Women's Basketball To Play Boise Before Break
12/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2001
SPOKANE, Wash. - Women's Basketball Game Notes
At Boise State University
Game No. 11 - Fri., Dec. 14, 7 p.m. PST
BSU Pavilion (12,380) - Boise, Idaho
GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS
(6-4, 0-0 West Coast Conference)
G - 15 Juliann Laney, 6-0, Fr., Sprague, WA
(7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 assists)
G - 10 Shannon Mathews, 5-6, Fr., Riverside, CA
(6.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.9 assists)
C - 35 Bernice Stime, 5-8, Sr., Deer Park, WA
(9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.6 assists)
F - 24 Jessica Malone, 5-10, Sr., Vancouver, WA
(17.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 assists)
F - 13 Ashley Burke, 6-1, Fr., North Vancouver, BC
(12.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 assists)
HEAD COACH: Kelly Graves (University of New Mexico, 1988)
GONZAGA RECORD: 11-27 (2nd year) CAREER RECORD: 77-53 (5th year)
BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY (2-5, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference)
G - 11 Abby Vaughan, 5-6, Jr., Encinitas, CA
(9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 assists)
G - 12 Mandy Welch, 6-0, So., Modesto, CA
(9.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.1 assists)
C - 34 Andrea Swindall, 6-3, Sr., Whittier, CA
(6.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 assists)
F - 40 Crista Peterson, 6-2, Sr., Meridian, ID
(16.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 assists)
F - 22 Camille Woodfield, 5-11, Sr., La Grande, OR
(6.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.1 assists)
SERIES RECORD: BSU leads 11-3
HEAD COACH: Trisha Stevens (Stanford University, 1991)
BSU RECORD: 69-80 (6th year) CAREER RECORD: Same
VS. BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY: The Boise State University Broncos (2-5) host the Gonzaga University Bulldogs (6-4) Friday at 7 p.m. PST at the BSU Pavilion. Friday's game marks the 15th time the two teams have met. The Broncos lead the series 11-3. The Bulldogs defeated the Broncos 72-60 at the Kennel during their 2000-01 season meeting. The win snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Zags and marked head coach Kelly Graves first game guiding the Bulldogs. Broncos head coach, Trisha Stevens, enters her sixth season at the helm of the women's basketball program. The Stanford alum returns nine letterwinners and four starters to the Broncos roster. BSU finished 12-17 last season, earning a fourth place finish in the Big West Conference. The Broncos are entering their first season competing in the Western Athletic Conference. Senior forward Crista Peterson is leading the BSU offense averaging 16.4 points per game and puling down 5.7 rebounds. Sophomore Camille Woodfield has amassed 29 assists followed by Abby Vaughan with 27 assists and 9.6 ppg.
LAST TIME OUT: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team has rallied this month producing four consecutive wins since Dec. 1. The Bulldogs started their run by downing the Saint Martin's Saints 79-51 at the Kennel. The Zags then edged the Eastern Washington University Eagles 69-64 Dec. 4, in Cheney, Wash. Gonzaga returned to the Kennel to collect their next two wins. The Bulldogs defeated cross-town rival Whitworth College 65-54 Thursday night before topping the Cal State Fullerton Titans 89-48 Saturday.
UP AND COMING: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team finishes the remainder of their December games on the road. The Bulldogs only have two games left before the New Year. Boise State University hosts the Dec. 14, meeting at 7 p.m. PST. The Zags will enjoy a small holiday hiatus of 17 days before returning to the court on New Year's eve against the University of California Riverside Highlanders at 1 p.m. in Riverside, Calif. The Bulldogs face the Sacramento State Hornets Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. in Sacramento, Calif. The Bulldogs return to the Kennel Jan. 5 to play the University of Montana Lady Griz at 7 p.m.
THE SAVVY SIX: The six freshman players doting the Gonzaga University women's basketball roster are contributing big numbers this season. Ashley Burke, Raeanna Jewell, Juliann Laney, Shannon Mathews, Ziya Muhammed and Sara Steblaj have combined for 388 of the 784 points scored this season for the Zags. Burke has amassed 122 points averaging 12.2 ppg, she sits second behind senior Jessica Malone. Burke also leads the team with rebounds, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, Jewell follows with 5.3 rpg. Mathews has collected a team-high 39 assists. Steblaj pulled down three boards in just five minutes during her last appearance against Cal State Fullerton. Burke, Jewell, Laney and Mathews have all earned starting positions this season.
BIG MARGIN, BIG WIN: When Gonzaga University topped the Cal State Fullerton Titans 89-48 Saturday night at the Kennel, the Bulldogs celebrated one of their largest margins of victory over a Division I school. It was the second time that Gonzaga routed a school by 41 points since defeating Eastern Washington University 87-46 during the 1997-98 season. The Bulldogs recorded their largest margin of victory over the Division II Saint Martin's Saints 102-46 in 1999.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE TEAMS CONTINUE TO WIN: The West Coast Conference women's basketball standings released Dec. 10, list seven of the eight teams as having winning records. Gonzaga is one of three WCC teams with six wins, the University of Portland and Loyola Marymount have also recorded six each.
BULLDOGS LAND ON WCC LEADERS LISTS: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team landed six players on the West Coast Conference weekly leaders lists released Dec. 10. Senior forward Jessica Malone tops the WCC scoring list averaging 17.9 points per game while freshman Ashley Burke is listed at No. 14 with 12.2 ppg. Burke and Malone also appear on the field goal percentage list at No. 2 and 8 respectively. Malone also leads the conference with 3-point field goals made, averaging 4.30 a game. Burke sits No. 12 on the rebounding list averaging 5.6 rpg. On the assists list, Shannon Mathews is No. 8 with 3.90 per game while, Raeanna Jewell and Bernice Stime are tied for ninth with 3.60. Mathews is No.1 on the assist/turnover ratio list with 2.44 per game while Stime is at No. 3 with 2.12. Anne Bickelhaupt and Melanie Tipps made No. 4 and No. 6 appearances on the on the blocked shots list with 12 and 8 respectively. GU also sits atop the free throw, scoring, assists, steals, turnover margin, and assist/turnover lists this week.
JACKSON TO SEE MORE ACTION: Junior guard Rikki Jackson made her first appearance in a Gonzaga University Bulldog jersey Saturday night against Cal State Fullerton. After being suspended for the first nine games of the season for academic indifference, the Spokane, Wash., native tallied 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in her first 11 minutes in Zag blue. The Central Valley High product redshirted last season after transferring from the University of Idaho. Jackson led the Vandals with 90 assists and finished third on the team in scoring as a sophomore.
GRAVES GOOD THINGS: "I thought we looked good, it was our best game defensively this year," said Gonzaga head coach Kelly Graves about the Bulldogs 89-48 win over the Cal State Fullerton Titans Saturday night. "We are getting better, our freshmen are defending better and everybody got to play and got to score," Graves said. The Bulldogs attracted 1,090 fans Saturday night, the ninth largest home audience that the women's team has ever played in front of. "The crowd was great, I hope they keep coming out and support us," said Graves. "It has helped the guys for years, I hope we continue to draw, it really helped us." Gonzaga faces the Boise State University Broncos Friday before a 17-day break. "They're a good team and they are well coached, I really like the coaching staff," said Graves about the Broncos. "We're beat up, it will be nice to have a break after Boise," said Graves. "But we'll be ready to play on Friday."
