Jan. 21, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game No. 20 - PEPPERDINE
Thursday, January 22 - 6 p.m.
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) - Spokane, WA
TV: GU TV; Gametracker: www.GoZags.com; Radio: 1510 KGA
GONZAGA UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS (15-4, 3-0 West Coast)
F - 12 Vivian Frieson, 6-0, Jr., Seattle, WA
(8.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.3 spg; WCC: 8.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 2.0 spg)
F - 30 Heather Bowman, 6-2, Jr., Spokane, WA
(19.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.8 spg; WCC: 14.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.3 apg)
F - 44 Kelly Bowen, 6-0, Fr., Victoria, Australia
(5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.1 spg; WCC: 3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 spg)
G - 11 Janelle Bekkering, 6-0, So., Taber, Alberta, Canada
(7.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg; WCC: 11.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.7 spg)
G - 21 Courtney Vandersloot, 5-8, So., Kent, WA
(15.49 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 7.2 apg; WCC: 19.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 8.0 apg)
HEAD COACH: Kelly Graves (University of New Mexico, 1988)
GONZAGA RECORD: 160-106 (9th year); CAREER RECORD: 226-132 (12th year)
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY WAVES (9-8, 2-1 West Coast)
F - 21 Miranda Ayim, 6-3, Jr., London, Ontario, Canada
(11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.7 spg; WCC: 12.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg)
F - 31 Jessica Ross, 5-10, Sr., Gilroy, CA
(7.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.3 apg; WCC: 6.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.7 spg)
C - 44 Alex Jarrell, 6-4, Fr., Shelbyville, TN
(3.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg; WCC: 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
G - 3 Nakeya Isabell, 5-4, Sr., Renton, WA
(5.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.9 apg; WCC: 6.3 ppg, 5.7 apg, 5.7 apg)
G - 5 Jazmine Jackson, 5-9, Fr., Oakland, CA
(8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg; WCC: 11.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg)
HEAD COACH: Julie Roussea (Cal State Los Angeles, 1991)
PEP RECORD: 59-83 (5th year); CAREER RECORD: Same
Game No. 21 - LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Saturday, January 24 - 2 p.m.
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) - Spokane, WA
TV: GU TV; Gametracker: www.GoZags.com; Radio: 1510 KGA
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY LIONS (12-5, 2-1 West Coast)
F - 14 Melanie Ysaguirre, 6-0, So., West Covina, CA
(4.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 spg; WCC: 8.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.3 spg)
C - 20 Aleyse Evans, 6-1, So., Sacramento, CA
(7.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg; WCC: 6.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.3 spg)
G - 10 Renahy Young, 5-8, So., Torrance, CA
(16.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg; WCC: 15.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 spg)
G - 11 Cassady Moore, 5-7, Sr., Long Beach, CA
(10.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.6 apg; WCC: 10.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.0 apg)
G - 12 Lisa Helmers, 5-9, Jr., Tempe, AZ
(9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.7 apg; WCC: 8.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
HEAD COACH: Julie Wilhoit (Marion, 1985)
LMU RECORD: 194-197 (14th year); CAREER RECORD: 315-267 (20th year)
BULLDOGS OFF THE BENCH
G - 10 Tatriana Lorenzo, So., 5-7, Wahiawa, HI
0.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.9 apg
Third in assists with 32...had six assists in upset win over then-No. 15 Virginia...broke ring finger on right hand against Portland State...first game back after broken finger was vs. Tennessee.
F - 33 Kayla Standish, Fr., 6-2, Ellensburg, WA
4.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.6 spg
Scored 16 points in collegiate debut vs. Eastern Oregon..had 11 points, 7 rebounds at Montana.
F - 35 Claire Raap, So., 5-11, Prosser, WA
3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.7 spg
Played a season-high 22 minutes versus Saint Joseph's...had career-high 12 points versus Portland State.
C - 31 Shannon Reader, Fr., 6-2, Lake Oswego, OR
1.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Had eight points in collegiate debut against EOU...played 11 minutes against Portland State.
NEXT UP: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team opens its home portion of West Coast Conference play this week. The Bulldogs welcome Pepperdine University to the McCarthey Athletic Center Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. and then host Loyola Marymount University on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. Both games will be televised by GU TV.
LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE: All home Gonzaga University women's basketball contests can be seen live on CBS College Sports all-access through GoZags.com. Check out the women's basketball schedule page for the link to the video broadcast. Gametracker is also available for all home games and can be accessed at GoZags.com
ON THE RADIO: Gonzaga University will have all regular-season home games broadcast on the radio this season as Steve Myklebust returns for his fifth year of calling the action. Each game will be broadcast on either KGA 1510 AM or KJRB 790 AM in Spokane with a pre-game show 20-minutes prior to tip. Games will also be available on the internet at GoZags.com.
TICKET INFORMATION: Single game tickets to Gonzaga University women's basketball can be purchased through TicketsWest at 325-SEAT (7328), TicketsWest.com, at any TicketsWest outlet, or at the McCarthey Athletic Center Ticket Office, Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Women's Basketball Ticket Prices are as follows: $8-Reserved, $5-General Admission Adult; $3-General Admission Child (12 and under), or Senior (65 and over); Gonzaga Students, Faculty & Staff are free with a valid Gonzaga ID.
SCOUTING THE WAVES: Pepperdine University currently holds a 9-8 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the West Coast Conference. The Waves defeated Loyola Marymount University in overtime 67-66 in their first conference game of the season. In Pepperdine's second weekend of WCC action it split two games; falling 69-57 to the University of San Diego, last year's WCC Tournament champion, and then defeating Saint Mary's College 62-56. Nakeya Isabell is currently 13th in the national rankings for assists with a 5.9 average per game, 13th in steals with a 3.2 average per game and 13th in assist-turnover ratio with a 2.27 average.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PEPPERDINE: This will be the 49th meeting between Gonzaga University and Pepperdine University. The Waves hold the 28-20 lead in the all-time series but the Bulldogs have won 10 of the last 13 meetings, including all three meetings last year. Gonzaga defeated Pepperdine 68-56 and 92-85 in regular season action a season ago and then earned the 77-67 victory over the Waves in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: Loyola Marymount University currently holds a 12-5 overall record, including a 2-1 record in West Coast Conference play. The Lions opened WCC play with a 67-66 overtime loss to Pepperdine University. LMU bounced back though, defeating both Saint Mary's College (68-52) and the University of San Diego (78-61), last year's WCC Tournament champion. Loyola Marymount has three players averaging double-figure points, including Renahy Young, the reigning WCC Player of the Week, who is averaging 16.2 points per game.
ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: This will be the 46th meeting between Gonzaga University and Loyola Marymount University. The Lions hold the slight 24-21 advantage in the all-time series but the Bulldogs have won seven out of the last eight meetings. Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount split its two WCC match ups a year ago. The Zags defeated the Lions 81-65 at the McCarthey Athletic Center and then fell to LMU 75-60 on the road. GU's setback to LMU last season was its lone loss in conference play.
ÂLOOKING FOR NUMBER FIVE: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is looking to capture its fifth-straight West Coast Conference regular-season championship and second WCC Tournament title in three years. The Bulldogs, who are 51-5 over the past four WCC seasons, are coming off a 13-1 WCC campaign in 2007-08. Of the five losses during the past four seasons, two have been to both Pepperdine University and Loyola Marymount University, while one came against Santa Clara University. Last year's lone loss was at LMU.
SCHAEFER INJURED: Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Jami Schaefer, formerly Bjorklund, will be out at least six weeks with a knee injury suffered during the Bulldogs 67-38 victory over the University of Wyoming, Dec. 22. Schaefer, who was chasing down a loose ball in the first half, tripped and fell into the media table. She left the game and received eight stitches in the webbing of her right hand. After further examination, a partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament in her right knee was noticed.
LORENZO BACK: Gonzaga University sophomore Tatriana Lorenzo returned to the Bulldog lineup against the University of Tennessee, Dec. 30. The back-up point guard broke her ring finger on her right hand against Portland State University, Dec. 14 and had been out for two games. Lorenzo played two minutes against the Lady Vols.
SOLD OUT: The Gonzaga University women's basketball contest against the University of Tennessee Dec. 30 at the McCarthey Athletic Center was the first Bulldog women's basketball game to be played in front of a sold out crowd. Six thousand fans braved winter weather to watch GU do battle with the two-time defending national champions. The largest crowd for a Zags contest at the McCarthey Athletic Center prior to the Lady Vols contest was Feb. 26, 2005 when 5,825 fans showed up for a the Bulldogs game against University of Portland.
BOWMAN MAKES ANOTHER PRESTIGIOUS LIST: Gonzaga University women's basketball player Heather Bowman was named to the Naismith Trophy Early Watch List presented by AT&T as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Bowman, a junior forward averaging 19.3 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Bulldogs this season, became the inaugural Zag to be named to this list. The Naismith Trophy watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis, MO.
SCHAEFER A TOP SENIOR: Senior Jami Schaefer was named a candidate for the 2008-09 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Thirty senior male and female NCAA college basketball players were announced to the 2008-09 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to an NCAA Division I student-athlete in nine sports. Based on criteria focusing on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition, the award winners will be selected by national balloting of head basketball coaches, national media and college basketball fans.
Bowman Named To Preseason Wooden Award List: Gonzaga University women's basketball junior Heather Bowman became the inaugural Bulldog player to be named to the preseason Women's Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy as the 30 student-athletes for 2008-09 were announced by Richard "Duke" Llewellyn, Wooden Award Chairman and founder. The list is composed of 30 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
BOWMAN AND VANDERSLOOT AMONG TOP WCC RETURNEES: Heading the group of Gonzaga University returners are 2008 WCC Player of the Year Heather Bowman and Newcomer of the Year Courtney Vandersloot. Bowman and Vandersloot were tabbed by the West Coast Conference coaches as one of the top 10 returnees this season. Bowman led the WCC in scoring at 20.1 points per game in just her second year in the league and was third in the conference in rebounding at 8.6 per game. Vandersloot will enter the year as the conferences steals (62) leader and led the team in assists (191).
RECEIVING VOTES IN THE ESPN/USA TODAY POLL: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team continues to receive votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs received six votes in the latest poll, released Tuesday. Gonzaga has received votes in each ESPN/USA Today poll this season.
RECEIVING VOTES IN THE AP POLL: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is one of 14 schools also receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25. The Bulldogs, garnered five votes, up from three votes last week.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?: When looking at the Gonzaga University women's basketball roster some may wonder what happened to Bulldog Jami Bjorklund. Don't fret, the senior guard from Spokane is still on the squad, she is just going by a different name. Bjorklund was married to Drew Schaefer this past August and is now going by her married name - Jami Schaefer.
CAREER NIGHT: Courtney Vandersloot scored a career-high 32 points in the Bulldogs 80-77 setback to Marquette University in the first round of the WBCA Classic. Vandersloot joined nine other former Bulldogs in the 30-Point Club. She was six points off a single-game record, as Amy Simpson scored 38 points against Lewis-Clark State Feb. 1, 1983. The previous Zag to score 30 or more points, prior to Vandersloot scoring 32, was junior Heather Bowman who tallied 30 against Santa Clara on Feb. 28, 2008.
NEARING 1,000 POINTS: Senior guard Jami Schaefer is closing in on 1,000 career points. Schaefer has scored 924 total points at Gonzaga University and only needs 76 more to become the 14th Bulldog all-time to score 1,000 or more points.
CRASHING THE BOARDS: Gonzaga University junior Vivian Frieson grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds at the University of San Francisco Jan. 17 to help the Zags secure their 21-point victory. Frieson, who was one shy of tying her career-high, grabbed five offensive boards and 10 defensive boards in the Bulldogs third West Coast Conference victory of the season.
ZAGS KNOCK OFF RANKED OPPONENT: Heather Bowman scored 18 points to lead Gonzaga University to a 69-62 upset over then-No. 15/16 University of Virginia in the WBCA Classic. The win secured the Bulldogs the WBCA Classic title. The victory against Virginia was the first over an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) school in three tries and the second-ever over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs only other win over a top ranked team was Nov. 24, 2006 when they defeated then-No. 19 UCLA 62-57 at the Rainbow Wahine Tournament.
WBCA ALL-TOURNAMENT: Junior Heather Bowman and classmate Vivian Frieson both were named to the WBCA Classic All-Tournament squad after leading the Gonzaga University women's basketball team to a 2-1 record. Bowman also was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. Bowman averaged 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest, while Frieson averaged 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
NATIONAL STATISTICS - INDIVIDUALS: Heather Bowman, Courtney Vandersloot and Vivian Frieson, of the Gonzaga University women's basketball team, all are among the nations leaders in NCAA Division I statistics. Bowman is 20th in scoring at 19.2 per game, 46th in free throw percentage (84.5) and 81st in rebounds per game at 8.5. Vandersloot is third in assists per game at 7.1 and 45th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71), while Frieson is 78 in steals per game at 2.4.
NATIONAL STATISTICS - TEAM: The Gonzaga University women's basketball team is ranked in the Top 40 of the NCAA Division I statistics in eight categories. The Bulldogs are 17th in steals per game (11.6), 21st in turnover margin (5.06), 27th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.97), 31st in won-lost percentage (78.9), 32nd in free throw percentage (74.1), 33rd in both scoring offense (72.8) and assists per game (15.8) and 35th in scoring margin (12.4).
FIFTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Junior Vivian Frieson posted her fifth career double-double on Jan. 17 at the University of San Francisco. Frieson helped Gonzaga University to a 63-42 victory by scoring 10 points and grabbing 15 rebounds; one board shy of tying her career-high. The forward, who didn't have any double-doubles as a freshman, had her first two late in the season as a sophomore. Frieson had 12 points and 11 rebounds against Pepperdine University in the Zags opening game of the West Coast Conference Tournament. She then posted a 10 point, 11 rebound performance at the University of Colorado, in the second round of the WNIT. Frieson's first double-double of her junior season was a 12 points, 11 rebound performance against the University of Utah. Her other double-double this season was a 10 point, 10 rebound output against Saint Joseph's on Jan. 2.
PICKING POCKETS: Gonzaga University junior Vivian Frieson was a big factor in why the Bulldogs defeated the University of Washington 64-59 on Nov. 16. Frieson finished the contest with a career-high 10 steals. The forward, who was playing in her hometown of Seattle, had five steals in each half. It is the single-highest steal total during head coach Kelly Graves' tenure. For the season, Frieson has 41 steals to her credit.
DOUBLE-DIGIT ASSISTS: Sophomore Courtney Vandersloot had her third and fourth career double-figure assist games in back-back contest this season. Vandersloot dished out 10 assists against Utah Valley University on Nov. 19 and then had a career-high 13 assists versus Montana State University, Nov. 21. Those two games were also double-doubles for the point guard as she finished with 15 and 19 points, respectively. Vandersloot then had her fifth career double-figure assist contest against then-No. 8 Tennessee Dec. 30 when she finished with 10. She also scored 13 points in GU's 19-point setback. Her latest double-figure assist outing came at the University of San Francisco where she had 10 assists. Vandersloot is averaging a team-best 7.2 assists per contest.
INJURY REPORT: Junior sharpshooter Tiffanie Shives had microfracture surgery on her right knee on Monday, Dec. 15 and will be out for the rest of the season. Shives was averaging 10.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists before her injury. She was also the Bulldogs leading three-point shooter, sinking 19-of-48.
BREAKING INTO BULLDOG CAREER RECORD BOOK: Sophomore point guard Courtney Vandersloot is fifth in the Gonzaga University women's basketball career record book for total assists. Vandersloot, who finished her freshman campaign with 191 assists, has dished out 122 this season for a total of 305. Vandersloot is also just the fifth player in Bulldog history to have 300 or more assists during her career.
LOWEST SCORING OUTPUT: Junior forward Heather Bowman scored a game-high 16 points with eight rebounds, but the Gonzaga women's basketball team lost to Santa Barbara 59-47, Dec. 7. Vivian Frieson added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who had their lowest scoring output since losing 85-46 to Middle Tennessee State in the 2007 NCAA tournament (45 games). It was GU's sixth road game in 15 days.
SUFFOCATING DEFENSE: Gonzaga University women's basketball has stepped up its defensive game, forcing its opponents to turn the ball over 21.5 times per game, while only turning the ball over 16.0 times per contest. The Bulldogs have forced two schools to turn the ball over 30-plus times, seven schools to turn it over 20-plus times and eight others to have 10-plus miscues. In their last contest, the Zags forced the University of San Francisco to turn the ball over 15 times.
BULLDOGS PICKED TO WIN WCC: Gonzaga University was chosen as the favorite to claim the West Coast Conference women's basketball title, as the Zags try to defend their WCC regular season title. The Bulldogs, who received seven first place votes for a total of 49 points, lost in the finals of last year's WCC Tournament to host University of San Diego and hosted their first round matchup in the WNIT, where they beat UC Davis.
