Farris is 26th in blocked shots (2.5) ...
* NWC Stats: Campbell 1st in FG Pct., Marek-Farris in Blocks
Where the Bruins rank in the latest Northwest Conference stats (thru Feb. 29):
Scoring Offense - 3rd (64.6)
Scoring Defense - 1st (44.2)
Scoring Margin - 1st (+20.4)
Field Goal Pct. - 1st (.448)
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st (.334)
3-Pt Field Goals - 2nd (6.22)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. - 4th (.353)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st (.268)
Free Throw Pct. - 2nd (.732)
Rebounding Offense - 2nd (38.9)
Rebounding Defense - 1st (27.6)
Rebounding Margin - 1st (+11.3)
Assists - 2nd (14.22)
Blocked Shots - 1st (4.96)
Steals - 7th (7.19)
Turnover Margin - 6th (-0.15)
Assist/Turnover Ratio - 3rd (0.89)
- Katy Campbell is 1st in field goal pct. (.573), 5th in scoring (13.7), rebounding (7.6), 7th in free throw pct. (.777), 11th in blocked shots (0.48), 15th in assists (2.33) ...
- Melissa Marek-Farris is 1st in blocked shots (2.48), 2nd in field goal pct. (.547), 9th in free throw pct. (.738), rebounding (6.4), 14th in scoring (10.8) â?¦
- Tiffany Behary is 3rd in steals (2.04), 7th in assists (2.93), 13th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.359), 30th in scoring (8.2) ...
- Jaime Hubka is 7th in 3-pt field goals (1.63), 9th in 3-pt field goal pct. (.373) ...
Click here for the latest NWC Statistics.
* Double-Doubles:
- Katy Campbell: career 15, season 8 - 13 pts/10 reb at Warner Pacific, 11/17; 11 pts/20 reb at Trinity TX, 11/24; 17 pts/11 reb at Northwest, 12/28; 15 pts/10 reb vs. Puget Sound, 1/5; 26 pts/10 reb at Linfield, 1/12; 16 pts/10 reb vs. Lewis & Clark, 1/18; 12 pts/11 reb at Lewis & Clark, 2/15; 26 pts/13 reb vs. Whitman, 2/23
- Kaleigha Ramey: career 1, season 1 - 13 pts/11 reb at Whitworth, 1/26
- Melissa Marek-Farris: career 5, season 1 - 19 pts/10 reb vs. Linfield, 2/9
* Career Lists: Behary Jumps 3 Spots to 6th in All-Time Steals
- Katy Campbell scored 29 points in the Bruins' two NWC Tournament games, giving her 1,042 career points, 9th on the all-time GFU scoring list. Ahead is Nicole Prazeau (1,133, 1998-2002). She became the 11th player in Bruin history to reach 1,000 with a layup in the first half against Whitman on Feb. 23. ... She had 13 rebounds in the two games, giving her 204 for the season and 720 in her career, 7th on the all-time GFU list. Ahead is Liz Clark (743, 2001-05) ... She was 10-18 on field goals in the games, giving her a career field goal pct. of .486 (386-794), 5th best all-time ... She was 8-8 on free throws, giving her a career free throw pct. of .753 (204-271), 7th best all-time ...
- Melissa Marek-Farris had 10 blocked shot in the Bruins' last two games, giving her 67 for the season and 171 in her career, 3rd on the all-time GFU list. Shawna Chandler (188, 1982-85) is 2nd ... She was 12-18 on field goals in the two games and has a career field goal pct. of .522 (249-477), 3rd-best all-time ...
- Tiffany Behary had 6 assists in the Bruins' last two games, giving her 79 this season and 267 in her career, 5th on the all-time list. Ahead is Marianne Funderhide (294, 1984-88) ... She had 7 steals in the two games, giving her 55 for the season and 180 in her career, moving her past Heather Gurney (173, 1987-91), Liz Clark (175, 2001-05), and Heidi Rueck (177, 191-95) into 6th on the all-time GFU list. Ahead are Melody Groeneveld-McMaster (186, 1981-85) and Tracy Nelson (192, 1988-92) ... She was 5-8 in 3-pt field goals in the two games, giving her a career 3-pt field pct. of .366 (126-344), 7th best all-time ...
- Jaime Hubka was 0-3 in 3-pt field goals in the last two games, giving her a career 3-pt field goal pct. of .371 (88-237), 6th best all-time ...